Math Final: An Extra Hour
The setting is Ohio State University about six or seven years ago in a huge
lecture hall (approximately 1000 students) for a Calculus final. Apparently
this particular calculus teacher wasn't very well liked. He was one of
those guys who would stand at the front of the class and yell out how much
time was remaining before the end of a test, a real charmer. Since he was
so busy galavanting around the room making sure that nobody cheated and
that everyone was aware of how much time they had left before their failure
on the test was complete, he had the students stack the completed tests on
the huge podium at the front of the room. This made for quite a mess,
remember there were 1000 students in the class.
Anyway, during this particular final, one guy entered the test needing a
descent grade to pass the class. His only problem with Calculus was that he
did poorly when rushed, and this ass standing in the front of the room
barking out how much time was left before the tests had to be handed in
didn't help him at all. He figured he wanted to assure himself of a good
grade, so he hardly flinched when the professor said "pencils down and
submit your scantron sheets and work to piles at the front of the room".
Five minutes turned into ten, ten into twenty, twenty into fourty...almost
an hour after the test was "officially over", our friend finally put down
his pencil, gathered up his work, and headed to the front of the hall to
submit his final. The whole time, the professor sat at the front of the
room, strangely waiting for the student to complete his exam.
"What do you think you're doing?" the professor asked as the student stood
in front of him about to put down his exam on one of the neatly stacked
piles of exams (the professor had plenty of time to stack the mountain of
papers while he waited) It was clear that the professor had waited only to
give the student a hard time.
"Turning in my exam," retorted the student confidently.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news for you," the profesor gloated, "Your exam
is an hour late. You've FAILED it and, consequently, I'll see you next term
when you repeat my course."
The student smiled slyly and asked the professor "Do you know who I am?"
"What?" replied the professor grufly, annoyed that the student showed no
sign of emotion.
The student rephrased the question mockingly, "Do you know what my name
is?"
"NO", snarled the professor.
The student looked the professor dead in the eyes and said slowly, "I
didn't think so", as he lifted up one of the stacks half way, shoved his
test neatly into the center of the stack, let the stack fall burying his
test in the middle, turned around, and walked casually out of the huge
lecture hall.
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Author Unknown
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