How's your 'civic literacy?' Take the test

[wyldwolf]

USA Today:

Earlier this week we reported about the bit of a kerfuffle over a Zogby survey, done for an anti-Obama website, that appeared to show that that the president-elect's supporters don't know much about current events or politics.

We pointed out a problem with the "findings:" That they didn't take notice of the fact that Americans overall -- conservatives, liberals, moderates, etc. -- tend to score very poorly on tests about current events, politics and government.

Today, there's more evidence to support our case. As USA TODAY's Michelle Healy wrote this morning, a new report signals that "from high-school dropouts to college graduates to elected officials, Americans are 'alarmingly uninformed' about the USA's history, founding principals and economy -- knowledge needed to participate wisely in civic life."

The finding comes from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which has posted its 33-question civics quiz here. Nearly three-quarters of the 2,508 people that the institute tested earned an "F."

Take the test yourself: http://americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx

My score? I answered 30 out of 33 correctly — 90.91 %

I missed #7, #13, and #31

[backscatter712]

1. 100%, baby!!!

Oh yeah!!!

[wyldwolf]

2. awesome!

[CBGLuthier]

3. missed two

29 and 33.

[Truth2Tell]

72. I missed the same two

But I call Bullshit on those two questions. B & E are essentially the same answer to question 29. And the answer to #33 is BS. Just because TOTAL spending = TOTAL tax revenue does not mean they equal on a PER PERSON basis. There is not a correct answer to 33 listed.

Also, many of the other questions included premises that are very subjective. I figured out where they were coming from and could guess what answer they wanted to hear, but some were a bit presumptuous.

[Sophree]

106. I missed two as well

although I missed 14 and 33- Can't believe I got the Puritan question wrong! :blush:

Still, pretty good. I owe a lot of my civic knowledge to DU, so thanks Skinner, et. al.

As a future librarian, Civic Literacy is an issue near and dear to my heart- I'm glad it's gaining more national attention.

:-)

[Mojorabbit]

110. I missed those two also

plus one other.

[roguevalley]

139. 88%. Missed four.

[MarkInCA]

4. 26 out of 33 correctly — 78.79 %

Economics kill me

[wyldwolf]

6. I got those by the old process of elimination technique

[MarkInCA]

9. I might have done better if I tried harder.

But I'll be the first to admit I could learn more, that's why I'm here.

Proud of my mediocrity.

[JoePhilly]

24. Also 78% ...

Missed the SPUTNIK question ... I thought there was a monkey.

And though that Jefferson mentioned separation of church and state before Lincoln did.

And 31 and 33 ... which I question.

[Lincolngirl]

88. Yep, same here, same score,

Can't wrap my head around it!

[SpookyCat]

93. That's exactly what I got, and exactly why! LOL

History? check.

Government? check.

Money? Business? (don't wanna talk about it, I'm an artist dammit!...)

:blush:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. 96.97%

Missed 33. Lucky guesses on a couple, but overall surprised at the ease of the test. I was asked to take the Zogby push poll and I believe I answered the items correctly.

[Birthmark]

7. 32 out of 33

[CTyankee]

8. I missed 21 and 33. Those financial questions were hard.

It's a good thing I had all that Greek philosophy in college and grad school! I only had one Econ course (one was quite enough) so that was my somewhat weak area. I think a just lucked out on a few...

[damonm]

10. 32/33 - missed #33.

[FormerDittoHead]

30. 93.94 % here, but #33 - do you have a problem with the way it was ASKED?

First off, both our scores reflect we're not dummies.

I answered A. How about you?

33) If taxes equal government spending, then:
A. government debt is zero
B. printing money no longer causes inflation
C. government is not helping anybody
D. tax per person equals government spending per person
E. tax loopholes and special-interest spending are absent

*D*???

I now can see that A is NOT the answer, because there could be a debt carried forward... (correct would have been, "government DEFICIT is zero")

But on the "right" answer - I'm "overthinking" it.

Is it meant to say "overall / average tax per person" (as opposed what individuals actually pay, which has nothing to do with what it spent ON them?)

I can't help but think this was simply a bad / tricky question.

[TahitiNut]

60. I agree.... there is really no fully correct answer.

'A' ignores the distinction between debt and deficit and COULD mean 'for all time' (i..e. no carry-forward debt) and 'D' is vague - could mean 'per capita' or could mean for each person, the first being a mere statistical truism and the latter imply that everyone gets as much as they give.

'B' 'C' and 'E' are laughably wrong.

[reggie the dog]

126. (correct would have been, "government DEFICIT is zero")

the test must have been written when Clinton was president!:kick:

[nonpareil]

74. Missed only #33 too...

I thought the wording on that one was a bit confusing. As Maxwell Smart would say,"Missed it by that much."

[niyad]

it bothers me to know that less than half the people know that there are three branches of govt

and what they are

[ddeclue]

34. Well after 8 years of only having ONE branch people tend to forget..

:)

[H2O Man]

11. 100+

I got extra credit for neatness.

[hans]

103. Are they right that congress recently approved wars. I disagree.

I wonder if you would agree with me that Congress has not passed a formal declaration of war as required by the Constitution since WWII. These so called war resolutions did not meet that standard and were simply non binding fig leaves, IMO. The authors of the study seem oblivious to this distinction. Hans

[hvn_nbr_2]

111. That isn't the question they asked.

They asked who has the power to declare war. Their answer is correct. They didn't ask anything about having recently approved wars.

[Unvanguard]

12. 100%. n/t

[AyanEva]

13. ::shame::

66.67. 22 out of 33.

:/

It's the stuff prior to the 20th century that always messes me up the most.

[SoonerPride]

14. 93.94% or 31 of 33

and the ones I missed I should have read the question more carefully.

haste makes waste.

[RedLetterRev]

27. Me too, for the very same reason.

But it's quitting time and I wanna go hooooooooome :)

[StrictlyRockers]

15. I only missed #7. Some of these questions have nothing to do with civic literacy, and more to do...

with capitalist propaganda.

[Ozma]

28. Umm we DO live in a capitalist free market democracy.. not a ..

socialist communist centrally planned economy like China or the USSR.

[StrictlyRockers]

52. There is no USSR. China hardly has what you could call a "centrally planned economy". n/t

[nxylas]

73. I just answered those with what I thought they wanted to hear

Still only got 25 out of 33 right (75.77%), though. But I'm an immigrant, so i didn't learn this stuff in high school. At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

[Downtown Hound]

107. I thought the same exact thing. n/t

[struggle4progress]

109. bingo

[JustinL]

16. 32 out of 33 - missed #7

[Ozma]

29. I missed that, too, and I think it was a trick question. This is not

This is not a test of which documents contain which phrase...let's remember there are reasons why MOST of the documents are important to our history and national government, but to remember that ONLY LINCOLN said something...in his Gettysburg address... rather than in the Declaration of Independence...is that REALLY "civics"? or memory?

[atreides1]

17. 81.82 %

Missed 6 questions.

#4, #13, #14, #28, #29, #30

Not bad for a guy with a GED.

[wallwriter]

18. 31 out of 33; missed 31 and 33. not too bad. n/t

[DebbieCDC]

19. Missed two

Damn near only missed one -- not too bad!

I'd dearly love to see a bunch of winger scores on that test!

[beachmom]

20. 87.88% I got the following wrong: 11, 29, 31, 33

Thanks for the link. That was fun.

[reggie the dog]

21. 31

Answers to Your Missed Questions:
Question #27 - A. the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends
Question #31 - A. an increase in a nation’s productivity

31) International trade and specialization most often lead to which of the following?
A. an increase in a nation’s productivity
B. a decrease in a nation’s economic growth in the long term
C. an increase in a nation’s import tariffs
D. a decrease in a nation’s standard of living

I chose D, I think you can make the argument that D is correct.


27) Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:
A. the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends
B. markets rely upon coercion, whereas government relies upon voluntary compliance with the law
C. more tax revenue can be generated from free enterprise
D. property rights and contracts are best enforced by the market system
E. government planners are too cautious in spending taxpayers’ money


I chose B. oh well, 31 out of 33

[ddeclue]

35. I scored 100% and got these answers "right"

but I don't actually believe them to be as accurate as the test-makers think. They fall more into the realm of propaganda than fact.

[myrna minx]

112. Heh. I answered exactly as you did.

I received 31 of 33 as well. :D

[reggie the dog]

22. look how poorly elected officals score compared to citizens

here at the link http://americancivicliteracy.org/2008/additional_finding.html

[izzybeans]

23. is it a problem that citizen's score better than elected officials?

Just wondering.

[Bonobo]

25. 78.79%. Ouch!!!! nt

[Ozma]

26. 90% or so is MY score!

Personally, I can't understand how ANY one who cares about political issues can fail this test.

Well, there are a LOT of questions based around capitalism, not government, but you have to understand capitalism to live in a free market democracy.

If you failed the test, I suggest reading more threads, rather than starting your own...

[bluedeminredstate]

31. Yikes!

I got an 84 point something something - I closed the window before I memorized the precise score. The economic questions got me along with the "Wall of separation ..." Who knew it was Jefferson? Obviously not I.

I wonder what Sarah Palin would score on that test? I bet Piper would do better than her.

For all of you who scored 100%: :applause:

[ddeclue]

32. I knew all those years of watching PBS, C-SPAN, 60 minutes and the West Wing would pay off some day:

:rofl:

You answered 33 out of 33 correctly — 100.00 %

Average score for this quiz during November: 78.3%
Average score since November 20, 2008: 78.3%

You can take the quiz as often as you like, however, your score will only count once toward the monthly average.

If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email [e-mail].

You can consult the following table to see how citizens and elected officials scored on each question.

Where to from here?

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[CitizenPatriot]

33. "You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %"

Geeze... I guess I need to brush up on some things! That was fun, though:-)

edited to add the ones I missed:

Answers to Your Missed Questions:
Question #9 -
Question #29 -
Question #31 -
Question #33

It was kinda hard not to laugh, as I wanted to add a PS : you mean, how the govt is SUPPOSED to work, not how it actually works right now, right?

[customerserviceguy]

36. 100% for me, too.

It sure is nasty that three-quarters of people failed the test, however.

[jefferson_dem]

37. FYI: Intercollegiate Studies Institute is a right-wing wacko organization.

I heard this fool - Rich Brake - on with Medved today...and would not trust shit he has to say about knowledge or anything else. That being said, the test may be fun to toy around with...

[SoxFan]

39. The econ questions did skew to the right

[spelldmilk]

56. Definately.

[NutmegYankee]

85. Many had a rightward bias.

Glad I'm not alone in thinking that.

[jefferson_dem]

87. The folks at ISI are died-in-the-wool knuckle dragging freakazoids...

...

In a speech to the Heritage Foundation , the ISI President, T. Kenneth Cribb Jr, stated "We must...provide resources and guidance to an elite which can take up anew the task of enculturation. Through its journals, lectures, seminars, books and fellowships, this is what ISI has done successfully for 36 years. The coming of age of such elites has provided the current leadership of the conservative revival. But we should add a major new component to our strategy: the conservative movement is now mature enough to sustain a counteroffensive on that last Leftist redoubt, the college campus...We are now strong enough to establish a contemporary presence for conservatism on campus, and contest the Left on its own turf. We plan to do this by greatly expanding the ISI field effort, its network of campus-based programming." <3>

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Intercollegiate_Studies_Institute

[SoxFan]

38. 100%

[NutmegYankee]

40. 100%

[dbmk]

41. As a non US citizen

I think I can live with "23 out of 33 correctly — 69.70 %"

And one was missed due to pure misclicking.

[blue_onyx]

42. I got a 84.85%

I missed Questions #7, #13, #14, #15,#27

[rebel with a cause]

75. That was my score also.

But the guestions missed were different. I missed #4 (read it too fast), #8 (no excuse), #12 (daughter talked me out of right answer), #27 and 31 (no head for this stuff or head cold doesn't allow me to think ;) )

[Downtown Hound]

108. My score as well. n/t

[DCBob]

43. You answered 26 out of 33 correctly — 78.79 % Ouch.

Some of those were tricky. I am impressed by those who claim they got 100%. Congrats!

[Blue_In_AK]

44. 30 of 33 for me, too -- 90.91%

13, 30 and 31 incorrect. The economic stuff always throws me for a loop -- especially as confusing as things are nowadays.

[Bluerthanblue]

45. 90.91%- missed 8, 11, 33-

not too bad for my HS diploma education.


Still don't think 33 makes sense.

Some people pay no taxes, and recieve benefits. Others pay many taxes and do not 'use' governmental services much at all???
Maybe I just don't get the question being asked and answered.

:shrug:

[crispini]

46. 84.85%

Wow, some toughies in that test!

[carnie_sf]

122. The same score I got

[jpgray]

47. There is major ongoing debate about many of the economic questions

For example, globalization has been found in several studies to exacerbate the rich-poor gap both within and between nations. The appropriate tax/spending policy in a recession is hotly debated even at this moment. It seems the "correct" answers to these questions, according to the test, have a suspicious editorial slant.

[Hissyspit]

117. Yes, those are bad questions. It's no surprise a lot of people got them wrong.

[denem]

48. 32 of 33 but I feel stupid.

Got #14 wrong. Correct answer - Puritans stressed the sinfulness of all humanity.
I assumed that was just a caricature. DOH!

[SemiCharmedQuark]

49. I got a 31/33, but some of the questions clearly seem to have a more conservative point of view

For example, most of the questions are based on general things that everyone should know, then a question about the New Deal being found unconstitutional.

[charlie and algernon]

54. that's in most, if not all, text books

that was a pretty big mistake on FDR's part by trying to increase the number of Justices

[Donald Ian Rankin]

50. 31 out of 33

I thought that the federal government could level income taxes, and that the President declared wars.

Given that I'm not even an American, I'm quite pleased with that score.

A lot of the questions seem slightly leading, though - my guess is that this was set be a right-winger.

[Two Americas]

62. very good

Really understandable errors there. These days the president does declare wars for all practical purposes and the government has assumed broad powers of taxation beyond what the founders envisioned.

[verges]

102. Which is why

we haven't actually been in a "war" since WWII. It just seems like it.

30 of 33, 90.91%

[sampsonblk]

51. 87.88 - I missed 12, 14, 29 and 30 (nt)

[FloridaJudy]

53. Missed #33

Got the rest of them right. I think folks here probably tend to score above average.

[spelldmilk]

55. Ohhh, so close: 90.91%. Missed three:

#7, #8 and #31. That was fun, thanks!

[spelldmilk]

57. Okay, does anyone else find it extremely disturbing

that "elected officials" on average outscored the "citizens" ONLY in the LAST FOUR questions? (Which all dealt with finance.)

[TheCentepedeShoes]

58. 32 out of 33

Missed #7 on the Gettysburg Address, guess I wasn't paying attention.

[StrictlyRockers]

61. A lot of us missed that one only.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

63. And that should be

an easier one.
Some of the economic ones were toughies. I did better than I expected.

[trayfoot]

70. The common answer is the Constitution...........

I've taught government for almost 4 decades and you would be surprised that students, teachers, parents believe that this phrase comes from the Constitution. I used to challenge the kids to find it in the Constitution!

[abq e streeter]

59. 31 of 33---guess sarah palin's right--we're not REAL Americans

we need to dumb ourselves down quick, this egghead shit is elitist--you betcha

[mtnsnake]

64. 72.73% and I didn't even have to cheat to accomplish such an amazing feat. lol

Didn't have to google or lie like some of the geniuses above me either. :evilgrin:

24 out of 33 right.

[Gabi Hayes]

65. I missed this one: how is "B" correct, and not "E?" huh?

29) A flood-control levee (or National Defense) is considered a public good because:
A. citizens value it as much as bread and medicine
B. a resident can benefit from it without directly paying for it
C. government construction contracts increase employment
D. insurance companies cannot afford to replace all houses after a flood
E. government pays for its construction, not citizens

plus, as has been said, the econ questions are ineptly worded, and highly wingnutty

[trayfoot]

69. Just my take on this question.............

B. I think the key word here is "directly"
E. If government pays for it, then citizens, through taxes, HAVE paid for it.

[CTyankee]

135. That's where I came down but it took some thought. It was the word "directly"

that finally persuaded me and of course you are right about E. Sometimes you just have to plod through the answers one by one.

[Orangepeel]

78. Citizens *are* paying for the construction. It's not the government's money.

(Remember that this question was written by the same people that wrote the economic questions).

[NashVegas]

132. Key Word: "Directly"

[14thColony]

127. It was a toss-up between A and E for me, except

I decided 'government pays for it' was too broad in E. Governments pay for a lot of things that are not defined as public goods. Government aid contructing the same levee in another country would not be a public good back in the home country.

[Raineyb]

66. I got 27 out of 33

For a score of 81.82%

But the economics questions definitely skewed to the right. :thumbsdown:

Regards

[WinkyDink]

67. Woo-Hoo! Only one wrong!

You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

[trayfoot]

68. 100%

I would hope so, since I am a government teacher! LOL!

[superduperfarleft]

71. For the Capitalism Is Teh Awesome questions I had to fake it.

Still managed to only miss three.

[TheKentuckian]

76. 30/33. I call the economics out as push poll propaganda

Think as we do or be wrong type garbage.

missed

Question #27 - A. the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends-I thought all answers nearly equally bogus.
Question #29 - B. a resident can benefit from it without directly paying for it-like taxes for levees and defense isn't paying.
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person-supposedly

and I lied outright to get the "correct" answers on 25 and 30.

Whatever, I sez.

[Orangepeel]

77. I got a 100. But I guessed on #13

I don't know much about philosophers. But from the rest of the questions, I didn't think they'd be asking about those who thought morality was relative. The economic questions seemed to have a distinct "free markety" feel.

[lady raven]

79. I scored 100%, but a I had to really pore over a couple of the questions

And one of them I flat- out guessed because I didn't remember anything about it.

[fed_up_mother]

80. 31/33 correct!

[alphafemale]

81. 90.91% I missed 27-29-30

And I thought those were a little "fuzzy" anyway. Certainly not clear cut like where did the phrase "wall of separation" come from...

[JerseygirlCT]

82. 90.91 here too. nt

[elkston]

83. 28 out of 33 - 84.85 (4, 8, 11, 15, 31 wrong)

I missed 4, 8, 11, 15, 31

Shame on me!!!

[Abacus]

84. 30/33, 90.91% /nt

[Uzybone]

86. You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

I missed

Question #13 - E. certain permanent moral and political truths are accessible to human reason
Question #14 - B. stressed the sinfulness of all humanity
Question #31 - A. an increase in a nation’s productivity
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person


I guess I do not agree with Socrates, Aristotle and Plato.. because I think all all moral and political truth is relative to one’s time and place. Thats why we call our founding fathers patriots, instead of criminals.

[stillcool]

89. I missed..

Question #6 - D. establishing an official religion for the United States
Question #7 - D. Gettysburg Address
Question #29 - B. a resident can benefit from it without directly paying for it

[baldguy]

90. You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

[Kaylee]

91. Damn...28/33 (84.85%)

I got ones I should've known wrong. Oh well, still beats the 49% average.

[bread_and_roses]

92. I missed number 27 -

I couldn't remember what the Free-Marketeer answer to that one is. The economic questions definately have a Free-Marketeer bias, but I should have remembered what their arguement is on that one.

[footinmouth]

94. Eek - I'm the dummy of the group

I only got 25 right for 75.76%. I was clueless on the financial questions.

[Connonym]

125. feh, me too

I don't think it means we're dummies I think it means that people who score highly are more likely to post their score. But wtf do I know, I'm probably not as smart as a 6th grader

[Teacher in SC]

95. 31 out of 33 here --- 93.94% n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

96. 96.97%.

Socrates, Aristotle and Aquinas? Bah! What do they know anyway.

[CTyankee]

137. I finished my B.A. and took an M.A. at a Catholic institution and had so much of those

three and Plato that it helped out here! I knew zip about Aquinas before I went there and was forced to read the three Greek philosophers in a variety of courses. It turns out that Aristotle had something to say on just about everything. So you hear about him in science, the arts, taxonomy, economics (value), and government. Plato wrote down what Socrates said in "The Republic". It's a vast terrain and I only got a whiff of each one, but it was enough to get me through that question!

A good place to revisit Greek philosophy is Thomas Cahill's wonderful "Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter." He has a whole section on the ancient Greek's sex lives, too...

[Ikonoklast]

97. Missed #10 and #27

Civics Quiz

You answered 31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %

Average score for this quiz during November: 77.1%
Average score since November 20, 2008: 77.1%

You can take the quiz as often as you like, however, your score will only count once toward the monthly average.

And I only missed #10 because I filled in the wrong blank, dammit.

[Kaleva]

98. I answered 30 out of 33 correctly — 90.91 %

Not bad for someone who graduated out of high school in the bottom 1%.

[GoneOffShore]

99. Same score as you - but different mistakes

#27, #30, #33

[SwampG8r]

100. 93.94%

[Aristus]

101. 90.91%, too!

I was hoping for 100% :dunce:

[jonestonesusa]

104. I tied the OPer...30 out of 33

Oh well...I guess we're beating the average here at DU!

[Chulanowa]

105. 93.94%

Missed #7 and #33

I'm going to call it a 96% because #33 is worded stupidly. Had it said "per capita" I would have gotten it

[The Doctor.]

113. I also missed #7

I was lucky on the rest.

You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

(I was guessing for all the tough ones)

[moriah]

114. 90.91 - 27, 29, and 33.

Wow.

[whistler162]

115. Missed three also.

[Hippo_Tron]

116. I missed #7, #13, #33 but #33 was worded confusingly

I put A for #33 because I'm so used to thinking about deficits and not about total debt for econ class.

[NMDemDist2]

124. I missed 33 too, and agree the wording was odd n/t

[droidamus2]

118. 30 of 33

30 out of 33 right and on the ones I missed I had it narrowed down to 2 answers and picked the wrong one. Not too bad considering is 2:20 in the morning.

[Sirveri]

119. missed 7 and 27. I don't care who said it, more what was said. n/t

[Jennifer C]

120. 78.79 % non-US citizen

[Morning Dew]

121. I missed one

You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

Average score for this quiz during November: 77.1%
Average score since November 20, 2008: 77.1%

You can take the quiz as often as you like, however, your score will only count once toward the monthly average.



Answers to Your Missed Questions:


Question #33

[NMDemDist2]

123. You answered 31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %

Question #31 - A. an increase in a nation’s productivity
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person

[DemocratSinceBirth]

128. You answered 30 out of 33 correctly — 90.91 %

~

[DemocratSinceBirth]

129. You Should Post It At Freak Republic

They would lower the nat'l average all by themselves...

[Bertha Venation]

130. 84.85%

Not bad.

[BrklynLiberal]

131. 27 out of 33 correctly — 81.82 %

I missed two that I actually knew..but just had a brain fart...

[AtomTan]

133. Further proof that those who can, do

And those who can't, run for office.

[SteveG]

134. You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

I missed the last question......x(

[GreenEyedLefty]

136. 90.91%. I missed 30, 31 and 33

[AtomTan]

138. The purpose of this quiz is b.s.

"to learn to what extent higher education is teaching America's history and institutions to undergraduate students."

I scored 93.94 and learned practically none of it IN high school or college courses. Everything I know I picked up from extracurricular reading, NPR-listening, and DU lurking.