Examination Anamolies

Consider the following question: -
"What is minimum age required for an Indian to practice franchise in India?"
It was asked in three different examinations, in a weekly test where maximum marks in the question paper were 15, in half yearly examination, where maximum marks in the question paper were 60 and third time in Annual examination where the question paper had 100 maximum marks. This question carried 1 mark in weekly test, 2 marks in half yearly exam and 4 marks in annual examination.(4 marks to this question seems ridiculous, but it happens in home exams of schools.)
The answer to this question given by many students was "18 years ", some students wrote," Minimum age to practice franchise is 18 years." To both answers all concerned techers awarded 1 mark and no dispute was there over it.
But in half yearly examination there was a little dispute. Teachers were not ready to award full 2 marks for the first answer. Because now marks are 2 in the question so the student must write the full sentence. And finally the students who wrote simply "18 years" suffered one mark and they were told the same reason for the mark deduction.
But In the annual examination, the question created a scene. There was a big fight amongst the teachers on the answer of this question. Now they were expecting to describe the term "Franchise" and then to write the sentence "Minimum age to practice franchise is 18 years."
Some teachers were still on the stand that the answer " 18 years" is completely correct and it must be given full credit. But ultimately the decision made no student to secure full marks in this question.
I am interested in your views. Please send your views on this phenomenon at rprsto@gmail.com . Thank you for reading the blog.

Known To Unknown

I was thinking to writeon some topic but not finding any one creating so much interest in me that I can start writing. Yesterday I was watching an episode of a TV serial, "Chhoo Kar Mere Mann Ko" on DD National. A photograph was published in a newspaper with the appeal of helping the child by donating money for the treatment of the child. This was the situation in the episode. The Child belonged to a very poor family, the parents were unable to bear the expenses on the treatment. This situation clicked in my mind another real and similar situation.In place of the child there was a middle-aged man sufferring with cancer and needed a huge amount of money for the treatment. He was unable to afford the money and he had a wife and two children to be looked after him. He was a college professor. He did not want to leave them in helpless situation. He was given assurance by the doctors that He would be cured so he and his wife trying every corner to arrange the money. I did not came across this appeal but I got the message from one of my colleagues.He was knowing the sufferring person. He requested me to donate a minimum one thousand rupees. He repeatedly reminded me that I would be donating the money for a real noble cause and to a really needy person rather a needy family. I assured him that as much as possible I will do that. But as soon as he left me I felt pity for the sufferring man and then a feeling of sympathy with family but remembering the sum of rupees one thousand to sacrifice I felt uneasiness. My mind started questioning me. Why people come and ask for help and put the other person in awkward situation. Many people die everyday, how many are we going to help to? For every question raising in my mind, I was getting two answers. There wa sitting another mischievious person in me whose answers were always nagging to me. What relation do I have with the sufferring man? Humanity, answer from the mischievious man in me. My mind was answering this: Nothing, I have not even seen him. Humanity etcetra are all rubbish things. Truely speaking I was not willing to donate any amount of money and so there were so many questions in my mind, perhaps I was trying to justify (my act of not helping) that mischievious man in me who is always against my thoughts. After so many thoughts I concluded that to an unknown person I can not afford this much amount. But still then I was not convinced of my act. I knew that I can easily afford this sum, of course I can bear the trouble for the deficit of rupees one thousand in my monthly budget. But What is there resisting me to help with just a small amount of rupees one thousand. I knew what was resisting me but I would not like use that word for me. And brains of people are very sharp and so mine too. It found a bypass road. I would say my colleage that rupees one thousand I could not manage. I made up my mind not to go beyond Rs.100 or in very crucial situation Rs.200. Perhaps this was the highest bid I could quote to myself. But that mischievious person in me was not sparing me. This man reminded me that evening,when five people came by a jeep to my house.These people and I were attached with a religious institution, a temple.These people were well off and each one of them was capable to donate a sum of one lakh and they will not suffer any trouble at all. One of these five persons was elected as a president of the committee to look after into the matters of the temple. They had come for some money to donate to construct roof on a hall in the temple premise. On asking how much did they expected from me, the president answered 1001. And I without any second thought donated the sum. Whom I donated 1001, to a cause or to my known people? Obviously not to acause. I could not donate the same to an unknown for a real noble cause.

Is it so difficult to move from known to unknown?