A Math Question

The flawed Math question during this year's PSLE Math exam caused enough concern for the public - mainly those who's someone at home had taken the paper rather than the ones who took it. For my mum, this was an outrage coz she has never heard of such. For us, students who has sat through enough papers to manufacture an entire community's supply of toilet rolls, this was merely one of a dozen times, no worries at all. Sincerely, bloopers like this especially if the paper in question was of mathematical nature never really meant much to me. Ever. In fact a normal conversation after the reporting of a mistake during the examination hours would have - and has ever - produced such a result.

Classmate A: No wonder I couldn't get the answer no matter how I calculate it, the teacher is wrong. Classmate B: Yah lor, yah lor, waste so much of my time. Classmate C: I was trying to [insert mathematical formula] but of coz couldn't do it. Classmate D: If the question were [insert mathematical question] then your formula would have been possible. Classmate A: Actually, we can calculate using [insert mathematical formula] also right? And so it goes, on and on and on and finally when they turned their heads to me... Me: Is it? I didn't even know the question is wrong heh heh, makes no difference they correct it also haha. walking away leaving a string of classmates staring at my back in disbelief.

Anyway, those who had taken but had no idea what the news was reporting about should simply pray to whatever deity nearby for the heaven sent 2 points and get on with life. So what if you didn't know what that particular news was about, so what if you didn't know that question had a problem. That was what I would have done. And if it were that fateful 'O' Levels Prelim in year 1996, I would have gladly welcome those 2 points for a total of 11 out of 100. Note: the blogger of this post - namely myself - did pass her 'O' Level Mathematics paper despite the booboo during the 1996 Prelims - see above - and recieved the results of her sweat and labour in better mood than her fellow schoolmates whose papers has seen better markings.