ENGLISH PAPER

Southland Times, Issue 22766, 17 December 1935, Page 8

ENGLISH PAPER

MATRICULATION TEST PROFESSOR SINCLAIRE ANSWERED DR. UTTLEY’S COMMENTS When replying to Dr G. H. Uttley s criticism of the Matriculation English paper, Professor Sinclaire, the examiner, said: “I should like Dr Uttley to name specifically two or more questions which would cause difficulty to graduates, and to say what university he has in mind when he makes that statement which is rather vague and general. If any university has such graduates the sooner it is abolished the better. I should like to know, what question Dr. Uttley considered to be faulty in its framing.” In an interview with a Southland Times reporter yesterday Dr . Uttley gave the number of two questions he considered would cause difficulty . to graduates and replied to other points raised by Professor Sinclaire. Question Three. Dr Uttley referred to the third question on the modern equivalents of archaic words, 10 sections to the question, mostly Elizabethan usages. “The general tendency of this question is towards a wrong approach to our literature, the textual attitude rather than the inspirational,” said Dr. Uttley. “In fifth forms these- words would be explained in class as the play was being read without being stressed for examination purposes. This question is drawn from such a variety of sources that it would not be possible for fifth forms to do the textual study in the time available.” Question bix. Question six was the other to which exception was taken. “The framing of this question,” said Dr Uttley “is faulty and has caused confusion, in that italics were used in seven of its sections and not in the other three, and no reference to italicized words was made in the directions to the question, although this had been done in Question three. Dr Uttley said that Questions three and six had been submitted to graduates (pass degree standard) and they were unable to give the modern equivalent of all the italicized words in Question three. They were unable to explain all the allusions in all the passages. These were pass graduates in English from Otago University and Canterbury College. “Professor Sinclaire admits that apart from the essay, the answers to the questions were very disappointing. The implication is that the majority of the candidates were below standard or that the paper was not a reasonable test,” concluded Dr Uttley.

GEOGRAPHY PAPER PROFESSOR BARTRUM IN REPLY. (Per United Press Association.) Auckland, December 16. A reply to the criticism of Dr. G. H. Uttley, rector of the Southland Boys’ High School, of the geography paper in the recent matriculation examination > was made by Professor J. A. Bartrum, | Professor of Geology at Auckland j University College. Professor Bartrum | set the geography paper for the ex- ; amination. “Dr Uttley has seen fit to criticize publicly part of question four of the paper in geography for the University entrance examination, asking why there should be incorporated in such paper a request for a comparison of tiie methods of electrical generation used in England with those in New Zealand,” Professor Bartrum said. “That such a question should arise from the rector of so important a school shows only too clearly the need for setting our house in order with regard to the teaching of geography, beginning of course with the university colleges. It should be obvious at the outset that as the question was asked in the geography paper, the answer expected was to be based on geographical principles and as a matter of fact in the scripts marked to date, the answers have been according to such expectation. One of the first demands in geography is an intelligent appreciation of man’s relation to his physical environment and the utilization of his varied natural resources. The whole backbone of modern industry and indeed of most phases of modern human life, is electric power. The methods of generation of such power depend on natural resources. The contrast between the methods of New Zealand and those of England is especially striking owing to physiographic differences in the two lands, well known to any intelligent adolescent. England has been making use of her coal and elaborating in a wonderful manner the network of inter-related power lines which we in New Zealand have been copying in our own way. The matter has not been without local public comment, for from time to time we have had claims advanced in our local Press that we could utilize our slack coal more economically than our water for power generation. It would appear from his statement that Dr Uttley would have raised no objection had a question been asked involving knowledge of the great Shannon enterprise, yet English undertakings are far greater and are in a large part responsible for what amounts to a revolution in English industry, particularly as concerns its modern crowding towards one great centre of English life. Are our children to remain ignorant of matters such as these which are so vital in our economic welfare? For the purpose of testing the fitness for entrance to a university, an examiner is concerned not only with the ability of the candidate to reproduce mechanically facts fed to him by his teacher, but also with intelligence in geography. He demands also interest in all matters that vitally concern most of the bases of human life. It is only by asking a question of the type objected to that desirable intelligence is sought for.