A Simple Logic Question That Most Harvard Students Get Wrong

Havard students get near-perfect SAT scores. These are smart, smart kids. So they shouldn't have trouble with a simple logic question, right?

The most important part of the article.

I disagree.

I think the most important part of the article isn't what's written, but how the writer manages to get people to fall into his trap.

Step 1: Find a math question that's known to trip up people because the intuitive answer is wrong.

Step 2: Ask the question to students without hinting to them that there's anything special about the question. Record answers.

Step 3: Write an article announcing "HEY! MOST [INSERT GROUP HERE] GOT THIS SIMPLE QUESTION WRONG! WARNING! WARNING! TAKE YOUR TIME! DON'T GO WITH YOUR FIRST RESPONSE!"

Step 4: Allow readers to feel good about themselves because, with warning, they correctly answered the question the [GROUP] missed.

Imagine if you had questioned the Harvard students first and then told MIT students "More than 50% of Harvard students got this simple logical question wrong. A bat and ball cost $1.10 . . . " Well, my guess is an overwhelming majority of MIT students would get the question right.

It's not about being smart (although less than 50% is better than the less than 20% at 'less selective universities), but about being forewarned and given the chance to upstage a disliked group or a group with a superiority complex.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.