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That rule is actually in every good set of rules I have ever seen. A lot of people read too much into it. All it means if if you are playing the board, make it clear you are playing the board, and throw your hand away because you don't know you have to show you still get your money. What it does not allow is for an experienced player to say "play the board" and muck his cards to keep from showing them.

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So when this happens, if a floor is called the floor should give the player a mini quiz to determine the mental state of the player who mucked?

I can understand not wanting to penalize the ignorant player here. It seems intuitive (to a non-experienced player) that you wouldn't need to show your cards at a showdown when you play the board. But I think it needs to be either/or, not conditional based on the skill level/knowledge of the offending player.

The rule, as you stated it, seems pretty problematic.

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IN practice it isn't. Basically if someone says "screw you, I'm not showing, I'm playing the board" and forces his cards into the muck he isn't getting any of the pot. When a player says he is playing the board he knows his hand and is making a claim for the pot, the dealer should keep him from mucking his hand.

There are two principles here that need to be reconciled so anyway you write it will look funny. (1) You have to show your hand to win the pot. (2) You should never lose a pot based on a misunderstanding. People have put that little line in the rules to try to bring these together and protect a player that is unfamiliar with casino poker.