STUDENT: Hey, professor. I got an email saying I should come in to talk about the test.

PROFESSOR: Yes, yes. Please sit down. Thank you for coming in. I have your history exam--

STUDENT: OK.

PROFESSOR: --right here. And you passed.

STUDENT: Oh, great. I was up all night studying for this thing, so--

PROFESSOR: Just barely.

STUDENT: Oh.

PROFESSOR: But that might explain some of the answers I got on this test. It's why I asked you to come by.

Now, let's look at here, like the number 12. I asked you about the original 13 colonies. And the answer you gave me was, "My nice new car needs repainting. Maybe dark violet? No, shiny gold."

STUDENT: That was my mnemonic device. That was how I studied for the test.

PROFESSOR: Mnemonic device?

STUDENT: Yeah. Each letter is the first letter of the original 13 colonies-- so Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, P-- Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia.

PROFESSOR: Very impressive. I see. But I can't give you credit for these. But next time, will you please put the answers on the test?

STUDENT: Yeah, of course.

PROFESSOR: I'm going to give you a break here. I'm going to ask you to write me a short extra credit paper. And that will help pull your grade back up.

STUDENT: Thank you. Thank you so much. That's great. What can I write it about?

PROFESSOR: How about you write about the chronology of the royal families of England?

STUDENT: OK. All right, sure. Yeah.

PROFESSOR: And I have a perfect title for you, and I'm going to use your mnemonic device. How about, "Neighbors actually persuaded lovely Yvonne to shut her window?" You like it?

STUDENT: Very good, professor.

[CHUCKLING]

PROFESSOR: I like that, too-- can't wait to read it. Well, thanks for coming in.

STUDENT: OK. So long.

PROFESSOR: Uh-huh.