I'm opposed to standardized tests more than most people, however I have to take issue with this article. The author of this article stated early on that this was a 'reading comprehension question', and then goes onto to critique the question as if it was about learning about microscopes. He also says that he 'couldn't figure it out' by guessing. He should've tried reading.

As an aside, I did know the correct answer because I had been trained numerous times on microscope use. I didn't even look at the question until after reading the rest of the article. The test makers wouldn't have been testing my reading comprehension. I suspect this would be true of most people who got the correct answer. Interestingly, anyone who has been trained in taking such tests knows to read the answers first, as well as to guess the correct one. Then scan the actual question to find the relevant bit, as well as the 'trick', if it exists.

Like many people, I believe this author confuses learning with being a student. A student's job is to be a student, and that includes trying to score higher than average on tests by any legal means. Learning is something else altogether, and I have my doubts about being able to get far with that in an institutionalized setting.