"No."
A passing TA nods to the two of you. "Good job."
Dr. Ellison gives the other pairs of students a moment to finish as well. "Now that you have completed practice, we'll move to the actual assessment." A thrill of excitement shoots through you.
One set of TAs gives a piece of disposable pattern paper to you, Manish, and the other students. The other set hands out ping-pong balls, one per pair. "Do not channel the magic yet," Dr. Ellison warns. You dutifully don't look at the paper, holding it instead against your leg. Manish, who got the ping-pong ball, fiddles with it, nearly dropping it.
"When I tell you to, one of each pair will use the pattern to levitate the ping-pong ball for a count of five. Do not," she adds, steel creeping into her voice, "go longer."
Desmond, the student who complained about the exercise being boring, raises his hand but doesn't wait to be called on. "Is this part of the assessment?"
"It's all part of the assessment," Dr. Ellison says.
Gulp