[bias in education] crooked toefl exam

This is one of the questions on the current TOEFL online practice exam:

9. Some of the oldest and most widespread creation myths are ________ involving the algiving "Earth Mother".

those them they their

Under the guise of a word usage test, the expression 'creation myths' is introduced but immediately deflected onto the earth pagans, who are clearly a soft target.

The Christian lobby seemingly can't attack Q9 because it doesn't specifically refer to them in 'some of the oldest and most widespread' and yet the very employment of the term 'creation myths', with that all important qualifying "s" at the end, at a time when intelligent design is an issue, negates the seeming innocence of the question composer.

Why wasn't the question:"Some of the oldest and most widespread theories are…"? Why "creation"? Why "myths" even? In a supposedly politically and religiously neutral exam, it is quite unforgivable.

Now it will be interesting how my blogfriends, who rail against blatant hypocrisy in other areas, will react to this one. Will they quietly pass this over or will they see the essential wrongness in it?

I wait with bated breath. Who'll lead off? Tiberius?

[politics 101] end of term finals

You have five minutes only for this test. Do not attempt to write in the sidebar or on your screen. Begin at N1 and work your way through to N7, unless you prefer to reverse that order or perhaps approach it in a random order, for that nice wavy effect or even, in fact, to look for Nos. 6&7.

Do not forget your blogger ID or that "little gifts sometimes go a long way with examiners".

Now commence:

1 Bill Clinton's greatest achievement was:

a. a near balanced budget

b. Whitewater

c. Monica

d. socking it to Fox Sunday

2 Jacques Chirac's greatest achievement was:

a. the Paris Olympics

b. new industrial relations policy

c. comments about British food

d. the referendum

3 Tony Blair's greatest achievement was:

a. the NHS

b. the education system

c. the Iraq War

d. honesty in government

4 George Bush's greatest achievement was:

a. the Iraq War

b. FEMA

c. spreading democracy

d. Wolfowitz

5 John Howard's greatest achievement was:

a. common sense industrial relations

b. the boat people

c. longevity

d. supporting Christmas

[enter the dragon] powered by oil

That's Japan sinking in the background, by the way.

Anyone just that teensy-weensy bit worried about China?

About 3.8 trillion cubic meters of natural gas deposits have been discovered in southwest China's Sichuan Basin, with verified exploitable reserves topping 600 billion cubic meters.

The reserves were discovered in Dazhou, a gas-rich city in Sichuan Province. By 2010, the newly found deposits will raise the city's gas output to 24 billion cubic meters and sulphur to more than 4.3 million tons.

Er - so it's not to supply the whole of China and half the damned world with then - this just concerns one city, does it? Now then, how many cities does China have? Let's see now ...

[segie] secret of those good looks

I have this theory about Segie, you know, that she's actually a ravening lizard who draws her youthful good looks from those around her. Bit fanciful? Then why do they call her "L’ancienne candidate", eh?

I don't insist on it but just where has she been these last few weeks? What's she been feeding on?

[honesty] wolfie apportions the blame

Predictable really:

The outgoing president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, has told the BBC an "overheated" atmosphere at the bank and in the media forced him to resign.

Couldn't really expect:

The outgoing president of the World Bank, Paul Wolfowitz, has told the BBC an "overheated" libido with his honey and his moral relativism and "general sleaziness" forced him to resign.

[men and women] the power of punctuation

Please punctuate correctly:

"a woman without a man is nothing"