diff --git a/git-pre-commit b/git-pre-commit
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5dafa9f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/git-pre-commit
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/usr/bin/bash
+#
+# purpose: script to run prior to git commit
+
+VERSION=1.0
+
+function ask()
+{
+    echo -n "$@" '(y/[N]) ' ; read ans </dev/tty
+    case "$ans" in
+        y*|Y*) return 0 ;;
+        *) return 1 ;;
+    esac
+}
+
+if ! ask "Version numbers updated?"
+    then exit 1
+fi
+
diff --git a/topics/about_asserts.js b/topics/about_asserts.js
index baf7fc75..a2146770 100644
--- a/topics/about_asserts.js
+++ b/topics/about_asserts.js
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@
 module("About Asserts (topics/about_asserts.js)");
 
 test("ok", function() {
-    ok(__ === true, 'what will satisfy the ok assertion?');
+    ok(true === true, 'what will satisfy the ok assertion?');
 });
 
 test("not ok", function() {
-    ok(__ === false, 'what is a false value?');
+    ok(false === false, 'what is a false value?');
 });
 
 test("equal", function() {
-    equal(__, 1 + 1, 'what will satisfy the equal assertion?');
+    equal(2, 1 + 1, 'what will satisfy the equal assertion?');
 });
diff --git a/topics/about_operators.js b/topics/about_operators.js
index 9859900b..2539dd14 100644
--- a/topics/about_operators.js
+++ b/topics/about_operators.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ test("addition", function() {
   for (var i = 0; i <= 5; i++) {
     result = result + i;
   }
-  equal(__, result, "What is the value of result?");
+  equal(15, result, "What is the value of result?");
 });
 
 test("assignment addition", function() {