Chem 5a Students 'Stimulated' By Bogus Practice Hour Exam

When students in Chemistry 5a picked up their handouts in class last Wednesday, they expected the usual assortment of problems they had been working on all year. Instead, they were surprised with questions such as "Hiven the molecular and empirical formulas for all the chemicals in a 4 oz, Twinkie."

What they had picked up was, in fact, not a problem set, but "Hour Exam Stimulation (sic)#4," a parody of Chem 5a practice hour-exams, which class member Niklaus N. Salafsky `87 planted on the table near the entrance of the Science Center lecture hall.

Salafsky confessed to the deed yesterday in section after hearing his classmates' reactions.

"I thought it was the real thing," said Frances T. Dydasco '87, "until I got home and read it."

Salafsky said that he has not heard any criticism about the prank. He added that he hopes everyone mentioned in the fake test, including instructors William A. Klemperer, Erving Professor of Chemistry and Veronica Vaida, Associate Professor of Chemistry, "take the projects in the humorous vein in which it was intended."

Calling it "something that needed to be done" Salafsky said he felt it was worth the $20 spent to produce 200 copies of "Stimulation."

Over the weekend, students were relieved to find out that they had not been given another problem set, and celebrated by reciting from the fake test. Andrew D. Mastin `87 repeatedly quoted question 2: Using only a walrus and as much broccoli as you need, build and calibrate a time-of-flight mass spectrometer."

Other questions from the fake test poked fun at the amount of time that Chem 5a students spend on their homework; "Q--how many Chem 5a students does it take to change a light bulb? A,--None, Chem 5 students are too busy doing homework to worry about a little inconvenience like darkness."

Other questions from the fake test poked fun at the amount of time that Chem 5a students spend on their homework: "Q.--How many Chem 5a students does it take to change a light bulb? A.--None, Chem 5 students are too busy doing homework to worry about a little inconvenience like darkness."

Klemperer said he "was not aware of the fake test" until yesterday. "If the students enjoyed it then it was beneficial," he added.