A student connects two identical resistors in a parallel circuit with a battery. She then reconnects the same two resistors in a series circuit with the same battery. Explain why the current drawn from the battery is greater in the parallel circuit than in the series circuit.

In a parallel circuit each resistor has its own branch, so the current can split and each resistor receives the full battery voltage.
The total resistance of the parallel pair is lower than the resistance of a single resistor (R_total = R/2 for identical resistors), and is therefore lower than the total resistance of the series pair.
In a series circuit the resistances add (R_total = 2R), giving a higher overall resistance.
Because I = V/R, a higher resistance in the series circuit reduces the current drawn from the battery, whereas the lower resistance in the parallel circuit allows a greater current to flow.