Help! My Dog Won't Eat My Homework!

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1. For most of the 19th century, the average American child did not spend a lot of his time grappling with homework. What was the biggest contributing reason for this? Most children spent all their free time watching television. Most children only attended a few years of school. The prevailing belief that children couldn't learn anything at home. Early homework assignments were printed on paper which dogs found irresistible.

2. Homework began to attract its dissenters in America towards the end of the 19th century, and by 1901, the state of California did its part by passing a law that prohibited schoolchildren under the age of 15 from having to carry out what type of scholarly activity? Any kind of homework. Constructing any shoebox diorama. Memorizing multiplication tables. Making anything out of dry macaroni.

3. In the early decades of the 20th century, opponents of homework even claimed that it was responsible for all kinds of medical ailments that plagued the children of America. Which of the following conditions were blamed on homework? Nervous disorders Death Nightmares Homework was blamed for all of these

4. Opinions about homework in America began to swing in the other direction by the late 1950s, when homework was seen as a necessary tool in combating an insidious threat. Which event from 1957 is often cited as the impetus for the change in attitudes towards homework in America? The desegregation of public schools. The launch of Sputnik 1. The popularity of rock and roll music. The success of "American Bandstand" on TV.

5. The 1960s and 1970s witnessed a continuous decline in the test scores for the Scholastic Aptitude Test in America, which sparked off claims in the mid-1970s that the nation was going through some kind of "literacy crisis". Which of these factors was NOT blamed for this disturbing phenomenon? Most schools had banned all the books that were worth reading. Falling standards of discipline amongst students. Students had too much freedom in what they could study. Students were not doing enough homework.

6. Homework in America received a boost in 1983 with the release of a report by the National Commission on Excellence in Education entitled "A Nation at Risk". In particular, which group of students did the Commission say could benefit from being given more homework? Grammar school students High school students Elementary school students Pre-school and kindergarten students

7. The two decades following the publication of "A Nation at Risk" in 1983 saw an increase in the amount of homework given to American schoolchildren of all age groups. In a study conducted by the University of Michigan in 2000 on non-high school children, which group of students reported the biggest increase in the amount of time spent homework from 1981 to 1997? Children aged 3-5 Homework increased by exactly the same amount for all these children Children aged 9-12 Children aged 6-8

8. Homework was decried as a villain by the popular media in America at the start of the 21st century, with more and more reports of younger and younger children being burdened with too much homework. An extreme example was featured in a 2007 episode of "The Tonight Show", which aired a segment depicting a 4-year-old who was so mystified by his math homework that he resorted to doing what? Purchasing the answers from an online site.answers Paying his sister to complete it for him. Calling 911 emergency services. Feeding his homework to his pet goldfish.

9. Although it can be controversial to correlate increased amounts of homework with the incidence of emotional or psychological problems in schoolchildren, one physical ailment has emerged around the turn of the 21st century in America that is arguably linked to the increase in academic standards and the amount of homework. What is this modern health risk that has even earned a "National Awareness Day" on the third Wednesday of September? An increase in the incidence of paper-cut related injuries. A decrease in the tolerance of crayons. Backpack-related injuries. An epidemic of myopia that has swept the nation.

10. Despite the fluctuating attitudes towards homework in America over the decades, studies have indicated, perhaps unsurprisingly, that parents have always been amongst homework's most loyal supporters. Which of these reasons is NOT normally cited by parents to explain why they like homework? Homework gave them an opportunity to be involved in their child's education. Homework gave them a much-needed "time out" while their child was preoccupied. Homework allowed them to monitor what the school was teaching their child. Homework fostered good qualities, like responsibility and self-discipline.