Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion The Ultimate Bad Homework Question Thread!

We had a GMC Jimmy. He preferred to be addressed as James unless you were a close friend.

I really like this thread:

1/ I am glad it is not only me who looks blankly at questions wondering whether the really know what they mean.

2/ I would assume that a professional person would want their mistakes tactfully brought to their attention so they could correct them. I am now thinking I am way off beam on this.

My kids are too young for daft homework questions yet - although some of the phonic worksheets are a bit odd but I'm sure I'll have some contributions soon.

How about this as an excuse for bad homework questions?
"I know it's a bad question, but I put it on there because that's what you find on standardized tests and I want you to do well"

Glad to know the teacher is looking out for the kids! (sarcasm dripping)

Oh, yes. We're familiar with this brand of "logic." (shaking my head)

From my undergrad course:

"What types of evidence are there to suggest..."

The answer is a list of data points.

ARRRRRRGHGGHGHGHGHGHGHGHHG.

In looking at this week's school schedule, apparently my DD13 will be taking a quiz in AP Physics today.

Yup.


The "Captors in Circuits" quiz is a part of today's physics class.

Wow. I had no idea that electrons could be personified to this extent.

Is it incarceration? Or more playful? I need to be sure that we have the right idea. We wouldn't want to wrongly dismiss the anguish of the electrons if they've been victimized. Are capacitors acting as internment camps for the electrons?

I had no idea...I feel so bad that I'd never truly considered the plight of the electrons. Maybe we should view resistors as behaving something like TSA checkpoints.

From test prep materials for the LA statewide assessment test for 3rd graders (iLEAP):

Pete has 32 books. He puts an equal number of books on each of the 4 shelves of his bookcase. Which expression shows how Pete can find the number of books on each shelf?

A) 4 / 32
B) 32 x 4
C) 32 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4
D) 32 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4 - 4

The only clue to solving this riddle is provided in the following text in the answer key:

Match to GLE: This item measures GLE 6: Recognize and model division as separating quantities into equal subsets (fair shares) or as repeated subtraction.

When directed to the correct answer, DD's response was smarter than the state's: "But Dad, thirty-two minus four eight times is zero!" Apparently this is one of those things where they're teaching what they call number sense, and DD identified how it lacks common sense.

Silly me. I was hoping there was a typo in choice A.

I did too at first! lol

We had a real problem with this last year. My husband and I would correct the questions and send them back the next day. When our son would have a correct answer marked incorrect, I would correct the correction and send it back in, too. :X I'm sure the TA thought I was insane, but she never argued and always returned the homework a second time with the mistakes fixed.