The grand plan

The life of a college examiner (for any college) is not easy. I understand this, now, as I stroll the broad, sunny uplands which lie between postgraduate qualification and presenile dementia. As an examination candidate, my main impression was that examiners were simply perverse to the point of madness. Now, though, I believe that I can imagine how these things come about.

As the day drags on, the weary examiner becomes dissatisfied with the humdrum rhythm of straightforward question and routine answer. A higher goal glimmers before the mind's eye. A grand plan is formulated. The examiner will, by …