Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 21, 2018

In the last panel, Tara looks the best she has so far. She aced the test. Professor not so happy looking, he just came back from the free clinic…

oh, was that all? well, that’s some relief off Tara’s friends’ worries

I used to be the person who could barely study and still get the top mark or close to it. Then I lost that power, pretty much overnight, for whatever reason.

Now I actually have to work to learn…I dunno if I feel better about that or not.

It was offered to her. That doesn’t mean she has to take it.

HOW the heck did she get top score? She doesn’t study. She skips class. She’s a crook…Is she a savant? Some sort of eidetic memory? Cheater? Something’s wrong here.

I’m a bit jealous that she didn’t study an inkling and got a perfect score. Did she cheat? She did cause trouble in her old school…

Nyah, nyah! Told ya so! ;o)

Ah. So it WAS Option #2 after all. Now the question IS, Is Tara that Smart? Or did she cheat?

Frankly I think she’s that smart. At least I HOPE she is. I’ve met folks that were brilliant in Math and the Sciences but wanted nothing to do with Math or the Sciences. And I can well understand her not wanting to be the “Teacher’s Pet,” here. But if Tara cheated, well. “Truth will out.”

The most touching thing today is the caring and concern for “Friend” Tara by Luann and Jack. Tara probably never had friends that REALLY cared about her before. Kinda like Tiffany never had two guys that really CARED about her before.

It’ll be interesting to see where those “Friendships” lead in 2019…….,

And now what? Will the Little Green Eyed Monster make an appearance (no, not the Grinch)? Will bitterness ensue? Will Jack and Luann form an anti Tara cabal, determined to discover whether she cheated oy nay? Will they start eating more apology pizza???

Wurra, wurra, wurra! Where will it all end??

Now, I must be careful how I say this. I see two possibilities: Tara really is some kind of reluctant genius. Or, Tara did acquire the answers in a more devious way. And now the spotlight is on her and she will be caught “with her pants down”, which ironically, could be the way she got the answers in the first place.

Maybe it’s not that Tara is “smart” but just that she has learned all this material previously, by taking AP chemistry in high school and/or by taking a chem course at Moony Uni (that she didn’t get to complete, since she was kicked out). As for the possibility that she cheated, she clearly didn’t copy anyone else’s test paper, since she scored higher than whoever she was supposed to be copying from! It’s possible that she stole the professor’s copy of the exam, but we saw from Luann’s and Jack’s study session that the prof distributed a list of “study questions” anyway, so basically everybody already knew the likely questions.

Ace one test and suddenly you’re the new TA? I’m pretty sure that’s not how things actually work at college.

@SHERIFF MORDECAI Are her lips and tongue the same color or do they just appear that way?

In other words Tara: (raspberry sound) “oops!” He’ll catch u or make a. Chemist out of you. WHAT A GAS!

After I took a tough exam in my junior year, I told my father I was sure I got every question correct. Dad then asked me if I knew what that meant. I, of course, said I didn’t and Dad then said, “That means you either got all the questions right, or you got all the questions wrong!” Dad was a funny man. Luann, speak to your father.

I believe that Tara got the answers and the Prof needs to find a way to bust her…..

The jury remains in session on Tara. Did she find a way to cheat by getting a copy of the exam ahead of the test? But we can’t rule out that Tara may be a genius – that she was able to piece together Jack’s notes with the textbook and get a great handle. Not nice of Tara to strand Luann & Jack without Jack’s notes. But we may find out that Tara has some kind of obligation she’s embarrassed about – a weird job or somebody to take care of.

Tara might be one of those gifted individuals (annoying to us mere mortals) that can hear a lecture or read a chapter and say, “OK, got it.” – and she has it down pat. Study? What’s that?

Somehow I figured this would happen (Tara getting top score). I have a feeling she’ll turn out to be one of those super-gifted folks who have problems in (and/or out) of class because they’re not properly stimulated (i.e. this stuff’s too easy for them).

Oh for the- I have never experienced more negative and suspicious readers in my life. The ironic humor of LuAnn and Jack fretting over Tara’s academics, coupled with Tara’s offered TA’s position (and judging by her reaction, she’s been a TA before), and all most of you can think is either “She must have cheated”, or else ‘eww’ (the ‘eww’ was mine). Tsk tsk

I knew it!!!

I used to do terribly in school. Then I took the Evelyn Woods speed reading course, many years ago. I would go into the classroom a half hour early whenever we had a test, and read all the chapters required 2 or 3 times before class. I never had another grade below an ‘A’.

Tara should have turned down the professor’s offer, since if she becomes a TA she will have to start attending class. I wonder whether TA’s get paid more than nude art class models?

Pushing reality in a few ways. If she is so book smart, then it appears that she doesn’t want the responsibility to be a TA. TA’s are typically grad or senior students.

I also know a few people who never needed to learn. They took every test just by listening before. And they never missed a party. Even in their time for the master studium they had every week more alcohol, than I had in a month.I really admire such people, but they are rare.

WELL, that was unexpected..

Yes. Gag.

The real question is if Greg and Karen are reading the comments posted here and at Arcamax, et al and changing the direction of the story based upon the the most dominant speculations? I don’t recall anybody considering that was what the professor was going to discuss. Also, the look on his face was one of a “stern look”, not one that would be someone conveying “good news”.

As Ruth Brown pointed out, TAs are typically grad students and seniors (maybe). I don’t get the impression from previous strips with Tara that she is either. I would consider she may be lieing about the offer and claim she turned it down. Future strips, of course, will reveal – if she never shows up for Chemistry class again, then she failed or was dropped for cheating – maybe even kicked out of school.

Of course, its possible that Saturday’s strip will be a question or two from Luann and Jack (with no answer) and maybe Monday start or return to another arc that was left hanging.

Does that teacher look like Bill Cosby?

Well, I suppose time will tell if Tara is really a natural.

I’m sure we all feel her pain!

She doesn’t have to take it if she doesn’t want it.

She is a prodigy to whom community college is no challenge. Still, she has not been in class for a couple of weeks. Is that assistant material?

Sometimes life just is not fair.

Cheated on the test?

In high school, I rarely had to study hard and got the highest grades. My friends were a bit envious. I was envious of them, because I knew how hard they had to study to get even a B. I figured they were actually learning more than I was. College proved me right. I sucked at some of my more important courses, because I never learned to stick with the studying when it got hard.

Only went to history class for tests and wrote one paper. Got a B+. I’m good at tests.

I remember persons like Tara in high school. They’d cut up in class, pay little or no attention and then ace the test. Whereas, I’d study like mad, pay close attention and make a C. While I’m not so certain they were genius’s, they were very adept at taking tests. I wonder whatever happened to them?

Tara is one of those high IQ types whom school is easy for, not that this makes her EQ (emotional quotient) that high. I mean look at Elon Musk. He is a genius, a Leonardo Da Vinci of our age (although I don’t know if he is an artist, but if he was I bet he would be fantastic), his personality is like Sheldon’s on Big Bang theory. Petulant, demanding, can’t understand why the world doesn’t just do it his way. Of course I was totally non-plussed as usual by Greg. I did not think of this possibility. I saw how he drew it, and figured that the professor was angry with her. Wrong!!!

Oh, c’mon Tara – it could be fun…

It doesn’t take a genius to ace a test. I hardly opened a book in college (many returned in their original packaging). College is easy.

“If you take life too seriously , it’s just not funny any more” …Wavy Gravy

possibly she was taking chemistry at the other college when she got kicked out. all i can say is the noble gas was high school material, so having taken a real college course she would ace it.

Gotta hate a “natural.”

Still not convinced she’s a genius. But it’s possible. Lots of smart people don’t make the best decisions. It’s easy to make the top grade when you have the answers! Perhaps the professor is just trying to find out what really happened and how she got such a good grade when she was t in class.

I have always enjoyed this comic, but I think it is actually getting better, lately. This latest storyline is pretty interesting.

The Trials and Tribulations of Tara

Coming soon to a theater far from you

I hate people who effortlessly ace tests without even trying.

Anren’t T/A’s usually graduate students?

I’m putting my money on this arc being a learning experience for Luann on how not to be so judgmental of others. It’s pretty presumptuous of anyone to assume they know everything about a person based on only what they see on the outside.

A chemistry savant?

Some folks are just gifted educationally. Total recall, paying attention even though they don’t look like they are, pick up concepts easy, able to break down complex things into relatable pieces.

who’da thought this crowd would contain so many self-proclaimed geniuses?!

On second thought ….

I see, the lazy genius type

YEEEEES! Tara, genius and disorderliness!!!

This reminds me of the “Peanuts” arc that starts with Charlie Brown getting called (not sent, there’s a difference) to the principal’s office. His fellow students wondered what C.B. had done to get into trouble. When he returned from the office, his fellow students looked at him with amazement and surprise — the principal had made C.B. a crossing guard.

Why are so many people assuming that she got the answers “that way” aka performing questionable favors either for the professor (extremely doubtful after seeing them together) or for someone else? Tara is a free spirit but being a free and liberated women doesn’t mean prostituting yourself!!!! It means you do what you want when you want and with whom you want and it’s nobody’s business. That does not make you necessarily someone who performs favors to get things. Maybe she just sneaked in and got the answers or hacked into the school computer etc. Or maybe she really is just smart!

I am inclined to think that Tara has a brain and test taking skills, but also laziness. Being a teaching assistant is hard work but it also opens doors.

Tara’s response reeks of the typical adolescent attitude. I am a little disappointed in this outcome but willing to entertain the idea that being a teaching assistant might “teach” Tara the value of responsibility. And if she gets paid a little, she might think differently…i.e. being able to afford underwear, less tempted to break into candy machines.

Yup. Kinda thought Tara might have aced it despite her poor study habits.

Tara’s got the Chem TA Blues!

Having a superlative memory does not make one a genius. But it makes studying easy and simple. Just read the text book.

I refuse to accept this. Tara needs to be written out of this strip, she really is too annoying. Why reward someone like her?