Fun_People Archive
19 Jan
Applicant Testing

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Sun, 19 Jan 97 13:34:12 -0800
To: Fun_People
Subject: Applicant Testing

Forwarded-by: pollack@conxion.com (Gerry Pollack)

A man from New York's lower east side went for a job interview with one of
the major blue chip computer companies.  At the end of the interview came
a simple test. The interviewer drew six vertical lines on a piece of paper
and placed it in front of the New Yorker.  "Could you please show me a
clever way to make these six into nine?"

After thinking for a while the New Yorker took the pencil and drew a canopy
of leaves on top of each pair of lines, and handed the paper back to the
interviewer.

The interviewer looked at the drawings and said: "But that is not nine!"
"Oh yes it is", said the New Yorker, "Tree + Tree + Tree make nine!"

The irritated interviewer decided not to argue the point and instead handed
the paper back to the New Yorker and said "Okay then, make it ninety nine."

After thinking for a longer while the New Yorker scribbled up and down the
trunks and handed the paper back to the interviewer.

The interviewer looked at the drawing and said: "What?  That is not ninety
nine!"  "Sure it is", said the New Yorker, "Dirty tree + dirty tree + dirty
tree make ninety nine."

The interviewer was now a bit cheesed off, so he decided to do the New
Yorker once and for all; he handed the paper back to the New Yorker and
said, "Okay, now make it one hundred."

After thinking considerably longer the New Yorker took the pencil and drew
a little dark blop on the bottom right hand side of each tree and handed
the paper back to the interviewer.

The interviewer once again looked at the paper and said: "No, no, no!  That
is not 100." "Oh yes, it most soitinly is", said the New Yorker, "Dirty
tree and a turd + dirty tree and turd + dirty tree and a turd make 100!"

© 1997 Peter Langston