tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post5476416909391480860..comments2024-03-28T18:35:54.237+09:00Comments on BigHominid's Hairy Chasms: student mythsKevin Kimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01328790917314282058noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-84088163914349242442015-05-25T10:49:51.864+09:002015-05-25T10:49:51.864+09:00Perhaps they are confusing Chernobyl with chez Nob...Perhaps they are confusing Chernobyl with chez Noblet?<br /><br />I misread the first one as "their predators' foot<b>b</b>alls," which made the answer that much weirder. I spent a few seconds trying to figure out why their predators would be playing football, and why that would pose a threat to the ostriches. Maybe they were on defense?<br /><br />(More often than not these days, Bloggers' automatic validation has seemed reluctant to believe I am not a robot, and forces me to jump through various hoops. Somehow this offends me, and I find it more onerous than the original method. Oh, so my click wasn't good enough for you, Blogger?)Charleshttp://www.liminality.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-18598733320906248572015-05-25T08:59:39.174+09:002015-05-25T08:59:39.174+09:00"Ostriches bury their heads in the sand . . ...."Ostriches bury their heads in the sand . . . to detect the vibration of predators' footfalls," thereby leaving themselves vulnerable to attacks from the air.<br /><br />The correct spelling is "Cher Nobyl," and it is indeed in France!<br /><br />"An elephant seal looks exactly like a walrus, and elephant seals are called 'elephant' seals precisely because they have tusks, not because of their elephant-like noses." Nonsense! Your student is all wet! Elephant seals are called 'elephant' seals precisely because walruses <i>are</i> elephants!<br /><br />Jeffery Hodges<br /><br />* * *Horace Jeffery Hodgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16684513618463766017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5541500.post-83849232764040856992015-05-25T06:39:09.154+09:002015-05-25T06:39:09.154+09:00When I was a teaching assistant for a college hist...When I was a teaching assistant for a college history course, we had a short-answer essay question: What was the Zimmermann Note?<br /><br />One student started his answer: "The Zimmermann Note was found wrapped around an ear of corn."<br /><br />What was weird was his detailed (and correct) description of the content - the appeal to Mexico to join the Central Powers to attack the U.S. and the resumption of submarine warfare.<br /><br />I think I gave him 80% credit.Tonyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17921029597363212734noreply@blogger.com