# Civic Literacy Test - Mentioned in USA Today **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 12, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078 "2008-04-12T21:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/21 "2008-04-12T23:39:38Z")
90%. Not surprising to me, the majority of the questions I missed were from the Economics section. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/22 "2008-04-12T23:44:33Z")
86.67. There were three questions I shoulda stuck with my gut on. Duh. Isn’t that what they always tell you to do on multiple choice? ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/23 "2008-04-13T00:14:05Z")
83.33 % I should have done better, but I didn’t. I say that’s because I’m on beer #3 and pretty happy at the moment. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/24 "2008-04-13T00:18:04Z")
91%. I didn’t think that was so bad. Marc ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/25 "2008-04-13T00:46:29Z")
93.33% - stumbled over some of the philosophy questions (actually flipped two of the philosophers i.e. picked H when it was L and L when it was H) and had the same “oh, darn, do I remember that right?” problem with the last q. as **DesertDog**. I am impressed that the test includes a significant share of economics/national finance questions and sweated some of those a bit (missed one). ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/26 "2008-04-13T01:21:36Z")
[QUOTE=Julius Henry] 88.33%, with 5 of the 7 I got wrong being questions dealing with political philosophy, something I’ll readily admit not knowing beans about. [/QUOTE] Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/27 "2008-04-13T02:10:59Z")
78.33% - I’ve never taken an economics or civics course, and I haven’t taken a history class since my junior year of high school, 13 years ago. ETA: _looks at watch_ _looks at calendar_ Did I just voluntarily take a Civics quiz at 10 o’clock on a Saturday night because I thought it would be fun? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/28 "2008-04-13T03:00:22Z")
78.33%, too. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/29 "2008-04-13T03:25:22Z")
73.33%. Wow, I’m a dumbass. Still above average, though, apparently. I’ve never taken an economics class, and while I did have good American history classes in high school, I’ve spent the past four years studying music and it’s eaten away at the things I used to know. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/30 "2008-04-13T03:32:05Z")
Ok, I hate to admit it but … 66.67%. I have forgotten all that stuff - I graduated high school in 1977. I re-learned a lot of it when the kids were in grade school, from helping call out questions during study time. Guess I suck at retaining civics! It’s sooooo dull to me anyway. A couple of the questions seemed like there wasn’t any right answer. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/31 "2008-04-13T03:36:34Z")
75%, which is surprising because I guessed a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/32 "2008-04-13T03:42:17Z")
88.33%; like **Desertdog** , I coulda sworn we paid more in interest than Social Security, and only know David Hume as the inspiration for Desmond’s last name on LOST. 😃 There’s people who don’t know when Lincoln was elected and what the Monroe Doctrine was? :eek: Heh, I just realized how all us Dopers taking the test is going to skew the April results (upwards, ideally). ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/33 "2008-04-13T03:53:01Z")
50% - but being from Canada and having only taken one year of university, I don’t think it was that bad. Most of my wrong answers came from the questions like ‘what document outlined this policy?’ ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/34 "2008-04-13T04:13:01Z")
I missed three. But I dispute Question #55. In the last 40 years, income inequality has grown and the average real wage has not kept up with inflation for the poor. So, in some sense, the rich have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/35 "2008-04-13T04:18:55Z")
93.33%, about what I expected Answers to Your Missed Questions: Question #29 - E. certain permanent moral and political truths are accessible to human reason. Hmm- kinda got thrown by the “relative” truth Question #36 - D. The authority of a legitimate sovereign. none of the answers really made sense Question #55 - E. increased for the lower and middle classes and increased most for the upper class. Seems like the poor are getting poorer Question #58 - B. An increase in the volume of commercial bank loans. whatever ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/36 "2008-04-13T04:24:26Z")
[QUOTE=Mehitabel] There’s people who don’t know when Lincoln was elected and what the Monroe Doctrine was? :eek: [/QUOTE] In my case I think it’s “people who’ve forgotten when Lincoln was elected”. 😛 And I missed the place where I can see what I got wrong. Poopie. ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/37 "2008-04-13T04:30:22Z")
70%, one of the lowest here but better than I expected. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/38 "2008-04-13T04:54:12Z")
[QUOTE=Annie] 83.33%- eat it, Yankees! 😃 [/QUOTE] Me, too. 50/60. I haven’t been in a Civics Class room in 23 years. Oh, I do have the handicap of being American and all. I confuse Hume and Locke. A lot. Tocqueville I never heard of. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/39 "2008-04-13T04:58:35Z")
86.67%. I mostly bombed on the economic questions, which I know fuck all about. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2008, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/40 "2008-04-13T05:08:00Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] Did I just voluntarily take a Civics quiz at 10 o’clock on a Saturday night because I thought it would be fun? [/QUOTE] I just wondered that (about) myself, then considered it a Doper litmus test / badge of honor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078.md?page=3)