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Stupid Pineapple Vs. Hare 8th Grade Test Question Not THAT Stupid
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 21, 2012
Modified Apr 21, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Apr 21, 2012
Modified Apr 21, 2012
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Yes, the test question that New York's eighth graders had to answer involving a race between a hare and a pineapple might be a little "zany" for some. And it's true that two of the questions didn't make any sense and had no definitive answer. But it's far from the "crap" that it's accused of being, and frankly, our eighth grade selves would have been thrilled to answer a reading comprehension question that didn't involve lemonade stands or the Industrial Revolution.
The question itself was adopted from a children's book written by Daniel Pinkwater, who was paid "un-vast sums of money" for the rights to the story. He writes on his website:
I don't know how the test publishing company changed the story. I gather they decided to call the rabbit a hare, and made the eggplant into a pineapple. Also there appears to be something about sleeves. And they made up questions for the students to answer. I would not have done any of these things.
After reading the prompt and the subsequent questions [pdf], we think there's only two (#7 and #10) that could have multiple answers. The wisest animal? DEFINITELY the owl, people, (Hint: the "wisest" animal is ALWAYS the owl) though none of the questions will count towards students' scores.
Tagged
hares
Middle School
nonsensical questions
pineapples
standardized testing
state exams
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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