| Author | Message | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5525 Registered: 8-2001 |
When the teacher read the note from Clarita's mother explaining why Clarita was absent from school the previous day, the teacher realized that something was fishy, even though the teacher did not doubt that Clarita's mother had actually written the letter or that the letter gave the true reason why Clarita was absent. How come? | ||
| Markobr (Markobr)
New member Username: Markobr Post Number: 831 Registered: 5-2009 |
Is Clarita H and F? Less than 6 years old? 6-10? 11-15? 15-17? 18-20? Older? Is Clarita's mother indeed the woman who gave birth to Clarita? Did Clarita's mother indeed write the letter? Did the letter indeed give the true reason why Clarita was absent? Did the teacher have a distinct idea what exactly was fishy? If so: was he right? "Fishy": Is real fish (the animal) somehow relevant? Was the reason Clarita's mother gave for her daughter's absence something which you would usually consider a legitimate reason for missing school? But something gave the teacher the impression that the explanation was only half the truth? That there was an indirect reason which wasn't legitimate? Was the reason Clarita's mother gave illness? Other medical reasons (e.g. medical checkup)? Inability to get to the school? Some special event in the family (wedding of sister, death of grandmother, visit of uncle from Africa...)? Some civic obligation (e.g. being a witness at court)? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5526 Registered: 8-2001 |
Markobr (Markobr) New member Username: Markobr Post Number: 831 Registered: 5-2009 Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 10:19 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) Is Clarita H yes and F? Yes, but irrel Less than 6 years old? 6-10? 11-15? 15-17? 18-20? Older? Clarita could be any age where a parents' note would be required for missing school, although the real case involved a high school studentIs Clarita's mother indeed the woman who gave birth to Clarita? She's C's real mother, but whether C is adopted is irrel Did Clarita's mother indeed write the letter? yesDid the letter indeed give the true reason why Clarita was absent? yesDid the teacher have a distinct idea what exactly was fishy? yes If so: was he right? yes "Fishy": Is real fish (the animal) somehow relevant not at all Was the reason Clarita's mother gave for her daughter's absence something which you would usually consider a legitimate reason for missing school? some people would & some would not But something gave the teacher the impression that the explanation was only half the truth? yesishThat there was an indirect reason which wasn't legitimate? see previous answer but one Was the reason Clarita's mother gave illness? noOther medical reasons (e.g. medical checkup)? noInability to get to the school? noSome special event in the family (wedding of sister, death of grandmother, visit of uncle from Africa...)? no or possibly noish Some civic obligation (e.g. being a witness at court) no | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2113 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did the teacher suspect a crime was being committed? Was the mother involved in the crime? The father? Clarita? Did Clarita give the teacher the note? Was it sent through administration? Are drugs relevant? Abuse? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2114 Registered: 4-2010 |
Clarification: "Abuse" = child abuse. | ||
| Markobr (Markobr)
New member Username: Markobr Post Number: 834 Registered: 5-2009 |
Is the fishy something only that the real reason for Clarita's absence isn't legitimate at all? Or is there something more serious going on? Maybe a crime? Is Clarita happy with whatever was going on? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5527 Registered: 8-2001 |
Balin (Balin) New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2113 Registered: 4-2010 Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 10:42 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) Did the teacher suspect a crime was being committed? no Was the mother involved in the crime? n/a The father? n/a Clarita? n/aDid Clarita give the teacher the note? yes Was it sent through administration? no, but irrel Are drugs relevant? no Abuse? no Balin (Balin) New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2114 Registered: 4-2010 Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 10:43 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) Clarification: "Abuse" = child abuse. Markobr (Markobr) New member Username: Markobr Post Number: 834 Registered: 5-2009 Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 10:46 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) Is the fishy something only that the real reason for Clarita's absence isn't legitimate at all? that's a matter of opinion Or is there something more serious going on? noMaybe a crime? noIs Clarita happy with whatever was going on? yes | ||
| Kdoc (Kdoc)
New member Username: Kdoc Post Number: 993 Registered: 7-2001 |
the real reason for the absence - should we be finding this out? or is it enough to know it is something that a teacher might feel is inappropriate? the real reason - a trip out? family holiday? visit to a relative? visit to someone else? clarita just not feeling like going to school? missing a test? or missing other assignments? did the letter contain a factual error? did the letter contain a truth and a lie? such as 'we went to visit clarita's grandmother (true) who is dying (lie)'? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5529 Registered: 8-2001 |
Kdoc (Kdoc) New member Username: Kdoc Post Number: 993 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010 - 11:03 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) the real reason for the absence - should we be finding this out? yes or is it enough to know it is something that a teacher might feel is inappropriate? no the real reason - a trip out? nofamily holiday? yopevisit to a relative? no visit to someone else? noclarita just not feeling like going to school? no missing a test? noor missing other assignments? no did the letter contain a factual error? no did the letter contain a truth and a lie? no such as 'we went to visit clarita's grandmother (true) who is dying (lie)'? no | ||
| Potato (Potato)
New member Username: Potato Post Number: 31 Registered: 7-2010 |
Whatever Clarita had to do, was it something that had been planned a long time ago? Something that could've been done at the weekend was well? Something that is usually done at a weekend (such as a several days long celebration that most guests would have trouble coming to on a weekday because of school or work)? Are unusual family relations involved (such as more than two sets of grandparents due to one parent having married more than once)? Unusual relations to other people? Had Clarita given a similar excuse before? Is Clarita having a test on the day on which she'll be missing? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5532 Registered: 8-2001 |
Potato (Potato) New member Username: Potato Post Number: 31 Registered: 7-2010 Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 12:41 am: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) Whatever Clarita had to do, was it something that had been planned a long time ago? possiblySomething that could've been done at the weekend was well? noSomething that is usually done at a weekend (such as a several days long celebration that most guests would have trouble coming to on a weekday because of school or work)? noAre unusual family relations involved yope (such as more than two sets of grandparents due to one parent having married more than once)? nothing like thatUnusual relations to other people? no Had Clarita given a similar excuse before? possiblyIs Clarita having a test on the day on which she'll be missing? no | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5542 Registered: 8-2001 |
HINT: I'm Clarita. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2141 Registered: 4-2010 |
Had you skipped the previous day? Did you have a legitimate reason for missing it? Did the "something fishy" involve your mother? Yourself? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5549 Registered: 8-2001 |
Balin (Balin) New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2141 Registered: 4-2010 Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 7:51 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) Had you skipped the previous day? yes Did you have a legitimate reason for missing it? That's a matter of opinion Did the "something fishy" involve your mother?yes Yourself? yes | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2147 Registered: 4-2010 |
Had you and your mother attended a public event? A concert? Political rally? Had it been planned in advance? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5554 Registered: 8-2001 |
Balin (Balin) New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2147 Registered: 4-2010 Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 8:30 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) Had you and your mother attended a public event? no A concert? no Political rally? no Had it been planned in advance? As opposed to being planned in retrospect?Sorry, couldn't resist. What I did that day was planned. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 2152 Registered: 4-2010 |
You know, given that I just completed a puzzle about redundancy, I probably should have noticed that. Good one. Did the two of you go somewhere? Stay at home? Are any other people involved (other than you, your mother, and the teacher)? | ||
| Kdoc (Kdoc)
New member Username: Kdoc Post Number: 995 Registered: 7-2001 |
is religion relevant? religious ceremonies? special religious days? jewish religion relevant? was the day missed to observe a religious ceremony of some sort but the teacher knew your family was not religious? because of the way he had seen you behave before? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5559 Registered: 8-2001 |
Kdoc (Kdoc) New member Username: Kdoc Post Number: 995 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 9:38 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) is religion relevant? yes religious ceremonies? see next answer special religious days? yes jewish religion relevant? yes was the day missed to observe a religious ceremony of some sort yopebut the teacher knew your family was not religious?no because of the way he had seen you behave before? no | ||
| Kdoc (Kdoc)
New member Username: Kdoc Post Number: 997 Registered: 7-2001 |
so you had missed school for a jewish special religious day? or another religion's special day? is it true that your family does not in fact observe Jewish religious days? is it true that you yourself did not observe Jewish religious days? did the teacher believe that you were not actually intending to observe the religious day? but that you or your mother were usuing it as an excuse to do asomething else? or just have the day off? was there some visual clue to make him think it was fishy? something you said? your demeanour? something he already knew about you? or your family? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5560 Registered: 8-2001 |
Kdoc (Kdoc) New member Username: Kdoc Post Number: 997 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 9:49 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) so you had missed school for a jewish special religious day? yes or another religion's special day? no is it true that your family does not in fact observe Jewish religious days? My parents went to temple on the Jewish New Year & Day of Atonement (the High Holy Days) but seldom at other timesis it true that you yourself did not observe Jewish religious days? I never went to temple or engaged in any other Jewish observance after I was 12 did the teacher believe that you were not actually intending to observe the religious day? yesbut that you or your mother were using it as an excuse to do something else? possibly or just have the day off? possibly was there some visual clue to make him think it was fishy? yessomething you said? no your demeanour? nosomething he already knew about you? no or your family? no By the way, in the actual case, I have no idea whether or not the teachers knew whether something was fishy. But they should have been able to figure it out, so, for the sake of the puzzle statement, I imagined that they did | ||
| Kdoc (Kdoc)
New member Username: Kdoc Post Number: 999 Registered: 7-2001 |
so do we need to know exactly which Jewish special day it was? and do we need to know something about what those days signify? or what happens on those days? (because if so I'm afraid I don't!) if you had actually observed the day would you have looked in some way different to the way you looked? are any of these relevant - your hair? clothes? jewellery? skin? would you have been carrying or holding something relevant? or not carrying or holding something you actually were? | ||
| Ohlala8 (Ohlala8)
New member Username: Ohlala8 Post Number: 822 Registered: 6-2009 |
Was the wording of the note something like "Yesterday was a Jewish High Holy Day. Please excuse Clarita from class," and the teacher realized it didn't actually say you attended services? | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5562 Registered: 8-2001 |
Kdoc (Kdoc) New member Username: Kdoc Post Number: 999 Registered: 7-2001 Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 10:11 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) so do we need to know exactly which Jewish special day it was? see belowand do we need to know something about what those days signify? dittoor what happens on those days? (because if so I'm afraid I don't!) ditto if you had actually observed the day would you have looked in some way different to the way you looked? no are any of these relevant - your hair? clothes? jewellery? skin? all irrel would you have been carrying or holding something relevant? noor not carrying or holding something you actually were? Ohlala8 (Ohlala8) no New member Username: Ohlala8 Post Number: 822 Registered: 6-2009 Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - 10:15 pm: Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only) Was the wording of the note something like "Yesterday was a Jewish High Holy Day. Please excuse Clarita from class," and the teacher realized it didn't actually say you attended services? This is close enough for me to declare a ********** SPOILER *************** This is yet another puzzle that draws on my Jewish background, which has never been important or valuable to me before. I grew up in Brooklyn. where I went to a large public high school. Because of the peculiar demographics of the area, the honors classes were so heavily Jewish that virtually no one--including the terachers!!--showed up on the High Holy Days, the two days a year that were the only time that most of these Jews went to temple. I didn't go to temple, but there wasn't much point in my going to school, because I just would have been sent to the school library for the day. So I stayed home. During my freshman year, my mother's note said I was absent "for religious observance," but the following year she decided it would be more accurate to say I was absent "because of the religious holiday."We thought that was hilarious, but as far as I know, the school officials never caught on--just as I never seem to catch on to what will or won't be a hard puzzle. But please check out my new one at the bottom of the page. | ||
| Jenburdoo (Jenburdoo)
New member Username: Jenburdoo Post Number: 3338 Registered: 5-2003 |
Oh man, good one. I went to a Jewish private school for grades 1-8, so I never had an experience where the school wasn't closed on a holiday. | ||
| Beccaann (Beccaann)
New member Username: Beccaann Post Number: 2386 Registered: 6-2006 |
I just now had my first look at this puzzle, and coming from a Jewish background, this was my first thought. Good one. | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5595 Registered: 8-2001 |
Thanks!! My Jewish background has had more effect on my puzzle ideas than on all the rest of my life put together!! | ||
| Nimue (Nimue)
New member Username: Nimue Post Number: 5700 Registered: 8-2001 |
By the way, someone asked if fish played any role in the puzzle. No, of course. . . but I could have called the puzzle, "Something's Not Kosher." |
