EASY TEST, TOUGH TEST

These two eleventh-standard students have the same ambition: to become Chartered Accountants. They belong to different colleges. Both had a class test some days back. When they came to see me after that, one was jumping with joy, “Sir, the test was so easy," she declared, “I could finish it in fifteen minutes!”

The other girl’s face had fallen. “Look at this paper sir,” she stretched the paper before me, visibly disturbed, “It is insane.”

It was! The teacher of the second student had set a paper which was, certainly, not meant for the freshers like these. They had just started their Commerce studies… hardly a month in college… and, so, to expect them to meet that challenge was too tall an order.


I did not say anything negative in front of these girls. “Don’t’ worry dear, we will see what to do; ok?” I consoled the disturbed girl, “I will help you.”

I handed over the ‘tough’ paper to the first girl who was jumping with ecstasy, just seconds before. “Please have a look, beti,” I said.

“Sir, this is really unfair,” the first girl reacted almost unable to believe her eyes, “Can they set such paper in the Boards?”

“That’s not important dear,” I smiled, “your ambition to become fine Chartered Accountants is.”

“But, sir, this is too much!” the second girl reacted, “they should know our limits!”

“Chalo, I will help you,” I smiled again, “let’s discover our limits!”

The girls began to drop their resistance and joined me. 

For the next one hour I not only helped them solve that ‘tough’ paper, I also took them into a world beyond it. At the end of it, they were not even aware that they had set a new bench-mark for themselves.

“Beti, do you know that we wouldn’t have reached this level if your teacher hadn’t challenged you with such a tough paper?” I asked the second girl. 

“That’s true sir,” the girl said, “but, what is the point when we fail in the class test?”

“And, what is the point even if you top in a test like your friend’s?” I showed the first girl’s paper.

My question was met with a silence.

I knew the two papers could do two things to these two girls: one could send them to sleep; and the other could keep them sleepless.

All limits are like writings on the sand! The waves decide their life!

Or, is it the other way around? 

Do we challenge the waves? “Come on, wash it way, if you can!”

Life’s movements are in sync with the movements of the waves of the ocean…

“My young friends, 

we will never know our limits… 

till we are challenged,” 

I told the young ones, 

“we will never know our potential!”

It is the season of Olympic Games. It is time for us to get inspired:

“Citius, Altius, Fortius!”

Faster, Higher, Stronger!

I don’t think, an ‘easy paper’ can bring out a fine Chartered Accountant out of us!

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pics.:Shaila D'Souza