sounds to me like a couple of things have gone wrong here.
1/. A severe lack of quality, basic, instruction.
2/. No student notes kept for the instructors to refer to.
3/. Hour building instructors who just don't give a s**t maybe?
4/. Poor management by the CFI
Change schools and get what you're paying for! Don't accept second rate instruction.
Having read through this post twice now I get the feeling it's a wind-up but in reality, this kind of thing does go on. For people learning to fly, the instructor has to remember what he /she was like when first learning to fly. The instructor was right, whatever he said. At least that's what we all thought because we didn't know any different.
Get the exams done sooner rather than later.
Ask questions. Ask any other students. Do your homework or one day, the lightning might be real and the outcome not so pleasant.