I thought it would be silly to have a juxtaposition of rigid standardized tests and the contemplative, unsolvable Buddhist koans. The two most familiar koans are "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" and "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?"
This is one of my favorite designs. I really like the calligraphic quality of the simple lines. It took a long time to get this look. I drew it seventy or eighty times before I got it right. I like the idea of having the drawing style reflect the cartoon theme.
The actual test questions weren't very important to me when I drew the picture. I rambled through my stack of Buddhist books looking for interesting koans to include. As it turns out, the test itself is what most people like the most. Oh well. Here’s the page:
MATs
56. Does a dog have Buddha nature?
[ ] Yes.
[ ] Mu.
[ ] That all depends on how you define "dog".
57. Take the four divisions of Tokyo out
of your sleeve.
58. Show your original face.
59. What is the sound of one hand clapping?
[ ] Time to go home.
[ ] The roar of a lion.
[ ] Mu.
60. When is it time to untie the cat during
meditation?
[ ] Long after the master has gone.
[ ] Mu.
[ ] When you have shown your original
face.
61. A girl is crossing the street. Is she
the younger or older sister?
--- STOP ---
Put down your pencil immediately!
Mu is a great word I learned when I was first reading about Buddhism. It is a Chinese word meaning "not yes, not no" or "this does not have any meaning." It could be the answer to the Zen koan, "Does a dog have Buddha nature?"
The tied up cat question refers to a story I heard once that has to do with purpose and ritual. It was about this Buddhist master who had to tie up his cat during the service because it kept climbing on the altar and getting in the way. This went on for years. Then the master died. And they continued to tie up the cat during the religious service. Then the cat died. So the other monks went out, found a new cat and tied it up during the service. The point being that if something is done long enough, its purpose is often forgotten and it is done for its own sake. I liked it enough to put it in my cartoon.