Are you smarter than Mrs. B's students?

Exactly, grades are just given out to kids based on things like past performance or family name or the fact that they sort of maybe try hard. At the end of high school I was able to cruise when I felt like it because I was well-known as a good student, therefore I could turn in shit and still get an A my senior year. I rarely did it, but I knew I had that luxury. It's a little different in college, but not much. When I studied in London all the English profs railed about how easily A's are given out in America. I got my worst GPA over there and it was completely deserved, all I wanted to do was travel and see Europe, homework be damned. However, had I been at my regular school I'm sure that a few of those grades would have been bumped up a half a letter grade or so.

 

I answered WITHOUT looking it up. I still haven't, and now I have this horrible fear that I'm incorrect.

 

I once had a college professor give me a "B++" because he knew my mother and knew she would hit the roof if I made a regular B. I told him it was OK, that I was a big girl and could handle getting the B.

 

Eli Whitney did invent the cotton gin.

My brain has uselessly stored that information for nigh on 30 years now.

 

My two favorite events in history?

The War of Jenkins Ear.
The Defenestration of Prague.

My two favorite names in US history?

1) Elihu Root.
2) Thurlow Weed.

 

The cotton gin? Isn't that, like, the place where, like, the fat girls buy all their, like, flannel?

Totally.

Whatever.

 

The whole cotton gin thing is important because it kept that whole slavery thing alive and well in this country for another 70 years.....but who needs history?

 

Well, at least I know I'm not a complete fool. Sometimes.

 

Two words: teachers union

 

Thank you for missing the point completely.

Knowing something about the economic nature of the slavery debate in this country is extremely important.

Knowing who invented the fucking cotton gin is trivia.

But guess which goes on the test?

 

To quote the Simpsons (I know, blasphemy)...

Just say slavery.