STRANGE BUT TRUE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1767, 4 June 1913, Page 8

STRANGE BUT TRUE.

EXAMINERS' METHODS.

TESTS FOR MATRICULATION CANDIDATES. [Br Wi.] In The Dominion of Saturday last there were published certain extracts—selected by Professor T. H. Laby, of tho Chair of Physics at Victoria College—from tho very full and illuminating review in the London "Times" of tho report and findings of- the Royal Commission appointed to inquire into the constitution, organisation, and general conduct of tho London University. In certain respects—fundamental respects—the University of New Zealand resembles London University beforo the latter was remodelled for the purpose of removing certain anomalies which are at present a feature of our own university. I do not propose to discuss these, nor the report itself, which. is lucid, convincing, nnd in everv respect worthy of it 3 distinguished authors, but since this question of university reform in New Zealand is in tho air at present, I take leavo to refer to a matter which certainly deserves soma publioity at such an opportune moment —tho methods of some of the examiners appointed to conduct the matriculation, or "general knowledge" entrance examination of the New Zealand University.

I have recently had an opportunity of perusing the 1912 papers ancl reports, and if tho evidence which they oiler of the unwisdom of according practically an unlimited license to the gentlemen appointed to sot the papers for this examination does not convince the lay mini that the examiners themselves should be supervised—'"Quis custodict ipsos custodes" says Juvenal—tho expectations of the advocates for reform are indeed forlorn. Whatever may be the standard of the matriculation syllabus drawn up by the University authorities, teachers and the public (in tho persons of the candidates for this examination) havo a right to expect that the examiners' interpretation of the syllabus should bo reasonable, that their tests should be intelligible. Very well, consider, for example, the English papers set for the last examination. Question 1 of Paper A reads as follows:— "Give the general analysis of the following passage: "Whether or no there bo any perfect ideal of historical compositions, the ono best form of writing history for all ages and countries, if wo look to experience, we find that in fact eath age has over had a fashion of its own; differing from that which preceded it and followed it." Shade of Sir Lucius O'Triggbrl What hopelessly bad English, nnd how incapable of logical analysis, is this trap for the unfortunate candidate! Apparently the examiner recognised the futility of his first effort to probe the literary quality of tho candidates, for he mates no comment, in his report, of the answers thereto. In Question 2 (b) candidates were invited to "explain and show by examples the correct use of shall and will lu (1) statements, (2) questions, (3) dependent statements." Tho examiner (in English, mark ye) commented thereon as follows:— "Eeiv candidates seemed to_ know that the use of 'shall' and 'will' in second person questions depends on tho nature of the answer expected, or that the use in dependent statements agrees with that in statements. Many regard conditional or temporal clauses as dependent statements." I do not know whether the candidates referred to by tho examiners, from their kudy of tho above comment, havo yet arrived at an adequate appreciation of tho extent of their shortcomings. Personally. I should say not. However, in Question i the examiner requested his victims to show by examples that in tho spelling of English..words: (a) Single letters.-some-times ropresent diphthongal sounds; (b) singlo letters ropresent two or more different sounds; (c) single sounds are represented by different letters;' (d) groups of letters represent single sounds i (e) single groups of letters represent a variety of sounds; (f) silent'letters, or groups of letters are common. Said tho examiner, in his report thereon: "In many instances answered excellently, though the answers not infrequently showed that an elementary knowledge of phonetics is a poor corrective of habitual mis-pronouncia-tlon," Nothing further need be said. Now, let us pass on to Question 8i "Express, as briefly as possible, the substance of any four (4) of tho following passages, and if you can, refer tho passagos you select to their respective sources:—

"(a) Revenge ia a kind of wild justice which, the more a man's nature runs to, tho more ought law to weed it out. For, as for the first wrong it doth .but offend tho law; but the revenge of that wrong puttpth the law out of office. "(b) A good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, enbalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life. "(c) A substitute shinea brightly, as a king Until a king bo by, and then his state Empties itself, as doth an inland "■brook Into the main of waters. "(d) There is a history in all men's lives Figuring the nature of the times deceased; Which obsorved, a man may prophesy With a near aim of the main chance of things As not yet come to life "(e) Fame is no plant that grows on mortal soil, Nor in the glistening foil Set off to the world, nor in broad rumour lies, ' But, lives and spreads aloft by those pure eyes- ' And porfect'witness of all-judging Jove "(f) Extol not' riches then, the toil of fools Tho wise man's cumbrance, if not . snare, moro apt To slacken virtue and abate her edge Than prompt her to do aught may merit praiso. "(g) Two voices are there, one is of the sea, One of the mountains, each a mighty voice; In both from age to age thou didst rejoice, They were thy chosen music, Liberty. "(h) But knowledge to their eyes her ample pago Rich with the spoils of time did no'er unroll; Chill penury repressod their noblo rage; And Trozo the genial current of tho soul. "(i) I woo thee not with gifts. Sequel of guerdon could not alter mo To fairer. Judgo thou me by what I am So shalt -thou find mo fairest." Let it bo carofully noted that tho quotations selected are not from set books, but submitted to the candidate as a test of that "wido and careful reading" of "well-selected literature," which, declares the oxaminer in his report, "is a condition precedent to mastery of language." That "only a small number of tho candidates were able to assign the passages they selected to their source" emphasises, ho "complains, "what the answers as a whole clearly indicate, that too littlo time is Bpent on tho careful reading of wellselected literature." Now, without arguing the point whether it is reasonable to expect "wido and careful reading" from tho average matriculation candidate, it 6hould bo again emphasised that these quotations are not from set books. The candidates wore supposed to be able to "assign" them "to their sources" on the strength of their general knowledge of English literature. Surely, then, the examiner would have selected examples that possessed somo degree of triteness or appositeness. At least, he might have consulted the Inspector-General's annual report on secondary schools, which gives a list of tho English authors studied in ovory secondary school in New Zealand. Tho following "sources" of the examples given show that ho most obviously did not:— (a) Bacon's "Essay on Revenge. (b) Miltfln's "Aroopagitica." (c) "Merchant of Venice" (Shakespeare). (d) "Henry IV" (Shakespeare). (o) Milton's "Lycidas." . (f) Milton's "Paradiso Renamed."

(g) Wordsworth's "Thoughts of a Briton, etc." : '(li) Gray's "Elegy" (evidently on oversight on his part). (i) Tennyson's "Oenone." In no school lists do cither tho "Areopngitica" or "Paradise Regained" appear, nor is it reasonable to insist or even suppose that they should. Again, next to "Hamlet," tho "Merchant of Venice" is probably the most quoted of Shakespeare's plays. Biuham's book of quotations gives D.l extracts from "Tho Merchant of Venice," but "a substitute Bliines brightly .. ," isn't one of them. One last example: Tho B paper in English was understood to submit—l may be wrong—olenipntary questions in geography and in simple outlines of English history. Question II of tho history section was: "Give in brief outline tho provisions of the following measures:— (a) The Statute of Labourers. (b) The Poor Laws of Eliabcth. (c) Tho Factory Acts. (d) Tho Insurance Act (Lloyd-George;. After all this, one is not surprised to hear one of the examiners regret that his report is "necessarily so condemnatory. My impression," he loftily observes, "is that the work in English has deteriorated in a marked degree since last I examined in this subject, some five years ago., I attribute the deterioration to the dissipation of energy that goes on in our schools, where an unfortunate pupil has to dabbla in subjects as diverse as boolc-kccpmg and nature study, and where the pestilent fallacy of what is called, I believe, vocational studies has linked up tho university with the kindergarten, and bids us teach agricultural chomistry to infants in short frocks because their mothers think it would be nice to make them farmers.' Was this gratuitous flippancy really an essential ornament to the report? What is clearly required is the creation of a Board of Moderators, constituted for the purpose of keeping the examiners within the limits of reason and commonsense. The Universjty Senate appoints— or is supposed to appoint—tho examiners for the matriculation examination. But so far as I have been able to ascertain, its authority over these gentlemen ceases with their appointment. No candidate may see his marked papers—they may be destroyed at tho will of the examiner, who simply reports on the examination, and supplies the Senate with tho pass list. In the University of Sydney a candidate may seo his marked papers upon payment of a search fee of 10s. That he should not be allowed this privilege in New Zealand seems to me to bo a most improper thing, not at all calculated to inspire the examiner with a full and proper sense of his responsibility.