More Sideways Arithmetic From Wayside School (Wayside School 2.60)

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(Clue on page 42. Hint on page 45.)

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(Coming up next will be the hardest problem in the book… .)

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Chapter 7

The Quiz That Wouldn’t pop

(Like I said, this next problem, Problem 19, will be the hardest problem in the book. But I don’t even know what the problem is yet. Let me explain. Mrs. Jewls is planning to give her class a test next week. For the nineteenth problem in this book, I will choose the hardest question from that test.)

PROBLEM 19

“We will have a pop quiz sometime next week,” Mrs. Jewls told her class on Friday afternoon.

Everybody groaned.

“What day will it be?” asked Jenny.

“I’m not going to tell you,” said Mrs. Jewls. “That’s why it’s called a ‘pop quiz.’ You won’t know when it’s going to pop. It will be one day next week, but I won’t tell you which day.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” said Jason. “That means I have to study all weekend, and the test might not be until next Friday!”

“That’s right,” said Mrs. Jewls.

Everybody groaned.

“That means we have to worry all week,” griped Joy.

“Can you give us a hint?” asked Paul. “Will it be Monday? Just let us know if it’s going to be Monday, so I know whether to study this weekend.”

“No hints,” said Mrs. Jewls. “It will be a total surprise. We will have the quiz first thing in the morning. But you won’t know which morning until I say, ‘Take out your pencil and paper for the pop quiz.’ ”

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Everybody grumbled and groaned.

“I think surprises are fun,” said Mrs. Jewls.

No one else did.

Suddenly Todd’s eyes lit up. He smiled. “Hold on!” he said. “I just thought of something. It can’t be Friday!”

“What are you talking about?” said Mrs. Jewls.

“You said it will be a surprise, right?” asked Todd.

“Yes,” said Mrs. Jewls.

“Well then,” Todd concluded. “If we haven’t had the test on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, then on Friday we’ll know it’s coming. So it won’t be a surprise!”