Editing 499: Scantron
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This comic is a take on the instructions "Remember to use a #2 pencil on the Scantron" that most modern students in the US have heard many, '''''many''''' times, a warning that seems unnecessary to many because #2 pencils are the most common type of pencil, and most students wouldn't have any other kind. {{w|Scantron}}s are standardized {{w|Machine-readable data|machine-readable papers}} used by students to answer multiple-choice tests. Often, the instructor will remind students to use a #2 pencil, which is a US classification of {{w|pencil hardness}} and equivalent to the {{w|Pencil#Grading_and_classification|HB}} term that is used in Europe. #2 pencils use a medium-hardness graphite considered ideal for Scantron use because the graphite is soft enough to leave a dark mark but hard enough to not smudge, both aspects that improve the performance of machine-readable paper. [[Miss Lenhart]] seems to have given her class one of these tests. | This comic is a take on the instructions "Remember to use a #2 pencil on the Scantron" that most modern students in the US have heard many, '''''many''''' times, a warning that seems unnecessary to many because #2 pencils are the most common type of pencil, and most students wouldn't have any other kind. {{w|Scantron}}s are standardized {{w|Machine-readable data|machine-readable papers}} used by students to answer multiple-choice tests. Often, the instructor will remind students to use a #2 pencil, which is a US classification of {{w|pencil hardness}} and equivalent to the {{w|Pencil#Grading_and_classification|HB}} term that is used in Europe. #2 pencils use a medium-hardness graphite considered ideal for Scantron use because the graphite is soft enough to leave a dark mark but hard enough to not smudge, both aspects that improve the performance of machine-readable paper. [[Miss Lenhart]] seems to have given her class one of these tests. | ||
| β | The joke is that the student used a #3 (or 'H') pencil, which has a slightly harder graphite rating, as opposed to the #2. Instructors and examiners usually place great emphasis on using a #2 pencil, as if not using one would lead to dire consequences, but without explaining why. The comic jokingly suggests that these consequences would include causing the grading machine to explode, <s>killing</s> | + | The joke is that the student used a #3 (or 'H') pencil, which has a slightly harder graphite rating, as opposed to the #2. Instructors and examiners usually place great emphasis on using a #2 pencil, as if not using one would lead to dire consequences, but without explaining why. The comic jokingly suggests that these consequences would include causing the grading machine to explode, <s>killing</s> harming people nearby and leaving a bloody mess. |
The title text refers to the instruction to "fill in all the bubbles completely." This again improves the performance of machine-readable paper. The student states that he spent an inordinate amount of time making sure his markings were perfect because he had been warned so many times to do so, but five seconds is usually enough. | The title text refers to the instruction to "fill in all the bubbles completely." This again improves the performance of machine-readable paper. The student states that he spent an inordinate amount of time making sure his markings were perfect because he had been warned so many times to do so, but five seconds is usually enough. | ||
