Re: DIVINATION TEST


gjw wrote:
On 23 Feb 2007 07:22:13 -0800, nystulc@xxxxxx wrote:
Several problems with that. Firstly, 4 people have already
answered the test. The current instructions, indicating that
answers relate to revelations in Book 7, are fairly unambiguous,
and makes no assumptions regarding the timespan of the course of
events during book 7. Current takers will have cause to complain
if their predictions of Voldy's death get marked wrong just
because his demise occurs after the Hogwarts express chugs home.

I think you meant "no cause to complain", but I disagree.

No. I mean they would be reasonably annoyed if they followed the
instructions, their prediction came true, and yet I still marked them
wrong because of an arbitrary limitation imposed after the fact.

Take this rather extreme hypothetical scenario, for instance. In
book seven, the unthinkable happens and Voldemort wins. He kills
Harry, Hermione and Ron, conquers the world, and lives happily
ever after. Obviously, a person who predicted that Voldemort
would die in book 7 would be wrong.

Unless, of course, he died "during Book 7."

However, on the last page of
the book, an epilogue notes that Voldemort ruled for 500 years and
died peacefully in his sleep in the year 2527. By your way of
scoring, a person who said that Voldemort would die in book 7
would be right [...]

Correct. If the above scenario occurs I will mark Voldemort has
having died during Book 7. So, if your prediction is as above, you
should definitely predict Voldemort's death.

[...] - simply because he didn't live forever.

No. Because he did not live forever AND because his death occurred
"during Book 7."

.