SAT's Reality TV Question Only The Beginning Of An Overall Shift In Measuring Intelligence

Many students have been expressing outrage after taking the SATs recently, due to a discussion question prompt about reality television. Apparently, there are at least a few teenagers in the U.S. who do not watch television, and if they did they'd probably watch something like PBS or CSPAN.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, so if students want to be truly well-rounded they're going to have add a healthy dose of lowest common denominator junk entertainment into their studies.

HuffPost Comedy has gotten an exclusive look at a few more questions that will soon be included in the SATs, and if they're any indication of things to come, you're going to see some drastic changes in the kinds of students who get a perfect score.

Comments

[Amy Fleischer]

04:38 AM on 03/29/2011

Well, when you cut Art and Music education, you're going to be stuck with "reality" television hoes...

[jenkneefur]

05:45 PM on 03/24/2011

I took the SAT in march, and this question came up. I was a little surprised b/c I had been planning on using literary/historical/current events as examples.. I don't watch Jersey Shore so I just used the Truman Show and general knowledge of what shows I do watch. I mean, it was weird, but definately not as bad as some people make it seem. I think College Board was just trying to make the question more interesting and relateable. Then again, I did kind of hate the question.

[czs5056]

08:06 AM on 03/20/2011

#7) the hot tub can hold 108.49026 Lbs (mass) of Jersey Shore people before spilling over or about 1/2548 stupid per person.
#6) No, it is not to be infected due to a normal human's abilities to know of a person without knowing who the person is. This holds true with females who also follow this pattern so they are not more susceptible to this.
#5) I guess choice "c"
#4) the answer is "C" due to the lack of a passive verb the correct way is "We are so"
#3) I guess "D"
#2) both were inappropriate while the interruption of the VMA was a publicity stunt and the tweet was an act of ignorance.
#1) 36cm*2= 72cm (diameter) C=pi*diameter => C=72*pi = 226.19467cm

[ghostgirl21]

07:45 PM on 03/19/2011

This is F**king joke,right? If this is real,we FAR more screwed than I was led to believe.

[chezpere]

03:47 PM on 03/21/2011

yeah yo we far more screwed.

[llisa]

03:54 PM on 03/19/2011

Ha.

[CAdawn]

01:48 PM on 03/19/2011

Please tell me this is not true.

[CrazyThisIs]

10:28 PM on 03/19/2011

It's not true.

[Helloise]

01:38 PM on 03/19/2011

This is the tip of the iceberg. I'm in the process of trying to help a student prepare for the SAT's and view them as I do all standardized tests. While I think there are certainly general skills that can be assessed, as well as content knowledge that one would expect at any particular level, the more abstract the skill or subject matter, the more likely it is that responding to the question will be judged on a subjective basis. Ironically, I find this to be particularly true when it comes to multiple choice questions, as the test makers appear fond of throwing in "trick" responses that to me serve no other purpose than to see if the student is paying strict attention. As one test prep book put it, students should be aware that the answer does not have to be "true", simply correct in context. While I understand that they are trying to tap into higher level thinking, the result can often seem the opposite, a focus on minutia rather than on conceptual choices. And don't get me started on the vocabulary, which necessitates cramming, not learning for application.

The poor student I am trying to help is an ideal candidate for college, a math and science whiz, multilingual and, unfortunately for him, an abstract thinker. When he chooses a wrong answer he has excellent reasons for doing so. If he fails to do well, it will not be because he isn't qualified.

[Amy Fleischer]

04:35 AM on 03/29/2011

I prepared for the SAT's back in high school with countless prep tests. I got so fed up with some of the questions, I decided "eff it" and got my Associates at community college before transferring to Uni.

Thinking back, I recall nearly nothing on those standardized tests nor the SAT's actually having much to do with what I deal with in my life now. It's incredibly frustrating!

[Helloise]

07:28 AM on 03/29/2011

Fanning you for that, Amy. Obviously, I agree. Unfortunately, half the battle of mastering standardized tests is learning how to master standardized tests, which is why the test prep business is flourishing. Too bad for those whose parents can't afford or don't approve of spending thousands of dollars on test taking tips. In fact, I've heard those courses do the job very well, but to what end, since many qualified candidates who don't or can't "get with the program" are disqualified. On the other hand, and I feel the same way about standardized tests in lower levels, I'm not in charge of a monolithic system that has to come up with some way of measuring success and can't offer any broad solutions other than more personal attention to individual students -- ha! in this economy with the current trend of starving the beast. You're right, it's incredibly frustrating.

[NatTurner1]

04:00 PM on 03/31/2011

But folks that did well on their SAT are great at Jeopardy and playing Buzztime Triva at Buffalo Wild Wings!

[Christi-Kiki Neal]

11:57 AM on 03/19/2011

This has to be a joke.

[MissIndependentLady]

01:48 PM on 03/19/2011

It is. I'm amazed some people here are taking it seriously LOL.

[advocatusdiaboli]

10:00 AM on 03/19/2011

If this is true, it is the most pathetic concrete example of the intellectual decline of the USA—I couldn't think of a better one. Are they implying that before TV, children were better educated? If you look at academic performance in the USA over history, I'd argue the opposite—that television has been a key contributor to the "dumbing" of America. Most USA children spend more time watching television than dong homework and our academic position in the world has worsened because of it. Regardless of wether this issue is hyperbole—the huge decline in American academic performance is no joke. USA might as well merge with Mexico now and get a better deal on gangs funding for our government.

[DeathByModeration]

09:56 AM on 03/19/2011

I know the short piece of female garbage is a Snooki but I have no idea who the tall piece of female garbage is. That's unfortunate because the tall piece of garbage is kinda hot in a it's 2am and I need a piece of garbage to take home with me kind of way.

[Celtic Hawk]

09:25 AM on 03/19/2011

Test.

[Celtic Hawk]

09:26 AM on 03/19/2011

Did I spell that right?

I got the Kim Kardashian question wrong. I guessed "talentless hoe"....

[ghostgirl21]

07:46 PM on 03/19/2011

You DID get that one right,Hawk. Fanned.

[Celtic Hawk]

09:24 AM on 03/19/2011

American is getting dumber every day.

This test is an international embarrassment of epic proportions.

Next thing you know, using OMG, LOL, SMH, etc will be acceptable...and taught...in English Composition.

Ridiculous.

[Yuxuibbs]

03:21 PM on 03/21/2011

i guess they could count as interjections :P

[Eldergothfather]

09:15 AM on 03/19/2011

Dumbing down to the LCD is the American Way...

[blastocyst]

09:30 AM on 03/19/2011

"Idiocracy" is like a blueprint for the societal deterioration. A film no less.

[Comicoffee]

09:41 AM on 03/19/2011

10 years from now, it might be considered a documentary.

[DeathByModeration]

10:01 AM on 03/19/2011

We need look no further than the Dayton police department being forced by the USDOJ to lower the passing scores on it's exams in order to increase the number of minorities in it's ranks.

[ghostgirl21]

07:47 PM on 03/19/2011

Really,dude?

[sheeshbrother]

12:34 PM on 03/20/2011

That's happened in almost every state, where have you been? the trials are endless.

[blastocyst]

08:45 AM on 03/19/2011

The Onion strikes back.

[dwhuston]

01:04 PM on 03/19/2011

Can't be the OnionI really think the Onion would be more clever than that :( Its pretty lame.

[blastocyst]

01:42 PM on 03/19/2011

Granted.
I'm issuing a stay of my remark. ;-)

[Jack Mahoney]

08:27 AM on 03/19/2011

The problem with the prompt isn't that test-takers needed to know junk TV to answer it; rather, it was that the underlying philosophical question was so deep and nuanced that trying to answer it in a 25-minute, first draft, on-demand essay would be difficult for anyone. My business is primarily SAT coaching, and I have discussed this prompt with several students who were caught flat-footed. Normally, one can use evidence drawn from history and literature, but coming up with parallels such as The Christians vs. The Lions in the Colosseum or Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" in such a short time proved too tough a task for even the brightest. Following is a "classic" SAT essay prompt from 2005:

"People who like to think of themselves as tough-minded and realistic tend to take it for granted that human nature is “selfish” and that life is a struggle in which only the fittest may survive. According to this view, the basic law by which people must live is the law of the jungle. The “fittest” are those people who can bring to the struggle superior force, superior cunning, and superior ruthlessness."
Adapted from S. I. Hayakawa, Language in Thought and Action

Assignment: Do people have to be highly competitive in order to succeed?

I am willing to bet that The College Board has learned from this public debacle and will get back to vaguely philosophical questions that can be addressed in 25 minutes.

[ghostgirl21]

07:49 PM on 03/19/2011

C'mon, Cornell West. Is that really you? Either way,I love you.