Ok, this was in a book of various short story collections from college (80's) and I believe it was from Bradbury. This was set in the future where all children that reached a certain age were required to take an exam. Throughout, the boy is asking questions to his parents to help him prepare and they continually give him the wrong answers. As it is assumed the boy is killed by the government at the end because he scored much higher than average and is considered a threat to humanity.

This is a quite well-known Science Fiction story. I saw it on the new "Amazing Stories" done by Spielberg in the '80s. It isn't by Bradbury. May be by Harlan Ellison, but I somehow don't think so. I'll try to find out what it is and who wrote it.

The story is "Examination Day" by Henry Slessar (that surname may be wrong, at least in spelling, but it's a name like that). It's a terrific story - nicely understated.

You guys are great!

This message came from araber, "The Big Cheese" at www.thetzsite.com:

Actually, that was an episode of the New Twilight Zone, not Amazing Stories, and the title of it is "Examination Day." The child's name was Dickie Jordan. The author of the story in question is Henry Slesar, who was also the original author behind "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" and "The Old Man in the Cave." The story first appeared in Playboy Magazine in 1957 and has since appeared in the following books:
www.sfsite.com/isfdb-bin/...cgi?395613

I'm trying to think of a story that I think Bradbury wrote. It's about a man who travels into the future (30 years or so) and comes back to tell everyone that in the future the air is clean, the rivers aren't polluted, there's no smog, no poverty, etc, etc, etc. As the 30 years goes by, the society in fact does clean up the environment, stops poverty, and all the other ills of the world. At exactly 30 years they throw a huge event in anticipation of the time travelers's past self appearance. The countdown starts...3...2...1... nothing happens. The crowd looks to the time traveler who looks back and says, "I lied".

Anyway...it's bugging the heck out of me - could someone help me out?

Thanks!! =)

That story is the Toynbee Convector.
We could do with someone like Craig Bennett Stiles about now!
What a difference some encouraging smoke, and mirrors could have on the outcome of our society!?
Too bad we don't have enough individuals concerned with life to dream of a better world, and make it so, than scrap for turf.
Yet there are many positive avenues opening up. F-451 has been a real success as a city wide read book, for the month of April in L.A.
Ray finally received his star on the Hollywood walk of Fame on of all days April Fools day. The only next best day to present him the star would have been October 31st, but they probably thought he would be up at the top of the stairs somewhere in a sheet scaring the grandkids, or in some rancid cellar, either way busy as usual on Halloween. Keep Chuggin Mr. Bradbury

[This message has been edited by uncle (edited 04-23-2002).]

Does anyone have the short story examination day by slesar? I can't find it anywhere! everything is out of print.