Just for fun, here's a 1964 literacy test for being able to vote in Louisiana. You have 10 minutes to complete it; a single incorrect answer means you fail. In case of doubt, the registrar will decide whether you pass or fail:
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fslate%2Fblogs%2Fthe_vault%2F2013%2F6%2F28%2FTest1.jpg.CROP.article920-large.jpg&hash=8d26954a52ed74644d85c9fbcbadc6f9e2927ff8)
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fslate%2Fblogs%2Fthe_vault%2F2013%2F6%2F28%2FTest2.jpg.CROP.article920-large.jpg&hash=ddab57e9b91c215dd155337d5d64659ec9b6201d)
(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slate.com%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fslate%2Fblogs%2Fthe_vault%2F2013%2F6%2F28%2FTest3.jpg.CROP.article920-large.jpg&hash=3a5e92e6b269ba4e78174b48d5453737b8b94e76)
What does number 1 mean?
Quote from: garbon on June 28, 2013, 01:17:17 PM
What does number 1 mean?
It means that you don't get to vote unless the registrar decides you guessed right in the 1/3rd of a minute you have to answer the question.
And yeah, I don't know. I'd probably circle the 1.
How many people passed?
Quote from: garbon on June 28, 2013, 01:17:17 PM
What does number 1 mean?
Pray that Stanford counts as fifth grade education.
Quote from: Jacob on June 28, 2013, 01:19:46 PM
Quote from: derspiess on June 28, 2013, 01:19:07 PM
Quote from: garbon on June 28, 2013, 01:17:17 PM
What does number 1 mean?
FAIL
That's exactly what it means.
Tell them what they've won!(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3quarksdaily.com%2F.a%2F6a00d8341c562c53ef0111689059bd970c-600wi&hash=5d864cccc3888084b738c9b8eb3dbb4cc39fb4e7)
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 28, 2013, 01:21:39 PM
How many people passed?
I don't have those stats, but my impression of the situation in 1964 Louisiana is "not many". Coincidentally, I also believe that a significantly larger proportion of black people were unable to prove a gr. 5 education compared to the white population.
Quote from: Jacob on June 28, 2013, 01:26:55 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 28, 2013, 01:21:39 PM
How many people passed?
I don't have those stats, but my impression of the situation in 1964 Louisiana is "not many". Coincidentally, I also believe that a significantly larger proportion of black people were unable to prove a gr. 5 education compared to the white population.
And most of those white people were probably Cajun, who were only viewed as being a slight step better.
Any negroes that passed moved on to the Jelly Bean jar portion of the exam.
Yeah, I'm having a hard time getting past the first one. :huh:
Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on June 28, 2013, 01:32:19 PM
Quote from: Jacob on June 28, 2013, 01:26:55 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 28, 2013, 01:21:39 PM
How many people passed?
I don't have those stats, but my impression of the situation in 1964 Louisiana is "not many". Coincidentally, I also believe that a significantly larger proportion of black people were unable to prove a gr. 5 education compared to the white population.
And most of those white people were probably Cajun, who were only viewed as being a slight step better.
Took me a while to realize "coonass" actually meant Cajun.
That test looks like a serious pain in the ass.
Question 1 is too confusing. What number or letter do they want to draw a line around?
And isn't a line around something a circle?
Quote from: Siege on June 28, 2013, 02:13:14 PM
Question 1 is too confusing. What number or letter do they want to draw a line around?
The number 1. But they don't want to give away that it's a number, I guess.
QuoteAnd isn't a line around something a circle?
Yep, but I've seen it worded that way in other places.
Quote from: Jacob on June 28, 2013, 01:26:55 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 28, 2013, 01:21:39 PM
How many people passed?
I don't have those stats, but my impression of the situation in 1964 Louisiana is "not many". Coincidentally, I also believe that a significantly larger proportion of black people were unable to prove a gr. 5 education compared to the white population.
Whites were grandfathered in, so only blacks and possibly outsiders had to take the test. Typically less then 10% could pass the test.
Quote from: derspiess on June 28, 2013, 02:15:15 PM
Quote from: Siege on June 28, 2013, 02:13:14 PM
Question 1 is too confusing. What number or letter do they want to draw a line around?
The number 1. But they don't want to give away that it's a number, I guess.
QuoteAnd isn't a line around something a circle?
Yep, but I've seen it worded that way in other places.
I don't get the trick of draw a line (circle) around the number or the letter because since it is an "or" why not just opt for the part that you can clearly do which is circle that number (though as Siege said you have to get your head around the idea of draw a line around something. :D).
The last question (?) appears to be missing at least one word. I would question whether the people who wrote the test got through the 5th grade.
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on June 28, 2013, 03:30:28 PM
The last question (?) appears to be missing at least one word. I would question whether the people who wrote the test got through the 5th grade.
:thumbsup:
I would be very suprised if more than 10% of the population could pass this test today.
Quote from: derspiess on June 28, 2013, 02:15:15 PM
Quote from: Siege on June 28, 2013, 02:13:14 PM
Question 1 is too confusing. What number or letter do they want to draw a line around?
The number 1. But they don't want to give away that it's a number, I guess.
No. That's what's so confusing. The first line reads something like:
1. Draw a line around the number or letter in this sentence.
The "1." is not in that sentence.
I think the answer is "a"
Quote from: Razgovory on June 28, 2013, 03:04:53 PM
Quote from: Jacob on June 28, 2013, 01:26:55 PM
Quote from: crazy canuck on June 28, 2013, 01:21:39 PM
How many people passed?
I don't have those stats, but my impression of the situation in 1964 Louisiana is "not many". Coincidentally, I also believe that a significantly larger proportion of black people were unable to prove a gr. 5 education compared to the white population.
Whites were grandfathered in, so only blacks and possibly outsiders had to take the test. Typically less then 10% could pass the test.
I'm going to take a guess here: no one really passed the test. There were a very few respected black people that were allowed to vote. They "passed" the test. The rest "failed". The answers actually given were probably not so relevant.
Given the purpose of the test, it's not really a surprise that its questions are sometimes written to be as vague and confusing as possible.
Quote from: Josephus on June 28, 2013, 06:45:02 PM
Quote from: derspiess on June 28, 2013, 02:15:15 PM
Quote from: Siege on June 28, 2013, 02:13:14 PM
Question 1 is too confusing. What number or letter do they want to draw a line around?
The number 1. But they don't want to give away that it's a number, I guess.
No. That's what's so confusing. The first line reads something like:
1. Draw a line around the number or letter in this sentence.
The "1." is not in that sentence.
I think the answer is "a"
Another possible answer is to observe that "the number" has the definite article and "letter" has the indefinite article. So any letter will do since 1. is no in the sentence.
Or you're supposed to draw a line around "the letter" or "number" in the sentence. :hmm:
Quote from: Syt on June 29, 2013, 01:47:03 AM
Or you're supposed to draw a line around "the letter" or "number" in the sentence. :hmm:
Pipped me to it, that's the way I'm meaning now, around either one of those words.
Quote from: Josephus on June 28, 2013, 06:45:02 PM
Quote from: derspiess on June 28, 2013, 02:15:15 PM
Quote from: Siege on June 28, 2013, 02:13:14 PM
Question 1 is too confusing. What number or letter do they want to draw a line around?
The number 1. But they don't want to give away that it's a number, I guess.
No. That's what's so confusing. The first line reads something like:
1. Draw a line around the number or letter in this sentence.
The "1." is not in that sentence.
I think the answer is "a"
That's because you apparantly can't read. It doens't say "in this sentence", it says "of this sentence". "1" is clearly the number of the sentence.
FAIL.
Quote from: Pitiful Pathos
Given the purpose of the test, it's not really a surprise that its questions are sometimes written to be as vague and confusing as possible.
True, but most of them are fairly easy if you parse them correctly. I don't think there's anyway anyone could have actually read them carefully enough in the time allotted to pass, though. It was probably pretty much as AR suggested.
Quote from: Viking on June 29, 2013, 01:37:36 AM
Quote from: Josephus on June 28, 2013, 06:45:02 PM
Quote from: derspiess on June 28, 2013, 02:15:15 PM
Quote from: Siege on June 28, 2013, 02:13:14 PM
Question 1 is too confusing. What number or letter do they want to draw a line around?
The number 1. But they don't want to give away that it's a number, I guess.
No. That's what's so confusing. The first line reads something like:
1. Draw a line around the number or letter in this sentence.
The "1." is not in that sentence.
I think the answer is "a"
Another possible answer is to observe that "the number" has the definite article and "letter" has the indefinite article. So any letter will do since 1. is no in the sentence.
Where do you see an indefinite article for letter? I see nothing for it at all. If you removed "the number or", you'd just have broken English - so that inclines me to think that "the" applies to both.
Yeah, I think DPS has it right. :mad:
Quote from: dps on June 29, 2013, 02:17:28 AM
That's because you apparantly can't read. It doens't say "in this sentence", it says "of this sentence". "1" is clearly the number of the sentence. FAIL.
You're right. That said, I change my answer to drawing a line around "the number or letter of this sentence."
I sincerely doubt the 1964 models of 11HeyBoy and derweiß running the poll station were all too worried about definite and indefinite articles.
Maybe I should give this test to my summer class students? :hmm:
Quote from: CountDeMoney on June 29, 2013, 09:02:06 AM
I sincerely doubt the 1964 models of 11HeyBoy and derweiß running the poll station were all too worried about definite and indefinite articles.
:lol: :blurgh:
Count dees here jella beans, boy.
Who can pass this test in Ten (10) minutes???!