School red-faced over faux pas in question paper

An odd set of choices for a question in class 8 annual exams caused considerable embarrassment for the students and the school management as it went viral on social media.

Writing their third language Kannada annual exams, students of Mount Carmel English High School in Rajarajeshwarinagar found the question “Who is the friend of the farmer?” a usual one.

But the choices –BS Yeddyurappa, HD Kumaraswamy and earthworm—stumped them.

Though students recalled their class lessons and correctly ticked ‘earthworm’ as the answer, grouping the two leaders with the humble creature amused a few parents and the paper quickly went viral.

“The options were surprising, but we knew the right answer,” a student told DH. “We didn’t expect the (leaders’) names. Since we knew the right answer, we didn’t think it was an issue.

“We were shocked to see the question paper being trolled on social media. It was embarrassing when relatives and friends asked our response to the question,” the student added.

Meanwhile, the Mount Carmel English High School sacked the person responsible for setting the question paper.

“I was shocked and embarrassed when I saw (the question paper) on WhatsApp. I received it from a friend late on Monday night. I immediately called up the person and took him to task. He was dismissed from his job and the management has been informed,” Principal of Mount Carmel English High School Raghavendra said.

He said the mistake happened without the knowledge of the higher authorities. “Our institution is known for quality education. We’re not bound to any political party or propaganda. We’ll ensure such incidents never happen in future,” he assured.