Lisa Gets an A

Lisa Simpson (voice of Yeardley Smith) develops a bad cold and has to stay home from school; without much to do, her mother Marge (voice of Julie Kavner) wheels a television and a videogame setup into her room which to her brother Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright). While Lisa is resistant to the game at first, she becomes a master of "Dash Dingo," and by the time she returns to school, for once in her life she's behind on her homework and unprepared for a test. Lisa postpones the test by pretending to fall ill again, and Bart offers to help her by introducing her to his friend Nelson (also voiced by Cartwright), who can provide her the answers for the test -- for a price. Against her better judgment, Lisa buys the answers and ends up getting an A+ on the test. While this isn't anything new for Springfield's youngest intellectual, Lisa is a bit embarrassed by the fuss over her grade, especially when it kicks Springfield Elementary's grade average into a higher category, making the school eligible for increased funding. Lisa is torn -- should the school profit from her ethical lapse, or should she tell the truth? Meanwhile, Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta) has a taste for shellfish, and buys a small lobster in order to fatten him up for a proper feast. However, once Homer names the crustacean "Mr. Pinchy," he no longer has the heart to eat it, and makes the lobster into his pet. "Lisa Gets An 'A'" first aired on November 22, 1998.