Application After The Test example essay topic

In the short story "Test" by Theodore Thomas, I found the last portion of Robert Procter's driver's test to be highly unfair. I found him to be quite calm and collected throughout the entire situation. I believe he only signed the application after the test because he realized that no one actually died and that it was just a test. Lastly, how could a test that would always result in a fail be fair?

Robert Procter seemed to be a very observant driver in the beginning. He acknowledged the blue convertible and noted that it seemed as if it wanted to stay in the lane it was in. Even after the convertible hit him, he knew not to follow his instincts to slam on the brakes. He tried to gain control of the car. Even after the tire blew he didn't freeze up and, again, continued to try to gain control of the vehicle.

The people who were testing him should take that into consideration and realize that there was really no way of stopping the accident from occurring. Anyone who has just been in an accident would be in a state of shock whether the accident was real or imaginary. Robert wouldn't have even had a moment to reflect on all that just happened. All he knows is that all he has to do to get his license is to just sign his name to the application. Even if he did have time to reflect, he would have realized that he hadn't actually killed anyone. It was just a figment of his imagination.

Knowing this, he might have come to the conclusion that so many bad things might not have all happened at once. Making someone sign the application right after they take the test is unethical. People would need time to consider the situation. Most importantly, this so-called test would be impossible to pass. I think that no matter how well someone did on the test, an accident would always occur, whether it was the blue convertible or something else. After someone got in the accident and still signed the application, that person would fail because they were considered to be sick and need treatment.

And if that person didn't sign the application then that's saying that they don't want a license. This is a lose-lose situation no matter which path you take. In conclusion, I find this test to be brutally unfair for anyone who takes the test. They don't even look at how well the person handled themselves in the situation that they got themselves into.

Some consideration would be needed for the person taking the test so they could contemplate whether they would still want their license after what just happened. A test like this would just be a way for the government to ensure that no one could ever drive by making it so no one could ever drive legally.