When my kids were in elementary school, they would take AR tests. AR was short for Accelerated Reading, and the idea was positive reinforcement. At any time a kid could take a quick comprehension test on a book that they had read. If they passed, they got points, and there were rewards for a certain number of points.
My daughter was an avid reader from an early age, and in first grade accumulated quite a few AR points. One day she came home with a printout of an AR test in which she had gotten only one out of five questions right. My wife noticed it was for a book my daughter had read dozens of times.
My wife asked, "Sweetheart, what happened here? You know that book — how'd you miss so many questions?"
My daughter said, "My friend Justin was helping me take the test." A brief pause. "Justin can't read."
My wife advised her that in the future it would be wise not to let Justin help her on AR tests.
So that's my favorite example of mansplaining: when the desire to be knowledgeable supersedes actual knowledge.
John Auchter is a freelance political cartoonist. His views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Michigan Radio, its management, or its license holder, the University of Michigan.
