33 What we talk about when we talk about tests

 

A.  Titania and Oberon are the longest married couple in Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Shakespeare provides the following insights into marriage by showing his audience that

1. Even though they have sex with others they get back together at the end.  “Hand in hand with fairy grace, will we sing and bless this place.”
2. Betrayal can extend as far as giving your wife drugs to play a trick on her: “And with the juice of this I’ll streak her eyes, and make her full of hateful fantasies.”
3. Married people don’t live as individuals but have groups of friends and followers who can have some impact on the marital relationship.  “But room, fairy:  here comes Oberon.”  “And here my mistress, would that he were gone!”
4. When married people separate the world around them can feel their pain and becomes confused and crazy.  “And this same progeny of evils comes from our debate.”
5. Marriage is challenging and difficult but long married people like to see others getting married.  “So shall all the couples three ever true in loving be:  and the blots of nature’s hand shall not in their issue stand.”

This was a multiple answer question on my Philosophy of Love and Sex midterm.  Most of my students got part of it incorrect.  Every response was correct.  Some students got the answer wrong because they didn't read the directions for "multiple answer" questions.  I'm not sure why the others got it wrong.  As with most of my objective tests, when I hand it back I'll give them the option of making arguments for their points of view on any missed question.  If they can explain their reasoning in such a way that they show me they understand the material, then I'll give them the points back.  

The purpose of a content-focused objective test is to

a.  determine who has been doing the homework.
b.  see if students know how to memorize course material.
c.  help students engage more deeply with certain aspects of the course material.
d.  make life easier for the person grading.
e.  amuse the creator of the test.
f.  punish people who don't have a good memory.
g.  punish people who don't have good study habits.
h.  make it possible for someone not involved with the class or subject matter to grade the test.
i.  make it possible for a cold heartless machine who doesn't give a rat's ass about any of the students in the course much less the subject matter to grade the test.