There is nothing more agitating than having to walk into a classroom and sit in the exact same seat for upwards of four hours, just to take a test that will never be seen or spoken of again. Standardized testing has been known to take a toll on students, from elementary to high school. Studies have shown that between pre-k and twelfth grade, students will take over one hundred standardized tests (“Study Reveals”). Not only are these “assessments” time consuming, but they are also unnecessary. Standardized testing has been recognized as a huge issue in American schools, and journalists and comedians have addressed it through horatian satire. Although standardized testing has been around for many years, it has become an increasing problem within the past decade. Many teachers, students, and parents feel administering these tests waste time in the classroom and add unnecessary stress onto children. Much of pressure is put …show more content…
Bolton contends that tests could replace “more traditional methods such as classroom instruction”. Verbal irony is another way of pretending to be on the side of the problem. Satirists use verbal irony to make a point, but it is not in an attacking way. Sarcasm is also used to make fun of an issue by agreeing with it. Bolton claiming that standardized tests equally measure students with the “same narrow, irrelevant set of standards” is an example sarcasm. Sarcasm is more viscous in nature than verbal irony. A satirist might want to use sarcasm if they are talking about an issue they are very passionate about. With these two examples, the verbal irony is sort of just playfully making fun of standardized testing. The sarcasm is attacking it by using harsh language and connotation. However, both perfectly exemplify the problem with standardized testing. They both recognize how it does nothing for students, and should be done away