Md. Teacher Finds Botched PSAT Question

WBALTV ^ | May 14, 2003 | WBAL

[ZinGirl]

Md. Teacher Finds Botched PSAT Question

Student Test Scores Increased Due To Erroneous Question

POSTED: 9:00 p.m. EDT May 14, 2003

The nation's largest testing company has increased the PSAT scores of nearly 500,000 high school juniors after the company concluded it was wrong about the correct answer to a grammar question posed on the exam last October.

Students were asked if anything was grammatically wrong with the following sentence: "Toni Morrison's genius enables her to create novels that arise from and express the injustices African-Americans have endured."

The correct choice on the multiple choice exam was originally listed as "no error" by the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, N.J., which administers the PSAT and SAT for the College Board. The PSAT is aimed at helping juniors prepare for the SAT college entrance exam in their senior year.

Maryland high school journalism teacher Kevin Keegan spotted the botched question in late January.

He informed ETS that the sentence was incorrect because the pronoun in the sentence -- "her" -- was used improperly. Keegan said pronouns should only refer to nouns and in this case Morrison's name is used as an adjective.

The ETS said a committee of experts signed off on the question, which was posed on the exam given Oct. 15 to 1.8 million juniors.

In letters and telephone calls, Keegan persevered.

From experience, he knew that the loss of one or two points on the PSAT could disqualify a junior from becoming a National Merit commended student or a National Merit semifinalist. National Merit academic honors are determined by PSAT scores.

"I have taught dozens of kids over the years who have missed those two cutoffs by one point or one question," he said.

Based on a review by three experts, ETS this month informed Keegan and the students that the sentence would not be counted in the scoring. As a result, the scores of 480,000 students will rise.

Lee Jones, a College Board vice president, said the National Merit Scholarship Program has also agreed to adjust its limits.

"He was persistent in his point and we appreciate that," Jones said of Keegan. "And, he turned out to be correct."

[MHT]

When it is diagrammed, which no one does anymore, it works, as is. "Genius" as noun, "enables" as verb, "her" as object...."Toni Morrison's" goes under "genius", and the prepositional phrase stays together to modify the predicate.

If this guy would only worry as much about the complete bastardization of the language by ignorant newscasters (not to mention rampant "creation" of new words because people cannot use the existing language correctly), he would be better off.

[Drango]

I have a hairy navel.

[ZinGirl]

cool....you and Right Whale...and several others on here...are way ahead of "those in charge".

[aristeides]

I agree. The original sentence strikes me as perfectly correct, grammatically.

Factually, what kind of idiot considers Toni Morrison to possess any genius?

[PeaceBeWithYou]

"Genius enables Toni Morrison to create novels that arise from and express the injustices African-Americans have endured."

Or.."Her genius enables Toni Morrison to create novels that arise from and express the injustices African-Americans have endured."

I suppose if it was a novel about Jesse Jackson and the Democratic Party it could be valid.

BTW: You need to change your tagline, Cheney is running.;-)

[zencycler]

Good analysis, and I agree. Read my post #36 if you have time. I'd be interested in opinion.

[ZinGirl]

that would be

Drango's hairy navel has enabled him to post on this thread

[Clara Lou]

Instead of Toni Morrison's genius enables her to create novels that arise from and express the injustices African-Americans have endured," I think that a one-word change to "Toni Morrison's genius enables Ms. Morrison to create novels that arise from and express the injustices African-Americans have endured." It sounds redundant, but I think that it's correct with the change I mention. Personally, I think this is an unbelievable nitpicky question. The original statement conveys the idea very clearly. I'd hate to see a kid miss out because of a question like this.

[ThinkDifferent]

On top of that, Toni Morrison's is not an adjective, it is a noun in the possessive case.

Bingo. I knew there was something fishy about claiming "Toni Morrison's" was an adjective, thanks for the explanation.

However, in spite of it's outstanding adequacies

"its". (Sorry, but it is a grammar thread...)

[netmilsmom]

Thanks!

As for the tagline, it's still wishful thinking.
I love our VP but I think Condi is our best hope for slaughtering the anti-christ in 2008.
Someone said Cheney will step down before 2008, and Condi will take the VP position so she can run when needed.

[ricpic]

Wow. A twofer. With one sentence, the communists over at the Educational Testing Service of Princeton N.J., can reinforce both white guilt and black resentment in young impressionable minds. Yup. America truly is being eaten out from within.

[AdamSelene235]

A review of Toni Morrison's genius from Amazon:

If you like reading descriptions about snot, phlegm, vomit, swallowing globs of Vicks salve, child rape, animal abuse by angry children, sexual satisfaction produced by loose sanitary napkins, dogs choking on poisoned meat, and preachers who can't resist female children's blossoming bosoms, and an unhappy ending, then this is the book for you.

[SpyGuy]

It's all part of the Leftist brainwashing of America's youth.

A few weeks ago, I was helping an acquaintance with her computer at her home, when one of her young daughters (4th-5th grade) returned home from school. The daughter proceeded to spout off about how President Bush was invading Iraq, that we shouldn't be at war, that the US is an international bully, etc. Hmmm...I wonder where a 10-year old would get such strong (and slanted) opinions about national and international politics and policies?

If you send your children to public schools, you are--in fact--sending them to Leftist indoctrination centers. See how the Left even works their propaganda into standardized tests? It is a constant and well-orchestrated assault on their brains and their moral character. It has been developed and refined over many years, by many people, and with many dollars (your tax dollars, of course).

Even IF you teach your children core conservative values at home, you will never be able to compete with this assault. Children, in the formative years of their lives, spend the majority of their waking hours besieged by this onslaught of programmed propaganda and indoctrination from the public schools and the mass media. Exposed in this way, the seeds of Leftism WILL be planted in your child...and some of those seeds WILL take root.

Save your children: pull them out of public schools now!

[George from New England]

All P.C. crap. This question doesn't belong on any PSAT anyway. Most freepers so far seem to have overlooked the brainwashing that's everywhere in our educational system.
I'll bet other questions had to do with condom usage and other PC issues.

[SAJ]

And you are entirely accurate in your demurral.

In English, nouns are frequently converted into adjectives ('Bill's bicycle is red.') by the addition of the appropriate possessive, and modifiers (pronouns and adjectives) into nouns (e.g. 'Stupid is as stupid does.' -- 'stupid' is obviously an adjective, but equally obviously the subject of this sentence and therefore a noun here by usage. Similarly, 'I love her.' -- 'her' is clearly the direct object of the sentence and therefore a noun in this usage).

To insist that using a pronoun as the direct object of a verb is somehow an 'error', as this 'professor' would have it, is absolutely laughable, and just about what one ought to expect from many (most?) of today's would-be 'grammarians'.

[workerbee]

Isn't the real issue how the student feels about the sentence? Correct grammar is soooo confining to one's ability to express oneself.

[ZinGirl]

BINGO

as someone else mentioned in a previous post, this was an unbelievably nitpicky question.....BUT, they got their message out, didn't they?

[Prodigal Son]

Bollocks. "Her" is clearly referring to "Genius" rather than to Morrison.

[ZinGirl]

whoa.....hmmm...think I'll wait for the movie....on second thought...

[Rebel_Ace]

I'm reserving judgement until I hear what F.Christian has to say about this grammar and syntax.