Critical thought
At MindYourDecisions, Presh Talwalkar explains the following Viral Chinese Math Problem
for fifth grade schoolchildren:
If a ship had 26 sheep and 10 goats onboard, how old is the ship's captain?
Presh Talwalkar, The REAL Answer To The Viral Chinese Math Problem How Old Is The Captain?
, MindYourDecisions
He explains that the problem—which was actually devised by French researchers in 1979—caused consternation in the media. Many thought that it was a mistake, while others resorted to fanciful illogic to find a solution. In fact, for anyone who can't be arsed to follow Talwalkar's typically long-winded and repetitive explanation, the correct answer is that there's not enough information given in the problem to solve it.
So, the official response in China, is that the question was not a mistake. It was actually meant to be open ended and encourage critical thinking, which is usually not present in Math class.
Presh Talwalkar, The REAL Answer To The Viral Chinese Math Problem How Old Is The Captain?
, MindYourDecisions
Nor is it usually present, or at least encouraged, in communist China for that matter, Presh.