Life — July 9, 1903 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Cartoon This cartoon satirizes entrance examinations, likely for university or professional admission. Two figures wearing academic mortarboards sit at a table—one appearing to be an examiner (right) looking skeptical, the other a female candidate (left). The handwritten questions on the blackboard behind them are deliberately absurd and unanswerable: "What is it?", "Who was the Mother of Invention & why?", "Enumerate 3 guesses of Adversity," and similar nonsensical prompts. The satire mocks the arbitrary, illogical nature of entrance exams—suggesting they test nothing meaningful. The woman's composed expression contrasts with the examiner's bewildered look, implying even examiners don't understand their own impossible questions. This critiques the examination system itself as fundamentally flawed.