Testy!

So, my students are today taking their Latin II test. We've been on the same chapter for four weeks (with a break for Thanksgiving, so it's been a while since the beginning of the chapter). They've gone over the vocabulary at least three times and been quizzed on it once. We whipped through some of the stories in the book because they looked like they were about to die every time I did a translation. But they all they need to know for the test is the main characters. The questions on the passage are multiple choice and, with a few exceptions, involve more thought than Latin knowledge. Perhaps that's the problem, but it really shouldn't be. The vocabulary section ("What page is the vocabulary on?" asks a student. "The same one it's been all month," says I.) is only derivatives, from that chapter. No meanings, no forms, no nothing. Just derivatives.

The third bonus question says, "See board." One student asks if he is supposed to replace that with what is on the board, then asks, "What does this mean?"

I guess, in the old days, I used to give tests which quizzed and rewarded memorization. It seems that this sort of test, which involves as much thinking as memorizing, or, rather, thoughtful rather than mindless memorization, is simply beyond them.