The whole job of a fictional writer is to take something that is not true and make their readers believe it. The setting of a story can either make or brake the plausibility of that situation which the author depicts to his readers. If the setting is too outrageous or incorrect then no one is going to believe his tale. Writers of Science Fiction probably have the hardest time because they"re trying to take something so unbelievable and make you believe it. In order to do this, most science fiction is set in the future, and most likely the distant future. People find it easier to believe something could happen 50 years from now because no one knows what the future may hold. In the story "Examination Day" Henry Slesar uses the lack of a setting to make his story more conceivable. .
The setting for "Examination Day" is never actually stated, leaving us to create our own. A number of stories have settings that may seem logical to some, but not to others. By not stating where or when this story actually takes place, Slesar, allows the readers to fill in the holes themselves. Since each individual thinks differently, this is perfect because everyone who reads it will take the story and create their own situation. Some may think the setting is in the present United States as a kind of conspiracy the government has in order to keep control. Others probably think the setting is set in the future as a way of life the government is leading us into. Whatever it is, the individual will automatically assume the setting that makes most sense to them.
The setting is a very important part of this particular story. Most of the time science fiction stories take place in the future, but readers could almost see this story as set in the present. A person could argue that children take government tests all the time to see how smart they are. I remember in Elementary School taking several days during the school year to take tests that we never actually got a "grade" for.