SOME ANSWERS IN EXAM. DECEMBER 17TH, 1883. the time that these lines are in print the powering sense of examination which at present inates all other feelings will have passed away; prolonged struggle between the Examiner and prey will have ended, marks will have been d up, registers closed, and nothing but the Ful announcement of results will be wanting to plete the term's work, and clear all brains for the arious joys of the Concert, and the excitement ping away. But the certainty that the Exams labour is lightened now and again by the m of a spark of gold in the quartz he is so ily crushing, and that the whimsical answer seldom enlivens the dull monotony of allotting s, has reminded us of a certain note book in h we used to collect the facetiæ of Form work, of a bundle of extracts clipped from various rs, exhibiting the unconscious humour of the inee, and in the hope that they may be in ony with the spirit of the hour, we offer for the sal of our readers some specimens of answers - by schoolboys and undergraduates in different of our Indian possessions. PRICE 6d. Most of our readers are aware that for many years English has been, increasingly, the language of instruction in India in all but the very elementary village schools, and in some which voluntarily elect, through their governing bodies, to be taught in the vernacular. Hundreds of thousands of boys thus begin to learn English simultaneously with their mother tongue, indeed, in many cases to the virtual exclusion of it, so that in these cases English is often more familiar to them as a book language than that spoken in their own homes, and a well-to-do Bengali or Madrassi boy reads an English school book as fluently as any member of this School. But inasmuch as the great mass of teachers are of course natives of India, who have themselves little beyond the book knowledge of English, which their pupils possess in a lesser degree, it follows that the scholars, almost without exception, fail to acquire that grip of English which comes only of a constant colloquial use of it, and of frequent intercourse with those who speak it as their mother tongue. From this defect spring countless tricks of idiom and accent which disfigure the talk of even the best educated and most extensively anglicised natures of India, and which only disappear after a visit to England, a cure which few are able to apply. The hybrid phrases and ridiculous idioms which this state of things produces have already been noticed in the Marlburian (see No. 282 of 1882), and Anglo-Indian society is familiar with innumerable ridiculous anecdotes and specimens of "Baboo-English"; but these are beside the subject of our remarks, and though we may perhaps recur to them again on some future occasion, we do not now wish to touch on that wide field, but rather to quote a few instances of perverted ingenuity on the part of Examinees, who have as good a working knowledge of English as most members of this School. Our language is, of course, taught as carefully in the Schools as classics in an English Public School, and after much the same system. The Form read the standard work set them, and the lesson is enlivened by the teacher pointing out noticeable constructions and idiomatic expressions, while parallel passages are quoted, and the various allusions explained. Examination papers in the East, therefore, are much like those set in the West, and in accordance with hoary custom they not infrequently conclude by inviting the Examinee to "Explain the following words and phrases." Such a question was set at the examination of the boys of the Benares College, not many years ago, and produced the following genuine replies, among many others not less ridiculous, which it would be tedious to quote. Question: Explain the following words and phrases— "Will-of-the-Wisp," "faggot," "scrip," "wheelbarrow," "shovel," "spade," "musket," "lullabies," "diadem," &c., &c." Will-of-the-Wisp " considered by one boy to be "a giant monster, and only found walking in the nests of small insects." As to "faggot," there was more diversity of opinion, for it was said to be (1) an insect that chirps, (2) a species of animal that generally flaps its wings at night, (3) an insect which flies around the hearth-in all of which cases there has perhaps been a dim recollection of maggot" in the mind of the writer,-(4) a faint light, (5) a kind of food, and (6) a collection of little trifling words. "Scrip" was a not less serious difficulty, for it has been variously paraphrased as (1) a bunch of flowers and vegetables, (2) a place where cows are kept (!), (3) a cat (!!), (4) a criminal condemned to be hung (!!!), and-probably by the same entomological student again—(5) an insect which flies round the fire. A "wheelbarrow" is put was to every use but its legitimate one, and is made pump, to grind corn, to make holes in wood, and cut the ground in pieces. The homely "shor is, it would seem, a flat instrument for reaping for making clothes, while one comprehe student knocks off three of his words in sentence, by saying "A spade, a shovel, a musket, are all used for making ships." Afte we shall not be surprised to hear that "lullah, are bright colours, that a "diadem is the top tower, that a "brimming beaker" is a victi rider, and that a "pickaxe" is an instrumen pick up your food. say fi P is W a At the same examination these boys were ask what were the genders of the following 01 to "the moon," "sleep," and "winter," and p their reasons for their answers; the results some curious lines of thought. A, who, we presume, was an older and more worldly-wis than some of his fellows, thought that "Slee feminine gender because it makes a man sense B, who must have been a very young student, that "Sleep" was "feminine gender on acc deep silence." C, hiding the confusion reasoning under the cloak of a simile, dece Sleep" to be masculine, "because it has po throw a man into bed like a dead body." other candidates thought that Winter was mast "because it was too severe," and the Moon fe "because she is very faint." 66 Some seven or eight years ago the E books to be taken up for the Matric Examination at the Calcutta University in Ivanhoe, and the usual question as to the ing of certain words and phrases-which, remembered, were all carefully noticed authorised annotated edition-produced a va of astounding answers, of which the following few examples: "Lay Brother" was explai (1) a bishop, (2) a step-brother, (3) a sel the same god-father (!) "Tavern Politicians (1) politicians in charge of the ale-house-s Sir Wilfrid Lawson!-(2) mere vulgars, managers of the priestly church, while " cracy" was paraphrased as (1) petticoat gover (2) witchcraft, and (3) half turning of the the latter, no doubt, a faint memory of de "A pair of cast-off galligaskins," hardly to as d a C 80 estion, we think, are made out to be "two gallons wine," and vis inertiae is indifferently "the flesh swine," and "sweet milk." About the same time a paper set in one of the niversity Examinations at Madras asked for an planation of certain colloquial idioms, and of these e two most prolific in blunders were the common irases, "To set the Thames on fire," and "To ride e's hobby to death." Here are some explanations the first:-(1) To set fire to the ships that chor on the Thames, (2) When a battle takes place e navy used to stand on the river and attack the wn, so the Thames was filled with navy, (3) To 'e the cannons in the fleets anchored in the mouth I the Thames. The second phrase was not less ızzling; one undergraduate paraphrased it thus, His horse goes with full gallop," another, "He going to die," while a third, with that periphrasis hich your examinee so fondly thinks is as good as paraphrase and will wrest an equal number of arks from his examiner, says, "He rides very fast a great distance, so that his horse, Hobby, may ffer death "-poor beast! Natural Science also, as may be imagined, affords - fine a field in India as in England for brilliant heard we ourselves once shots; " “azimuth" fined as a composite metal" (Query bismuth ?) d the answers given below show wild guesses in mbination with that denseness which even English hoolboys sometimes show when Natural Science is ught to them by elaborate formulas and general inciples unassisted by apparatus and actual monstration. In a Physics paper the candidates ere asked the simple question "State how the two ints first marked on the thermometer are obtained," d out of 700 candidates in Madras itself only 130 swered correctly, although the primer which is escribed for the Physics course clearly describes 66 taken out of the e process, and the question was ok."-Of the other 570 answers, the following e some of the most amusing. The rough and ady class make very short work of it-They mark one point at the bottom, another at the top," - they "coat the tube with wax, and draw marks ith the needle at proper places, and then plunge - hydrofluoric acid." Others are more ingenious, xing the boiling point by "putting the tube in a right excessive fire," or "exposing it to the rays of 187 the sun,' or by "heating the mercury till it boils,' while the freezing point is found by similar methods. Another class are prepared to take great trouble over the operation, for they recommend that the thermometer should be "taken to the coldest place on the earth for one point, to the warm country for the other." Lastly, for these remarks are growing to an unwieldy length; many of the answers show how the meaning of the words had been understood. The Primer in question begins to describe some simple operation in these words, "Get a glass blower to blow a hollow bulb at the end of a tube of glass, &c.," and one of the questions came within measurable distance of this paragraph. Many of the candidates reproduced their learning as follows:-" Take a glass tube, then take a glass blower, &c., and when they have taken him they treat him in such a way as to show that they do not consider him to belong to the animal kingdom, for they pour mercury into him, they heat him over a flame, fill him with mercury vapours, and finally hermetically seal his open end!" Others cover him with wax, prick him with pins, and plunge him into various acids. One youth dips him in sulphuric acid, and then (as he very justly remarks) "it will have clear marks upon it, the acid having such a tendency." But we must draw to a close lest our readers should weary of too much fooling, and we cannot do so better than by giving one last illustration, this time from a history paper, which was received in educational circles with the applause it deserved, and is not yet forgotten when the jest goes round. The question was "What do you know of the Bheels?" And it is hardly necessary, we think, to say that the Bheels are a wild aboriginal tribe living in the mountainous parts of the Bombay Presidency, whose reclamation was one of the noblest works of the Bayard of India, Sir James Outram. All this, and more might have been said by the candidate, but he contented himself by putting on paper the following graphic description of them-" The Bheel is a black man, but much more hairy. He carries archers in his hands; with these he shoots you, and then throws your body into a ditch. By this you may know the Bheel." B. THE SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT. THERE can be no doubt that the school, as a whole, greatly appreciated the evening's amusement which was provided for them by Mr. and Miss Ganthony, on Friday, Nov. 23rd. Mr. Ganthony's power of representing character is of no mean order, and several of his impersonations-(notably his "Count Confiture") were not only irresistibly comic, but showed much shrewd observation and real talent for mimicry. It is to be regretted, therefore, that the performance was unequal, and in some parts even may be said to have fallen below a just standard of good taste. Our remarks must be taken to apply almost entirely to the first part, which was entitled "A lady-help." We have never seen this modern anomaly in real life; but the one pourtrayed by Miss Ganthony did not appear to us very lady-like, or even very helpful. In a slight drawingroom sketch of this kind serious criticism is almost out of place, and not much attempt at a plot can be expected or required. Leonardo Smythe is an artist who has quarelled with his family because they wish him to marry a young and beautiful heiress called Sarah Scrivens. Though he has not seen this girl since a child, his horror of her name is so great that he hides himself in London apartments. Leonardo's parents and Miss Scrivens form a design of winning him back; by which the latter presents herself in the guise of a "lady-help " at Mr. Smythe's lodgings. Then follow situations of an extraordinary character, which we cannot help thinking would have been better omitted. The young lady's language is more than “ "Ra-a-ther 'fast;" is her favourite affirmative, and amongst her other phrases are "What's up" and "I feel pretty peckish!" The pantomimic "business" (a wineglass with broken stem which will not stand, or a cork nearly swallowed for a chicken-bone)-was unobjectionable. But to speak of chops as "a lively animal" is certainly neither wit nor good taste. We turn with pleasure to the second part of the entertainment, which did much to remove the unpleasant impression created by the first. "On board the Reverie are Frank Merrivail and his cousin Katy, to whom he is engaged. "Romeo and Juliet" is to be acted on board, and whilst Katy as "Juliet " is anxious for her cousin to play "Romeo," he is equally anxious to get off. With this end, unde pretence of going on shore, he assumes the disgus of various characters whose attitude toward Shakespeare is calculated to disgust the heroine v her part. First comes the old Salt, Peter. Both manner and costume Mr. Ganthony was here m successful, his idea of "Juliet" as a "fore and schooner," and his opinion of the two lovers who " in the evening" were both good hits; and handling of the piano,-when he gets into "de water" among the lowest notes, and consider that the instrument "wants oiling,"-was amusing. More amusing still was the French "Count Confiture," with his imperfect command English, his horror of the sea, and his tragic ex ment over something which he explains afterwar as Rien de tout "-" not'ing at all." He appe first through a port-hole, where he is rocking "little bateau no small inconvenience w carrying on a conversation with a lady. He t appears on board, and after giving a specimen of i skill on the flute, volunteers to take the part "balcony" in the balcony scene. His anxiety prove that Romeo was a smoker, his opinion Juliet's impassioned speech, that it was "very ra and of Romeo-" what a little he say, that man were very comic. He created still greater ment by insisting upon taking Juliet's part, where considered himself "full of grâce ;" and reached climax when he exclaimed "And I'll no longer Catapult." Now came Colonel Howard from s Shakespeare, according to his notion, is adequa summed up as "Tré-menjous," and he classes hi a "first-rate slinger of ink." We fear that some our readers, (whom even a weekly allowance Shakespeare satisfies), were wicked enough to pathise with his amusing description of "Shakesp after every meal," which culminates in the ng mare. The banjo (American "warming-pan," brought, and he gives a very clever parody serenade, which he reduces to the buzz of a bottle. The American love of abbreviation happily parodied with "H-ing the R.N. on the which (for those who were not there) we may plain to mean "hitting the right nail on the he The incident of "Miss Prim" we thought the successful part of this sketch. Miss Ganthony b pleasing voice, and used it with good effect. In first sketch she performed creditably an unpleasant in the second she appeared to more advantage, part; and her acting was in many instances graceful and natural. Our opinion of Mr. Ganthony's great power and versatility has already been expressed; 1 but we should certainly have preferred the omission, or at least modification of the first part, which, in our opinion was scarcely suited to a School audience. We cannot conclude this notice, without tendering our best thanks, on behalf of the School, to the Brass Band, whose music helped to fill up the intervals pleasantly, and contributed in no slight degree to the success of the evening. O.M.'s. MARRIAGES. December 5th, at Christ Church, Leeson Park, Dublin, Francis Bernard Lawson, 48th Northamptonshire Regt., son of the Rev. Gray Lawson, of Upleadon, Gloucestershire, to Emily Marian, second daughter of the Rev. George Garrett, of Kilmague, Co. Kildare. December 6th, at All Saints', Kensington Park, London, George Edgar Mew, Newport, Isle of Wight, to S. E. Wilson, eldest surviving daughter of the late G. Venables Wilson, J.P., t White House, Killybegs, Co. Donegal. DEATH. November 28th, at his father's residence, 9, Sawmarez Street, St. Peter Port, Guernsey, the Rev. Amelius Frederick Corbin, B.A., Rector of St. Saviour's, Guernsey, younger son of M. A. Bazille Corbin, F.R.C.S., UNIVERSITY. John William Allen, Exhibition in History at Balliol College, Oxford. ARMY. Bengal Staff Corps-Lieut. William Giles, from the Suffolk Regt. Royal Artillery-Major and Bt. Lt.-Col. Henry Pountney Darwall, has been placed upon retired pay with the honorary rank of Colonel.-Lieut. Alexander Burridge Purvis, to be Captain. Half-Pay Major and Bt. Lt.-Col. Cornwallis Henry Chichester, from the 5th Lancers, to be Lieutenant-Colonel. CALL TO THE BAR. Allan Gibson Steel, B.A., Inner Temple. PASSED THE FINAL EXAMINATION OF THE LAW SOCIETY. Anthony Buck Creeke. Geoffrey Grahame Hawkins. Allen Henry Powles, B.A. Frederick Freke Palmer. PASSED THE INTERMEDIATE EXAMINATION OF THE LAW SOCIETY. George Forbes Bassett, B.A. Joseph Wilfrid Stanton. Edmund Trevor Lloyd Williams, B.A. Occasional Notes. THE School breaks up to-morrow, December 18th, and returns again on Friday, January 18th. Cock House Ground Match has been won by Way's (Crescent), who defeated Sharp's (Mitre) by four goals and a try to nothing. THE School have again been defeated, on Nov. 24th by the Nomads, by two goals and two tries to a goal and a try; and on December 1st by Keble College, by a goal to nil. Accounts of these matches appear elsewhere. AN entertainment was given in the Upper School on November 23rd, by Mr. Robert Ganthony. A full account appears in another column. A pile of bricks has been deposited in Court, apparently in connection with the intended alterations in Chapel. UPPER SCHOOL Singing commenced on the Saturday before Examination, but has scarcely been so well attended as usual. THE Examination for the Foundation Scholarships was held on December 5th and 6th. The number of candidates this year was much smaller than usual, and a large proportion of the successful ones are peregrini. THE Sixth Form Examiners this term are W. W. Fowler, Esq., (O.M.), Fellow and Tutor of Lincoln College, Oxford; and R. C. Rowe, Esq., Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and Professor of Mathematics at University College, London. Choir Supper was this year again held on the Saturday preceding Examination, and was, we are told, a great success. THE Rifle Corps marched out on to the downs on Nov. 27th, and had a sham fight in the neighbourhood of Ogbourne. We publish a graphic account in another column. WE beg to acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the following:-Carthusian, The School Magazine, Radleian, Blundellian, Meteor, Reptonian, Leys Fortnightly, Wellingburian, Lorettonian, Melburnian, Felstedian, Wykehamist, Haileyburian, Glenalmond Chronicle, and others, |