My niece, in second grade, took the following quiz, which is from a standardized book of tests used in schools nationwide. Why, you may ask, am I reproducing it here?
Just read it. You’ll know it when you get to it.
PAD
My niece, in second grade, took the following quiz, which is from a standardized book of tests used in schools nationwide. Why, you may ask, am I reproducing it here?
Just read it. You’ll know it when you get to it.
PAD
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Wow. Twáŧ is that all about? I çûņŧ believe they did that. I mean, ÇÙM ON!
For the longest time (like, 20 years or more) there was a convenience store chain in the flyover states here called “Kûm & Go”. In college, we joked that it had been picked over “Stop & Bop” or “Truck & F***”. A couple years ago, someone finally realized it might be taken in a bad context, and they changed the name (at least on all the ones around here) to “On the Go” which at least let them keep part of the sign.
Reminds me of the story about a guy who died in flagrante delicto. When someone knocked on her door and asked if he was there, she truthfully responded, “Well, he came and he went.”
Really? Wow, I didn’t know they were a chain. One opened just a few blocks from my house a couple of years ago. Now I’ll never look at the aisle where they sell prophylactics the same way again.
They’re all over Missouri… and I giggle like a 13 year old everytime I see them. They’ve even made it into Tulsa, OK. So they’re not gone…
You can find Kûm & Go stores all over southeastern Iowa, too.
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Chuck
I’m currently typing this less than 150 yards from a Kûm & Go in NE Iowa, while on holiday.
yep, sorry, they still have them around here. 😉 in fact, they recently ran a contest on what to name their 32 oz. drink… you know, because “big gulp” was taken.
true.
our favorite was the jerk & spurt.
The only shame is that In & Out Burger is only on the West Coast…the two businesses’ powers combined could be, er, well you could figure it out.
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Not gonna touch it…
As far as I know, there are still Kûm & Go’s back home in Omaha, but I could be mistaken. I’ll have to check next time I’m there. Never did understand why someone would name a store that.
So what would have happened had a student circled “çûm”? I mean, it is spelled correctly.
Actually it even has a non-obscene meaning. “Çûm” meaning “and” or “with,” such as summa çûm-laude. So the “right” answer doesn’t work on any level.
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PAD
It’s still commonly used that way in India. There are many signs advertising things like “Laundry çûm Tailor” or “Grocery çûm Pharmacist”
Well, that ‘çûm’ is Latin, not English. However, the question doesn’t exactly specify the English language.
I’m actually interested in whether the red-markings are teacher markings, and if so, what the difference in meaning is between a Star of Solomon and a Star of David, since both are used.
To quote Jason Lee in MALLRATS – “I, too, hope to çûm laude.”
The question is obviously meant to gauge the student’s knowledge of the high frequency word and irregular spelling pattern. I’m quite sure no second grader in the class noticed anything odd about the question. But yes, it makes quite mildly humorous fare for the blog. It’s just a matter of time before Fox News and Yahoo pick it up to start another debate on education reform.
My First Purity Test?
Sadly, I don’t have photographic evidence, but I recently came across a multiple choice question with the following answers:
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a) all of the above
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b) [a valid statement]
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c) [another valid statement]
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d) [a third valid statement]
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The answer they were looking for was (a), which I suppose is trivially correct no matter what the question or choices.
I may actually have evidence of this at work. If I remember, I will check tomorrow. In all likelyhood it is a different quiz/test than the one you have seen.
One of my HS teachers would regularly have on his quizzes:
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*multiple choice question*
A) *choice*
B) *choice*
C) None of the above
D) All of the above
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I’d write in “E) both A & B, since C) would cancel out D)” every time… and pick that as the answer if it was correct. And he NEVER GOT THE POINT.
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Sadly, I no longer have any copies.
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Also, Kûm & Go is still around in Omaha. Saw one in April and laughed. http://www.kumandgo.com/refuel.cfm for anybody interested in finding one around you!
I had a test with similar options, once.
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a) [a true statement]
b) [a true statement]
c) [a true statement]
d) a and b only
e) a and c only
f) all of the above
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There are still Kûm and Go’s in Oklahoma. GO there all the time.
I was going to mention they were here, but you beat me to it.
I didn’t know there was anyone else from Oklahoma here. (I hope you don’t know me. I only have the guts to speak my mind when there’s no chance of dealing with anyone face-to-face.)
I’m from Oklahoma, and I know a woman who quit her job when they made the changes from Git N Go to Kûm and Go.
I suppose references to a spit take would be in poor taste. As, for that matter, would the words “poor taste.”
1) spitters are quitters 2) pineapple juice.
I spotted that, but I also spotted the red Stars Of David after #4 and at the bottom. Would those be meaningful, too?
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J.
This reminds me of the old “Found Pornography” feature in MAXIM where readers would send in photos and text of unintentionally dirty things. I miss that feature.
I don’t have a dictionary handy, but plenty of online dictionaries have the sexual meaning as valid. I suspect the easiest way to deal with this would not to include the word on any future spelling exams to prevent confusion. Or, to put it simply, keep “çûm” off the students’ papers.
Seems kinda obvious what put like that…
Oh, Peter. You’re TWELVE.
When I was twelve, I didn’t know that word.
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PAD
Oh wow. I bet someone either wasn’t thinking about the potential meanings that day or was angry at SOMEONE in charge.
Thanks for the chuckle; you made the night a much more amusing one for my friends and I.
Well considering that question one was about a willie, and question two about a pussy, what can you expect?
at least emily got it right!
I still trying to figure out why 4 ran down the street…
Well, I dunno what the problem is with the questions, but that test paper sure has a funky, swirly header!
How long did that teacher’s T.A. bust a gut laughing?
2nd grade teachers get TAs?
I see the problem!
The word “IS”, in the middle of the final question, is capitalized, on a test where the first question tests if the student knows how to capitalize properly.
As humorous as this is, the pitiful thing is it states that the test has been in use since 1998!!!
Are we referring to the use of the word “çûm” or the use of the 6 pointed stars. Not that there’s anything wrong with that… it just caught me a little off guard.
As Emily’s mother (and Peter’s sister)I can clarify the use of the 6 pointed star. Emily did those on her own. I asked her why and she responded that they are easier to make than the “other kind of star”. If you look at her attempt at the other star, you can see she’s right.
OK, That makes more sense to me then!
What would have been worse is if one of the kids circled çûm and then defended their choice to the teacher with the definition.
Ewww! She’s 7 years old!
I’m hoping that Eric meant the Latin definition.
While I did notice the çûm/come/kome question as a bit odd, what got my attention at first was the teachers use of at first a check mark then the star of David and then the five pointed star and then back again to the star of David to indicate a correct answer, is this an attempt at extreme political correctness on their part?
I guess I should have read the whole thread because now that I have I see the Star of David question was already answered. Oh well.