Chamblee54

Someone on facebook had a link to a grammar test. It seemed like a good excuse for some text. The first question is about the its/it’s quandary. This is one where the logical answer is incorrect. The second question is the same thing for who’s/whose. In this matchup, what you think should be correct actually is. Questions three (whether/weather) and four (your/you’re) were easy. You get the results immediately after submission. When you are correct, the test says “Yes! Great work!”
Five was a bit tougher. “The car beeped at Jon and I/me. Karen and I/me went on holiday.” In third grade, PG was taught to use I, rather than me. Could the placement of the nouns, before or after the verb, affect this choice? The only way to learn is to answer the question. PG answered I for both, It seems as though the correct answer, for the first sentence, is Jon and me. The site explains: “A simple way to test whether you’re using the right one is to think about whether a statement would still make sense if you removed the other person. You wouldn’t say, “The car beeped at I” so the correct pronoun is ‘me’.” When you are incorrect, the test says “Sorry, wrong answer!”
Six (years/year’s) and seven (that/which) required a bit of thought, but were answered correctly. By now, the test had a pattern. If the first sentence used one word, the second sentence used another. In question eight (have/of,) the test threw a curve ball. The logical answer for both sentences was have. However, the previous test questions had called for a split answer, that is to say, using a different word for both sentences. PG answered with of for the first sentence, which was the incorrect answer.
Nine (less/fewer,) ten (there/they’re/their,) and eleven (affect/effect) were easy. Twelve (i.e./e.g) was a bit of a struggle. PG seldom uses i.e., and cannot remember even reading e.g. The sentences were: “Some animals are really cute, e.g. kittens and puppies.The primary colours (i.e. red, yellow and blue) are my favorites.” PG made a lucky guess, and was correct.
Thirteen (hear/here) was a gimme. Fourteen (whom/who) is one of the things that drive writers crazy. The logical answer is to make both sentences use who. On a whim, PG answered one with whom. The sentences were: “Whom did you see at the bar last night? I can’t think who would have eaten all the doughnuts.” The explanation offered: ‘Whom’ is used when referring to the object of a sentence. Use ‘who’ when referring to the subject of a sentence. There’s a trick to help you remember: If you can answer with ‘he’, use ‘who’ (e.g. ‘he ate all the doughnuts’). If you can answer with ‘him’ use ‘whom’ (e.g. ‘I saw him at the bar’). Just remember that ‘him’ and ‘whom’ both end in the letter m.”
Fifteen (lie/lay) was a gimme. Sixteen (bored of, bored by, or bored with) was a lucky guess. PG used with and by, because they sound like correct usage. This gives a final score of 94. If credit is given for the curve ball on question eight, the score would be 97. The test is sponsored by Staples Canada. Various electronic devices are displayed at the bottom of the last page. “This Web site is intended only for use by Canadian residents. See International Sites. See our delivery policy for full details.” It is not known whether the rules of grammar are different south of the border. Pictures, from the lower forty eight, are from The Library of Congress.

It was six am on thanksgiving wednesday morning. PG was eating breakfast. In an hour and forty five minutes, it would be time to get on the road. This should be time to take the Mental Age Test, write about the test and the results, and do the other human chores needed to function in polite society. If not, then the post will be there this evening.
The test is multiple choice. The first question asked what birthdays are for. PG tries to ignore this day, and that was an option. The next four questions had no good answers, and required the least bad answer. If you recognize this, you get ten years added to your score.
Question five is whether baseball hats look better with the bill in front, or in the back. There is no qualification. If it it is raining water, then the bill keeps rain out of your eyes. If a flock of birds is overhead, then the bill keeps the droppings off a red neck. It is a case of situational ethics.
Politically, you are …Select from… Conservative ~ Green ~ Liberal ~ Socialist.
This is number six. What if you think these labels are dishonest red herrings? There is no good answer. For politics, this is appropriate.
You see someone fall over in the street. Do you … Select from… Laugh ~ Run over to make sure they are OK ~ Thank the heavens it wasn’t you ~ Shake your head and think ‘muppet’
There is not enough information given. You don’t know who the person is, how much they weigh, why he/she fell over, or what street it is. If it is I 85, then the person will be smushed into the pavement before you get to the side of the road. If it is Culduhsack Drive, then you pick them up, and ask if they are ok. If they don’t answer the situation is probably more serious than most people can deal with.
Before you skip over this, and go look at the pictures, (from The Library of Congress.) we will not be discussing all twenty questions. If you want to see them, there is a link above to the test. Question thirteen is something you might expect from a british test. It’s hot. You want an ice cream. You buy … Select from… A magnum ~ A cone with a chocolate flake ~ An ice lolly.
The ad below this question is for McCormick seasoning. When you click on the ad, a window comes up. It has a recipe for Italian meat loaf. Something says this would not go well with an ice lolly.
And so on and so forth. The final screen gives the answer. The device says “The My Mental Age Test Your mental age is 42.” The option to share on facebook is respectfully declined.