Entrance Exam

Famed educator Booker T. Washington recalled the "entrance exam" that earned him a place at the Hampton Institute in Virginia as a young man.

The head teacher ordered Washington to take a broom and sweep the classroom. Because he knew this was his chance, he swept the room three times and dusted the furniture four times. When the teacher returned, she inspected the floor closely and ran her handkerchief over the woodwork. Unable to find a speck of dust anywhere, she said, "I guess you will do to enter this institution." Washington later said that this was the turning point of his life.