A high school teacher passed out a pop quiz to his students. "This test," he said, "shouldn't take you very long. Please read all the questions all the way through before you begin, then when you are finished, raise your hand so I can pick up your test."

The students began. The test was two pages, triple spaced, with adequate room to write the answers beneath the questions. The questions dealt with true-false statements, some punctuation and grammar problems and some rudimentary math questions.

A minute or so into the exam, a hand shot up. Then another. A few seconds later, several more hands went up, then a few more until more than half the class members had raised their hands. Those students who still had not completed the assignment were perplexed. How could their classmates have done the work so quickly? There were more than 30 questions to complete. As time passed and more hands rose, so also did the snickers and laughter in the classroom.

The penultimate question on the exam read: Once you have reached this point, put your name at the top of the test, complete only question one and raise your hand.

The last question: Count how many of your classmates did not follow the instruction to read all the questions first before completing the assignment.

The teacher was testing his students on their ability to follow directions — not on their grammar and math skills.

Too often in life we are quick to jump to conclusions when we haven't really been asked the question. We see a mountain of problems waiting for solutions, but what really needs to be done is not to tackle the mundane but to understand the nature of the test.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, "Sometimes in our day, as we walk our narrow paths and fill our little niches of responsibility, we lose sight of the grand picture. When I was a small boy, draft horses were common. An important part of the harness was the bridle. On the bridle were blinders, on each side. They were so placed that the horse could see only straight ahead . . . some of us do our work as if we had blinders on our eyes. We see only our own little narrow track. We catch nothing of the broader vision . . . .

"Keep before you the big picture, for this cause is as large as all mankind and as broad as eternity. This is the Church and kingdom of God. It requires the strength, the loyalty, the faith of all if it is to roll forward to bless the lives of our Father's children over the earth . . . (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 431).

The Lord said, "And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins. For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived — verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day" (Doctrine and Covenants 45: 56-57).

Like the students with pencils poised to take the exam, we should follow our leaders' guidance and strive to complete the task at hand and in the manner prescribed.

President Spencer W. Kimball said, "The cultivation of Christlike qualities is a demanding and relentless task — it is not for the seasonal worker or for those who will not stretch themselves, again and again" (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 167).