Senior boys get UCAS sorted - the City of London School

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Page 10 News and comment City boys outraged at biased exam questions by Noah Kidron-Style 5M It has often been said that the City of London School is a great school. One of the reasons for this is the ability of students and staff to see both side of an argument. We hold the belief that rational discussion rather that categorical statement is the only way to come to a viable opinion on a subject. For this reason boys studying history in the fifth form were surprised by leading questions in this year IGCSE course work on Mao’s China. The coursework is made up of three questions of which two seem to show a huge bias against the China under Mao. Question 2 for example asks ‘Explain why Mao’s policies had a negative impact on China’. The idea that we should be asked in an examination to discuss this type of question without any allowance for talking about the benefits of Mao’s policies seem ridiculous. Surely a better question would be ‘Did Mao’s policies have a negative impact on China’. Even this is a slightly leading question but at least it gives scope to talk about both sides. An exam is defined as a set of questions that test a candidate’s knowledge and skill. So one can assume that to gain marks you must show knowledge of facts, which are, either true or can be argued to be true. Therefore to omit any benefits of the Mao regime would be suggesting that there are were no benefits at all. This is untrue as Jacob Stein in 5M said, “The history questions completely gloss over the fact that this was a huge period in growth of the China’s economy.” Nor am I saying that I agree or disagree with the opinion of the question towards the Mao regime. Only that to not be allowed to show both sides is an oppression of our freedom of speech. Something that Mao himself was often criticised for. Friday October 15 2010 Global Hand Washing Day: what is lurking on that Metro? Cumar Vasudeva J6CSS Sub-Editor It is a well-known fact that there is a plethora of different causes, each with their own day. These range from the ridiculous, such as Talk Like A Pirate Day, which takes place on 19 September, to the important such as Remembrance Day on 11 November. Today is Global Hand Washing Day. At first glance, this day would appear to fit in the first category, a day which should not be taken seriously. However on closer inspection, it becomes clear that this day is very important. In thirdworld countries in Africa and South Asia, diarrhoea is On this day in history Rafi Cohen 4A 15th October 1582 – In Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain October 4th is followed directly by October 15th. The intermittent eleven days are missed as Pope Gregory XIII implements the Gregorian calendar which is named after him. 1894 – The Dreyfus affair occurs. Jewish, French soldier Alfred Dreyfus is framed and arrested on unfair grounds of spying against France for Germany. Evidence later came to light that he had been framed by anti-Semites. The whole affair divided French society. 1988 – German footballer Mesut Ozil is born. He has played for Schalke, Werder Bremen and is currently playing for Real Madrid. He has appeared 20 times for the German national side and he was instrumental in the World Cup win over England setting up their fourth goal as they won 4-1. the second biggest cause of death of children under five – only pneumonia is more deadly. Studies have shown that proper hand washing with soap is the most effective way of lowering diarrhoea death rates. (One study said that effective hand washing could lower diarrhoea morbidity rates by 44%). As a result, the UN embarked on an education programme, trying to teach children in more and less developed countries to wash their hands properly. This work culminated in the International Year of Sanitation in 2008, and the work has continued with this day, which is marked around the world. And now, before you say that in Britain, a firstworld country, this day is meaningless, I’ll leave you with one startling fact: a study done by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine showed that 13% of London commuters had faecal bacteria on their hands. Think about that the next time someone hands you a newspaper. City Shorts Hilton-Dennis in demand Reports have recently emerged stating that the Maths department have made a last minute transfer request for Mr Hilton Dennis after failing to sign Mr Phillipson. Whether or not he has accepted the offer remains a mystery. Watch this space. Turmoil at Citizen HQ Rumours have spread that Mrs Sage is trying to overthrow Mr. Fillingham as the Editor of The Citizen. She is apparently amassing an army, including the mysterious editor of the Invalid, to rise against the Assistant Headmaster. Tube lines for City? It may appear that Mr Griffin enjoyed his extra power in the absence of Mr Levin from assembly two weeks ago; in fact The Citizen hears that he may have attempted to launch a new school improvement initiative by commissioning an underground link to Grove Park. Unfortunately, the proposal has not received planning permission since it would appear that the link would obstruct the Waterloo and City line.
Friday October 15 2009 Maths puzzle Daniel Hu 5H Maths Puzzler Quadratic Residues You are given that (a) squared plus (b) squared equals (c) squared. Prove that one of a, b, and c is a multiple of 3 using the solution to last week’s puzzle. Notice that if you square any integer, you can only get an integer which either is a multiple of 3, or is 1 more than a multiple of 3 i.e. (3n) or (3n+1). You cannot get (3n+2). Solution to last week’s puzzle 1) What are the next three square numbers after 1, 4, 9? 16, 25, 36 2) What are their remainders when you divide by 3? 1, 1, 0 3) Do you notice a pattern? Can you prove it? The sequence goes 1, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0 etc. (3n+1) squared is 3(3n^2+2n)+1 so it is 1 more than a multiple of 3 and has remainder 1 when you divide by 3 Therefore if you square any number 1 more than a multiple of 3, you get a number 1 more than a multiple of 3 which has remainder 1 when you divide by 3. Try to do the same with (3n+2) and (3n). You should get remainder 1 and 0 respectively. Standing at 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level, Mount Kusciuszko was last week’s mountain and is the tallest mountain on the Australian mainland, although there is a taller one on the island of Tasmania. It was named by a Polish explorer, after General Kusciuszko who featured in the American Civil war. Despite the height, it is a relatively easy mountain to climb, or there is a road to the summit for the less active. Which is this mountain? 1. This mountain was successfully climbed the day before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. 2. The Olympic torch passed over the summit of this mountain in 2008. 3. It is the home of the black jumping spider, thought to be the highest altitude macroscopic animal on the planet. It survives by eating frozen insects that have been blown upslope. 4. Its height has been downgraded several times over the years due to continual overestimation. PSM Classics Challenge Page 11 Puzzle Page The answers to the Greek mythology Challenge are: (a) Hercules (b) Prometheus (c) Daedalus (d) Sisyphus (e) Jocasta. Congratulations to the Senior and Junior winners, Patrick Benjamin in 5H and Ariel Barton in OGM. £10 Bookshop tokens are on their way (real not mythical tokens). This week’s theme is another perennial favourite: the Trojan War. So reach for your Iliad and try to answer the following: (a) Who shoots but does not kill Paris with an arrow? (b) One of the rivers of Troy is Scamander. Name the other. (c) When Agamemnon gives back Chryseis, who does he take instead? (d) Who kills Patroclus? (Hint: the answer is not Apollo!) (e) What sort of tree do Achilles and Hector run past in their fateful encounter? Answers on paper to any member of the Classics Department by the end of next week (i.e. Friday 22 October). Correct answers will go into a hat, and the winner will be chosen by lot. Prize: a £10 Bookshop voucher. CITI-DOKU
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Senior boys get UCAS sorted - the City of London School

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