"Bart Gets an F" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ernest Hemingway

The episode opens with Ms. Krabappel's class doing book reports and she tells Bart to cease his interruptions during Martin's report. Martin goes above and beyond, speaking at a grade level that is higher than the rest of the students and effectively wowing Ms. Krabappel with his impersonation of his respective author, Ernest Hemingway.

The teacher tells the class there's enough time to have one more report and she calls upon Bart who decides to make up his report on the spot, opting to make up everything by looking at the cover of his novel, "Treasure Island", even going so far as to mention the publisher as opposed to facts from the book.

After the report, Ms. Krabappel is less than impressed, and after Bart denies a question/answer period, she asks him who the pirate was in the novel. Bart lists off pirates in his head but tells her it was Bluebeard.

She forces him to stay after class and write lines on the chalkboard.

Answer: Colonial America

After class, Ms. Krabappel tells Bart that his grades have been steadily slipping since day one and that he needs to study for a Colonial America exam the following day. Bart quickly tunes her out, simply hearing 'blah, blah, blah'. Krabappel realizes he isn't listening, but Bart is able to tell her what she said back in a lucky guess.
That night, Bart heads to the Noiseland Arcade for a rousing game of "Escape From Grandma's House" and decides to study after a bit of playtime. Bart goes home to watch "Itchy and Scratchy" before studying and before he knows it, Marge has made dinner. He vows to start studying immediately after.
During dinner, Lisa tells the family that she got an A on her vocabulary test, and Homer tapes it to the fridge door, effectively covering Bart's grade 1 picture of a cat (Homer calls this killing two birds with one stone). After dinner, Homer whisks Bart into the living room to watch a movie about a giant ape, and after this, Bart finally gets studying. Bart doesn't finish the first paragraph before falling asleep.

Answer: Sherri and Terri

Waking up the next morning, Bart realizes what he's done. As he rushes to the bus, he begins rereading the first page of the book, hoping to get the information to sink in. He politely asks Otto to crash the bus, but Otto says he can't do it on purpose.

As soon as Bart gets on the bus, he decides to sit with one of the class nerds to get some easy answers, but Sherri and Terri quickly assume that Bart, like usual, hasn't done his readings. As he rattles off questions and writes down their false answers, the girls laugh at what they're doing. Martin, although hesitant at first, informs Bart before entering the school that all of the answers he obtained from the girls were incorrect, and that a blind chimpanzee with a pencil in its mouth would have a better chance of passing the test. Rather than write the test, Bart feigns illness and goes to the nurse's office.

Answer: No

Bart goes home sick with 'Amoria Phlebitis' and Marge, unknowing, waits on his every need, even forcing Homer to bring the television up from the living room. Later that night, Lisa lets Bart know that everyone can tell he's faking it. Rather than take his sister's comment and realize the error of his ways, Bart calls Milhouse asking for the answers to the test.

When he arrives at school the next day to complete it, it turns out that he got every answer wrong (getting a lower score than Milhouse). Ms. Krabappel tells Bart that it's the final straw, and has Homer and Marge come in for a session with the school psychiatrist, Dr. Pryor. Dr. Pryor simply states that Bart is an underachiever and proud of it.

This concept doesn't get through to Homer though; he ends up fading out of the conversation when Dr. Pryor mentions short attention spans.

Answer: Repeating the 4th grade

Mrs. Krabappel brings out Bart's past history tests saying that each one was worse than the other, even ending with a 12% test of State Capitals. Bart simply states that he's not smart and everyone knows it. Dr. Pryor, however, states that everyone has to face the crippling truth that nothing really seems to be working for Bart, and that if the problem persists, then he'll have to repeat the fourth grade. Bart vows to do better in school to prevent this from happening, despite the fact that Ms. Krabappel and Dr. Pryor assume otherwise. Homer tells Bart that even if he doesn't succeed, he'll still be bigger than all of the other kids.

Answer: Otto

The following day, Bart confides in Otto with his problem (he claims it's because he lets the kids do what they want on the bus and that he tries to tip the bus at sharp turns). When Bart reveals that he may be held back in the fourth grade, Otto says that he was held back twice for the same reason...and now he drives the school bus. At school, Bart is detached. During class, rather than intentionally ignore work, he obsesses about staying back in the fourth grade, even going so far as to daydream that he'll be in the same class as his son (though, of course, he'll have a peptic ulcer and be complaining about his wife).

At recess, a baseball hits Bart in the head, and as it rolls over towards Martin, he gets an idea that may help him out a bit.

Answer: His friendly, informative demeanor

While Martin initially thinks that he is popular, Bart quickly destroys this idea by pushing Martin to the ground (more than once) and causing the other students to laugh. Bart quickly takes Martin home where he is asked to see his study area, or as Martin puts it, 'his sanctuary from the hurly-burly of modern life'. Martin says that his current messy room is no way to get things done and suggests putting in a fern.

In turn, Bart begins by showing Martin that he can't sit at the front of the bus. Martin attributes the proximity of one's location on the bus to the distance from parental authority.

This also has a direct relation to supposed mischief. Bart simply agrees with him.

Answer: Beat video games

Martin and Bart soon take turns teaching what they know about their own lives; Bart teaches about popular, mischievous pastimes while Martin teaches Bart how to apply himself in studies. Pretty soon, Bart is heading on the right track, looking at books without falling asleep and actually studying. Martin, on the other hand, takes a turn for the worse.

After a prank at the school (pushing a boy into the girls' washroom), Martin goes over the deep end and spirals into a tailspin of mischief. When Bart politely asks if he's ready to crack down and study for the big history test, Martin refuses, saying that "life is too short for tests". Bart persists, saying that they made a deal, but Martin claims that the Martin Prince that Bart once knew is no more.

He leads the boys to the arcade and Bart is left alone to study.

Answer: Prayer

When Bart gets ready for bed that night, he sits at the side of his bed and prays out his window. As he asks for any way to get out of school the following day (ie. power failure, blizzard, etc.), Lisa stands listening at his door. Both of them go to bed. The following morning, Marge wakes up Bart and both look outside to see the entire neighbourhood blanketed in snow.

A freak summer blizzard has stopped all work and school for the day, and everyone has the time to themselves. Bart races downstairs garbed in winter clothing and holding a toboggan, but Lisa stops him at the door, reminding him that this is his only reprieve.

He prayed for the extra time to study, and he needs to make use of his one chance. He agrees and races upstairs to do what's right.

Answer: D-

Bart ends up in his room unable to work. Looking outside, he sees virtually everyone he knows having fun in the snow. While Mayor Quimby announces that he is deeming the event as Springfield's 'Snow Day' and the townspeople gather around to sing "Winter Wonderland", Bart decides to go to the basement to concentrate on his work. Even then, he finds it hard to concentrate, the winter theme recurring in his studies. The family watches on from the basement window as he smacks himself back to work.
The next day, everyone exits the classroom, ready for summer break. Bart asks Ms. Krabappel if she can mark his test before he leaves and she says that she can to put his mind at ease. The score ends up being 59%, which the teacher deems an unfortunate fail. When Bart begins to cry, he tells Ms. Krabappel that he now knows how George Washington felt when he surrendered Fort Necessity to the French in 1854. Ms. Krabappel is shocked that Bart could recite such an ubiquitous fact from his studies and bumps his test up another percent, bringing the score to a D-. Shocked, Bart shouts in excitement, kisses the teacher, and runs from the school exclaiming that he got a passing grade. It isn't until much later that he realizes what he did to the teacher.
When he brings the passing paper back home, the family puts it on the fridge. Homer expresses his pride in his son and Bart says that part of the mark goes to God...for the snow day.