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Tender
Tender asked in Education & ReferenceWords & Wordplay · 1 decade ago

Interpretation needed by Linguists (English)?

Hi!

I need help in interpretation of the followng statement.

"Students are allowed to bring into the examination ONEA4 piece of paper with up to 39 formulae (no text) written on one side of it, with the equations sequentially numbered."

Personally I had my own interpretation which eventually ended with the sheet looking like, formulas only on one side, text on the same side as formula, other side is blank.

Unfortunately, my lecturer said I was wrong and thus was penalised (he wanted only formulas on one side and no text at all on either side)

I actually can see in the sentence other permutation which can be possible. Don't take my word for it, but I ask you to re-read the sentence with an open mind to see if you can agree.

I am looking for suggestions or to show that my interpretation is one of the probability out of others?.

It does suggest that the sentence itself is maybe "loaded" or "obscure" or just plain ambiguous as written by the lecturer.

Your comments?

Update:

Thanks for the replies.

Maybe I should add a little more information on how I came to my interpretation, I was limited to the few number of words in the first post.

In the sentence I could see no explicit connotation between the 39 formulae AND the (no text).

Personally I saw 2 implicit requirements instead.

A little patronising while reading would help, :)

1. the first being that 39 formulas on one side of the paper - (such that the (no text) is not included for this first reading).

2. having satisfied the 39 formulas in the above, I read the second part with, (no text) on one side of the paper - (leaving out the 39 formula in the second reading).

With that I came to what I had described as my formula sheet.

Is it that wrong in my interpretation?

Comments?

5 Answers

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Outlined below are the lecturer's quoted and what he later clarified were the intended instructions:

    "Students are allowed to bring into the examination -

    ONE A4 piece of paper with -

    [] up to 39 formulae

    [] (no text)

    [] written on one side of it,

    [] with the equations sequentially numbered."

    If you wanted to justify bringing a paper with text included you might have been able to parse his quoted instructions differently:

    "Students are allowed to bring into the examination -

    ONE A4 piece of paper with -

    [] up to 39 formulae

    [] (no text) written on one side of it,

    [] with the equations sequentially numbered."

    You wrote text only on one side of the paper. Thus, you met this interpretation of the instructions. However, to really get to this interpretation you must ignore the parentheses around "(no text)". For me, the parentheses make the instructions pretty explicit - no text.

    If I were your lecturer, I'm not sure you could convince me there was sufficient ambiguity in the parenthetical instruction regarding (no text) to restore any points I had deducted.

  • feral_black_gryphon
    1 decade ago

    I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but I don't see the ambiguity. It looks pretty straightforward to me. It specifically says "no text." I immediately interpretted it to mean that you were only allowed to write 39 formulae on one side of the paper, with nothing on the back, and no text. And the formulae needed to be numbered 1-39.

    Maybe my interpretation is less obtuse because I've had tests like this before, but I can't see any validation in that sentence for writing any text on the paper. Hopefully everything will work out for you though. Best of luck.

  • busterwasmycat
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    I am trying to figure out how you read "no text" as not being an imperative, as somehow conditional and only applicable to the formula aspect, but it doesn't work for me.

    Try as I might, I cannot find a way to interpret this statement in a way that it would allow text. The no text part pretty well obviates that interpretation.

  • yogeshwargarg
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    To me, the lecturer was right in penalizing you. Please remember the permission was given to bring the sheet during an examination and the concession was given up to 39 formulae to be bought in. Your test was for the text part, explaining the numbered formulae.

    You have to see in what context the instructions were given by the lecturer. The context is significant.

    *

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  • NorseArcher
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    i only take this statement to mean that on one side of one piece of paper there can *only* be numbered formulae.

    for example:

    1.) [formula]

    2.) [formula]

    3.) [formula]

    and THAT'S IT, nothing else.

    i can see where "written on one side of it" can be slightly ambiguous and perhaps the prof. could have articulated that better, but in those circumstances, with clarification *before* the exam is in order or better safe than sorry and just write the formulae on one side to avoid being penalised.

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