2 Questions on Test Are Invalidated

STOCKTON —  California Academic Decathlon officials invalidated two questions on the social studies multiple-choice test because of erroneous information, angering students and coaches who recognized the errors before completing the section on Friday.

“They were poor questions,” acknowledged Judy Combs, executive director of the California Academic Decathlons. “They were confusing. They should not have been on the test.”

Coaches said the same two questions were invalidated two weeks ago during the Texas state decathlon competition and that officials should have corrected them for the California contest.

Combs said the U.S. Academic Decathlon, the Orange County group that oversees the competitions, failed to notify her about the erroneous questions.

She said the invalidated questions will not affect scores.

On Saturday, several coaches and students said they were furious because of inaccuracies and trivial questions on the seven written tests during the fierce competition that drew 50 teams from across the state.

The overall winning team, to be announced at an awards banquet today, will represent California in the national decathlon finals at Cal State Fullerton next month.

Students and coaches said one invalidated question asked what form of government was practiced in ancient Egypt.

Of the choices available, the “correct” answer was dynasty, but decathlon officials on Saturday said that was inaccurate.

Some students and coaches said Saturday they knew that a dynasty is not a form of government, but that was the best pick of the multiple choices.

The other question was about an Egyptian pharaoh who took control over a capital city. Coaches and students said the city should have been Thebes, not Memphis.

Larry Jones, a co-coach for the highly regarded team from Moorpark High School in Ventura County, said he was so angry about inaccurate or trivial questions that it is one reason why, after seven years, he decided this weekend to quit as a decathlon coach.

“These kids work so hard preparing for the decathlon,” Jones said. “They deserve to be tested on accurate information. What does this teach them? It seems as if the decathlon is less about learning and more about winning.”

Jones and his students also took issue with two music questions, but the U.S. Academic Decathlon said they were valid.

State decathlon teams are highly competitive, with prestige and thousands of scholarship dollars at stake. Many students and coaches sacrifice 50-plus hours a week studying science, social studies, literature, art, music and math.

Students and coaches also complained about some questions that they deemed irrelevant. One, for example, asked how Giuseppe Verdi, an Italian composer, got around. Did he walk? Ride in a carriage?

“It’s kind of sad,” said Tara Paravar, a senior competing for El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, last year’s national champs. “We’re supposed to be learning, and they ask us dumb questions that don’t mean anything. I laughed when I read that [question], but it’s kind of sad.”