Though it will come as a complete and utter surprise to his students when they receive their midterm exams next week, Professor of Anthropology Simon Rodriguez has written the test to cover the “overarching themes” of cultural anthropology, as well as one specific detail from page 87 of the textbook.
The information in question, which is a mere footnote in the context of the class as a whole, is reportedly worth 10% of the overall test grade.
“When I write my exams, I make sure they’re focused on big-picture ideas and concepts from the material we’ve covered so far in lecture,” said Rodriguez. “This semester the midterm will also ask students to provide specific details from the anthropological article Shakespeare in The Bush, which was covered briefly in the introduction to chapter 8 of the textbook.”
Rodriguez’s students, who are currently days into studying for the exam, are under the impression that the exam will not pose too much of a challenge to them, and that their inability to recall specific details from a study discussed in a chapter which they so much as skimmed will be the difference between getting an ‘A’ and getting a ‘B.’
“Professor Rodriguez was pretty straightforward about what would be on the exam,” said junior Isabelle Sokoloff. “He even gave us a study guide. I have that memorized, so I think I’ll do pretty well.”
Sources confirm that many of Rodriguez’s colleagues will also be requiring their students to recall very specific information on some of the more obscure texts that they assigned.
Said Classics professor Leon Charmaine, “I don’t expect my students to memorize every term or concept I bring up in class. That’s not the point of learning. But if they don’t know the exact date of the excavation of The Charioteer of Delphi, then they’re out of luck because that will be important in the second half of the class.”
At press time, Rodriguez was considering making his students compare the ‘Shakespeare’ study to another one briefly mentioned in class as a second part of the question.
