Students lose marks for incorrect answers on their finals but should the ministry of education be dinged for posting a controversial exam question online?
The multiple-choice question, which has since been pulled from the ministry’s website after a complaint, was part of a preparation exam. It asked:
“They have been fighting to regain a homeland since they were driven out in 1948. Some have lived their entire lives in refugee camps. Forty years later, Israel still refuses to recognize their right to exist as a nation.”
Jews, Iranians, Egyptians and Palestinians were the multiple choices.
A Ministry of Education spokesperson, who asked not to be named, told Metro Vancouver the question appeared online only as part of a practice exam for students studying for a History 12 provincial exam.
It was taken down after a complaint by the Canadian Jewish Congress that the question was too simplistic.
History teachers usually collaborate to formulate questions for provincial finals based on curriculum and the spokesperson said he was not sure how much vetting the questions go through before they’re posted online.
The ministry has asked the Canadian Jewish Congress to forward any further concerns.
