diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/responsetypes.py b/common/lib/capa/capa/responsetypes.py
index 319ac2b26d..10f90b0372 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/responsetypes.py
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/responsetypes.py
@@ -917,7 +917,7 @@ class NumericalResponse(LoncapaResponse):
 
     # TODO: add check_hint_condition(self, hxml_set, student_answers)
 
-    def answer_compare(self, a, b):
+    def compare_answer(self, a, b):
         """
         Outside-facing function that lets us compare two numerical answers,
         with this problem's tolerance.
@@ -1870,6 +1870,11 @@ class FormulaResponse(LoncapaResponse):
         return out
 
     def check_formula(self, expected, given, samples):
+        """
+        Given an expected answer string, a given (student-produced) answer
+        string, and a samples string, return whether the given answer is
+        "correct" or "incorrect".
+        """
         var_dict_list = self.randomize_variables(samples)
         student_result = self.hash_answers(given, var_dict_list)
         instructor_result = self.hash_answers(expected, var_dict_list)
@@ -1879,7 +1884,7 @@ class FormulaResponse(LoncapaResponse):
                 return "incorrect"
         return "correct"
 
-    def answer_compare(self, a, b):
+    def compare_answer(self, a, b):
         """
         An external interface for comparing whether a and b are equal.
         """
diff --git a/common/lib/capa/capa/tests/test_responsetypes.py b/common/lib/capa/capa/tests/test_responsetypes.py
index 7b9c302591..84c52669ea 100644
--- a/common/lib/capa/capa/tests/test_responsetypes.py
+++ b/common/lib/capa/capa/tests/test_responsetypes.py
@@ -929,12 +929,12 @@ class NumericalResponseTest(ResponseTest):
                 with self.assertRaisesRegexp(StudentInputError, msg_regex):
                     problem.grade_answers({'1_2_1': 'foobar'})
 
-    def test_answer_compare(self):
+    def test_compare_answer(self):
         """Tests the answer compare function."""
         problem = self.build_problem(answer="42")
         responder = problem.responders.values()[0]
-        self.assertTrue(responder.answer_compare('48', '8*6'))
-        self.assertFalse(responder.answer_compare('48', '9*5'))
+        self.assertTrue(responder.compare_answer('48', '8*6'))
+        self.assertFalse(responder.compare_answer('48', '9*5'))
 
     def test_validate_answer(self):
         """Tests the answer validation function."""
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/crowdsource_hinter.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/crowdsource_hinter.py
index 20a41dad06..d46e862241 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/crowdsource_hinter.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/crowdsource_hinter.py
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ from xblock.core import Scope, String, Integer, Boolean, Dict, List
 
 from capa.responsetypes import FormulaResponse
 
-from calc import UndefinedVariable
-
 from django.utils.html import escape
 
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -84,10 +82,10 @@ class CrowdsourceHinterModule(CrowdsourceHinterFields, XModule):
             self.answer_to_str = self.formula_answer_to_str
         else:
             self.answer_to_str = self.numerical_answer_to_str
-        # answer_compare is expected to return whether its two inputs are close enough
+        # compare_answer is expected to return whether its two inputs are close enough
         # to be equal, or raise a StudentInputError if one of the inputs is malformatted.
         try:
-            self.answer_compare = responder.answer_compare
+            self.compare_answer = responder.compare_answer
             self.validate_answer = responder.validate_answer
         except AttributeError:
             # This response type is not supported!
@@ -144,7 +142,7 @@ class CrowdsourceHinterModule(CrowdsourceHinterFields, XModule):
         Look in self.hints, and find all answer keys that are "equal with tolerance"
         to the input answer.
         """
-        return [key for key in self.hints if self.answer_compare(key, answer)]
+        return [key for key in self.hints if self.compare_answer(key, answer)]
 
     def handle_ajax(self, dispatch, data):
         """
@@ -182,6 +180,7 @@ class CrowdsourceHinterModule(CrowdsourceHinterFields, XModule):
             - 'rand_hint_1' and 'rand_hint_2' are two random hints to the answer in `data`.
             - 'answer' is the parsed answer that was submitted.
         """
+        # First, validate our inputs.
         try:
             answer = self.answer_to_str(data)
         except (ValueError, AttributeError):
@@ -194,7 +193,8 @@ class CrowdsourceHinterModule(CrowdsourceHinterFields, XModule):
             return
         if answer not in self.user_submissions:
             self.user_submissions += [answer]
-        # Look for a hint to give.
+
+        # Next, find all of the hints that could possibly go with this answer.
         # Make a local copy of self.hints - this means we only need to do one json unpacking.
         # (This is because xblocks storage makes the following command a deep copy.)
         local_hints = self.hints
@@ -209,6 +209,8 @@ class CrowdsourceHinterModule(CrowdsourceHinterFields, XModule):
                 temp_dict[key] = value + [matching_answer]
             matching_hints.update(local_hints[matching_answer])
         # matching_hints now maps pk's to lists of [hint, votes, matching_answer]
+
+        # Finally, randomly choose a subset of matching_hints to actually show.
         if len(matching_hints) == 0:
             # No hints to give.  Return.
             return
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/crowdsource_hinter/display.coffee b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/crowdsource_hinter/display.coffee
index db7ccfaba0..d973f9a564 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/crowdsource_hinter/display.coffee
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/js/src/crowdsource_hinter/display.coffee
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ class @Hinter
     return string.replace(/[!"#$%&'()*+,.\/:;<=>?@\[\\\]^`{|}~]/g, '\\$&')
 
   bind: =>
-    window.update_schematics()
     @$('input.vote').click @vote
     @$('input.submit-hint').click @submit_hint
     @$('.custom-hint').click @clear_default_text
diff --git a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_crowdsource_hinter.py b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_crowdsource_hinter.py
index efb9874401..d28d2ee06b 100644
--- a/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_crowdsource_hinter.py
+++ b/common/lib/xmodule/xmodule/tests/test_crowdsource_hinter.py
@@ -120,10 +120,10 @@ class CHModuleFactory(object):
                 return False
         responder.validate_answer = validate_answer
 
-        def answer_compare(a, b):
+        def compare_answer(a, b):
             """ A fake answer comparer """
             return a == b
-        responder.answer_compare = answer_compare
+        responder.compare_answer = compare_answer
 
         capa_module.lcp.responders = {'responder0': responder}
         capa_module.displayable_items = lambda: [capa_module]
@@ -359,9 +359,10 @@ class CrowdsourceHinterTest(unittest.TestCase):
         Someone has gotten the problem correct on the first try.
         Output should be empty.
         """
-        mock_module = CHModuleFactory.create(previous_answers=[])
+        mock_module = CHModuleFactory.create(previous_answers=[], user_submissions=[])
         json_in = {'problem_name': '42.5'}
         out = mock_module.get_feedback(json_in)
+        print out
         self.assertTrue(out is None)
 
     def test_getfeedback_1wronganswer_nohints(self):
diff --git a/common/templates/hinter_display.html b/common/templates/hinter_display.html
index 4050824c5b..d8b020c0f6 100644
--- a/common/templates/hinter_display.html
+++ b/common/templates/hinter_display.html
@@ -15,12 +15,12 @@
 
 <%def name="get_feedback()">
     <%
-    def unspace(string):
+    def unspace(in_str):
         """
         HTML id's can't have spaces in them.  This little function
         removes spaces.
         """
-        return ''.join(string.split())
+        return ''.join(in_str.split())
 
     # Make a list of all hints shown.  (This is fed back to the site as pk_list.)
     # At the same time, determine whether any hints were shown at all.