March 29, 19S7
Tests Punctuate Paragraphs of Academic Progress
Variety Is Liberal Arts Grammarian
I'csls are like i)unctu:ition marks j
in the paragraph of an academic r lowing brief case study, suggesting
year. the probable cause of the person-
T hey can be strong and emphatic, | difficulty and one remedial
like a period.
Here is a sample: Analyze the fol- interpreted. But the facts must
be mastered first.
In Introduction to Theatre, Miss
Riegner asks : Define and illustrate
Some are commas
and colons, pauses before another
clause related to the first. Some
tests are exclamation points, in
dicating with gusto that the course
has been exciting and asorbing.
Others are question marks, hint
ing that tlie essence of the course
is still vague.
Many things affect the make-up
of a test. The amount of material
covered is, of course, important.
But even more obvious to someone
cotuparing tests is the difference
in the material itself and the treat
ment it demands.
We have compiled some sample
(|uestions which point up the re-
hitioii of the test to the subject or
material.
As much a part of the freshman
year as orientation are the required
science courses. They emphasize
memory of factual data.
Mr. Campbell directs: Diagram
and label the vascular bundle of a
corn stem.
Mr. French: In preparing hydro
gen hy the reaction of a metal with
a suitable acid, the source of hydro
gen is I) acid 2) metal 3) water
4) metal and water 5) air in the
bottle.
Later on, aspiring medical tech
nologists, straight science majors*
and home economics girls are faced
with the same type of question on
another level. A chemistr-y 209
final reads thus: Illustrate the
tautomerism of acetoacetic ester.
The student is asked to prepare:
2, 5-dimethylbenzoic acid from p-
xylene.
These questions have objective
answers. The education depart
ment effects a good compromise
between factual material and stu
dent interpretation. For instance,
an open book examination in Edu
cation 220 includes : After studying
the N. E. A. Code of Ethics, list
those types of behavior which you
consider to be professionally and
personally essential.
Psychology students are asked to
apply principles to actual situations.
technique you might use in helping
the individual to solve the problem
for himself. Jimmy, aged 6, has,
in the past month, become anta
gonistic toward his parents. He is
hostile in speech and manner and,
three weeks ago, sneaked down
stairs during the early morning
hours and cut to pieces the uphols
tery of the divan and chairs in the
living room. He is stubborn, sullen,
negativistic, and does not hear when
spoken to. He has just struck the
boy next door with a stick and has
hurt him rather seriously. We will
leave jimm}' with p.sychology.
Etiglish courses deal with litera
ture and literature is meant to be
irony, suspense, dilemma, patheliq
motivation, generalized character,
complex plot.
Then she puts this one out: An
inexperienced director has asked
you to attend one of her early re
hearsals. Although the cast has
spontaneity and talent, the play hast
obviously not been blocked: the
movements are meaningless and the
actors are bumping into each other.
Assuming that the director is open
to suggestions, write a full para
graph on stage movement that
would he helpful to the director.
Be practical and specific.
And we move away from the
courses which demand even a slight
practical approach.
Miss Byrd says on a Restoration.
test: Identify Edith Sitwell, Titus
Oates, Dr. Arbuthnot, Mrs. Will
iams, Bowzybeus, 1631-1700.
Then: Discuss the works of
Swift and Johnson as illustrative
of neoclassic principles about man,
society, etc. and artistic principles.
What difference do you find in the
thinking and artistic methods o£
Addison and Steele and of Pope?
A typical Shakespeare question:
Discuss the character of either
Leontes or Hermione. Do you con
sider this character probable. What;
tone does the character give to the
play?
Comparative religion reaches the
heights of comprehensiveness. Dr.
Sawyer queries: Hinduism as a re
ligion is like a great, sprawling,
multi-membered giant. Yet its
views on Karma, Maya, Nirvana,
etc., are remarkably consistent.
Discuss these, as time permits, tell
ing what hope there is in escaping
the effects of Karma and caste.
What role does the Supreme Being
The Tested Ones Have Their Trials
There is an alibi for almost every
bad grade. The following were
found bj' writers in the New York
Times Magazine a few weeks back
to be the most often offered as
excuses.
There must be a mistake some
where,
At no time before the e.xam did
I receive an official warning, there
fore, relying upon the college, I
merely m a i n t a i n e d my grade.
Surely, this should have been a
satisfactory grade.
I know many members of the
class who do not work as hard as
I do and who got a better grade.
1 am recognized among my class
mates as a good student—jmu just
ask any one of them.
I was not well at the time of the
examination.
This mark ruined my prospect of
getting a scholarship.
This mark grieved my mother (or
father) whose pride I am.
This is the only course in which
I received a poor grade.
It is not a higher mark I seek;
I care nothing for marks, I think
marks are wicked and I disapprove
of them. However, this pernicious
system of which I am the victim
requires marks for achieving sue*
cess and, therefore, I seek a higher
grade.
Several people around me copied
from my paper during the exami
nation, yet they received higher
marks than I did. Surely, this is
not fair,
I live far away from the college
and I feel this e.xtra-travel should
have been considered when you
gave me my' grade.
I have studied this subject from
the broad philosophical viewpaint
and, therefore, I was unable to
answer your technical catch-ques
tions.
The questions were ambiguous
and, therefore, my answers should
be graded according to the reason
able interpretations that I made of
your questions.
The examination was unfair and
unfairly distributed over the sub
ject.
I have to work after school and
at nights; therefore, I should be
given a break.
The reason I did not do better is
because I am very honest. I do not
wish to sa\' anything against an}''
of the other members of the class.
My mind always goes blank dur
ing an examination.
I would have done much better
if I had taken the other examina
tion you gave to the student next
to me.
Conditions in the room were not
conductive to concentration.
—Irving Settel and Frank Fallon
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play in all this ? What is the after,
life like, and what place does prayer
have?
Dr. Lewis, in Philosophy 201, is
a little more abrupt: The Greeks
defined “philosophy” as the "love
of wisdom.” Explicate this defini.
tion.
In art, Mr. Shewmake wants to
know: On what grounds would
Wilenski critize the recent pur.
chase of a new “Venus” by the
Metropolitan Museum in New
York? Or: What basic character
istics of modem architecture do you
think would or would not make it
a suitable style for building
churches today ?
History is perhaps the most flex
ible material for testing purposes.
Questions range from this type:
(A. Chaucer B. Erasmus C. Dante)
wrote “The Divine Comedy. To
this: Discuss this quotation from
the standpoint of substantiation.
“Frederick Jackson Turner has
stated an undeniable fact that an
organic connection exists between
American democracy and the
American frontier.”
The limited samples listed here
imply the broad scope of liberal
education. There is variety in
kinds of minds, kinds of subjects,
kinds of questions.
An attempt to understand a test
in terms of what the course allows
it to be might lessen the shock in
the variety of grades available.
—Jo Smitherman
Student-faculty relationships are sometimes cemented back into shape outside the classroom. Marcia ax cl •
art instructor, illustrate the process. *"■ ewmake, actor and
Beyond • ••
(Continued from Page 2)
nner in “The King and I,” Best
Supporting Actress—Dorothy Ma
lone in “Written On the Wind,”
Best Supporting Actor — Antony
Oninn in “Lust for Life,” Best
Director — George Stevens for
“Giant,” Best Foreign Film—“La
Strada,” and Best Song—“What
ever Will Be, Will Be.”
Thought Jerry Louis was won
derful and Fdizabeth Taylor and
Eva Marie Saint the best dressed.
And oh, that Yul Bryiiner!
“It's getting so that pretty soon-
there will be an award for every
picture and, presumably, the ulti
mate will be achieved with an
award for the picture that gets the
most awards,” say's the New York
Times.
* Si S:
This ‘natural superiority’ idea of
the Ivy League colleges is getting
rather boring. Harvard grads Alan
lay (My Fair Lady) Lerner and
Musician Leonard Bernstein have
just completed a song for the old
alma mater called “The Lonely
Men of Harvard”. Quote:
“We’re the lonely men of Har
vard,
Alone, alas, alone, alack, are we,
And that’s the curse we’ve got
to bear.
For our irrefutable superiority.
* * *
For those who go up to New
York this summer, a plan to pre
sent Broadway musicals under the
stars in Central Park has finally
been approved by' Robert Moses,
City' Parks Commissioner. This
idea has been suggested many times
in the past, but it has always been
turned down. There will be i
minimum of three shows presenteQ
and a maximum of seven. The
program will consist of revivals
slightly' modernized and shows
never before produced.
* *
One of the biggest playboys in
America is Lance Reventlow, the
son of Five-and-Dime heiress Bar
bara Hutton. Mr. Revetlow shows
be is at least doing some self-
analysis when he explained to re
porters, “I guess you might say
I’m a playboy. But I like what
I’m doing and I’m never bored like
so many people are who work all
the time.”
* * *
If you frighten easily, stay away
from San Francisco. Last Friday
they suffered an earthquake that
shook buildings, wobbled the Golden'
Gate Bride and scared the inhabi
tants out' of their wits.