Tests with wrong answers.

***CaptHayfever*** · 07-28-2010, 04:24 PM

I took the theatre Praxis (teacher certification exam) this past weekend. Several questions either did not have the correct answer available* or were entirely subjective**. There were a healthy share of questions I know I probably got wrong***, so having that other bullcrud on there to potentially bring my score down even further was NOT appreciated.

*Ex: They asked whose theories were responsible for Method acting, but the developer of Method acting, Lee Strasberg, was not an option.

**Ex: They asked what an actor needed to do in order to prepare for a role. No specific acting philosophy was mentioned, so either of two different answers could each have been 100% correct.

***Many questions were about teaching elementary students (which I've never studied; my degree has been all secondary) and/or a few plays that I've never even heard of, much less read.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Sim Kid · 07-28-2010, 06:59 PM

UGH. I hate those kinds of tests. >.< The subjective ones always get you in, and they overlap with when the professor and the TAs who design the test don't exactly proofread it beforehand.

One of my Ecology tests had something kinda like that, where they gave us multiple choice, except that they accidentally put two answers in there that would have answered the question. The one I can think of off of the top of my head was about Primary Succession, it was like:

Which of these lifeforms would you expect to see during primary succession?
-Bacteria
-Lichen
-Bird
-Insect

The answer was "a", but "b" would have fit just as well. There was another one about pioneer species, which mentioned algae and moss. The Moss was correct because it was a pioneer species, except that the question didn't entirely specify what the environment was, because if it weren't aquatic, then it would have made more sense why Algae wouldn't have fit. :/ Entomology also had another one of those questions in which we were asked what forms "hives". They were looking for "Bees", except that "Wasps" were also included as a choice, and it fit just as well. :/

The Spark · 07-28-2010, 07:41 PM

Maybe sometimes they include multiple possible answers to see what you would think would be the best guess even if there's an option just as good; almost like a personality thing or something.

***Cosmonautical*** · 07-28-2010, 11:30 PM

I recall once not being credited for providing a correct answer on a test, because I also provided the correct negative answer. I even explained this to the teacher, and she just seemed confused and said that if she wanted the negative answer she would have asked for it. As this was never stated in class, and there was really no observable precedent, it was especially strange that you would ask for the solution to an equation and discredit a person for observing correctly and appropriately that a negative would work as well.

I think she was just being a bitch because I passed her class on test scores alone, without doing any of the assigned homework.

***CaptHayfever*** · 07-29-2010, 12:51 AM

Wow, that's exactly the opposite of how math tests are supposed to work.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

***Cosmonautical*** · 07-29-2010, 01:01 AM

You mean that there should've only been one possible solution, or all are required?

Maximum Spider · 07-29-2010, 10:35 AM

Tests can have the wrong answers?

There's a new one.

Sim Kid · 07-29-2010, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Max Fightmaster

Tests can have the wrong answers?

There's a new one.

If they're thrown together in a hurry and/or they aren't correctly proofread before, then yes.

If there's a bug in the computer used to grade scantrons/standardized tests that lists a wrong answer as a correct one, then yes. (The latter has often happened)

***CaptHayfever*** · 07-29-2010, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FALCON PAUNCH

You mean that there should've only been one possible solution, or all are required?

That all should be required unless otherwise indicated.

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

Sim Kid · 07-29-2010, 10:33 PM

So x) Any or all of the above?

07-28-2010, 04:24 PM	#1
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,661 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	Tests with wrong answers. I took the theatre Praxis (teacher certification exam) this past weekend. Several questions either did not have the correct answer available* or were entirely subjective. There were a healthy share of questions I know I probably got wrong, so having that other bullcrud on there to potentially bring my score down even further was NOT appreciated. Ex: They asked whose theories were responsible for Method acting, but the developer of Method acting, Lee Strasberg, was not an option. Ex: They asked what an actor needed to do in order to prepare for a role. No specific acting philosophy was mentioned, so either of two different answers could each have been 100% correct. Many questions were about teaching elementary students (which I've never studied; my degree has been all secondary) and/or a few plays that I've never even heard* of, much less read. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

07-28-2010, 06:59 PM	#2
Sim Kid Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: The state of Denial Gender: Posts: 8,884 Thanks: 80 Thanked 198 Times in 122 Posts	UGH. I hate those kinds of tests. >.< The subjective ones always get you in, and they overlap with when the professor and the TAs who design the test don't exactly proofread it beforehand. One of my Ecology tests had something kinda like that, where they gave us multiple choice, except that they accidentally put two answers in there that would have answered the question. The one I can think of off of the top of my head was about Primary Succession, it was like: Which of these lifeforms would you expect to see during primary succession? -Bacteria -Lichen -Bird -Insect The answer was "a", but "b" would have fit just as well. There was another one about pioneer species, which mentioned algae and moss. The Moss was correct because it was a pioneer species, except that the question didn't entirely specify what the environment was, because if it weren't aquatic, then it would have made more sense why Algae wouldn't have fit. :/ Entomology also had another one of those questions in which we were asked what forms "hives". They were looking for "Bees", except that "Wasps" were also included as a choice, and it fit just as well. :/ Last edited by Sim Kid; 07-29-2010 at 08:25 PM.

07-28-2010, 07:41 PM	#3
The Spark Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: At the bottom of the shipping address list Gender: Posts: 1,743 Thanks: 156 Thanked 74 Times in 54 Posts	Maybe sometimes they include multiple possible answers to see what you would think would be the best guess even if there's an option just as good; almost like a personality thing or something.

07-28-2010, 11:30 PM	#4
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,102 Thanks: 2,157 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	I recall once not being credited for providing a correct answer on a test, because I also provided the correct negative answer. I even explained this to the teacher, and she just seemed confused and said that if she wanted the negative answer she would have asked for it. As this was never stated in class, and there was really no observable precedent, it was especially strange that you would ask for the solution to an equation and discredit a person for observing correctly and appropriately that a negative would work as well. I think she was just being a bitch because I passed her class on test scores alone, without doing any of the assigned homework.

07-29-2010, 12:51 AM	#5
*CaptHayfever* Smash SuperMod Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: (n) - the place where I am Gender: Posts: 27,661 Thanks: 1,991 Thanked 2,486 Times in 1,513 Posts	Wow, that's exactly the opposite of how math tests are supposed to work. And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

07-29-2010, 01:01 AM	#6
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,102 Thanks: 2,157 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	You mean that there should've only been one possible solution, or all are required?

07-29-2010, 10:35 AM	#7
Maximum Spider Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: I'll take Street Fighter over Dragonball any day. Gender: Posts: 2,549 Thanks: 0 Thanked 191 Times in 126 Posts	Tests can have the wrong answers? There's a new one.

07-29-2010, 10:33 PM	#10
Sim Kid Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: The state of Denial Gender: Posts: 8,884 Thanks: 80 Thanked 198 Times in 122 Posts	So x) Any or all of the above?