She erased nothing. Instead, she drew a small star next to the question and wrote in the margin: “B. Dependent. Because success depends on an existing ability, not a future condition.”
Question forty-seven.
The American Language Course Placement Test was a standard tool for non-native English speakers in the military partnership program. Forms 1 through 63 were predictable. But Form 64 was a ghost. No one had seen it in over a decade, yet rumors swirled through the barracks like winter wind.
But attached to her score sheet was a handwritten note from the testing board:
“It’s the one that separates the fluent from the functional,” whispered Sergeant Kim, handing Elena a chipped mug of lukewarm coffee. “They say question forty-seven has no correct answer.”
“Begin.”