# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/101 "2008-04-14T23:43:41Z")
Ummm…100% here. I will freely admit that three of my answers were pretty much SWAGs that I got right. ---
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2008, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/102 "2008-04-14T23:55:26Z")
Crap. 70%. My excuse is that I never took a history, civics, or econ class in my life. Everything I know about those topics, I’ve learned here on the Dope. You guys must be doing a piss-poor job of teaching me if I only got 70%!\* 😉 \*For the humor impaired, I know I have only myself to blame for not knowing more. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/103 "2008-04-15T00:07:14Z")
95%. The ones I missed were #23, #58, and #60. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/104 "2008-04-15T00:44:28Z")
I got more right than I got wrong. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/105 "2008-04-15T02:50:33Z")
44 out of 60. 73.33% I would like to say that I bombed one particular area but in reality, my ignorance spans a great many topics. I graduated high school in 1996, and I’m a part time engineering student now. I really should have done better. I think I’ll take a history course this summer to make up for my poor showing. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/106 "2008-04-15T07:24:45Z")
> [@](#): > > You answered 43 out of 60 correctly — 71.67 % In my defense, civics bores the hell out of me. I really honestly could care less when Jamestown was founded, etc. How about something practical? ---
**Author:** ![twopiecesofeight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5e9695/32.png) [@twopiecesofeight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twopiecesofeight)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/107 "2008-04-15T16:23:59Z")
46 out of 60 = 76.67% That works out to a C+. At least that’s a passing grade. Take that, Harvard. 🙂 (Says the guy who went to a State Uni.) ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/108 "2008-04-15T17:05:37Z")
93.33%… Not bad for an old fart who hasn’t had a Civics class in the last 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/109 "2008-04-15T17:21:19Z")
I got a 90. I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean, S-M-A-R-T! ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/110 "2008-04-15T17:29:58Z")
[QUOTE=Ponch8] I got a 90. I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean, S-M-A-R-T! [/QUOTE] “Smrt” means “death” in Czech. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/111 "2008-04-16T23:50:18Z")
70%. In your face, Plato! I’ll join the dumbass bench, and would like to say that my eyes glaze over whenever I see dates, but that I instantly knew when Lincoln was elected from watching _Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure_! ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/112 "2008-04-20T18:00:41Z")
“You answered 49 out of 60 correctly — 81.67 %” I’m amazed. The finer aspects of politics and history have never been my strong point. I guessed a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/113 "2008-04-20T18:52:53Z")
90% I missed just war also, and who the heck is Alexis de Tocqueville? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/114 "2008-04-20T19:59:31Z")
[QUOTE=Vox Imperatoris] I missed just war also, and who the heck is Alexis de Tocqueville? [/QUOTE] Short answer: A European historian and philosopher, who wrote perhaps the first _positive_ description of life in the Americas. Rather than condemning the society for not being carbon copies of European societies. Long answer, take a look a [this Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Tocqueville). ETA: Longest answer: Read Democracy in American, available [here](http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/home.html). I’ve found it to be one of the more readable works from that time frame. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/115 "2008-04-20T23:25:25Z")
You answered 60 out of 60 correctly — 100.00 % Average score for this quiz during April: 66.7% Average score since September 18, 2007: 66.7% One unexpected advantage was that I read several posts before I took the test. While people were kind enough not to post the answer, just knowing which problems were hard turned out to be an advantage. I would read a question and think, that is one that stumped people-better stop and think about this one. Nevertheless, I didn’t find the test that hard. Nothing like graduating from High School in Iowa in 1893-has anyone seen that test? It is circulating on the internet-I’m an oceanographer and had to read the question about the Gulf Stream carefully to get the correct answer. This is a test to graduate from high school in Iowa and they needed to know how the Gulf Stream works. That was a challenging test. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/116 "2008-04-21T01:08:20Z")
46 out of 60 — 76.67 % Now I feel a bit inferior (to Dopers at least), but not so much to Harvard grads. I’m actually quite proud to be rubbing virtual elbows with the likes of you folks. Although now I figure I should just shut up and stick to MPSIMS. ☹ That being said in my particular demographic, I think I did respectably well: Highest academic achievement, high school; personal annual income, \<$24,999 (hopefully this is just temporary, of course). Oh, and for statistical comparison, I graduated high school in 1988. Is there a bench then for average achievers? ETA here’s what I missed: > [@](#): > > Question #1 - D. 1601-1700 > Question #3 - C. Indirect democracy > Question #10 - E. slavery and its expansion. > Question #13 - B. the nature and control of Reconstruction. > Question #19 - C. philosopher kings. > Question #23 - B. Marbury v. Madison. > Question #34 - B. President Washington’s Farewell Address. > Question #35 - A. discouraged new colonies in the Western hemisphere. > Question #36 - D. The authority of a legitimate sovereign. > Question #37 - C. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. > Question #53 - B. a resident can benefit from it without directly paying for it. > Question #54 - D. can be reversed by government spending more than it taxes. > Question #58 - B. An increase in the volume of commercial bank loans. > Question #60 - B. social security. ---
**Author:** ![Crescend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Crescend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crescend)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/117 "2008-04-21T02:51:42Z")
[QUOTE=Brown Eyed Girl] Is there a bench then for average achievers? [/QUOTE] It’s the one behind the [Group W](http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/alices.shtml) bench. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/118 "2008-04-21T02:53:33Z")
[QUOTE=Crescend] It’s the one behind the [Group W](http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/alices.shtml) bench. 😃 [/QUOTE] You are a Doper after my own heart. 🆒 ---
**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 21, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/119 "2008-04-21T04:03:50Z")
[QUOTE=rbroome] Nothing like graduating from High School in Iowa in 1893-has anyone seen that test? It is circulating on the internet-I’m an oceanographer and had to read the question about the Gulf Stream carefully to get the correct answer. This is a test to graduate from high school in Iowa and they needed to know how the Gulf Stream works. That was a challenging test. [/QUOTE] Is [this](http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.asp) the test? This one is 1895 and Kansas, but it’s in several forms on the Internet. If so, it is an Urban Legend, at least in terms of it being proof of declining educational standards. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078/120 "2008-04-21T04:34:08Z")
85% — tolerable for an old social sciences person, not as good as I should’ve gotten. Financial theory is my weak point. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civic-literacy-test-mentioned-in-usa-today/445078.md?page=7)