Johnny was convinced he could explain his way out of any trouble. But when his history teacher, Mr. Johnson, called him to his desk after an exam, things took an unexpected turn. The teacher suspected Johnny had copied answers from Mary, the student sitting next to him. Johnny immediately protested, insisting that he had done nothing wrong and demanding to see the evidence.

Mr. Johnson 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 and argued that it was common knowledge. Then came the second question: Who freed the slaves? Both students had answered Abraham Lincoln. Johnny confidently explained that he had studied his history book the previous evening.

However, Mr. Johnson still had one more question to discuss. He showed Johnny the question asking who was president during the Louisiana Purchase. This time, Mary had written something very different from the previous answers. Her response was simply, “I don’t know.” Johnny seemed relieved, believing there was nothing suspicious about that answer.

Then Mr. Johnson pointed to Johnny’s response beneath the same question. Written in bold confidence were three little words: “Me neither.” Johnny suddenly had nothing left to say. His teacher didn’t need any further evidence—the final answer had exposed everything!