“Grandpa, what’s that?” asked little Mira, peering over his shoulder.
Then he reached Question 24.
He received a letter: “You are invited to interview for a special scholarship. Bring your mother.” 2010 grade 5 scholarship paper
Instead, a small picture of a half-eaten loaf of bread sat beside a photograph of a stray dog sleeping under a tree. Below it, handwritten, were the words: “Grandpa, what’s that
The exam was infamous. Two hundred multiple-choice questions in two hours. Most children trained for years with tutors. Arjun had only his determination and a worn-out textbook missing twenty pages. Bring your mother
What did a half-eaten bread and a sleeping dog have to do with scholarship?
He put his pencil down and walked out early. The invigilator stared at his paper, then at him. She said nothing. Three months later, results were announced. Arjun had not topped the exam. In fact, he had scored zero on Question 24—because there was no “correct” answer to mark. The official answer key said: “Question 24 is a placebo. It does not count toward the total.”