Friendship Puzzler #433: Your friend asks to copy your answers on a homework assignment. You should say:

  1. “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck would chuck wood?”
  2. “Uhmmm… I guess so.”
  3. “How dare you ask, you furry eggplant!”
  4. “No, I’m not comfortable doing that.”
  5. “I don’t want you to copy my work, but I can explain how to do it, if that would help.”

Answer: d or e — Unless your teacher has given you permission to work together, sharing or copying answers is cheating. Don’t let yourself get talked into doing something that you know isn’t right, even by a friend! You can say no without being mean. You may have to say no more than once if your friend keeps asking. In some situations, you may be able to help your friend without cheating, by explaining how to do the work.