Thiruvananthapuram: One of the questions in the second-semester BSc Statistics examination conducted by Kerala University on Monday had its answer printed alongside it. After the mistake came to light, the university sought an explanation from the chairperson of the Board of Studies. Those involved in preparing the question paper, however, described it as a “silly mistake caused by a technical error”.Controller of examinations Prof Gopakumar said an explanation has been sought from the chairperson of the Board of Studies. The question papers for the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUGP), unlike those for traditional courses, are prepared from a pool of questions in a databank. “There is little human intervention in the question paper preparation process,” he said, adding that what was identified as the ‘answer’ printed alongside question number 5 was only part of the answer and could not, by itself, be treated as the complete answer.However, students said the one-mark question asked about the relationship between physical exercise and body mass, and the printed response — “negatively correlated” — was the correct answer. The first six questions carried one mark each.Save University Campaign Committee chairperson R S Sasikumar, who was recently nominated to the university syndicate after more than a decade, said printing the answer alongside a question was a serious lapse and the university should treat the matter with the seriousness it deserved. The university syndicate is scheduled to meet on Tuesday.University sources said FYUGP question papers being prepared from a databank using dedicated software did not necessarily mean the lapse was caused by a system failure. “The board of studies approves the question papers. Its members are expected to scrutinise and clear them before the examination. The board’s members and chairperson should have identified and rectified a mistake as obvious as this,” a source said.
