Are You Smarter Than a College Student?

At Northwestern, the arrival of Christmas signals more than the celebration of Christ’s birth and a time to be with family. It also marks the end of a semester brought to a close by a week of finals. We’ve compiled some test questions from actual exams given by NWC professors. See how you stack up against today’s students. (Click on view answer to see if you are correct)

1. A journal entry to record the sale of inventory on account will include a
   • a) debit to inventory
   • b) debit to accounts receivable
   • c) debit to sales
   • d) credit to cost of goods sold
   • + View answer
     b - debit to accounts receivable
   From Accounting 315, Intermediate Accounting I, taught by Vonda Post
2. The membrane that surrounds the heart is called
   • a) visceral metabolitia
   • b) parietal pleura
   • c) visceral pericardium
   • d) pericardial pleura
   • + View answer
     c - visceral pericardium
   From Biology 121, Introduction to Human Anatomy, taught by Dr. Elizabeth Truesdell
3. How is depth of field affected by aperture?
   • + View answer
     The smaller the aperture (i.e., the larger the f-stop), the greater the depth of field—or area of the photo that will be in focus
   From Art 164, Photography I, taught by Phil Scorza
4. If snow begins to fall at midnight Monday at a rate of 6 – 2t² inches per day (t measured in days since midnight Monday), how much snow will have accumulated by midnight Wednesday?
   • + View answer
     6.67 inches
   From Mathematics 111, Calculus for Management, Life and Social Sciences, taught by Dr. Kim Jongerius
5. Which of the following has/have a cloaca? (There may be more than one answer.)
   • a) kangaroo
   • b) snake
   • c) turtle
   • d) platypus
   • e) perch
   • + View answer
     a - kangaroo, b - snake, c - turtle and d - platypus
   From Biology 280, Vertebrate Zoology, taught by Dr. Todd Tracy
6. A second-grade student explained how she solved the problem, 36 + 23, mentally. She said, " 36...46...56...57...58...59. "   Which mental computation strategy is the student using?
   • a) doubling
   • b) counting on
   • c) adding from the left
   • d) making tens
   • + View answer
     b - counting on
   From Education 323, Teaching Mathematics, taught by Ryan Zonnefeld
7. T     F    The wealthier the nation, the less likely its people believe that poverty is due to injustice.
   • + View answer
     True
   From Sociology 101, Principles of Sociology, taught by Dr. Mike Yoder
8. Which of the following statements about ribosomal peptidyl transferase is correct?
   • a) Its activity resides in the large ribosomal subunit.
   • b) It facilitates transfer of the N-terminus of the aminoacyl-tRNA from the A-site to the C-terminus of the peptidyl-tRNA in the P site by deacylation of animoacyl-tRNA.
   • c) It hydrolyzes GTP in order to allow for translocation of the ribosome.
   • d) It recognizes stop codons to facilitate termination of translation.
   • + View answer
     a - Its activity resides in the large ribosomal subunit.
   From Biology 327, Biochemistry: Molecular Genetics, taught by Dr. Sara Tolsma
9. In general, economists are more concerned about:
   • a) the size of the debt relative to GDP
   • b) the absolute size of the debt
   • c) the size of the debt relative to net national income
   • d) the per capita debt
   • + View answer
     a - the size of the debt relative to GDP
   From Economics 101, Survey of Economics, taught by Dr. Eric Elder
10. Match these blood terms to their corresponding conditions:
    • ___ 1. Hgba. infection
    • ___ 2. Hctb. anemia
    • ___ 3. RBCc. clotting
    • ___ 4. Plateletsd. volume of blood
    • ___ 5. WBC
    • + View answer
      1-b; 2-d; 3-b; 4-c; 5-a
    From Nursing 320, Promoting Shalom with Ill Clients, taught by Linda Ver Steeg and Deb Bomgaars
11. Name the seven sacraments:
    • 1. _________________
    • 2. _________________
    • 3. _________________
     
    • 4. _________________
    • 5. _________________
    • 6. _________________ 
    • 7. _________________
    • + View answer
      baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, confession/penance, marriage, ordination/holy orders, anointing/unction
    From Religion 262, Introduction to Christian Theology, taught by Dr. Mitch Kinsinger
12. Because the founders believed they were creating a government of limited powers, they felt it unnecessary to
    • a) impose checks on presidential power
    • b) specify what Congress could not do
    • c) have the Senate elected directly
    • d) include a Bill of Rights
    • + View answer
      d-include a Bill of Rights
    From Political Science 101, American National Government, taught by Dr. Jeff VanDerWerff
13. “Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.” The form of speech emphasized in the italicized words is called:
    • a) mimesis
    • b) antithesis
    • c) parallelism
    • d) recompense
    • + View answer
      b-antithesis
    From English 220, Introduction to Literary Study, taught by Dr. Ann Lundberg
14. List four artistic qualities identified with Romanticism present in Edmund Rostand’s Cyrano De Bergerac.
    • + View answer
      Sincerity, spontaneity, originality and freedom of individual self-expression
    From Theatre 344, History and Theory of Theatre, taught by Dr. Bob Hubbard
15. List these five items in chronological order in the five blanks, putting the earliest (oldest) item (determined by the birth date for a person or the beginning date of an event) in the top blank and concluding with the latest (most recent) item in the bottom blank.
    • Suleiman I1. ____________________
    • William of Normandy2. ____________________
    • Hundred Years’ War3. ____________________
    • Thomas Aquinas4. ____________________
    • Magna Carta5. ____________________
    • + View answer
      1.-William of Normandy, 2.-Magna Carta, 3.-Thomas Aquinas, 4.-Hundred Years’ War, 5.-Suleiman I
    From History 101, Western Civilization to 1789, taught by Dr. Doug Anderson
16. The chemical process that can be represented as C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂ + 36ADP + 36P_i à 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + 36 ATP is called:
    • a) beta-oxidation
    • b) translation
    • c) deamination
    • d) glycolysis
    • + View answer
      d-glycolysis
    From Kinesiology 325, Physiology of Exercise, taught by Dr. Dean Calsbeek
17. Several theories provide possible explanations for the gendered division of labor.  Which of the following statements can be supported without qualifications or exceptions?
    • a) Males exclusively perform certain tasks because of their greater body mass and strength.
    • b) Hunting is an activity which is not compatible with childcare.
    • c) Women will only do work which does not jeopardize their fertility.
    • d) none of the above
    • + View answer
      d-none of the above
    From Sociology 290, Cultural Anthropology, taught by Dr. Scott Monsma
18. Name two ways we can help boys become more successful in the classroom.
    • + View answer
      Any two of the following:
      -Allow for and create lessons that involve movement in the classroom.
      -Make sure learning is activity centered.
      -Include greater choice in the way classroom activities are completed and graded.
      -Assign more collaborative, teamed-learning activities.
    From Education 343, Diagnosis and Correction of Reading Problems, taught by Laura Heitritter
19. At about what velocity do you enter the water if you jump from a 15-meter cliff? (hint: use  a(t) = -9.8 m/sec² ) From Mathematics 112, Calculus I, taught by Dr. Wayne Westenberg
    • + View answer
      -17.1464 meters per second
20. Why is John not a Synoptic Gospel?
    • + View answer
      Because it tells the story of Jesus in a way that is very different than the three Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
    From Religion 110, Introduction to Biblical Studies, taught by Dr. Jackie Smallbones
21. In the blank, write the letter that best defines or describes the term given.
    • 1. ___ Enharmonica. Scale degree 3 in both major and minor
    • 2. ___ Subtonicb. The interval of an augmented fourth or diminished fifth
    • 3. ___ Parallel keysc. Connects two notes of the same pitch, combining their durations
    • 4. ___ Tritoned. Scale degree 4 in both major and minor
    • 5. ___ Subdominante. Different spellings of the same pitch
    • 6. ___ Slurf. Connects two or more notes of different pitches
    • 7. ___ Relative keysg. Natural scale degree 7 in minor
    • 8. ___ Nearly relative keysh. Keys that have the same key signature, but different tonics
    • 9. ___ Medianti. Keys whose key signatures differ at most by one accidental
    • 10. ___ Tiej. Keys that have the same tonic, but different key signatures
    • + View answer
      1-e; 2-g; 3-j; 4-b; 5-d; 6-f; 7-h; 8-i; 9-a; 10-c
    From Music 101, Music Fundamentals, taught by Dr. Luke Dahn
22. People around the world are about ___________ percent genetically identical.
    • a) 99
    • b) 50
    • c) 75
    • d) 85
    • + View answer
      a - 99
    From Psychology 221, Developmental Psychology: Childhood, taught by Andrea Donahoe
23. A pegboard balance is set up in which the weight of three paper clips is equal to one nut. Nine nuts are hung from one paper clip one hole to the right of the fulcrum. Another nut is hung from a paper clip two holes to the right of the center. One nut is hung from one paper clip five holes to the left of center. One last nut is hung from one paper clip four holes to the left of center. Including the effect of the paper clips, will this arrangement tilt clockwise, tilt counter-clockwise, or stay level? Explain your answer.
    
    • + View answer
      Torque—or turning effect—for a weight on a balance is its mass times its horizontal distance from the pivot. Convenient units for distance in this problem are peg spacings, and for mass, the mass of a paper clip. The weight on the far left has a mass of 4 paper clips (3 from the nut and 1 from the paper clip holding the nut) and is 5 peg spacings from the pivot, so its torque is 20 (4 paper clips x 5 peg spacings). Using this same formula, the next weight has a torque of 16; the inner weight to the right of the pivot, 28; and the far-right weight, 8. Since the total torque of the weights on the left side is 36 and the total torque of the weights on the right side is 36, the balance will stay level.
    From Physics 101, Conceptual Physics, taught by Dr. Thomas Bogue
24. The most basic and frequently used form of contrast in graphic design is
    • a) spatial depth
    • b) size
    • c) texture
    • d) structure
    • + View answer
      b - size
    From Communications 263, Layout and Design, taught by Dr. Carl Vandermeulen
25. There may be a ‘peak marriage age’ in which the chances of divorce are significantly lower and the quality of the marriage is higher than the start of a marriage in any other age group. That age range is:
    • a)      23-27
    • b)      18-23
    • c)       39-47
    • d)      28-38
    • + View answer
      a - 23-27
    From Social Work 231, Human Behavior and the Social Environment I, taught by Mark De Ruyter