New Statesman -- student explanation winners
No 4240
Set by Ian Birchall
Earlier this year, the Education Secretary, Michael Gove, described as “bizarre” a GCSE exam question that asked students: “Explain, briefly, why some people are prejudiced against Jews.” He said: “To suggest that anti-Semitism can ever be explained, rather than condemned, is insensitive and, frankly, bizarre.” We asked for students’ attempts to “explain” a similarly bizarre exam question.
This week’s winners
More difficult than you thought, n’est-ce pas? So, sadly there are no hon menshes this week. The five winners get £20 each, with the Tesco vouchers going, additionally, to Chris O’Carroll
Q What facts support the credibility of Tony Blair’s statement prior to invading Iraq that weapons of mass destruction “will be found”?
A While it is true that since the invasion and occupation of Iraq no WMDs have come to light, we should be wary of jumping to conclusions. The use of a “dodgy dossier” to legitimise war in itself proves nothing either way. And we should also remember that on the historical scale nine years is a short time. If we take Karl Popper’s test of “falsifiability” as our criterion, it becomes evident that we can only say that no WMDs have been found yet. In an area of almost 170,000 square miles, much of it desert, it would be rash to claim that no nuclear installations lie concealed beneath the sand, waiting to strike with massive, pulverising force.
Basil Ransome-Davies
Q Explain why you would stop hitting your girlfriend or boyfriend.
A The reasons why I would stop might be: 1) she left me for some other guy who didn’t hit her; 2) she had reported me to the police and I had been arrested; or even 3) I felt that it was wrong. Of course, she might have asked me to hit her, in which case I would stop if I felt I was really hurting her. Some girls like to feel that their boyfriend is a bit aggressive, as it makes them feel that he would defend them. But as a non-violent person, I feel that violent people can lash out at anyone whether they like them or not.
Katie Mallett
Q Explain, briefly, why the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything is 42.
A There are, until now, no really satisfying answers to the question given. While some people believe that the answer might be 42, or any other possible number, others look for some unspecified sense in life, the universe and everything. They try to find it, for example, in different kinds of attitudes, beliefs, or religions. However, all that wasn’t enough to find another, better, answer. As I agree with that, the answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything could well be 42, until somebody convincingly gives a better one, or asks a better question.
Simon Doerr
Q Give the reasons why some murderers want to eat parts of their victims.
A To answer this question, it is necessary to examine a wide diversity of contributing factors in many different cultures and time periods. Also, religious, historical and sociological elements are of significant importance in this regard. Serial killers are murderers who kill many victims over months and years and other long periods of time. Many of them take “trophies” from their victims – personal possessions or even body parts. So eating pieces of a victim is just like a really extreme version of that. Some cannibal killers eat certain body parts and preserve others. Some eat the flesh raw, while some prefer to cook it first. Grilling, boiling, baking and frying are all cooking methods that have been used in some cases.
Chris O’Carroll
Q Explain how “Thatcherism” halted Britain's decline when the “consensus politics” of the preceding years had failed.
A Mrs Thatcher was a strong and principled woman with no time for feminist ranting or moaning and she sincerely believed making Britain great again. To do this she had to stand up to foreign enemies such as the EEC, the IRA, Russia with its evil satellites and Argentina, and she had to prop up a weak and brainless American president. But just as big a threat was the “enemy within”, the Communist miners and the teachers and academics who were spreading subversion and trying to overthrow the government. Her determination closed down the coal mines that were breeding grounds for anti-government activity and helped expand important new industries like heritage theme parks. For this she got called “the Iron Lady”.
G M Davis
A win for Basil Ransome-Davies, and I get to sink my teeth into the Tesco vouchers.
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