Were questions on a biology test reasonable, or reason to remove a professor from class? Take a look and judge for yourself.
Halfway through the spring semester, officials at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge pulled Dominique G. Homberger, a tenured professor of biology, from a large lecture course for nonmajors. Too many of her students were failing or dropping out of the course, officials said. Ms. Homberger has filed a grievance and demanded an apology.
At the center of the dispute are Ms. Homberger’s multiple-choice tests, which several students complained were confusing. Questions had as many as eight or 10 possible answers. E. William Wischusen, the course coordinator who took over Ms. Homberger’s section, worried that her tests were too focused on narrow facts, as opposed to broader biological concepts.
Ms. Homberger says that it is impossible to grasp those concepts unless one has a base of factual knowledge. And she points out that her daily quizzes used the same multiple-choice format, so students had plenty of opportunity to adapt to her style. She believes the questions were perfectly possible to solve, as long as the students carefully did the outside reading.
Here are two questions from one of Ms. Homberger’s exams and links to the assigned readings. The first question is largely based on a 1999 essay in American Scientist on the domestication of foxes in the former Soviet Union. The second one draws on a recent Financial Times article on feral dogs in Moscow.
1. Choose the incorrect statement.
a. In domestic mammals, piebald coat color is seen frequently in dogs, pigs, cows, and horses.
b. Foxes that have been selected for tameness frequently also have a white “star” on their forehead.
c. Domesticated foxes and dogs frequently have rolled tails.
d. Giantism and dwarfism is [sic] common among all domesticated mammals.
e. Domesticated mammals reproduce more frequently and more independently from [sic] particular seasons.
f. Overbites and underbites are more commonly observed among domesticated mammals than among wild mammals.
g. Human beings display some of the characteristics that are seen in domesticated animals.
h. Feral populations of mammals (e.g., dogs) usually lose the characteristics of their domesticated ancestors.
i. There is no connection between the tame disposition and the morphological characteristics of domesticated mammals.
j. Hormonal imbalances during development may be responsible for the morphological characteristics of domesticated animals.
2. Choose the incorrect statement.
Feral dogs in Moscow ...
a. tend to have a similar look, with erect ears, thick fur, wedge-shaped head, and almond eyes.
b. look like a breed apart and very unlike the purebred dogs from which they may have descended.
c. vary in the color of their fur.
d. typically have a rolled-up tail.
e. tend to establish and defend territories.
f. are much less aggressive than wolves and are more tolerant of one another.
g. are an excellent example of feralization, which is the opposite mechanism of domestication.
h. rarely wag their tails and do not show affection toward humans.
