Ernie, Edith and Eggbert are all good eggs. They have been cleaned and oiled. Now it’s time for their grade inspection. They’ve stood in front of a candler, an intense beam of light, to determine their characteristics.

Before the grader arrives, can you use this chart of grading criteria and the clues below to help them discover their grades?

 

GRADING CRITERIA	AA	A	B
SHELL	Unbroken Practically normal oval shape Smooth texture Clean	Unbroken Practically normal oval shape Smooth texture Clean	Unbroken Irregular shape Bumps, ridges, thin spots or rough areas Clean, but slightly stained
WHITE	Covers small area Firm Much thick white Small amount of thin white	Covers moderate area Reasonably firm Considerable amount of thick white Medium amount of thin white	Covers wide area Weak, watery white Thinly spread white Large amount of thin white
YOLK	Round Upstanding	Round Upstanding	Enlarged Flattened
AIR CELL	1/8 inch or less deep	3/16 inch or less deep	Greater than 3/16 inch deep

1. Ernie is proud of his clean, unbroken shell and feels that he has very much thick white inside.

2. Edith thinks her yolk is round and upstanding. She knows her shell is clean and her shape is normally oval, but she’s afraid she hasn’t got as much thick white as Ernie.

3. Eggbert knows that his shell, too, is unbroken, but he has a somewhat unusual shape and thinks that his yolk is quite large.