Psc 367:  Quiz questions for 3 September 2008

If a quiz happens today, the probability is 1/4 that one of the  questions below will be asked.  It is 1/4 that a different question, drawn from readings or lecture of the previous class meeting, will be asked.  The probability that there will be a quiz today is the number of quizzes left (5) divided by the number of class meetings eligible for a quiz (21) = 0.29  On the morning before the first class, I consult www.random.org.  I draw a single integer lying in  [1,29].  If that digit is 1-5, there is a quiz.  In that case, I draw again for a digit in [1,4] to choose a question.  If the number is 4, then I have to write a question quickly; it may cover the required readings or a short article or news item linked to the previous class meeting.

If a quiz happens, I distribute blue books.  You have 15 minutes to write an answer to the single question asked.  If you don't need the full time allowed, please sit quietly.  As soon as I grade the quizzes, I put an illustration of an excellent (6-point) answer linked to the syllabus from the date of the quiz.

Here are three of the four questions which might occur -- yes, for real! -- on the first quiz date:

1. What was "Our plan"?

2. Why was Ida Tarbell important in the history of the petroleum industry?

3. Why, toward the end of the 19th century, were the Nobels, Rothschilds, and Standard Oil unable to achieve a global cartel in oil production?