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Wed 4 Nov, 2015 08:51 am
Many decades ago, when I was still a student in school, the exam told us to use an adjective to describe a student:
-A student wants to answer a question from the teacher, in which case he has to get out of his seat and put down the answer on the blackboard. But at the same time a female student raises her hand, wanting to answer the question. The male student then decides that he should let the girl do so. How would you describe this male student?
I wrote generous and my teacher gave me zero marks. Do you think I deserved the mark? I think generous was and is still the best answer. Do you agree?
Your answer deserves zero mark, IMO.
In my view;
(1)If the student is usually wicked, use "calculating" to describe him.
(2)If the student is gentle in his everyday manner, use "modest" to describe him.
(3)If the student is kind yet clever in his usual way, use "smart" to describe him.
What do you say? @McTag, @Layman, @Setanta, @Dale...
The student was being chivalrous.
@dalehileman,
Wow but gotta give you guys (and gals) credit
The teacher wants an adjectiv to describe the male student.
The teacher has to respect what the student thinks as long as it is adjectiv when he just wanted an adjectiv and not a specific type.
Not everybody would see this behavior with the same eyes
@WBYeats,
WBYeats wrote:
Many decades ago, when I was still a student in school, the exam told us to use an adjective to describe a student:
-A student wants to answer a question from the teacher, in which case he has to get out of his seat and put down the answer on the blackboard. But at the same time a female student raises her hand, wanting to answer the question. The male student then decides that he should let the girl do so. How would you describe this male student?
I wrote generous and my teacher gave me zero marks. Do you think I deserved the mark? I think generous was and is still the best answer. Do you agree?
"generous" works fine. I don't know what bug was up your teacher's ass that day, especially considering that so few contextual clues were provided. Other possibilities:
conciliatory
obsequious
considerate
polite
chivalrous - as mentioned above
passive
diplomatic
sympathetic
Do you recall what answer(s) the teacher accepted as correct?
@FBM,
FBM wrote:
WBYeats wrote:
Many decades ago, when I was still a student in school, the exam told us to use an adjective to describe a student:
-A student wants to answer a question from the teacher, in which case he has to get out of his seat and put down the answer on the blackboard. But at the same time a female student raises her hand, wanting to answer the question. The male student then decides that he should let the girl do so. How would you describe this male student?
I wrote generous and my teacher gave me zero marks. Do you think I deserved the mark? I think generous was and is still the best answer. Do you agree?
"generous" works fine. I don't know what bug was up your teacher's ass that day, especially considering that so few contextual clues were provided. Other possibilities:
conciliatory
obsequious
considerate
polite
chivalrous - as mentioned above
passive
diplomatic
sympathetic
Do you recall what answer(s) the teacher accepted as correct?
Cannot be (potentially)
henpecked if obsequious works there?
@oristarA,
No, "henpecked" is for husbands. I don't think the boy student in this context was married to the girl student.
When Saab wrote that not everybody would see this behavior with the same eyes, what came to mind was, "the student was being chauvinistic.
@InfraBlue,
I do not think he was chauvinistic as it really means " prejudiced support for one’s own cause, group, or sex."
@FBM,
Excellent answer. Thank you. As well as those from native speakers.
@saab,
"Chauvanism" also means a prejudiced belief in the superiority of these things.
In regard to sex, some hold that chivalrous behavior is based on the belief that women are the "weaker" or inferior sex, and that because of this women should be afforded, much like the handicapped, special treatment.
@InfraBlue,
I did not know that - good to learn more.
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