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IQ Test fails “Obsequious”

So what's the meaning of the word "Obsequious' anyway?

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Last night’s National IQ Test on Channel Nine flunked out on one of its questions when it asked viewers to select the meaning of the word “Obsequious.”

Nine incorrectly gave the multiple choice answer to mean “Nasty” instead of “Submissive.”

The definition of the word according to Dictionary.com is:
1. characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow.
2. servilely compliant or deferential: obsequious servants.
3. obedient; dutiful.

Confused viewers took to Twitter to correct Nine’s answer.

One reader also says the show misspelled “obsolete.”

59 Responses

  4. I also had some concern about one of the logic questions – which is next in the sequence (sorry, don’t have the numbers of the questions in front of me).

    It started with a single line segment, then two line segments joined by an acute angle, then three line segments joined in a sequence by two acute angles.

    In the offered answers, the answer they nominated as correct (A) was four line segments forming a square (therefore *no* acute angles, but *four* angles). However, answer D had three line segments joined in an equilateral triangle, therefore forming three acute angles.

    Therefore, the possible sequences (writing each item in the sequence as line segments / angles) are as follows.

    A. 1/0, 2/1, 3/2, 4/4
    D. 1/0, 2/1, 3/2, 3/3

    A is the most consistent sequence if number of line segments is used (1, 2, 3, 4), but D is the most consistent if the number of (acute) angles is used (0, 1, 2, 3).

    Proper review of the questions by people who are experts in the specific fields would reveal these sorts of problem.

    Given the number of errors in the program, it is apparent that the questions were done “on the cheap”, spending much of it budget on fancy sets and advertising.

  6. yep … most stupid “IQ” test I have ever taken … probably the only one I have ever “failed” too – LOL
    … I guess I just don’t watch enough of those stupid sitcoms?
    I missed the show the other night – didn’t even notice it was on – but I totally wasted an evening a couple of months ago, being part of “Canberra” when they did the testing of the different States/cities or whatever it was …
    (arrived at some venue, sat down, signed our “non disclosure agreement”, did the “test” and left – they didn’t even feed us … although a few random people got prizes … but they did e-mail me a “certificate” today … no breakdown of the scores or any useful info, just says that the testing indicates that I “have an IQ of 100” … not even any info about if that is high or low or what the score is out of – I don’t think 100 would be a good score if it was real, but I think I can live with knowing I have a low “TV IQ” 😉

  7. I suppose we have to take this for what it actually is – a pub quiz dressed up to be something it’s not. I run regular triv nights but would have been embarrassed to have run this one. I believe the professor may be a great expert in several things but language is not his thing at all. Another classic faux pas was in the memory test where a list of flights was shown and you were asked which flight was arriving second. The answer should have been “none of the above” – all flights were cancelled therefore none would arrive. One of the test questions said that someone had 3 sheep, 7 dogs, 2 cats and 1 rat (or something) and then asked how many pets she had. No correct answer can be given because it was never stated which of these animals were her pets. The sheep were probably lunch or sex toys, the rat was uninvited and the cats could be feral.
    Overall an embarrassing fiasco for 9 and massive loss of credibility for the professor.

  8. You may have a low IQ if you

    a. Watched a show hosted by Eddie McGuire
    b. Watched a show hosted by Eddie McGuire
    c. Watched a show hosted by Eddie McGuire
    d. Watched a show hosted by Eddie McGuire

  9. @Jimbob – it doesn’t matter where Nine got the questions from, they neglected due diligence by not bothering to have them independently checked. To choose not to broadcast the video of the answer to the last Q about driving directions (which clearly showed that the answer was 180° out!) is just deceitful. They knew it was wrong but decided not to tell their viewers. Nine deservingly get a kicking for these and other actions.

    BTW, if Nine didn’t have anything to do with the creation and/or selection of the Q’s, how come the video memory ones only featured the Nine Network’s two most-spammed programs? The professor must either be a big fan or have a wicked sense of humour.

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