Wednesday, November 18, 2020

A little multiple-choice quiz for final exam season

You're a student and you've finished writing your final essay with time to spare. Do you

a. Take time to carefully proofread before submitting it to the dropbox.
b. Close the file and turn it in.
c. Start proofreading but get distracted in your search for the perfect synonym for "said" and lose track of time so that the dropbox closes before you're done revising.
d. Wait, did we have something due today?

Which of the following factors might influence your decision:

a. Your current grade in the class and whether it's possible to improve it.
b. How much sleep you got last night.
c. How many other finals you have to prepare for.
d. How much you love/hate the class in question.
e. What was the question again?

You've got a few minutes before a paper is due in the dropbox and you know your professor sent detailed comments on your draft a week ago; do you

a. Find the professor's email, open the draft, and revise the essay in response to feedback.
b. Look for the professor's email but get distracted by messages from the Financial Aid office. 
c. How am I supposed to remember all those passwords? I mean, nobody uses email these days anyway!

You forget to submit a paper to the dropbox so your professor sends an email asking whether there's a problem and asking you to submit it posthaste. Do you

a. Submit it immediately along with an abject apology.
b. Submit it immediately but blame the error on faulty technology/Coronavirus/roommate's marauding emotional support wolverine.
c. Submit it eventually without any explanation.
d. Keep searching for that email password--it's got to be somewhere!

At last! The semester is over and you don't have to think about all those demanding professors--but then one of them gives you a final grade you don't particularly like.Do you

a. Chalk it up to lack of effort and resolve to do better next time.
b. Start drafting an official appeal to submit through proper channels.
c. Send an irate email to the professor blaming your poor performance on various problems outside your control (tech, Covid, wolverine, etc.).
d. Send an email to the professor claiming that your poor performance does not reflect your true merits and requesting an extra-credit assignment.
e. Grades? What grades?

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