The Exam Hall Clock and the Reading Passage
A school in Huambo administers the 12th Grade English exam to 180 candidates in a hall with a single wall clock. The invigilator announces that the Reading Comprehension section (Section A) lasts 45 minutes and that candidates may not turn to Section B until Section A is collected. Candidate Ana finishes the passage and its 10 questions at minute 30. She notices the passage's final question asks her to infer the writer's attitude, and she has written "positive" but cannot find a line that directly states it. Meanwhile, at minute 38 the invigilator begins collecting Section A answer sheets from the front row. Ana sits in the back row. She still has two unanswered questions and one doubtful answer.
1. Using the timing and procedural facts in the setup, what should Ana prioritise in the remaining time, and why?
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Priorities, in order:
- Answer the two blank questions first (minutes 30-36). A blank scores zero with certainty; a reasoned guess has a positive expected value. Ana should not spend time perfecting the doubtful answer while two items remain empty.
- Then revisit the "attitude" item (minutes 36-40). She should scan for evaluative adjectives and verbs rather than searching for an explicit statement. Inferring attitude is normally supported by tone words, not by a single declarative sentence, so the absence of a direct line does not invalidate her answer.
- Stop writing by roughly minute 40. Collection starts at the front at minute 38 and moves row by row; the back row is reached last, but she cannot rely on that margin. Leaving the last minutes to check that every answer is transferred and legible is worth more than a marginal re-read. Reasoning principle: under a hard cutoff, secure guaranteed marks (fill blanks) before optimising uncertain ones, and treat the collection sweep as a deadline earlier than the nominal 45 minutes.
2. The invigilator's announcement says candidates may not turn to Section B until Section A is collected. Ana has finished her Section A sheet at minute 40. What is the correct action, and what misconception might tempt her?
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Correct action: she keeps Section A open and does not open Section B until her sheet is physically collected and she is told to proceed. The instruction is procedural, not a suggestion, and breaching it can lead to the whole script being penalised regardless of answer quality. The tempting misconception: "I've finished, so the rule no longer applies to me." The rule protects fairness - it prevents early finishers from gaining extra time on Section B. Ana's finishing early is precisely the situation the rule anticipates, so it binds her most tightly, not least. Practical use of the wait: she can silently re-check her Section A answers without writing on Section B, which is permitted and productive.