RATE YOUR SLACK FACTOR Seniors, here's a test you don't have to study for

By BRIDGET MAYER
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Attention seniors: It's the last semester of high school. It's also time to make last-minute memories with friends you may not see until your 10-year reunion.
But is it the time for slacking off? Take this quiz to see how your attitude is about taking it easy academically this semester:
1. During class you ...
a. Sit in the front row, hanging on every word the teacher says.
b. Slouch in the back row, usually cracking jokes about how "useful" what you're learning is.
c. Sleep in the corner. Hey, it's not like you snore or anything.
2. After school you ...
a. Crack open your books. With all this homework, you'll be lucky to have time to eat.
b. Catch up on the drama of the "Real World Philadelphia," then eat something and maybe, if the mood strikes, start that project due tomorrow.
c. Play video games until your thumbs hurt. How are you supposed to get to the next level if you don't practice?
3. Grades ...
a. Matter as much as ever. Just because you've gotten into Harvard doesn't mean you can slack. One A-minus could ruin your GPA.
b. Matter as long as you graduate in the top third.
c. Grades? You haven't worried about those all four years, why start now?
4. What extracurricular activities have you stayed in this semester?
a. So many you need a planner and a Palm Pilot.
b. Your mom made you stay in National Honor Society, but you've picked up the Slinky Club to have something fun to do after school.
c. Detention. You're a regular.
5. Graduation for you ...
a. Is too far away. All you can see are tests, papers and more tests.
b. Is too close. This is the last semester you'll have with everyone. You want to make it last.
c. Is uncertain. You still have to pass English from last year.
6. When a teacher offers an extra credit assignment, you ...
a. Get on it immediately. Those few extra points could mean the difference between Harvard and Boston College.
b. Quickly take out your TI -81 and calculate the extra credit won't boost your B to an A, so you blow it off.
c. Throw away the soggy piece of paper. It had drool all over it since you fell asleep in class. You wonder if it was important.
7. During school, you think about ________ the most.
a. Chemistry, calculus, government, English and all the homework you'll have to do that night.
b. Some of what the teacher is saying. But mostly you think on what happened to your best friend during her last class.
c. Lunch and the final bell. School just takes too much time.
8. If you had to choose between writing a major paper or watching "The O.C.," your favorite TV show, you would ...
a. Turn off the TV; you can catch up on Newport Beach some other time.
b. Compromise. Do your paper while watching "The O.C." Who cares about quality this late in the year?
c. Watch "The O.C.," and then keep channel surfing for the next three hours. Between re-runs of "The Family Guy" and "Friends" you can re-type that 10-page paper your brother left from last year's class.
Mostly A's: You have worked hard all of your life. It's probably a sure bet that you were the first one in preschool to learn the ABCs and the colors of the rainbow. So why not take a breather now? Chances are, your GPA is good enough that it won't make a huge difference if you get a few ... gasp ... B's on your transcript. Also, relaxing now will
make you more ready next year when the work really starts to get difficult.
Mostly B's: You've worked hard through high school and are now willing to take a break, as long as your GPA doesn't drop a full point or two. It looks like you have a good balance between school and friends, but you know when you need to concentrate more on the academic side.
Mostly C's: Well, you've got some trouble. It sounds like you really need to worry less about video games and food and concentrate more on homework and studying. School doesn't have to consume your life (nor should it), but maybe if you buckled down, you could boost that GPA a little and (depending on how bad your situation is) graduate.
XBridget Mayer is a senior at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kan.