General Information About Item:

• Customary Folklore: Pre-test custom, superstition
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: Singaporee
• Informant: EF
• Date Collected: 11/01/21

Informant Data: EF is a sophomore (‘24) at Dartmouth College from Singapore. She was born in Berkeley, California, before she and her parents moved for her dad’s job. She and her younger sister attended Singapore American School. She noted that her family is very superstitious in their everyday lives. 

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: In Singapore, academics are stressed greatly. It is important to keep a fresh mind and be prepared for major exams as much as possible. This applies to everything, which means the items they use because they are essentially extensions of one’s body.
• Social Context: The informant collected this piece of folklore when she was in the fourth grade at Singapore American School. Her teacher that year, who was native to Singapore, would always get a box of Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils before tests and hand out a new one to each student beforehand. Once the pencils were passed out, her teacher would have everyone freshly sharpen them to make sure that they were in perfect condition. I collected this item in an in-person interview. 

She would use this specific pencil, and only this one, until the next test because she enjoyed the sense of excitement she would get on test days when she received a new, fresh one. This would always put her in a good mood, which she believes was a huge advantage because it helped her ignore her other worries and solely focus on the test material. When she entered fifth grade, her teacher didn’t do the same tradition, so she decided to do it for herself from there on out. At the beginning of each school year going forward, and currently in college as well, she would buy a huge pack of these pencils. Then, on each test day she would take a new one out, sharpen it, and proceed to take the test. 

Item: In Singaporean culture, it is believed that if you sharpen your pencil right before you take an exam or test, the freshness of the pencil will result in a fresh mind, allowing one to think clearly and do well. 

Associated File

Transcript:

• “Before I take any form of test or exam, I always use a sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencil. I started doing it because I thought the freshness of a new pencil would result in a fresh mind while I took exams, allowing me to think clearly and do well.” 

Informant’s Comments:

• EF continues this superstition in all of her exams in college. Over the years, she has gotten many of her friends to follow suit as they have found that it helps enact a similar effect of clear-mindedness when they take exams.

Collector’s Comments:

• I believe this pre-test superstition carries a great deal of significance for EF because, not only does it clear her mind for exams, but it also is a routine that she’s been comfortable with since she was young. Many people I’ve come across have specific routines that they follow before exams or other high-pressure situations such as performances or sports games. For many, superstitions serve to calm one’s mind because it helps them believe that they have control over outcomes. 

Collector’s Name: Kevin King

Tags/Keywords:

• Superstitions 
• Singapore
• Pencil