A professor in a course...
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A professor in a course on Old Testament history always gave the same final exam. It had one question, and was always the same question: List in order the kings of Israel. All the students knew that was what he would ask, and all that he would ask, so that's all that anyone would study. One year an earnest Bible scholar told the professor what was happening. Unknown to anyone else, he changed the question on the test. The students filled the room and were dismayed to see the new question at the top of the paper: "Who were the major and minor prophets?" All but one slouched out of the room without writing a word. The lone enterprising student wrote: "The major and minor prophets were holy men who serve to preach the way of God to the people of Israel, whose kings were Saul, David, Solomon, Jereboam, Rehaboam, etc ... ." This story draws two pictures: 1) Students who accept the right of professors to ask anything and their own responsibility to know it. They knew they had failed, and left. 2) A student who felt he was master of the situation and tried to turn it to his advantage. Either way, the students were tested and failed. The one who rebelled probably lost more: not only did he lose because he answered wrong, but he wasted the time and effort. And he lost a third thing: he fell because he tried to trick the teacher. -- Mosley
