Q: What do people mean when they us the phrase "speak truth to power"?

JACK WALDROP, Peachtree City

A: "Speak truth to power" most often means to tell powerful people things they don't want to hear. It has come to have significance among Americans who believe national leaders have ignored their interests.

Former U.S. representative and potential Green Party presidential nominee Cynthia McKinney frequently called her controversial rebukes of national leadership "speaking truth to power."

The first modern use of the phrase is attributed to a 1955 pamphlet published by the Religious Society of Friends or the Quakers. Titled "Speak Truth to Power: A Quaker Search for an Alternative to Violence," the pamphlet proposed a new approach to the Cold War. The phrase was taken from a charge given to 18th-century Friends to bear witness before their leaders to the terrible consequences of war.

Q: Do home-schooled students have to take any of the standardized tests required of other students?

JOAN DEMER, Stone Mountain

A: Home-schooled students must take national standardized tests every three years beginning at the end of third grade, administered in consultation with a person trained to interpret the tests. Test records must be retained. Home-schooling parents also must file a declaration of intent with the local school system, have at least a high school diploma or GED, teach core courses, provide the equivalent of 4 1/2 hours of daily instruction over 180 days, and file monthly attendance and annual progress reports.

Researchers Joni Zeccola and Sharon Gaus wrote this column.

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