Here's the situation.

You've actually taught a whole topic! The quiz is scheduled well in advance, so that the students have time to review and study. You made the quiz from scratch, without the use of a databank or any software. It's going to be a challenging quiz, but you know the students are quite bright and should be prepared.

Quiz day arrives. Students rush into the classroom, hoping to get that few extra minutes of study time. ONE MINUTE before the bell is set to ring, the fire alarm goes off. In disbelief, you usher the students outside, all joyous and expecting the quiz to be postponed (until Tuesday, because there's a four-day weekend).

The fire alarm was a real one, not a drill. (Somethin' happening in the boiler room, which was fixed.) Firetrucks came. But it took at least 20 minutes before everyone was able to return to class.

Everyone is jumpy. You administer the quiz, telling them to try their best in the time given, and take off a couple of the *really* difficult questions. One is changed to a bonus question.

After about 25 minutes, the dismissal bell rings. Some students are visibly upset because they ran out of time, and cannot stay after school to finish up, nor would you allow them to finish up on Tuesday. (What would that do the reliability of the assessment?) A couple of the hard-working students want to finish up, and you allow them to do so. You mark the quizzes leniently, hoping to keep the class average high.

That was my Thursday.