Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I’m Grading Tests (LA-500: English for Lawyers)

Mildly entertaining are the following responses on a multiple-choice test:

Which of the following is a defense to murder? (Suicide)

In the absence of an emergency, if a doctor who is drunk at the time operates on a person, the doctor has (merely made a mistake).

Both of these answers were fairly common, reflecting Asian values, no doubt.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing the words, "Defense" and "Absence" would cause a cultural stir in the brain.
I personally, being grow'd up by wizenheimer parents, am always quietly amused by the most absurd of choices on multiple choice tests. I just remind myself frequently that I'm not there to make the teacher laugh.

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing the words, "Defense" and "Absence" would cause a cultural stir in the brain.
I personally, being grow'd up by wizenheimer parents, am always quietly amused by the most absurd of choices on multiple choice tests. I just remind myself frequently that I'm not there to make the teacher laugh.

fred c said...

Grading them is a trip, but it is very helpful in planing future lessons on the same material. Our brains resist understanding something that seems impossible, so explaining something like "equity," or even "premeditation," requires some deft handling.