School W and the 94.5 KFM general knowledge quiz

So there we were, on the way to school. Kid1 turned up the volume so he could better hear the 94.5 KFM general knowledge quiz questions through the absolute racket being made by Kid2 and Kid3. I suspect Kid2 was teasing Kid3 by taking her toys away from her. I need to discuss that behaviour with him at some point but I will let it go for now. Kid3 seems to be holding her own for the time being.

The first kid got a score of 9 on the quiz. The second kid was from a school we have applied to for grade 8 for Kid1 so we were quite excited to see how exceptionally well he does. You see we have heard only great things about this school, lets call it School W. As an aside, we have applied to four schools and lets just call them W, R, P and S.

So this kid should have knocked that score of 9 out of the park seeing as he went to school W. The first question thrown at him was "what is 15 + 5". This should be a fairly simple question for any child in any grade above 7 or am I being silly expecting this? Kid2 who happens to be in grade 3 got this right. Kid1 got it right. Mind you, the question was not 15 + 6 or 15 - 6, it was a fairly simple, straightforward 15 + 5. Round numbers and all that.

The kid from School W got it wrong. He expertly, confidently and without hesitation offered the answer of 21. TWENTY ONE? I gave him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he has heard the numbers wrong. The more I thought about it though the less convinced I was about that. FIFTEEN plus FIVE. Nothing there sounds like a six or seven or even a four. FIFTEEN plus FIVE equals TWENTY ONE? I suppose on some philosophical level where the exact nature and behaviour of infinity is regular discourse the answer to 15 + 5 can perhaps be 21. In relation to any child above grade 7, the answer should always be 20. Needless to say this kid from the exceptional School W did not best the score of the first child and went back to school empty handed.

So here we sit, in a salty pickle. School W is great. FIFTEEN plus FIVE = TWENTY ONE by a kid from School W. Perhaps I should only concentrate efforts for acceptance on School P, R and S? Perhaps he knows things normal other high school kids don't, like the very philosophical nature of infinity alluded to earlier? In this case I should concentrate all efforts on acceptance at School W. Perhaps I should strike School W from the list of potential school for Kid1. Damn....even Kid2 got the answer right, in the non-philosophical everyday sense of the word and the question.

What to do?