Is testing a necessity in subjects? - the tyranny of testing by Banesh Hoffmann suggests not and I tend to agree. Think Critically

Banesh Hoffman worked and co-wrote a biography of Albert Einstein with Albert Einstein . He was well read and successful.

Below is the first paragraph of his book “The tyranny of testing.” It gives a multiply choice question and asks for the answer.

If you are interested in finding out the answer you can read the chapter here.
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=shpqlwNVyt8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

My title describes what I have thought for many years. I have always felt that testing is an oppressive way to measure a child’s ability to confirm they have an understanding of subject knowledge and intelligence. This is a bold statement and not true in all cases. Testing is a great measure of the individual’s ability to remember information facts and figures. However over time I have come to believe that testing sometimes stifles the confidence and discourages future further learning and self-development. It leaks into the child’s subconscious and long-term memory, which is carried in to adulthood. The child that failed tests becomes an adult that is profoundly negatively affected and who just gives up on studies or learning. Their confidence to study and develop an inquiring mind is seemingly permanently damaged, all because of some silly tests.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand doctors, engineers and scientists need to be tested to confirm their skills but it should not be one dimensional. Also assignments are poor substitutes, as most students can produce the assignment from data collected from a quick search on the internet (that’s what I do). I think the best learning is the freedom and confidence to be wrong, to make mistakes (creative suffering as MLK said). As adults we should never berate or scold a child for being wrong or failing. We should reinforce the idea that being wrong and failing is the twin imposter’s on the path to understanding and self-fulfilment and development and eventually being right.