The sun., 1919-09-28
COLUMBIA ADOPTS
THORNDIKE'S TESTS
Prospective Students Must
Pick the Best Answer to
Food Chewing Query.
OF Psychologist VALUE
200 Mental Giants Pass, but
Final Results to Be Known
-Four Years i'm Future.

Some OF the questions in the psyche
logical tests which were given to ambi-
tious young men desiring to enter Co
lumbia University this year were made
public yesterday at the Office OF DR..
Adam lie Roy Jones, director of univer-
sity admissions. Two hundred mental
giants succeeded In answering them cor
rectly, while a considerable number
proved themselves to be horrible mental
dubs and were sent back home TO learn
a little more. Here are the questions
and answers put before the students,
! who were required to check the best an
swers to each question:
why should food be chewed before
| swallowing? Because 1t is better for
the health. Because 1t Is bad manners
to swallow without chewing. Because
you may choke II you don't chew. Be-
cause liquids are not SO nourishing.
III you are lost in forest in the day
time. what Is the thing to do? Go
straight ahead 10 a big tree. Hurry TO
the nearest house you know Of Sit down
and cry. Use the sun or compass for
4 guide.
"Why is wheat better for food than
.orn? Because II is more expensive.
| because It is more nutritious. Because
It is a smaller grain. Because It can be
ground fine
i
| ton p Because II is on an island. Be-
| cause II has more millionaires Because
1t was founded by the Dutch. Because
II is better located.
| why does II pay to get a good educa-
| ton? Because II makes a man more
useful and happy. Because 1t makes
work for teachers. Because 1t makes de-
mand for buildings for schools and col
ieges. Because it stimulates the print
ing business"
I Getting n Line on Mentality.
The other questions were OF similar
character. and the educators of Column
| bia believe that by the answers they got
q good line on the mentality of the
would be Students II man was canny
enough to say that New York was larger
| than Boston because It was better To-
Gated he qualified as a sort of mental
giant, and II he said he would use a
compass to get out of a forest he was
all right but II he said that New York
was larger than Boston because It was
founded by the Dutch, and II he advo-
Gated chewing food solely because of the
Ganger Of choking, the educators felt
fairly certain that there was something
wrong with him and such young gentle
men will be watched carefully TO find
nut just what 1t is. II has been proposed
that when the questions are asked next
year this one be included II n man
cannot answer such simple questions as
these, how did he ever get the idea that
he might be bright enough to enter col.
lege?
! The tests were devised by Prof z. L
Thorndike, who did important psyche
logical work during the war in connec.
ton with the selection and examination
OF cadets in the air service. The tests
and questions given and asked the stu.
dents at Columbia are very similar &c
those given to ambitious Americans whc
desired to fight for their country In the
Air Service, and their selection as avia
ton cadets depended largely upon theii
answers.
For instance, is an aviation candidate
ventured the opinion that one should 81
down and cry II one got lost in a BIZ
forest it was obvious that he would b
no good at all as ar aviator becaus
no man who didn't know more than tina
could ever learn TO operate a machine
much less a machine gum
: But IL the candidate said that on
: should chew ones food because 1t is ba'
manners to swallow without chewing
everybody who has ever had any deal
. ings with American aviators would rec
ognize at once that here was a borl
, aviator, because II there was anything
} that aviators needed-and had-it wa
} manners. Sceptical infantrymen are in
cllned to believe that to these tests car
! be traced the marvellous efficiency O
American aviators during the terribl
, battles of Paris ans Tours.
Prof. Thorndike said last night tina
, the exact value Of the examination "a
means of selecting those fit to prof
: from college educa ton cannot be state
: until four years from now, when thei
I college careers as admitted have beel
! studied.
Prevents Egrcgious BIunders.