Fake? A set-up? Genuine? Who knows, but these so-called ‘howlers’ are quite a laugh.
It has for a long time been the case that in examinations, putting some sort of answer to a question loses you less marks than leaving it blank – you can apparently pick up 5 marks these days just for spelling your own name correctly.
On that basis, and I’m sure many reading this have done it, anyone faced with a question for which they have no proper answer, is either going to waffle endlessly or add some comic remark.
There are plenty of lists of genuine howlers, but most of these are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. The impression one gets in most of the examples cited is that the writer is literate and has given thought to the answer.
Funny, though, nevertheless….Howlers….