Speaking of running screaming from the room…
First off, a disclaimer: that which follows is basically me ranting. Now, I try to avoid making too many comments about ongoing classes, but since this is nothing I wouldn’t say in class, I figure that I am not transgressing my own internal rules.
Ok, so here’s the deal. I have a question that I often ask on my second American National Government exam which is supposed to be a gimme. Indeed, it is so incredibly easy that I am almost embarrassed to tell the world that I ask it. The question is:
1. Legislative power is the power to
a. make the laws.
b. enforce the laws.
c. interpret the laws.
d. all of the above.
e. a & b.
This question is supposed to serve the function of being an icebreaker, i.e., an easy question to allow those who might be hyperventilating over the fact that they are taking an exam a chance to calm down.
This is the kind of thing that the student should be able come into class already knowing. I mean gee whiz, they have all had Government in High School (although I will confess, that may not mean much), and even if they slept through it, how hard can this be? Further, I drum the idea of the basic meaning of Legislative, Executive and Judicial power into their heads (or, at least, I attempt to do so).
Indeed, this question seemed to me to be such an easy one that a few years ago I was passing out an exam to about 40 students and made the joke that “if you don’t know the answer to number 1, you should just leave now.� Apparently, a number of them should have done so, as about 13 of them missed the question.
From that point one, I would tell the above story to my classes and underscore to them that I am likely to ask the question, and that I really would like everyone to get it right.
Yet, today, I am grading the exams and what do my little eyes see? Two out of nine who missed the dang question. It is wholly enough to make one scream.
June 20th, 2024 at 10:47 am
Do they think it’s a trick question or something? To me it’s a no brainer. Deb wondered if people thought it was too simple to be real.
June 20th, 2024 at 12:22 pm
f. filibuster judicial and other appointed executive candidates in order to stymie the will of the majority of the people and enforce your own social programs which couldn’t get passed by any other method . . .
sorry — I rant.
June 20th, 2024 at 4:18 pm
This one is for Scott. Will of the people? We are talking about the Senate, right? I don’t think anyone has ever claimed that body’s role is to represent the will of the people (whatever that is; I would argue it exists ony in the fantasies of populists and revolutionaries). However, I was accused by some of doing just that–saying the Senate should represent the will of the people–when I had the temerity to point out that the majority of voters in the current cycle of senate elecitons has voted NON-Republican. Plurality Dem, about 5% independent/third party, and only 46% Rep, yet somehow the idea persists in some quarters that an manufactured, unrepresentative majority of senators should be able to speak for all of us.
June 20th, 2024 at 5:09 pm
You should tell those thirteen about my story from ANG. You may have already.
June 20th, 2024 at 8:30 pm
Hey, at least you didn’t have any of them score a 50 on a take-home final.
June 20th, 2024 at 8:44 pm
Are you still giving that same old test? I guess the “study” exams aren’t circulating around Troy like they did once upon a time!
June 20th, 2024 at 9:03 pm
Paige,
Some questions are the same, some vary. I keep all copies of the tests anyway.
And if someone does have copies–it ain’t helpin’ much.
June 20th, 2024 at 9:19 pm
Maybe they were just distracted. My baby sister will not take your class because she thinks you are too cute.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:12 am
She’s right, Steven: the entire neighborhood thinks you’re cute.
June 21st, 2024 at 10:36 am
I try my best.