About ten years ago, when I was studying at Moscow State University, we had a history exam one day. The professor came in, asked only one question, and left the classroom.
“How is the mother of the great scientist Trofim Lysenko famous in history?”
I asked every one of my classmates, and they didn't know the answer. There was no strict supervision during the exam since there was no examiner present, but really, no one knew anything.
We all wrote for two hours about the outstanding qualities of this great Russian woman: her bravery, her skills in sword fighting, shooting, and horseback riding, her piety, ethics, and appropriate behavior for a woman like her! In short, we wrote about whatever came to our minds regarding the greatness and character of the mother of a scientist like Trofim Lysenko!
The professor came back after two hours, collected the papers, and left. A few days later, when the results of the history exam were announced, it was written next to everyone’s name on the board: Failed ‼️
We went to the professor's office to protest. The professor asked if anyone had an objection. We all said, "Yes." He said, “Well, why didn’t you write the correct answer?”
We asked, “What was the correct answer, professor?” He replied, “In any book, source, or historical document, there is no mention of Trofim Lysenko’s mother’s name. The correct answer was ‘I don’t know.’ You all wrote several pages, but no one had the courage to write: ‘I don’t know.’”
A nation that thinks it knows everything is ignorant. Go and become acquainted with the beautiful phrase ‘I don’t know,’ because tomorrow you will find yourself trapped in your own ignorance.