Thursday, February 24, 2011

Wrong is Right

By new U.S. citizen Dafna Linzer:

How I Passed My U.S. Citizenship Test: By Keeping the Right Answers to Myself

She details a buncha wrong answers that are required to become a U.S. citizen.

Our CA DMV did that a few years back on the written motorcycle test. One in particular involved which part of the lane should you ride in for maximum safety. The correct answer is either side (but preferably the left) of the oil strip left in the center by cars. Their required answer was right smack in the middle of it, apparently, er, thinking (they shouldn't try) that staying as far away from cars as you can is more important than traction on the freeway or wherever. It isn't. I had read the pamphlet and gritted my teeth and answered it their way.

Operating under the ostensibly 'correct' answer could get you killed. Leave it to bureaucracy to flip stuff like that. In my experience, it's usually been the wrong answer (example: "yo momma knows...") that got my ass kicked. Heh.

At the end of the night, one of the catering staff gathered up the flash cards and as she held them out to me, she revealed that next month she too will take her citizenship test. I was thrilled. I closed my first day as an American citizen by handing them over to her. "Which ones did you say were wrong again?" she asked. "Just give the official answer," I said, "and you'll do fine."

Go along to get along. 'Twas ever thus. Sigh.

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