<p>Wow - I read it and the answers seemed so obvious to me, that I assumed people were just over thinking them.</p>
<p>
I think that’s the problem with the kids. They were coached to overthink.</p>
<p>The real question is who owns the RX-7.</p>
<p>I found the story annoying. The animal who mentioned the pineapple had “something up his sleeve” was just as smart as the owl. I did not understand why the pineapple did not talk for two hours and did not protest being eaten. Clearly, I don’t like multiple choice exams.</p>
<p>I think the entire passage is so nonsensical that most people would think they were in an alternate universe. I can only shudder to think what people with limited English proficiency would think upon reading something like this–probably that either their reading/analytic skills are awful or that the US has gone crazy! Even knowing the “correct” answers, the passage & Q&A make no sense to me!</p>
<p>I thought they ate the pineapple because it was a fruit.</p>
<hr>
<p>That would be a reason NOT to eat the pineapple in my fruit-averse S’s opinion!</p>
<p>
Isn’t that kind of the point of the test?</p>
<p>Why should it be? Should those for whom English is not a first language be tripped up on purpose?</p>
<p>It’s a test of reading comprehension in English. The text isn’t that difficult, or that unusual–although two of the questions weren’t very good, in my opinion. They should be grateful it wasn’t poetry.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Where is the list of correct answers? Of course, I think my answers are correct but I have to allow for the fact that the answer sheet could be wrong.</p>
<p>Certainly there are better ways to test comprehension than to use a story like this one.</p>
<p>What bothers me is that parents are more outraged that there are questions on a test that their children might not get right than by the ridiculous reliance on the tests in general.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Aw c’mon, there’s got to be at least one taker. No?</p>
<p>Cartera–I’m guessing, though I can’t know, that outrage at the questions, is an opening to questioning the tests in general. FWIW, I don’t know any parent who thinks all this testing is a good idea, though I imagine someone somewhere does. I am just thankful that the bulk of it hit the schools after my kids graduated.</p>
<p>My H was proctoring a version of the NJ science exam a couple years ago, and could make no sense out of some of the questions, much less answer them. (his science background is pretty good.) He had the "pleasure’ of meeting some of the state bigwigs in charge of this recently, and when he brought it up, they said they knew there were issues, but they’d run out of budget money to work on it any more.</p>
<p>Ummm - I owned a 1977 RX-7. Wankel rotary engine. Sleeve valves? I’m reaching.</p>
<p>Here’s the original story, which makes a heck of a lot more sense and is much funnier than the ridiculous versions on the test or the new stories:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This reminds me of James Thurber’s satirical take on Aesop’s Fables, incidentally. Maybe a bit of Woody Allen, too. </p>
<p>Dunno why the testmakers decided that the assembly of animals had to be separated into different specific species, or why the pineappple was swapped in for the eggplant (perhaps because many children don’t like eggplant?). And I certainly hope that whoever did the test version keeps their day job and doesn’t try to pursue that comedy writer dream.</p>
<p>I, on the other hand, hope that whoever wrote the test does not keep their day job. They should find something to do that they are competent at.</p>