In high school we took an example of a literacy test that was completely different. It asked questions about the contents of the constitution. For example, one question was the exact date that the new Congress starts. No one, even in AP US History, would have been able to vote.<p>Of course, the real problem with the tests were the grandfather clauses ("If your grandfather voted, you automatically qualify"), white people administering the tests, and pure intimidation if you tried to vote.
Most of these seem perfectly fine as excessively pedantic reading tests to me. Remove 29, give a longer time limit, and this makes a perfectly good test to use in a school scenario (where getting 100% or not doesn't make a difference to your civil liberties).<p>From the description I was expecting awful impossible questions, not silly puzzles and a single question that looks to have been transcribed incorrectly.
It does make you wonder why the state didn't have prospective voters prove that they could pat their heads while rubbing their abdomens. It does remind me of a test I had in 6th Grade, the first instruction of which was "1. Read all instructions before proceeding with the test.", and the last "n. Put down your pencil, fold your hands, and wait for the test to be collected.