Johnny always believed he could talk his way out of trouble. But one day, after a history test, his teacher, Mr. Johnson, called him to his desk with a serious expression. Johnny immediately suspected something was wrong, but he never imagined the conversation would expose his biggest mistake. “Johnny, I think you copied answers from Mary’s paper,” Mr. Johnson said. Johnny looked offended. “That’s a serious accusation! If you think I cheated, you’d better have proof,” he replied confidently, believing he could easily defend himself.

Mr. Johnson calmly pointed to the first question. “Who was the first president of the United States?” Mary had written George Washington, and Johnny had written exactly the same answer. Johnny shrugged. “Everyone knows that! Just because our answers match doesn’t mean I cheated.” The teacher nodded and moved to the second question. “Who freed the slaves in America?” Once again, both students had written Abraham Lincoln. Johnny smiled triumphantly. “I studied my history book last night. Is it really surprising that I knew the answer?” He thought he had won the argument.

However, Mr. Johnson wasn’t finished. He turned to the final question and looked directly at Johnny. “Who was president during the Louisiana Purchase?” Johnny suddenly became uncomfortable, sensing that his teacher had something else in mind. Mr. Johnson showed him Mary’s answer. Instead of naming a president, she had written four simple words: “I don’t know.” Johnny stared at the paper, realizing too late that this question would be much harder to explain away.

Then Mr. Johnson placed Johnny’s test beside Mary’s. Under the same question, Johnny had written: “Me neither.” For the first time, Johnny had absolutely nothing to say. His own answer had revealed exactly what he had been trying so desperately to deny. Mr. Johnson raised an eyebrow while Johnny stood silently, his confidence completely gone. The teacher didn’t need another accusation or explanation. Johnny had supplied the evidence himself. Sometimes, the biggest mistake isn’t copying someone’s answer—it’s forgetting that the answer might make absolutely no sense on your own paper.READ MORE BELOW