# Can you pass the third Grade? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 30, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135 "2007-03-30T17:21:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/41 "2007-03-30T22:48:28Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] Maybe because the UP is secretly Lower Canada, or something. [/QUOTE] No, Lower Canada is Quebec. (You’ve gotta know Canadian history to get that one. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2007, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/42 "2007-03-30T22:58:45Z")
[QUOTE=MGibson] Failed, not because I didn’t know the states, but because I couldn’t click and drag them to the states in the allotted time. Marc [/QUOTE] I tried it twice, and I had that problem the first time. I was about four states away the first time, and the second time, I managed to just barely finish before I ran out of time. Maybe I’m just slow at placing the names on the map. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/43 "2007-03-31T04:44:43Z")
The first time I did it I got 8 or something. I’m not American so I never had to learn them. I’m embarassed to say that I just played it over and over til I could do them all. I learned all but 4 and they were all those stupid square ones (no offense intended to any Stupid Squareians.) When I was in highschool it was a fun game just to try to name all the states, that’s how ignorant I am of US states. ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/44 "2007-03-31T05:09:52Z")
I don’t have any problems with Vermont/NH or the square states, but I confused Delaware/Rhode Island/Connecticut. I _think_ I got them straight now, though. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/45 "2007-03-31T05:56:21Z")
I failed. Got New England in a flash and most of the border states. Everything else screwed me up royally. Who knew Pennsylvania was so high up there! ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/46 "2007-03-31T08:20:20Z")
I got it, but I cheated. I’ve traveled out West so I know all that, and I come from the East Coast so I know most of that. My problems were with the Midwest and also a little bit with New England. Also, I wasn’t sure about Mississippi vs Alabama. The thing is, it doesn’t penalize you for a wrong answer, so you can just do what you know and then do trial and error from there. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/47 "2007-03-31T08:45:36Z")
Passed with about 1/3 of the clock left, but I still almost didn’t amke it because I kept missing Delaware. I was dragging and clicking like nuts but I kept getting zoinked! I had a mini-panic attack and thought I’d be held back from the fourth grade on a technicality! ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/48 "2007-03-31T10:00:45Z")
43/48 on the first try. The Great Plains states tend to confuse me. Perfect with time to spare on the second try. Go me! ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/49 "2007-03-31T10:39:51Z")
31/48 I’m on the short bus, but I think I did orrite from the other side of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/50 "2007-03-31T10:56:17Z")
I could do better placing European countries than US states. 10/48 (And yes, I am an American. I just don’t particularly care about how to divide up a country.) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/51 "2007-03-31T13:50:20Z")
[QUOTE=LunaV] I failed. Got New England in a flash and most of the border states. Everything else screwed me up royally. Who knew Pennsylvania was so high up there! [/QUOTE] I did. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/52 "2007-03-31T14:02:00Z")
I failed–not through lack of geography knowledge, but due to carelessness about state placement, odd things like not being able to place Michigan on the UP, and working too quickly–pick up Kansas, think “first I put Kansas over there, then Kentucky over here” bzzt! oopsie, Kansas was on top of Kentucky. ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/53 "2007-03-31T18:35:12Z")
[QUOTE=USCDiver] Hey! You don’t get credit for Michigan if you put it on the Upper Peninsula! Even if you put it on the mitten, the UP doesn’t light up! Pfft! [/QUOTE] As a native Yooper, I boycotted the test from this point on. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/54 "2007-03-31T18:56:59Z")
I got it right on the second try, but only because I couldn’t get Delaware in its proper place in time on the first try. Besides, I know damn well where it is, and I don’t need some Flash game to teach me that! > [@](#): > > Me: I hate Delaware! > Airman: What did Delaware ever do to you? 😃 Robin ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/55 "2007-03-31T19:28:32Z")
Bricker Jr is five and a half, and in kindergarten. He got 'em all. ---
**Author:** ![blinkingblinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@blinkingblinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blinkingblinking)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/56 "2007-03-31T19:32:17Z")
I got 15/48. Is that good for a New Zealander? Do they really test this in 3rd grade in the USA? ---
**Author:** ![CaerieD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@CaerieD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaerieD)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/57 "2007-03-31T19:44:03Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] I got 15/48. Is that good for a New Zealander? Do they really test this in 3rd grade in the USA? [/QUOTE] I have no recollection of any test along these lines when I was in the third grade. I seem to recall having to list the different states and their capitols later in primary school, but that’s a bit different than labeling a map. So, at least in the late 1980s in southern Nevada, it wasn’t the standard. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/58 "2007-03-31T20:34:30Z")
[QUOTE=blinkingblinking] I got 15/48. Is that good for a New Zealander? [/quote] Outstanding. God bless you for giving it a go. Me, I got 48/48, in about 2/3 of the time alloted. I would have been quicker, but I had to use a laptop touchpad instead of a mouse. > [@](#): > > Do they really test this in 3rd grade in the USA? In our school system (Wisconsin, 1970s) we had to learn all 50 states and their capital cities — but that was in the 5th grade, around age 10, not the 3rd. We also had to learn the nations of the world, though not their capitals. Of course that was before the breakups of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, so the task was easier than it would be now. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/59 "2007-03-31T20:36:05Z")
I had trouble with Delaware too, and I always reverse Mississippi and Alabama. Doesn’t anyone else do that? Especially if you’ve never traveled in the south? Heck, if I took the test again right now, I’d probably reverse them again. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135/60 "2007-03-31T22:02:52Z")
The only way I can get Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia right is by remembering that they’re right next to each other, and their first letters form the word MAG. And then of course there’s the little man facing east in the middle of the map. Minnesota is his hat, Iowa is his head, Missouri is his shirt, Arkansas is his pants (his fly’s undone), and Louisiana is his raggedy old boots. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-pass-the-third-grade/398135.md?page=4)