<p>Try this quiz on current events. I had a harder time with it than the science quiz. </p>
<p>[»</a> The News IQ Quiz](<a href=“http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/the-news-iq-quiz/]»”>Publications | Pew Research Center).</p>
<p>Yeah, I just got a perfect score on this quiz and its 4 am.</p>
<p>Not a very challenging quiz.</p>
<p>Woohoo!</p>
<p>Got 8 out of 13!</p>
<p>I mainly got the people wrong. What do they matter to me? As of right now…nothing. :shrug:</p>
<p>^ now that’s fair</p>
<p>I didn’t even try the news quiz, cause I don’t watch the news regularly ( although I listen to the radio) and limit my exposure to national politics- I have enough stress in my life- plus I have prosopagnosia( face blindness- one middle aged white guy in a suit looks like the next)
I do pay attention to local and international news.</p>
<p>Well I just took the news quiz & got 11 out of 13, so I guess I pay more attention than I thought.</p>
<p>@emerald I don’t listen to the news at all. I think it’s pretty good given the circumstance. 
</p>
<p>But I gotta watch out. Some posters believe I’m the downfall of this country! :D</p>
<p>Someone upthread was saying that the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. It wasn’t. And that’s precisely why some of these specifics facts are not as important as we think they are. What’s the difference, in the scheme of things, whether the Declaration was signed on July 2, July 4, or August 19? The important thing really is the general context and the content. </p>
<p>It’s far better to think the Declaration was signed on July 4th and recognizes our right to freedom of religion, than to know the historically accurate date of signing, but think you have the right to forbid the practice of Islam or any other religion.</p>
<p>Definitely cry. Europeans know far more American history than Americans do. We had an exchange student this past semester who couldn’t believe how easy American history was, even tho English is a second language–no one else knew anything in his (non AP) class. But even among AP students…went to the airport to see another exchange student off, and when her connection changed from DC to Minneapolis, all the US kids thought Minneapolis was in Maryland. When I said “next time we’ll see you in Munich…,” the American kids all asked why we’d meet in Greece. And these are smart kids!</p>
<p>If you don’t like these videos, you can watch Jay Leno’s jaywalking videos.</p>
<p>[Why</a> we need to teach geography.mov - YouTube](<a href=“Why we need to teach geography.mov - YouTube”>Why we need to teach geography.mov - YouTube)</p>
<p>I vote with the people on this thread who think the video answers were irrelevant as a measure of what Americans know.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I think American public school education can be abysmal. We also have millions of immigrants living here who never took a single course in American history. Also, many/most top colleges require either just one course in American history, or none at all, which is surprising to me.</p>
<p>I heard anecdotally, riprorin, that people try to appear dumb on jaywalking because only the dumb ones end up on national TV. I suspect there was a lot of that on the first videos you posted also.</p>
<p>*
The problem is when you have a dumbed down population dependent on gov’t, you can lead them like sheep.</p>
<p>*Ive actually noticed the opposite. Educated people, but easily convinced of their superiority while adopting out of mainstream beliefs.
[Yelm</a> History Project > When Ramtha Talks Thousands Listen In The Olympian August 13, 1989](<a href=“http://www.yelmhistoryproject.com/?p=3213]Yelm”>http://www.yelmhistoryproject.com/?p=3213)
[Patriots</a> Question 9/11 - Responsible Criticism of the 9/11 Commission Report](<a href=“http://patriotsquestion911.com/]Patriots”>http://patriotsquestion911.com/)
[Moon</a> Landing Faked!!!?Why People Believe in Conspiracy Theories: Scientific American](<a href=“Moon Landing Faked!!!—Why People Believe in Conspiracy Theories - Scientific American”>Moon Landing Faked!!!—Why People Believe in Conspiracy Theories - Scientific American)
<a href=“http://www.livescience.com/23027-link-between-climate-denial-and-conspiracy-beliefs-sparks-conspiracy-theories.html[/url]”>Link Between Climate Denial and Conspiracy Beliefs Sparks Conspiracy Theories | Live Science;
The trouble with the world is not that people know too little, but that they know so many things that ain’t so.
–Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), Will Rogers (William Penn Adair), or Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw)</p>
<p>hayden, then how about this one?</p>
<p>I’m sure there are thousands of videos just like this.</p>
<p>[kids</a> can’t answer basic questions - YouTube](<a href=“kids can't answer basic questions - YouTube”>kids can't answer basic questions - YouTube)</p>
<p>Emeraldkity4, yes, people do know a lot. Unfortunately, the topics they know about are celebrities, sports, and entertainment.</p>
<p>Are you suggesting that people shouldn’t have an understanding of US history and geography?</p>
<p>So people fake being dumb so they can look like idiots on national TV? Hmmm.</p>
<p>I was going to say people should have to pass a citizenship test to get their drivers license, but Ive never taken American Government ( as I did not graduate from high school) & these questions seem simplistic.</p>
<p>However, they arent likely to be changed from multiple choice to essay.
[USCIS</a> - Naturalization Self Test](<a href=“http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.d72b75bdf98917853423754f526e0aa0/?vgnextoid=afd6618bfe12f210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=afd6618bfe12f210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD]USCIS”>http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.d72b75bdf98917853423754f526e0aa0/?vgnextoid=afd6618bfe12f210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=afd6618bfe12f210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD)</p>
<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE: Thread is being closed due to political posts. Do NOT start another thread on the subject.</p>