Newspapers, for instance, have faithfully reported practice-test scores over the last two years, but save for brief sidebars containing a few sample questions, they rarely have provided an adequate picture of what these exams actually call for scholastically. Jumping ahead to the conclusion, I'm afraid there is no comparison. The GED is loads tougher. While my sample test had three stories and 30 questions, the test normally seems to have four stories and 40 questions. A robot can now drive on a four-lane highway in traffic.
Robots use infrared sensors and computer vision to see.
Robot sales have dropped in the last six years. But trust me when I say that all the questions were of similar, uncomplicated order. For example, there was an excerpt from Lorraine Hansberry's famous play, Raisin in the Sun , and a few paragraphs of fiction by Maya Angelou. The difference between the two math tests is even more striking. As with reading, students have all the time they need to complete the Minnesota mathematics examination, which might be said to dwell mostly on arithmetic, edge up a bit on algebra and geometry, and require the performance of simple tasks such as estimating, finding medians, using a ruler, and reading straight-arrow graphs.