Heh I like to see people taking the homework seriously! You’re right @blacksheep80: The assignment was to stop shy of edit mode and simply practice (a) navigating the viewport and (b) manipulating objects (in object mode, i.e. translate/rotate/scale).
But I’m not criticizing anyone for going into edit mode since it must mean they’re comfortable with (a) and (b). Rest assured that you’ve followed the directions better. 👍