Da Big Exam
----------THE FINAL EXAM-----------
INSTRUCTIONS
Read each question thoroughly. Answer all questions.
Time limit--four hours. Begin immediately.
HISTORY
Describe the history of the Papacy from its origins to
the present day, concentrate specially but not exclu-
sively, on the social, political, economic, religious,
and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, America, and
Africa. Be brief, concise and specific.
LITERATURE
Compose an epic poem based on the events of your own life
in which you see and footnote allusions from T.S. Eliot,
Keats, Chaucer, Dante, Norse mythology and the Marx Bro-
thers. Critique your poem with a full discussion of its
metrics.
MUSIC
Write a piano concerto. Orchestrate it and perform it
with flute and drum. You will find a piano under your
seat.
LOGIC
Using accepted methodology prove the following: That
the universe is infinite; that truth is beauty; that
there is not a little person who turns off the light
in the refrigerator when you close the door, and that
you are the person taking this exam. Now disprove all
of the above. Be specific; show all work.
PHILOSOPHY
Sketch the development of human thought; estimate its
significance. Compare with the development of any other
kind of thought.
MEDICINE
You have been provided with a razor blade, a piece of
gauze, and a bottle of Scotch. Remove your own appendix.
Do not suture until your work has been inspected. You
have fifteen minutes.
BIOLOGY
Create life. Estimate the differences in subsequent hu-
man culture if this form of life had developed five hun-
dred years earlier, with special attention to the pro-
bable effects on the English Parliamentary system. Prove
your thesis.
PSYCHOLOGY
Employing principles from the major schools of psycho-
analytical thought, successfully subject yourself to
analysis. Make appropriate personality changes, bill
yourself and fill out all medical insurance forms. Now
do the same to the person seated to your immediate left.
SOCIOLOGY
Estimate the sociological problems that might accompany
the end of the world. Show how boy meets girl theory
developed. Construct an experiment to test your theory.
ECONOMICS
Develop a realistic plan for refinancing the national
debt. Trace the possible effects of your plan in the
following areas: Cubism, the Donatist controversy, the
wave theory of light. Outline a method from all points
of view. Point out deficiencies in your point of view
as demonstrated in your answer to the last question.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Define a computer. Define Science. How do they relate?
Why? Create a generalized algorithm to optimize all com-
puter decisions. Assuming an 1130 CPU supporting 50 ter-
minals, each terminal to activate your algorithm, design
the communications interface and all the necessary con-
trol programs.
PUBLIC-SPEAKING
2,500 riot crazed students are storming the classroom.
Calm them. You may use any ancient language except
Latin or Greek.
PHYSICS
Explain the nature of matter. Include in your answer an
evaluation of the impact of the development of mathe-
matics on science.
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
Outline the steps involved in breeding your own super
high yield, all weather hybrid strain of wheat. Describe
its chemical and physical properties and estimate its im-
pact on world food supplies. Construct a model for
dealing with worldwide surpluses. Write your Nobel Prize
acceptance speech.
COMPREHENSION
Three minute time test. Read everything before doing any-
thing. Put your name in the upper right hand corner of
this page. Circle the word name in sentence three. Sign
your name under the title of this paper, after the title
write "yes, yes, yes,." Put an X in the lower left hand
corner of this paper. Draw a triangle around the X you
just put down. On the back of this paper multiply
703x668. Loudly call out your name when you get to this
point. If you think you have followed directions care-
fully to this point call out "I have." Punch three small
holes in the top of this paper. If you are the first per-
son to get this far, call out "I am the first person to
this point, I am leading in following directions." On
the reverse side of this paper add 8950 and 9850. Put a
circle around your answer and put a square around the
circle. Now that you have finished reading carefully,
do only sentence two.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
There is a red telephone on the desk behind you. Start
World War III. Report at length on its socio-political
effects, if any.
EXTRA CREDIT
Give today's date--in metric.
CHEMISTRY
Beginning with Schrodinger's equation, derive all
physical and chemical properties of water. Discuss
why it is the "universal solvent" and its role in
all physico-biological processes. You may not ap-
proximate in your derivations.
GEOGRAPHY
On the unmarked world map on the next page, correctly
sketch in and label all the world's rivers that an-
nually discharge over 4.3x10^10 metric tons of silt.
PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCE
Compare and contrast the chemistry and side-effects of
every leading brand of analgesic with those of Kings
Soopers brand aspirin. Give all relevant data and
graphs.
ENGLISH
Trace back to proto-Indo-European the etymologies of
every English word containing "sk". Give all pos-
sible cognates in German, Spanish, Czech, Illyrian,
and Sanskrit.
SPANISH
Translate Homer's "Odyssey", Plato's "Republic", and
John Irving's "The World According to Garp" into Old
Spanish. Discuss in full all ambiguities that arise
from the cultural barriers in humor and idioms between
the two languages.
LATIN
Translate the works of Shakespeare into Ig-pa Atin-la
and provide a comprehensive pronunciation guide. You
are required to preserve all rhyming schemes and met-
rical devices.
GEOLOGY
Describe the complete 4.5 billion-year geological his-
tory of North America. Be sure to include effects due
to volcanism, erosion, meteoritic impacts, strip-mining,
and prairie dogs.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Design a gamma ray relay system for intercontinental
communications. Discuss all possible design and imple-
mentation problems and a systematic method for testing
the system.
MATHEMATICS
Restricted to just one sheet of paper, a pencil, and
basic arithmetic, you are to calculate the values of
the first twenty Mersenne primes containing the digits
in David Lee Roth's telephone number. Show all work.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Using the molecular model kit underneath your desk,
construct a complete model of a human epithelial cell.
Demonstrate all cellular processes with your model,
including anaerobic glycolysis, protein production,
and mitosis. You may not collaborate with your neigh-
bors.
GENETIC ENGINEERING
Using all accepted methods of genetic engineering, out-
line the procedure for developing a hybridoma that will
produce peanut butter. Do it. Note: You will flunk if
you should happen to develop an incurable disease.
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