# A baloo is a bear **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2000, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810 "2000-10-05T17:59:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/1 "2000-10-05T17:59:12Z")
Seeing Baloo’s screen name takes me back to school days and the CTBS test. We took this test every year. And every year, the five sample word definitions were the same. A baloo is a bear. To wuzzle is to mix. A younker is a young man. The other two I don’t remember. Maybe they didn’t stick out because they were words I felt likely to use at some point. Seeing those same five words year after year because quite comical for me. Did anybody else take this test? And do you remember the other two sample words? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/2 "2000-10-05T18:04:05Z")
CTBS = Children’s Torture Before Summer - oh how my daughter hated those tests!! ---
**Author:** ![Simetra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Simetra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simetra)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/3 "2000-10-05T18:05:58Z")
\*\*AHHHHH!!![/b} \ ---
**Author:** ![Simetra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Simetra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simetra)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/4 "2000-10-05T18:08:02Z")
I’m an idiot… That’s the second time I’ve done that: “[/b}” God… I’m a moron. \ More poison mother…?!.. I mean… Tea? Duh… My brain hurts. ---
**Author:** ![Philbuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@Philbuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philbuck)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/5 "2000-10-05T18:36:11Z")
I meant to say something about that sometime… Every time I see that screen name, I think A “baloo” is a bear. “Alate” means to have wings. A “teapoy” is a three-legged table. ---
**Author:** ![sorrel554](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/6 "2000-10-05T22:26:28Z")
Thank you!!! I, too, took this test, and these definitions stuck in my head. Recently I tried to remember what it was that meant “to mix,” and couldn’t. It was driving me crazy at the time, and no one else I was with had taken this test! ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/7 "2000-10-05T22:37:31Z")
Mercifully, I’ve managed to kill the brain cells that store this particular memory. ---
**Author:** ![ShamaFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@ShamaFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShamaFrog)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/8 "2000-10-05T22:51:20Z")
Yup, I remember those tests too. such a horrid way to torture small children. I guess it was just an early introduction into the necessity of carrying a #2 pencil and spare scantron everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![ShamaFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@ShamaFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShamaFrog)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/9 "2000-10-06T00:58:19Z")
It seems that my threadkilling powers ar ein full effect today…this is the second thread that I’ve posted to where no one has seen fit to respond after me! I am getting closer and closer to particlewill-ness everyday. ---
**Author:** ![Pstarr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f19dbf/32.png) [@Pstarr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pstarr)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/10 "2000-10-06T01:59:00Z")
isn’t sculch, junk??? ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/11 "2000-10-06T02:03:57Z")
I remember all those. Also, an agar (sp?) is a mound. ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/12 "2000-10-06T02:23:29Z")
I thought it was “alute” or “ayute” that meant to grow wings? ---
**Author:** ![Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Fairy\_Princess\_Kitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fairy_Princess_Kitty)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/13 "2000-10-06T02:27:43Z")
hey! I remember that test, I loved it because it was relatively easy and we got graham crackers and juice. I say the subject and though this was about the jungle book _sniffle_ Baloo was the kewlest Kitty ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/14 "2000-10-06T07:45:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pstarr \* > \*\*isn’t sculch, junk??? > \*\* YES, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES!!! SCULCH IS JUNK!!! That just leaves one more word from that classic set of five test words. Then my life will be complete. ---
**Author:** ![fierra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58956e/32.png) [@fierra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fierra)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/15 "2000-10-06T10:51:37Z")
but adding up the words so far, comes to 6. Are you sure that you all sat the same test? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/16 "2000-10-06T13:02:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fierra \* > \*\*but adding up the words so far, comes to 6. Are you sure that you all sat the same test? \*\* Some of the words mentioned aren’t on the list of test words that I remember. Baloo, wuzzle, younker and sculch are. ---
**Author:** ![rfredr1065](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@rfredr1065](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfredr1065)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/17 "2012-02-03T16:19:17Z")
I remember them as: A Baloo is a bear Wuzzle means to mix Alate means to have wings A Younker is a young man Sculch is junk ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/18 "2012-02-03T16:21:24Z")
Do you think their meaning has changed in the 12 years since this thread was last used? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/19 "2012-02-03T16:33:34Z")
Could someone give more details to those of us too old to have participated? “Baloo” is the bear in Jungle Book, I can see “Alate” coming from etymology and “Younker” as phonetic equivalent of German, but don’t understand “wuzzle” and “sculch” How were these used? Did they define these words at the start and have you use them? Were they part of some kind of _analogies_ test, or something? ---
**Author:** ![rfredr1065](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@rfredr1065](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfredr1065)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810/20 "2012-02-03T16:37:28Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Could someone give more details to those of us too old to have participated? “Baloo” is the bear in Jungle Book, I can see “Alate” coming from etymology and “Younker” as phonetic equivalent of German, but don’t understand “wuzzle” and “sculch” > How were these used? Did they define these words at the start and have you use them? Were they part of some kind of _analogies_ test, or something? They would define the words first, then move on to another part of the test, and finally come back to this section with questions such as “Which word means to have wings?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-baloo-is-a-bear/35810.md?page=2)