"Beaver's English Test" Unrealistic - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Jack1000 · 06-17-2003, 10:58 PM

Guys,

"Beaver's English Test" is an episode that I find to be unrealistic. I find it unbelievable that:

1. Wally, whom I believe is supposed to be a sophmore in high school, would just happen to out of the blue, go through an old school folder and say....."Oh, here's an old English test I took when I was in the 6th grade."

2. Beaver and Gilbert memorize Wally's old test and it just so happens to be the exact same test that the English teacher gives the next day!

(And we have Gilbert Bates, called Gilbert Harrison in this, as well as one other episode from an eariler season......What were the writers thinking or smoking?)

I have heard of college professors that store several 100's of multiple choice/T/F questions for their exams in computer databases and then they just print out 40-50 questions for each exam from the database for each test given that term.

However, grade school, middle school, high school teachers would write their own tests. The difference in time...about 4 years in Wally and Beavers' age needs qualification. It would be somewhat plausable in storyline if Wally had Mr. Blair as a teacher in 6th grade and Mr. Blair would use the same tests for the units he was covering each year. But, any teacher would change exam questions so that no two tests would be exact duplicates of each other IMO. Such actions by any teacher would be a security provision to prevent the kind of situation that Beaver and Gilbert face in this episode.

Not to knitpick, but an obviously unrealistic storyline.

Jack

DarleneIllyria · 06-17-2003, 11:38 PM

Well, I have to admit during my Senior year, I did keep my work from the whole year, and some of my old middle school stuff, I do have. I just never got around to throwing it away, but it's so scattered, you know? I wouldn't be able to go and find one particular thing and pull it out and say 'Why here's my old History test back from my 7th grade year. Ah, let me see, that would be 1997.' No way in hell, just no way.

frani · 06-18-2003, 07:57 AM

As an English teacher (a high school English teacher) I'm here to say it would never happen. My 11th graders get mad if they hear I did a similar lesson with them as with the ninth graders. There's a matter of skill levels.

I think the point was to give the Beav yet another moral dilemma to face.

Mysty Eyes · 06-18-2003, 10:59 AM

Well... Maybe Wally is a pack-rat: he never throws anything away. And the Cleaver household is very neat, so of course Wally would know just where he kept his old exams.

As far as a teacher reusing a test: It happens, at least it used to. I am sure it was done quite frequently back then.

You need to remember that this was back in the late 50s/early 60s. They did NOT use computers to store test forms and other data. It was all done by hand. I cannot believe that teachers of that era had "hundreds" of tests waiting for selection for a particular class.

06-17-2003, 10:58 PM	#1
Jack1000 Member Senior Member Join Date: Dec 05, 2001 Posts: 2,055	"Beaver's English Test" Unrealistic Guys, "Beaver's English Test" is an episode that I find to be unrealistic. I find it unbelievable that: 1. Wally, whom I believe is supposed to be a sophmore in high school, would just happen to out of the blue, go through an old school folder and say....."Oh, here's an old English test I took when I was in the 6th grade." 2. Beaver and Gilbert memorize Wally's old test and it just so happens to be the exact same test that the English teacher gives the next day! (And we have Gilbert Bates, called Gilbert Harrison in this, as well as one other episode from an eariler season......What were the writers thinking or smoking?) I have heard of college professors that store several 100's of multiple choice/T/F questions for their exams in computer databases and then they just print out 40-50 questions for each exam from the database for each test given that term. However, grade school, middle school, high school teachers would write their own tests. The difference in time...about 4 years in Wally and Beavers' age needs qualification. It would be somewhat plausable in storyline if Wally had Mr. Blair as a teacher in 6th grade and Mr. Blair would use the same tests for the units he was covering each year. But, any teacher would change exam questions so that no two tests would be exact duplicates of each other IMO. Such actions by any teacher would be a security provision to prevent the kind of situation that Beaver and Gilbert face in this episode. Not to knitpick, but an obviously unrealistic storyline. Jack

06-17-2003, 11:38 PM	#2
DarleneIllyria Gone Forum Star Join Date: Oct 15, 2000 Posts: 19,086	Well, I have to admit during my Senior year, I did keep my work from the whole year, and some of my old middle school stuff, I do have. I just never got around to throwing it away, but it's so scattered, you know? I wouldn't be able to go and find one particular thing and pull it out and say 'Why here's my old History test back from my 7th grade year. Ah, let me see, that would be 1997.' No way in hell, just no way.

06-18-2003, 07:57 AM	#3
frani Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 09, 2002 Location: New York City Posts: 445	As an English teacher (a high school English teacher) I'm here to say it would never happen. My 11th graders get mad if they hear I did a similar lesson with them as with the ninth graders. There's a matter of skill levels. I think the point was to give the Beav yet another moral dilemma to face.

06-18-2003, 10:59 AM	#4
Mysty Eyes Dreaming... Senior Member Join Date: Feb 04, 2002 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 1,144	Well... Maybe Wally is a pack-rat: he never throws anything away. And the Cleaver household is very neat, so of course Wally would know just where he kept his old exams. As far as a teacher reusing a test: It happens, at least it used to. I am sure it was done quite frequently back then. You need to remember that this was back in the late 50s/early 60s. They did NOT use computers to store test forms and other data. It was all done by hand. I cannot believe that teachers of that era had "hundreds" of tests waiting for selection for a particular class.