The Smart School

I dreamed that I was a student at some kind of prestigious school for geniuses (I don't know how), and every morning before class, I had to go into this small room with a large machine that took up about half of it. I had to sit in front of the machine, lean forward so that most of my torso was in it, and answer questions while the machine slowly closed in to squish me. Each day it got harder and more terrifying than the last. The last question I recall being asked was my favorite kind of pasta. The walls were closing in on me, and I was scared for my life, so I just quickly answered "Rigatoni" and the machine stopped and let me live another day.
I have no idea what this machine was or why I had to risk losing my life to it every morning before school, but it was pretty scary.