Take the quiz, Post your score - New Basic American Civics Survey (a random 71% faile

[Kilrain]

You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

Answers to Your Missed Questions:

Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person

 

[politicsNproverbs]

a "C", a "C", a beautiful "C"...

FUN, actually... though wish I had done better...

But it was too long for me being too tired... I was ready to quit around #20.

Or was it they got harder toward the end...


I saw at least two or three 100%'s here. Wow, I'm impressed, people.

A bunch of Smarties here. Great going! Especially outdoing the "elected officials." Yeah!

So did anyone put in their "income" in the drop down menu? and education level?

And if the A students get a gold star for their forehead...

And the B students get a silver star...

What do the C students get? :o

Nuttin'??

You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

Average score for this quiz during November: 77.8%
Average score: 77.8%

Whew! At least I did better than the politicians at 44% !

Answers to Your Missed Questions:

What was the main issue in the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858?
Question #4 - B. Would slavery be allowed to expand to new territories?

I had chosen C: Do Southern states have the constitutional right to leave the union? - Pffff. Why didn't they ask about Andrew Jackson? I know a lot more about him! ​

The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
Question #6 - D. establishing an official religion for the United States

I had chosen B: discrimination based on race, sex, or religion... which I didn't think was right but oh well, couldn't think of where that phrase DOES come from ...​

In 1935 and 1936 the Supreme Court declared that important parts of the New Deal were unconstitutional. President Roosevelt responded by threatening to:
Question #8 - C. appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views

I chose D - a total guess, ie,. override the Supreme Court’s decisions by gaining three-quarter majorities in both houses of Congress​

Business profit is:
Question #26 - C. revenue minus expenses

I chose B. assets minus liabilities -- which I thought applied to individuals, but then I thought the word "revenue" applied to governments, so I was lost as to what applied to "business." I've never been a bookkeeper, not my cup o' tea.​

Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:
Question #27 - A. the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends

I ALMOST picked "A"... I went back and forth, as I SO wanted to get this right, but oh well, I guessed C. more tax revenue can be generated from free enterprise -- Figured if people were free to create business they make more moola and in that way the feds get more taxes outta all of the businesses... ​

A flood-control levee (or National Defense) is considered a public good because:
Question #29 - B. a resident can benefit from it without directly paying for it

Pfff, well, answer E says basically the SAME thing, doesn't it? = E. government pays for its construction, not citizens​

International trade and specialization most often lead to which of the following?
Question #31 - A. an increase in a nation’s productivity

Amazing... as I was thinking int'l trade was a bad thing... = D. a decrease in a nation’s standard of living​

If taxes equal government spending, then:
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person

I was glad to see others answered same as me on this: C. government is not helping anybody - LOL, so true!​

But at least I got the PURE-i-tans RIGHT!

And SPUTNIK, too! Ha! (showing my age on that one)

And wow, the chart on their other page for the elected officials vs. citizens is amazing... the citizens whopped the elected officials in 32 out of 33 categories!

See the chart, here's the link...

Elected Officials Score Lower than the General Public

THE ISI CIVIC LITERACY survey was not designed to test the civic knowledge of elected officials, but it did discover evidence of an interesting pattern that may merit further exploration.

Are You Smarter Than a Politician?
OF THE 2,508 PEOPLE surveyed, 164 say they have held an elected government office at least once in their life. Their average score on the civic literacy test is 44%, compared to 49% for those who have not held an elected office. Officeholders are less likely than other respondents to correctly answer 29 of the 33 test questions. This table shows the “knowledge gap” for each question: the difference between the percentage of common citizens who answered correctly and the percentage of officeholders who answered correctly. http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/2008/additional_finding.html

 

[politicsNproverbs]

Any fellow conspiracy nutters out there, let me borrow your tin-foil hat so I will be covered as I say...

Two things about this test reminded me of the Freemasons...

1. ISI is the acronym of the institute which is one "I" short of ISIS, the Freemasonry goddess.

2. The test had 33 questions... 33 being one of the most revered numbers in Masonry.



OK, I got that off my chest! Carry on!

------------------

As for their page which says OUR FADING HERITAGE... well, what do you expect with the decades long DUMBING DOWN of the public school system? Hello. You reap what you sow, and you sowed the youth into brain-dead...

 

[dude58677]

"I can't be the smartest guy in the world. The questions weren't that hard."

Luke Wilson, Idiocracy

 

[MikeStanart]

87%

 

[Infamouswoodster]

If taxes equal government spending, then:
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person

Now, i understand the test said i was wrong. But how is A the incorrect choice?

If Goverment spending = only the tax money they receive, Would it not be true that debt would be = Zero. Its called a balanced budget?

 

[MikeStanart]

If taxes equal government spending, then:
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person

Now, i understand the test said i was wrong. But how is A the incorrect choice?

If Goverment spending = only the tax money they receive, Would it not be true that debt would be = Zero. Its called a balanced budget?

That one stumped me too.

I figured it just takes into account that there might be previous deficits.

 

[1836]

Can someone explain the answer to #30? I still don't get it

I'm in economics — a basic explanation:

When you decrease taxes, people have more money to spend, and thus consumption rises, which is good for the economy. When the government spends money, employment rises, and thus the economy is more fully employed. When you expand the money supply, the short-term effect is positive because people have more money to spend and invest (nevermind the long term effects that we all know of).

I disagree with the practice, but it does work. Government spending can stimulate the economy in the short term.

Not to say Keynes was right on about his overall theory, but anytime you inject money into the economy the SHORT TERM effect is usually going to be positive.

It's just "conventional wisdom," which is why we have to tell people that what works right now is not what works tomorrow, and that getting back to a liberty-based society is the most productive way to live.

 

[axiomata]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081120/od_afp/ushistoryeducationoffbeat

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US elected officials scored abysmally on a test measuring their civic knowledge, with an average grade of just 44 percent, the group that organized the exam said Thursday.

Ordinary citizens did not fare much better, scoring just 49 percent correct on the 33 exam questions compiled by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI).

"It is disturbing enough that the general public failed ISI's civic literacy test, but when you consider the even more dismal scores of elected officials, you have to be concerned," said Josiah Bunting, chairman of the National Civic Literacy Board at ISI.

"How can political leaders make informed decisions if they don't understand the American experience?" he added.

The exam questions covered American history, the workings of the US government and economics.

Among the questions asked of some 2,500 people who were randomly selected to take the test, including "self-identified elected officials," was one which asked respondents to "name two countries that were our enemies during World War II."

Sixty-nine percent of respondents correctly identified Germany and Japan. Among the incorrect answers were Britain, China, Russia, Canada, Mexico and Spain.

Forty percent of respondents, meanwhile, incorrectly believed that the US president has the power to declare war, while 54 percent correctly answered that that power rests with Congress.

Asked about the electoral college, 20 percent of elected officials incorrectly said it was established to "supervise the first televised presidential debates."

In fact, the system of choosing the US president via an indirect electoral college vote dates back some 220 years, to the US Constitution.

The question that received the fewest correct responses, just 16 percent, tested respondents' basic understanding of economic principles, asking why "free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government's centralized planning?"

Activities that dull Americans' civic knowledge include talking on the phone and watching movies or television -- even news shows and documentaries, ISI said.

Meanwhile, civic knowledge is enhanced by discussing public affairs, taking part in civic activities and reading about current events and history, the group said.

 

[BuddyRey]

88%, but a few of the economics questions are dreadfully biased.

 

[yaz]

I missed 13 and 30.

 

[FrankRep]

Old thread bump, but I'm really impressed by the scores of the Ron Paul supporters.


Here's the rest of America:


Americans Score an “F” in American History


Mary Benoit | The New American
25 November 2008


On November 20, 2008, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) released a report entitled “Our Fading Heritage: Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions.” This report is the third of its kind and is based on the knowledge that is required for a person to earn American citizenship.

The 2008 report asked 2,508 American adults from various backgrounds 33 civics questions (to take quiz, click here). Shockingly, 71 percent of adults surveyed failed the test with an overall average score of only 49 percent. In fact, only 272 of those surveyed even made a passing grade of a “C” or better.

The questions asked in the survey are not difficult, and many should be answered without much thought or hesitation. Some of the questions asked in the quiz include identifying the three branches of government, understanding the contents of the Bill of Rights and who has the power to declare war, and defining a free market system.

The report’s summary begs the obvious question, “Do Americans possess the knowledge necessary to participate wisely in the affairs of the nation?” If the overall average of the survey was not eye-opening enough, one of the findings in the report indicate that our elected officials know even less about American civics than the general public. The elected officials scored an average of 44% ... 4 percentage points lower than the average quiz taker. A November 20 ISI press release stated: “There is an epidemic of economic, political, and historical ignorance in our country,” says Josiah Bunting, III, Chairman of ISI’s National Civic Literacy Board. “It is disturbing enough that the general public failed ISI’s civic literacy test, but when you consider the even more dismal scores of elected officials, you have to be concerned. How can political leaders make informed decisions if they don’t understand the American experience? Colleges can, and should, play an important role in curing this national epidemic of ignorance.”

Don’t let the title fool you. Engaging in frequent conversations about politics and other public affairs, reading history books, or even participating in community activities may just make you more knowledgeable about American civics than elected officials, or those with college degrees alone.

If Americans do not become more knowledgeable about their historical roots, how can we preserve our wonderful Constitutional Republic for future generations to enjoy? Americans must begin to take an active interest in American civics, and promote a stronger emphasis in American history and heritage in our educational institutions, if we wish to reverse this gradual decline of understanding basic American principles.

Interested in learning your grade in American civics? Take the online quiz and see where you rate in the national average. (This writer scored 82 percent).

Good luck!


SOURCE:
http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/culture/education/551

 

[Mckarnin]

72% I did well on the more historical ones but got some of the policy questions wrong. I think I had a hard time figuring out if they wanted to know which option had the best chance of working or which one the government would be likely to say effects "x" result.

 

[priest_of_syrinx]

93.94% Booyakasha!

 

[tpreitzel]

Americans' ignorance of their history due to revisionism and outright avoidance has been planned for decades. Even during the 1970s, civics was rarely taught in the public schools. Public schools don't educate, they indoctrinate.

 

[2young2vote]

I got 78%. I missed the history questions, ones like the Lincoln debate one.

 

[Tarzan]

I believe their answers are wrong on a couple of them. Question 5: the correct answer was the eletoral college is a constitutionally mandated assembly that elects the president. It is NOT a constitutionally mandated assembly. In fact, it doesn't appear once in The Constitution.

See Article II, section I of the constitution. See also Amendment 12.
The president was not intended to be elected by popular vote... and for some darned good reasons. Same with Senators (though that has been changed through amendment). There are several reasons... one of the primary reasons was to help point out how important LOCAL elections and representatives should be considered. We are a representative government (republic) not a democracy. A lot of problems with our government may have been avoided by carefully selecting our local representatives (both state & national)... then holding their feet to the fire when they do not represent us properly. The electors also help reduce the threat that a single state or region would have control of the presidency. There are other reasons that on consideration make good sense and we need to carefully examine those reasons before insisting on change.

You answered 33 out of 33 correctly — 100.00 %

Average score for this quiz during August: 75.6%
Average score: 75.6%

 

[Slutter McGee]

You answered 30 out of 33 correctly — 90.91 %

Answers to Your Missed Questions:
Question #8 - C. appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views
Just didn't know this one.
Question #29 - B. a resident can benefit from it without directly paying for it
I chose E. . government pays for its construction, not citizens. Perhaps somebody can explain to me the difference. Obviously we pay for it through taxes, but I assumed it did not mean directly.
Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person
I chose A. government debt is zero. I was thinking deficit, not debt and assuming a set period of time. I am glad I missed this, as its a reminder not to confuse the two things in the future.

Sincerely,

Slutter McGee

 

[AggieforPaul]

missed 3, and one of them was #30, because I chose what they should do, not what they are actually doing.

 

[Don't Tread on Mike]

oh wow, we must be too smart for this test because apparently it doesn't think of long term problems and inflation???

And for everyone confused, it's probably implying that government spending will give people jobs... typical statist answer though.

Well it would have helped if we had an educated civics teacher...