A Test Before Trying/References
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Cultural references
- The episode's title is a reference to the 1956 film A Kiss Before Dying.
- During the episode's couch gag, the song "Battlefield: Milky Way" by Italian composer Enrico Cacace is heard.
- Mr. Burns' team of economists consisted of Keynesian and Austrian-style economists.
- The Simpsons own a William Devane's Divine De-Veiner and a All-Steel No-Peel Shrimp Deal, a reference to American actors William Devane and Ron Popeil, respectively.
- Edna uses a potato battery to play a film at Springfield Elementary School.
- The music heard while the students are taking the test is the main theme from the film Halloween by John Carpenter.
The Arkham Elementary School for the Criminally Insane is a reference to Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane from the DC Comics Universe
- Nelson was being sent to the Arkham Elementary School for the Criminally Insane, a reference to the Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane from the Batman comics. The bus driver is the Joker, who frequently gets committed to Arkham.
- The music heard while the clowns are getting out of the clown car is the famous David Bowie song "Changes".
- Captain McCallister's boat Arrr. M. S. Titanic is a pun on the RMS Titanic where the prefix RMS stands for Royal Mail Ship and Arrr is associated with when a pirate's answer is an excited yes.
- In Bart's nightmare of what would happen if the school closed, Popeye is seen farming the spinach farm that used to be the school.
- Chief Wiggum calls Homer "Jack Nickel-scum", a pun on actor Jack Nicholson's name.
- There is an article comparing Faber-Castell's pencils to Dixon Ticonderoga's on the Modern Proctor magazine Jennifer Clarkeson is reading.
- The bug travels around the globe to the sound of the theme from Superman, composed by John Williams.
- When Bart passes the test, he thanks the bug by saying "That'll do, bug", a reference to the phrase "That'll do, pig" in Babe.
- The Skinner's house resembles the Bates' house from Psycho.
- The episode is dedicated to Huell Howser.
Trivia
Goofs
- Chief Wiggum's skin color is brown instead of yellow, also his hair is black instead of blue.
- Bart's test score raised the entire score of the school by 1, so technically, since the school was judged the worst in the state, it would still make Springfield Elementary the worst school in the state, but tied with the second-worst, presumably Wilson Elementary, which was set to be destroyed. So, neither school would have been destroyed and more standardized testing should have been done.
- When Sherri and Terri find out they are being put in different buses for different schools, they change from the way they are to resemble old people, Twins Sherri and Terri becomes wrinkled.
