Excerpt from my Russian workbook

This is a real assignment. For reference, Kevin is the fictitious American exchange student in the textbook's obligatory accompanying soap opera DVD.

"When Kevin can't sleep, he thinks of a Russian noun and combines it with an adjective. He says it works wonders! Do you want to try his method? If you are not asleep by the end of the exercise, think of another dozen Russian nouns and combine them with the following adjectives!"

Excuse me, I'm trying to do my homework, not fall asleep! Yes, anyone who has learned a second language knows that endlessly conjugating verbs and declining nouns is one of the most boring things in the world. But gleefully informing us that the exercise is going to be so boring that we'll probably fall asleep, and then telling us to do it over again if we're not--well, that's rubbing salt in the wound, and then sprinkling some lemon juice on it for good measure. Sheesh.