Quiz That Changed My Thinking

When I was in the sixth grade, my teacher handed out a quiz that was encyclopedic in size. My eyes widened as fear engulfed me. Hearing, "You have one hour to complete this test" threw me into a state of apoplexy. How dare she give us this monster test without first warning us or at least preparing us for this kind of torture!

We were not allowed to open the monstrosity until after we heard her instructions: "What you see before you is a quiz with 100 questions. You are to read the quiz first – all the way through – before you write down any of the answers. After you complete the quiz, you will put your pencils down. You have one hour."

ONE HOUR!! Was she crazy? And we had to read it first? BEFORE we could start writing? 100 questions? What kind of sadist punishes her students this way?

The entire class opened the test and started reading the questions, but as time went by, the clock's hands whirled at a frantic pace, and the pressure of having to read and answer 100 questions within the time frame allotted bordered on the absurd.

Most of us started writing without completing the reading portion of the quiz. Some of the questions were easy. Some were very difficult. They ranged from questions about grammar to geography to math – every class we attended included questions from each subject.

Like most students, I rushed through the quiz until I got to the command that stated, "When you get to this question, bark like a dog."

What? I was very quiet back then. No way was I going to bark out loud. Other equally silly requests commanded us to perform tasks that were outside my comfort zone. Others barked. I remained silent.

The hands on the clock pounded each second as it raced through the hour. My hand couldn't write any faster. My brain couldn't function anymore.

Then – what is happening? I see a guy put his pencil down. Oh no! I'm only on question 38. Well, he was the smartest kid in the class. Soon a couple more people put their pencils down. I started to sweat. The hour passed and we heard the command, "Put your pencils down."

The torture continued. "Who read all the questions first?" our teacher asked. I could feel the heat vaporize on my skin as I suddenly turned into the color of a beet. Only a few people raised their hands.

"Well, then," she smiled, "I want the rest of you to go to number 99 and read it."

Number 99 read, "If you've gotten this far, put your pencil down, and sit back. You have successfully completed this quiz."

In other words, "You have passed. You followed the instructions."

Or in these words – the way I understood number 99 to read, "Look at all the morons sitting next to you who are maniacally trying to finish this test. Smile. Relax. You are not one of them."

And it was that simple. The quiz was not about completing all of the questions or knowing all of the answers. It was about following instructions.

All these many years later, I remember that important lesson.

And that completes Day #17 from the A-Z Challenge. Brought to you by the letter, Q. 

Previous A-Z Challenge blogs:

Amazon Hates Me – Day #1 from the A-Z Challenge

Bored – Why? – Day #2 from the A-Z Challenge

Craziness – Day #3 from the A-Z Challenge

When Your Daughter Develops, DON'T DO THIS! – Day #4 from the A-Z Challenge

Ellen – Day #5 from the A-Z Challenge

Family and Friends – Day #6 from the A-Z Challenge

The Grownup Table – Day #7 from the A-Z Challenge

Happiness & Joy – Day #8 from the A-Z Challenge

Idiots in the Attic – Day #9 from the A-Z Challenge

Jokes Accidentally – Day #10 from the A-Z Challenge

The Kid That Wasn't Named Ker – Day #11 from the A-Z Challenge

Living Out of Suitcases – Day #12 from the A-Z Challenge

Misunderstandings – I KNOW You Didn't Say What I THINK You Said

Networked Blogs on Facebook


The Old and The Elderly – At What Age Do You FEEL Old?


Peacocks Are Not Penguins

Games, Quizzes, & Innovative Kids

When Brittney (my youngest daughter) was little, she made up games all the time, calling them things like Bo-Tec, Chee Toe, and other cute names. One in particular I remember had to do with placing paper towels all over the lawn and jumping from one to the other.

At times she conducted races with her doll where she would throw the doll across the room and try to outrun the doll. Don't laugh. She now owns her own business.

I think that when kids make up their own games and their own quizzes, they show creativity. And creativity is something I like to nurture. My daughter's creativity is now showing up in her children.

Recently Brittney's son, Nolan (who will be 3 in June), asked me if I wanted to play the Potty Pants Game. What? You never heard of the Potty Pants Game? You play it by setting up a bunch of small blankets on the floor, hop from one to the other, and, using your arms and legs, sing and perform the Hokey Pokey song. (If only I had thought to videotape that game).

I firmly believe that the ability to create is what contributes to the intelligence of a child in a very positive manner.

Speaking of intelligence (love these kinds of segues), did you know that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) offers games and puzzles for kids? They can perform word finds, solve puzzles, break codes and perform aerial and photo analyses. The CIA also offers a "World Exploration" area. Who knew?

You do (visit the CIA by clicking on any of the links provided).

Another way to increase intelligence is by making up your own quizzes. You see quizzes in magazines and online all the time. But did you know you can create your own? You can, no matter how young or how old you are. But what fun are quizzes if you can't share them with people?

That's where Free Quiz Maker from ProProfs.com comes in handy. Not only can you create your own quizzes, you can also promote your ProProfs.com quiz on facebook, twitter, and youtube. They would be great for teachers, too, because you can design your own flashcards and share them.

This handy little quiz generator is quiz software that will enable you to create unique quizzes unlike anything anybody has ever created before. For example, I could design a family quiz entitled, "How Do You Play Bo-Tec?" Of course the quiz would be flawed because only Brittney would know how to play it. Or would she?

Twenty years from now I could show the quiz to Nolan and ask him how to play the "Potty Pants Game." Will he remember? Come to think of it, will I?

(By the way, if you become a master quiz maker, why not visit a Custom Web Development Company  and have them build a site devoted to your quizzes?)

Photo above is of Brittney holding Nolan with Audrey peeking from behind.