Gojomo: Smart enough to die, not smart enough to throw the test


Gojomo

2005-10-02

«Posted 10/02/2005 10:48:00 PM»

Smart enough to die, not smart enough to throw the test

Via NEWS of the WEIRD:

In August, a jury found Virginia death-row inmate Daryl Atkins mentally competent, based on a recent IQ score of 76 (thus beating the '70' standard, below which under state law he could not be executed). Prosecutors said two previous scores below 70 were deceptively low because of Atkins' drug and alcohol use, but legal experts hypothesized that Atkins' IQ had actually improved in recent years via the intellectual stimulation of discussing his case with lawyers.

Reminds me vaguely of a short story I read in middle school, where a child is worried he'll fail an important upcoming test. At the end we learn, via condolences delivered to his mother, that her child has been lost, because he scored too high. I can't locate the title or author now; I had thought it might be by Bradbury (we read The Pedestrian around the same time) or maybe Asimov.

Technorati Tags: deathpenalty, iq, irony

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Comments:

I remember a twilight episode along the same storyline...

The family was excited that this kid was about to sit the government approved test. They were woprried he might not pass, and in the end he scored so highly the government flagged him as a security risk and terminated him.

# posted by

Malby : 10/03/2005 8:35 PM

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

# posted by

Gordon Mohr : 10/04/2005 1:31 AM

Aha, yes, that helps me find it. Apparently an episode in the inaugural season (85-86) of "The New Twilight Zone" was based on the story I had read. Both the episode and the story were titled "Examination Day", and the story, by Henry Slesar, originally appeared in a 1958 Playboy.

Thanks!

# posted by

Gordon Mohr : 10/04/2005 1:32 AM