# US Civics test - how well can YOU do? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 1, 2011, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023 "2011-06-01T23:56:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/81 "2011-06-02T16:50:04Z")
I missed the Puritan one, because I thought they only considered _most_ of humanity to be _mostly_ sinful. And to echo what others have said here, the public good question is only tricky if you don’t know what a public good is. It’s got a clear, technical definition in any econ textbook- non-rival and nonexclusive. Clean air/water is another public good, but only nature provides that, neither the gov’t nor the citizenry. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/82 "2011-06-02T17:33:56Z")
33/33…wasn’t sure on the Socrates/Aristotle one, but confident on the rest. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/83 "2011-06-02T17:36:44Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Better than I expected to do, honestly. > > ETA: Holy crap, did you guys check out the [table](http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/2008/additional_finding.html)? Elected officials do \*worse \*on this than the average person?! Bear in mind that in that table, any person who said that they had held an elected position was included in that category. That could include anyone from Barack Obama to the guy who got elected dog catcher of Podunkville fourty years ago. And since it was self-report, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was someone who said “Yes” on that question because they got elected homecoming King/Queen. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/84 "2011-06-02T17:45:32Z")
You answered 24 out of 33 correctly — 72.73 % I need to brush up on my history. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/85 "2011-06-02T19:46:54Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > WTF is that supposed to mean? I seem to recall you having a right-wing reputation here on the Dope. If I’m confusing you with someone else, my sincere apologies. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/86 "2011-06-02T19:50:53Z")
31/33. Maybe I should have gotten the government receipts vs expenditures one, but to be fair, if this happened **every** year, then the government debt **would** be zero. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/87 "2011-06-02T19:51:54Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > I seem to recall you having a right-wing reputation here on the Dope. If I’m confusing you with someone else, my sincere apologies. 🙂 Oh…well, yes, I probably do have a reputation as one of the more conservative posters. Don’t think I’d really qualify as right-wing, though. More like slightly right of center. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/88 "2011-06-02T20:07:58Z")
I surprised myself and only got one wrong – and it was stupid because I knew the answer but read it too quickly. It was the question about the tools the Federal Reserve has, and I picked the answer I thought said “raising or lowering _interest rates_” but it actually said “raising or lowering _income taxes_.” ---
**Author:** ![FrancisCastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b4bc9f/32.png) [@FrancisCastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrancisCastle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/89 "2011-06-02T20:12:10Z")
24 out of 33 correctly — 72.73% That’s passing, right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/90 "2011-06-02T21:23:53Z")
One wrong. I missed the Gettysburg Address one. Now I feel shame. Shoulda known… ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/91 "2011-06-02T21:34:31Z")
31/33 I missed the “Of the people …”, one too. I knew it was part of the Gettysburg Address, just not that that was the source. Now that I think about it, I should have known. It would have reduced the impact of the speech if that had been a quotation. Oh, I also missed question about the FDR/supreme court. I had no idea on that one. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/92 "2011-06-02T21:38:27Z")
[QUOTE=Greg Charles] 31/33 Oh, I also missed question about the FDR/supreme court. I had no idea on that one. [/QUOTE] Yeah. FDR musta had a special pouch to carry around balls that big. I wonder if the howls of outrage then were as loud as they would be now. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/93 "2011-06-02T21:41:15Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > Yeah. FDR musta had a special pouch to carry around balls that big. He’d have to wheel them around in a wheelchair! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/94 "2011-06-02T21:43:46Z")
26/33, all right for a non-'merkin methinks. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/95 "2011-06-02T21:46:11Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > He’d have to wheel them around in a wheelchair! I thought of that. I’m glad you went there, and not I. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/96 "2011-06-02T21:47:46Z")
[QUOTE=mlees] I wonder if the howls of outrage then were as loud as they would be now. [/QUOTE] Wouldn’t matter if his balls were clanking loudly enough. He wouldn’t hear the outcry. . ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/97 "2011-06-02T21:52:49Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Wouldn’t matter if his balls were clanking loudly enough. He wouldn’t hear the outcry. Are you here all week? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/98 "2011-06-02T21:58:25Z")
25/33 I thought I would totally suck on the test but I have to admit I blindly guessed on a couple of them. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/99 "2011-06-02T22:00:35Z")
32/33 and the one I missed was just a brain fart on my part, I did know the answer. But I didn’t like the test itself; the bias is pretty apparent. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023/100 "2011-06-02T22:05:46Z")
100% for me. The historical/ actual civics one were easy as I loved American History in high school and college. The economics ones were pretty wonky though, as it was obvious the test designers were pushing an agenda. But I’ve always been good at figure out which answer the tester is looking for. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-civics-test-how-well-can-you-do/584023.md?page=6)