The student shook his head "Quite understandable," chuckled the professor "Scholars around the world have yet to come up with a satisfactory question. Quite understandable can you summarize on education?" The student shook his head. "How about a summary of Bismarck's coursed of imperial unification. "Well, then," said the professor, "what were the dates of the French Revolution?" Silence, "Within 15 years?" Still no response. "How about the American revolution?" Nothing, "Well, can you tell me roughly where France and Germany are geographically located, in relation to the United States?"

"I'm afraid I can't," said the student.

The professor shook his head, and opened up his middle drawer. "I'm sorry," he said, pulling out his black grade book. "I've made an effort to work things out here, really I have." He flipped through the book until he found the page he was looking for. "Here we are," he said. "I'm afraid my little attempt to loosen you up hasn't proven too successful. I really have no other choice: You will have to receive a 'C' for the course."

***

The last classic Harvard exam tale concerns the take-home examination in History 1375, "Man and the Sea: Outlines of Maritime History," the celebrated course taught by the late John H. Parry and known as "Boats" among snickering undergraduates.

One year, a hard-working freshman in the course handed in her take-home exam with a little blue whale drawn on the title page. The paper was well-written and thorough, and she received a straight 'A' for it.

The following year, her roommate was enrolled in the same course, and when reading period rolled around, she found she hadn't left herself enough time for the final paper. So on the night the exam was due, she rummaged through her roommate's drawers and found the maritime history paper of the previous year. The next day, she handed it in, complete with the title page and its little blue whale. She too received a straight 'A' for it.

A year passed, and in time, a third student in the rooming group found herself enrolled in the same course. She was no more efficient about planning her reading period than her roommate had been a year earlier, and on the night before the maritime history exam, she found herself digging for her roommate's paper. She handed it in the next day, along with its title page and its little blue whale, and two weeks later received a straight 'A' for it.

The next year, when all the roommates were seniors, the fourth and final member of the suite enrolled in History 1375. Like the majority of her roommates, she realized she was in bad trouble the night before the final paper was due, and so she dredged up the essay her roommate had written three years ago, to such an enthusiastic reception. She handed it in the next morning, but to be on the safe side, she took off the title page, with the little blue whale drawn on it.

After a couple of weeks, the paper was returned, with a short message on the bottom: "C plus--where's the whale?"