When I turned sixteen, I was ecstatic to finally get my driver's license. The first step it seemed, was to head over to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Halifax and take the written test. I read the booklet the night before, and proceeded to take test which I should've passed in my sleep.
What I naively did not expect, however, was that stupidity would have permeated the sacred DMV. Somewhere along the test, I encountered one question which stated (I'm pretty sure these were the exact words, as I was so traumatized by this event):
In cold conditions, which of the following freeze before the others?
A. Bridges
B. Overpasses
C. Shaded regions
D. All of the above
"Okay, pretty simple," I thought, "it's obviously B." A, B, and C were both potential answers, but being the educated student I was, I knew that B was the best answer because it'll freeze before both bridges and shaded regions. Furthermore, D didn't make sense. How can all of the above freeze before all of the above? It's not logically/physically possible.
Imagine my surprise when I hand it in, and she marks that question wrong, and the correct answer as D. I politely asked her why it was D, but she snarkily replied, "If you read your book, you would know." I reminded her that I did in fact read my book, and even if I had not read my book, D could still not possible be the correct answer because it is a logical impossibility.
She wasn't getting it, and after ten minutes of arguing back and forth, she said, "Fine fine fine - then why did you say B, overpasses, and not, say A, bridges?"
My face lit up. I foolishly deduced that she was resorting to reason, and that I was about to win. I explained: "Bridges are over water, and overpasses are over land. Water, you see, has a much higher specific heat capacity than land does. Thus, when the weather turns cold, the latent heat in the water keeps the bridges warmer for longer, making overpasses freeze first."
To this day, I don't think I've witnessed a blanker stare. She looked at me with eyes devoid of life and being and responded, "This isn't a science class."
I lost it. After another 15 or so minutes of arguing, I was escorted out for making a scene. I thought I had won because I never gave in, and left with my pride intact. But to this day, I still don't have my driver's license.
DMV - I give up; you win. I concede your point: somehow, all of the above can freeze before all of the above.