Litmus test (politics) Litmus test (politics) A litmus test is a question asked of a potential candidate for high office, the answer to which would determine whether the nominating official would proceed with the appointment or nomination. The expression is a metaphor based on the litmus test in chemistry, in which one is able to test the general acidity of a substance, but not its exact pH. Those who must approve a nominee, such as a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, may also be said to apply a litmus test to determine whether the nominee will receive their vote.
Teaching to the test a test over the information at the end of the unit. Typically, these tests aim to make sure that students have memorized a series of procedures, rather than making sure that the students fully understand what they are doing; in other words, these tests are a measure of a student's arbitrary knowledge rather than his or her capacity for logical thinking. Teaching to the test is also frequently used for skill-based learning, like typing or athletics; in this context, teaching to the test is the dominant practice. For one reason, teaching to the test misrepresents how much students really have