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You always hear about how standardized tests are unfair, because people have different backgrounds and so a question that might seem simple for one person might be really hard for another.
I always thought there was a fair amount of BS to that, because facts are facts and they shouldn't change depending on your life experiences.
Then earlier this week, my wife told me about a 5th grade standardized math assessment test she gave. One question really confused a handful of the kids.
It was something like "Sally needs to buy a pair of jeans that cost $10. She hands the cashier a $20 bill. How much change should she get back? The sales taxes are already included in the price."
So my wife asks if there are any questions, and a couple kids really don't understand the bit about the taxes. This sentence that was clearly put in there to help eliminate confusion has created more confusion than it eliminated. And then one kid asked if a pair of jeans was one article of clothing or two. And that's an excellent question, because "pair" means "two." So the answer should be that Sally gets no change back.
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