I am brazilian and our education system is notoriously bad, any international ranking can attest it. I've seen many brutal errors made by university students, but this particular example striked me as almost unbelievable. Thanks for the answer
That's because it is unbelievable. In high school in the US, I had to write an essay per week in my history classes and a paper per book in my literature classes.
I went middle ranked suburban high school (and a large public university). Based on my experience, this story didn't happen the way it's being told.
I think it's more likely that no one wanted to raise their hand because they thought it was a trick question.
I've always enjoyed learning and I think anyone who does can succeed in any environment. There were certainly other kids who strived for more even in the country and did okay too. But having moved a lot I could tell the difference.