I had a biology exam today and this was one of the questions:
So let’s work this out.
Lily Munster could be I[sup]A[/sup]I[sup]A[/sup] or I[sup]A[/sup]i
Herman Munster could be I[sup]B[/sup]I[sup]B[/sup] or I[sup]B[/sup]i
Mr. Brady could be I[sup]A[/sup]I[sup]A[/sup] or I[sup]A[/sup]i
Mrs. Brady is I[sup]A[/sup]I[sup]B[/sup]
So baby 1 definitely belongs to the Munsters. The Bradys cannot have type O babys. That rules out B, C, and D.
Baby two could come from Lily’s A and Herman’s B, or Mr. Brady’s A and Mrs. Brady’s B. So the answer is E! Baby 1 belongs to the Munsters and Baby 2 belongs to either the Munsters or the Bradys. Right?
Wrong.
“A baby can only have one set of parents, so the answer is A.”
:rolleyes:
I still got an A on the exam, but I was not happy about this at all. And I’m pretty sure that even if it was a logic class, he’s still be wrong.
In terms of wording: in English “either/or” is an exclusive or, not an inclusive one. So answer E does not allow for both sets of parents at once, only one or the other.
In terms of showing understanding of biology: choosing answer E indicates one understands that there is not enough information to conclusively determine which parents are correct. While answer A may possibly be correct, choosing A over E would not demonstrate that knowledge.
This is the sort of thing I would bug my high school teachers about during study hall or after school (don’t disrupt the actual class/lesson). Make it clear to the teacher that you’re not concerned about your grade, but rather you want to completely understand why certain answers are or are not correct.
Of course my opinion of teachers who use multiple choice tests is not especially high. This is a perfect example of why it’s better to have students answer in their own words.
I think that if there was an intent that each set of parents has one and only one baby, that should have been included in the question. It does make for the unfortunate reality that there would only be two valid answers to the question (A and B), but such is life.
Horsecrap, and semantics isn’t the issue. “The answer is A” does not follow from “a baby can only have one set of parents.” Answer E also satisfies that criterion. That this would have to be explained to someone who is presumably qualified to teach at the college level is flabbergasting. This professor may have had a brain fart, but it appears he would benefit from some grammar and logic lessons. He’s certainly wrong in his contention.
As someone who is currently studying actual semantic theory, I would be very interested in a formal description that is supposed to support that bullshit.
I told him. I made the mistake of telling him early on in the semester that I want to go to law school. So he just smiled and said, “you’re going to have to deal with this kind of stuff in law school.”
Haha, I originally read “is it fair for a professor to ask semitic questions on an exam?” and thought “well, I guess, as long as it’s a Jewish studies class.” It’s been a long day, forgive me.
I would argue til I were blue in the face if I missed a question like that. The word “or” implies one or the other, and the professor is a moron for trying to play semantics into an exam. A or not, that’s just asinine, in my (ever so) humble opinion.
You know what is another trait for good law students? Tenacity and doggedness in the the face of opposition and an unwillingness to allow bad arguments to go unchallenged. Sounds like he’s inviting you to climb up his ass on this one until he concedes that you are unequivocally right and he is patently wrong.
What bullshit! Is the title of the course “Biology for Lawyers”? If you weren’t going to law school, would he have marked it correct? One thing about profs: they’re encyclopediae of knowledge who sometimes don’t know the first thing about actual teaching methods, testing procedures, etc.
OK, this could be da bomb…
Yes, your prof may have a history of ratings on the net. Happy hunting!
A long time ago I had a similar professor. A lot of us were pissed about the way he did things and I asked—respectfully—about some questions about vague and misleading test items in class. It just got worse as the semester progressed.
I later talked to some other profs, who had heard about the situation. Note: I was talking to them about matters related to their classes, not his…I wasn’t stirring the pot, in other words. Rather, they had heard lots of grumbling in the department and were trying to get a feel for it. They asked, very tentatively, how I perceived the situation.
One bit of advice I got: “Don’t talk to him when he’s in front of the class.” I.e. some profs will feel threatened by that, refuse to back down, etc. Honestly it hadn’t occurred to me to approach it that way because class is the forum where you cover these things so everybody can benefit. After hearing the suggestion, I thought, ‘OK, I’ll try, but I don’t think it will get me anywhere.’ My feeling was that the guy had an enormous ego (his name was Dick—and he lived up to it) that approaching him one on one wasn’t going to get me anywhere.
BTW the story ends that he “curved” all the grades, which I suppose was his way of saving face. I didn’t think my one-on-one had anything to do with it. Lots of students were upset and THAT is what forced his hand. But who knows, it might work for you.
You know, for a moment I considered doing just that. It’s me, it’s what I do. I was this close to getting my 3 points, and I think I could have. I decided though, since I already saw my grade and it was an A, I’d come home and take a nap before work.
