Kicking the Wonderlic

Which THREE of the following words have similar meanings?

A) observable

B) manifest

C) hypothetical

D) indefinite

E) theoretical

The preceding question comes from the sample test for the Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test (formerly known as the Wonderlic Personnel Test). For those interested in taking a fifty-question sample test, you can do so here.

The Wonderlic annually gets lots of free media publicity around the time of the NFL Scouting Combine, where the test has been administered to NFL draft hopefuls since the 1970s. There is the usual ongoing debate regarding the value (or lack thereof) in using the test to assess pro football potential. Every few years it receives extra attention when the inevitably leaked scores reveal that one of the top stars scored especially low. And there is always the requisite mention of punter Pat McInally (Harvard) - the only player to ever score a perfect 50 on the 50 question, 12 minute test.

We conclude this post with a one-question, no-time-limit quiz. Which statement below did Pat McInally make regarding the Wonderlic test?

A) "So, for me, this Wonderlic thing has got to be the coolest of the cool. I waited six minutes... just to be cool about it, then sprinted through it. I'm sure if I had thought about it, I would have missed lots of them.... So that's my tip: Go as fast as you can and do it instinctively."

B) "It really did seem like an easy test at the time. One of the reasons I did so well is because I didn't think it mattered. So I think I didn't feel any pressure at all. It was more of a lark, and that's when you do your best. If I took it 100 times I'd probably never do that again. I didn't find out till years later that it hurt me in the draft."

C) "I always felt I was drafted in the fifth round instead of the first or second because I did too well on the tests. I wasn't your typical player and I did question a lot of things. It seemed kind of silly to me that we weren't allowed to drink [water] during practice, for instance."

D) "I've gotten to know Charlie Wonderlic after all of these years, and it is fun to work with him. One goal the company has is to keep kids eligible in high school and college. We're trying to get the Wonderlic to be part of the testing of athletes in high school for colleges. Wonderlic has a number of tests, one of which relates to how kids will do on the SAT, one about personality, etc. We test for a lot of things college coaches would want to know. It will be interesting to see how it evolves."

E) All of the above.