I remember when someone told me that guessing on a multiple choice exam gave you at least a 20% chance of getting it right. Eliminating the obviously wrong answer raised the odds, if you could find that one.
That’s the spirit and that’s what I tell my student’s. Can’t get any credit for an empty space and even if I laugh at the answer, I will usually give a partial credit…..
I’m minded of an essay question I was given in first grade: “How did the Pilgrims come to America?” I wrote, “On a boat.” and left it at that. Brevity, after all, IS the soul of wit.
Sometimes, simply writing for long enough allows you to stumble on the correct answer. It has been my saving grace on many tests, and why I still prefer it to a multiple-choice test.
I do remember having those questions in school. “In you opinion what was the main differnces between the New England colonies and the southern colonies?” or “What do you think caused colonists to come to the Mid Atlantic colonies rather than coming to either the New England Colonies or the Southern Colonies?” I always wondered how teachers could properly grade those vs. grading essay questions. Now I figure the teacher just had to look and see if you supported your opinion with material from the text. Same as an essay really. But at least the essay questions tended to be straight forward “give us an answer out of the text”, so the questions would be something like “List three reasons the early colonists settled where they did and explain your answer.”
Templo S.U.D. about 4 years ago
you don’t do your homework at all, do you, Miss Reichardt?
charliefarmrhere about 4 years ago
Calvin would probably say the answer is 32.
orinoco womble about 4 years ago
I remember when someone told me that guessing on a multiple choice exam gave you at least a 20% chance of getting it right. Eliminating the obviously wrong answer raised the odds, if you could find that one.
hariseldon59 about 4 years ago
If nothing else she might give the teacher a good laugh.
littlejohn Premium Member about 4 years ago
It’s just an essay P.P.. Just talk the answer through and put what you said on paper.
gsawyer101 about 4 years ago
If you say you can’t you are 100% right.
mrcooncat about 4 years ago
“If you can’t blind them with brilliance, baffle them with bulls***.”
jagedlo about 4 years ago
“I’ve got a million to one chance”…the mantra of every Lotto player…
Strider Premium Member about 4 years ago
I had an instructor tell me that it’s better to answer the question than to leave it blank.
Ralph Newbill about 4 years ago
I’m sure half of my students are reacting thus…
rugeirn about 4 years ago
Certainty of the bad outcome versus possibility of the good outcome — possibility wins.
Ellis97 about 4 years ago
No need to announce it to the world.
Incognito 2.0 about 4 years ago
oddly inspiring.
jrankin1959 about 4 years ago
BANZAI!
gantech about 4 years ago
I’m sure some of the world’s greatest dissertations were created exactly that way.
summerdog about 4 years ago
I love her moxie!
Otis Rufus Driftwood about 4 years ago
Peppermint Patty is nothing if not enthusiastic.
Indianapolis Smith about 4 years ago
I once wrote a paragraph on a test on how I didn’t know the answer.
timinwsac Premium Member about 4 years ago
The way some politicians go a out business.
KEA about 4 years ago
One of the reasons I chose to teach Mathematics instead of one of my other areas of interest was … no essay questions to grade.
KEA about 4 years ago
It’s possible that yelling in class during an exam might have drawn some unwanted attention.
cosman about 4 years ago
..Well, just fake it ’til you make it.
raybarb44 about 4 years ago
That’s the spirit and that’s what I tell my student’s. Can’t get any credit for an empty space and even if I laugh at the answer, I will usually give a partial credit…..
ChessPirate about 4 years ago
“As this essay question is putting me in Jeopardy, ‘What is I don’t know?’” (RIP, Alex Trebek)
WCraft Premium Member about 4 years ago
Remember Alice and her pangolin speech during show and tell? Use her as inspiration!
Thinkingblade about 4 years ago
Peppermint Patty – the Han Solo of the previous generation …
Major Matt Mason Premium Member about 4 years ago
I’m minded of an essay question I was given in first grade: “How did the Pilgrims come to America?” I wrote, “On a boat.” and left it at that. Brevity, after all, IS the soul of wit.
geese28 about 4 years ago
I once wrote an essay in one of those state exams in which I had no idea what it was about. Nearly 20 years later still no correction
I❤️Peanuts about 4 years ago
The World War I flying ace had been shot down by the Red Baron. He made his way to a little French cafe where he spied a beautiful young maiden . . .
done about 4 years ago
Sometimes, simply writing for long enough allows you to stumble on the correct answer. It has been my saving grace on many tests, and why I still prefer it to a multiple-choice test.
zarilla about 4 years ago
I guess her one a million estimate is still better than a monkey, given an infinite amount of time, typing all of Shakespeare’s works.
Scoutmaster77 about 4 years ago
I think I had a few students like that. :-D
David Rickard Premium Member about 4 years ago
According to Terry Pratchett, a million-to-one chance succeeds nine times out of ten, so go for it Patty.
knight1192a about 4 years ago
Could be worse, could be an opinion question.
I do remember having those questions in school. “In you opinion what was the main differnces between the New England colonies and the southern colonies?” or “What do you think caused colonists to come to the Mid Atlantic colonies rather than coming to either the New England Colonies or the Southern Colonies?” I always wondered how teachers could properly grade those vs. grading essay questions. Now I figure the teacher just had to look and see if you supported your opinion with material from the text. Same as an essay really. But at least the essay questions tended to be straight forward “give us an answer out of the text”, so the questions would be something like “List three reasons the early colonists settled where they did and explain your answer.”