What do all old men have???

I was a borderline pass, so went to the grammar school for an interview with my Mother. I was turned down as she was a single parent, and they didn't think she would be able to support me through the education. Can you imagine that happening today?

In my corner of Scotland they called it the qualifying exam (popularly known as 'the qually'). My teacher told my parents that if I didn't pay attention to maths I wouldn't get into the stream that did Latin even though I was top of the class in English and apparently had a high IQ. I didn't get the logic of that and still don't. Anyway, I wasn't as bad at maths as she made out and turned out to be rather good at Latin! The secondary department of our school took the top three streams and a few children were shunted off to the neighbourhood 'junior secondary' schools. I met one of them years later. She was a well-groomed secretary at the ICI factory, had long blond hair and a fiancé, whereas I was still a scruffy student. I was impressed.

If it wasn't the 11 plus exam, I might have thought it was one of those questions with an answer like 'A point at one end and no point at the other.' I suppose, if the cap fits ....

I sat my 11 plus without even knowing I was doing it. My father was in the army and I spent the first term of my final year in junior school in Hong Kong, a mixture of chicken pox and a reposting to Singapore meant I didnt go to school at all in the Easter term. Summer term was at a forces school in Singapore. One day a teacher put their head round the classroom door and asked our form teacher whether every child in the class had done their 'Moray House', the name of the body that set the 11 plus children in forces schools overseas sat. Our teacher re-addressed the question to the class and I put my hand up and asked 'What is the Monay House'?

The next thing I knew I was following the first teacher to an empty classroom where with about six others I sat these tests. I had never seen anything like them before and I can remember that I only managed to do about 60 of the 100 maths questions. However I had always been a quiz and number and letter game child so I quite enjoyed the verbal reasoning. I must have passed because I went to the forces grammar school the following term, but I have no memory of the result arriving at home. I suppose my parents received it and told me but since I had no idea what it was all about it left no memory with me. I think it was only a year or two later when I was 12 and returned to school in England that I realised what all this 11 plus, grammar, secondary modern business was all about.

I saw the answer printed on a t-shirt today. 'Heart of Gold. Nerves of steel. Knob of butter'. he he...

Not 11+ but a question posed in the entrance exam for an Oxford college. "Is this a question?" The best answer, apparently, was "If it is, then this is an answer".

I not only did (and passed) 11+ in my local primary school, but also did an entire day of entrance exams and interviews for my secondary (girls' public) school. Years later, when it was ingrained deep in my soul that my older sister was the favoured, valued, bright (and beautiful) one and I was the family clown, my mother casually mentioned that the head of the school had said to her, "We were impressed when your older daughter did the entrance examination, but your younger girl's marks were exceptional." Thanks Mum, that could have made all the difference. Survived it though.

Nellie and NannaB

I think I am in agreement with you both on this one!.

Don't young men have ribs too? Oh, WTH, thank goodness I was educated north of the Border!

…and women. And cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, camels, rats, pigeons and so on and so on. Totally daft question because of the daft – and only – answer.

It might have been part of a sequence or a logic question. They liked those!

Yes, that would make more sense, Lilygran.

These sorts of questions are always irritating.

I have just done a "safeguarding" course online in my role as school governor the final questions drove me nuts, because I wanted to say "well it depends on xyz...", but if coiurse you just had to second guess the background and other factors.

I passed the 11+, as did many of my friends except one, which was a shame. I think there is a sort of "11+/IQ test" way of thinking which results in certain types of people passing. I am not sure what it tells you about those people or whether it is anything useful.

I went to a girls' grammar school. I achieved well, came out with good qualifications and then on to university.

But, we learnt through fear. Bullying (verbal) and public ridicule from the teachers if a pupil did not strive constantly to produce good results.

I remember most mornings having to skive out of assembly to spend 10 minutes in the loo, literally being sick with dread of the day that was ahead.

do all old men really have Rigid Inflatable Boats then? [smile}

That's terrible, Beachee! I went to a girls' grammar school too, but although the Headmistress ran a tight ship, I never came across any bullying from the staff apart from the odd sarcastic comment. The fear factor only kicked in if you committed some minor infringement of the rules and were sent to stand on the mat outside the Headmistress's office....

I don't think it happened as much with the "brighter" girls!

One teacher in particular - Dr Davies (Latin, History), singled me out for almost a year and used to make me stand up and read in class (something that terrified me anyway), and then make fun of my accent or my hair.
Any problems I have with self-confidence, even 50 years later, I lay at that woman's doorstep. The whole gammar school experience also turned me into an out-and-out rebel, determined not to fit in to the "norm".

I have it to thank for that I suppose!

Sorry nanaej. I hijacked your post

A bookworm writes: The Chambers Dictionary says RIB can mean 'a wife' [from Genesis 2. 21-23, facetious].; and, of course, to RIB is 'to make fun of'. All old men have wives? Clearly not. All old men are to be made fun of? Perhaps.

I'd have said, willies!...after all. it is a fact.