(a) "_A man said: 'I know a road from my house to the city which is downhill all the way to the city and downhill all the way back home.'_" (b) "_An engineer said that the more cars he had on his train the faster he could go._" (c) "_Yesterday the police found the body of a girl cut into eighteen pieces. They believe that she killed herself._" (d) "_There was a railroad accident yesterday, but it was not very serious. Only forty-eight people were killed._" (e) "_A bicycle rider, being thrown from his bicycle in an accident, struck his head against a stone and was instantly killed. They picked him up and carried him to the hospital, and they do not think he will get well again._" Each should ordinarily be answered within thirty seconds. If the child is silent, the sentence should be repeated; but no other questions or suggestions of any kind are permissible. Such questions as "_Could the road be downhill both ways?_" or, "_Do you think the girl could have killed herself?_" would, of course, put the answer in the child's mouth. It is even best to avoid laughing as the sentence is read. Owing to the child's limited power of expression it is not always easy to judge from the answer given whether the absurdity has really been detected or not. In such cases ask him to explain himself, using some such formula as: "_I am not sure I know what you mean. Explain what you mean. Tell me what is foolish in the sentence I read._" This usually brings a reply the correctness or incorrectness of which is more apparent, while at the same time the formula is so general that it affords no hint as to the correct answer. Additional questions must be used with extreme caution. SCORING. Passed if the absurdity is detected in _four out of the five_ statements. The following are samples of satisfactory and unsatisfactory answers:-- (a) _The road downhill_ _Satisfactory._ "If it was downhill to the city it would be uphill coming back." "It can't be downhill both directions." "That could not be." "That is foolish. (Explain.) Because it must be uphill one way or the other." "That would be a funny road. (Explain.) No road can be like that. It can't be downhill both ways." _Unsatisfactory._ "Perhaps he took a little different road coming back." "I guess it is a very crooked road." "Coming back he goes around the hill." "The man lives down in a valley." "The road was made that way so it would be easy." "Just a road. I don't see anything foolish." "He should say, 'a road which goes.'" (b) _What the engineer said_