The problem with chemical education today is not merely that the students are inattentive, that our instructors are incompetent, or that the subject is intrinsically difficult. I believe the problem is that the fundamentals of the subject are not imparted. As students emerge from the basic courses in chemistry, despite exposure to a range of specific topics, they are commonly unclear on the basic ideas and how they might apply to more advanced topics. In this contribution, I describe a first-day quiz for students in an advanced chemistry class, presented to them ostensibly as a test of basic knowledge. While this approach is not unprecedented, it is apparently rare, as it comes as a surprise to those colleagues I have discussed it with. The important objective of the exercise is to allow students to realize what they don't know about fundamental chemistry, which I have found makes them more receptive to chemical education.
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