The Adventures of Professor Oliver and the Principle of Uniformitarianism

Professor Oliver read the student's answer. The student had not deigned to fill in any of the blanks; instead, he had opted to scrawl the phrase "THE PRESENT IS THE KEY TO THE PAST" repeatedly, haphazardly, and in big bloody letters across the page. Hnph! Professor Oliver snorted, evidently unimpressed. Nevertheless, he relented and gave the student one point for sympathy.