Do we all cheat a little bit? The world of conkers is reeling from claims of cheating in the men’s world championship.
Steel chestnut horrifies conker fans
Do we all cheat a little bit? The world of conkers is reeling from claims of cheating in the men's world championship.
Alastair stared in horror. His hopes of winning the world championship were over. His conker had fallen apart after just one hit. Cheating, he thought, must be involved!
He was playing against 82-year-old David Jakins in Sunday's final. Afterwards he was found to have a fake conker in his pocket, made of steelA strong metal that is made up of a mixture of iron and carbon. and painted brown.
Jakins also happened to be the contest's top judge.
Cheating is as old as people are. A Greek drinking cup from around 490BC carries a picture of a wrestler trying to bite his opponent. In VictorianThe era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901. times there was a great scandal when a prince's friend was accused of cheating at a card game.
At the 1904 Olympics the winner of the marathon, Fred Lorz, was disqualifiedStopped from taking part in a competition or exam due to breaking the rules. when it emerged that he travelled in a car.
In India this summer some people were arrestedStopped by the police and taken to a police station. after claims they had given people access to exam papers. Over two million students have been told their results may not count.
Today, plagiarismCopying someone else's work and pretending it is your own. and the use of AIA computer programme that has been designed to think. are some of the biggest worries. This week, Kamala Harris, who is running to be America's next leader, was accused of copying passages in her book from Wikipedia.
Do we all cheat a little bit?
Yes! We all cheat every day - such as when we copy someone's clever joke or ask a friend to look at their homework. We do so because we are worried we are not good enough by ourselves.
No! Just as cheating in exams is wrong, so is cheating in everyday life. There are plenty of people who do all their own work and never give in to temptationWhen you find it hard to resist something. .
Keywords
Steel - A strong metal that is made up of a mixture of iron and carbon.
Victorian - The era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901.
Disqualified - Stopped from taking part in a competition or exam due to breaking the rules.
Arrested - Stopped by the police and taken to a police station.
Plagiarism - Copying someone else's work and pretending it is your own.
AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think.
Temptation - When you find it hard to resist something.
Steel chestnut horrifies conker fans
Glossary
Steel - A strong metal that is made up of a mixture of iron and carbon.
Victorian - The era when Queen Victoria was on the British throne, from 1837 to 1901.
Disqualified - Stopped from taking part in a competition or exam due to breaking the rules.
Arrested - Stopped by the police and taken to a police station.
Plagiarism - Copying someone else's work and pretending it is your own.
AI - A computer programme that has been designed to think.
Temptation - When you find it hard to resist something.