Another one of those civic literacy exams...

[cosine]

A little longer than most though... 33 questions, but also seemed to me to be more "meaty" than some on the internet.

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute civics literacy exam.

Statistics on how people and politicians scored on the exam.


I found it interesting. The only question I had no idea about was the last. My results:

Results

    You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %


Incorrect Answers

    Question: If taxes equal government spending, then:
        Your Answer: government debt is zero
        Correct Answer: tax per person equals government spending per person on average

I definitely think I would have gotten more of the economics questions wrong if I hadn't taken a microeconomics class when in college.

The average score of 49% from their 2008 survey is just sad.

[SADShooter]

•You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

I missed the very same question.

[dogmush]

Results

You answered 33 out of 33 correctly — 100.00 %

If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email americancivicliteracy@isi.org.

 

This is the first one of these I got 100% on.

[henschman]

I got 90.91% -- I missed the one about Lincoln-Douglas (all I remembered was that it was something about slavery) and the the one about what government's response has most often been to economic recession (I guessed that they usually raise taxes and increase spending), along with the one you guys missed.  I said "gov't debt would be zero," but I suppose that is wrong -- just because the government seizes money doesn't mean it necessarily pays its debts with it.  Even if it does, there could be a deficit from previous years. 

[MicroBalrog]

You answered 33 out of 33 correctly — 100.00 %.

[Iain]

Can't be that difficult, I got 29/33 and made a couple of silly mistakes - the Lincon/Douglas, taxes/spending in recession. Couldn't remember exactly what Roe vs Wade decided about abortion, thought it was a trick question, and will admit I don't know my Gettysburg Address.

The last question - govt debt would only be zero if taxes had always equalled spending, which isn't how I read the question.

[lee n. field]

32 our of 33.

   Question: Which of the following fiscal policy combinations has the federal government most often followed to stimulate economic activity when the economy is in a severe recession?
        Your Answer: increasing both taxes and spending
        Correct Answer: decreasing taxes and increasing spending

My reasoning was, "whats the most crack-monkey thing to do in a severe recession?"

Question: If taxes equal government spending, then:
        Your Answer: government debt is zero
        Correct Answer: tax per person equals government spending per person on average

My reasoning on that was, you could have taxes equal to spending, and still have an outstanding debt from before sanity began to reign.

[Monkeyleg]

30 out of 33. I couldn't remember if spending increased under each administration that dealt with a recession, and so selected increasing both taxes and spending (my cynical answer).

I know little about the Puritans, and I selected "more tax revenue can be generated from free enterprise" instead of "the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends"  for the free markets question. I think either answer can be correct, though.

[Perd Hapley]

•You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

I missed the very same question.

Same here.

[GigaBuist]

On a related not:  http://gothamist.com/2011/07/01/one_in_four_americans_dont_know_whe.php

- 25% didn't know what country we declared independence from.
- 58% didn't know what year (1776) we did it.

Of college graduates:
- 9% didn't know what country we declared independence from.
- 2% gave the incorrect country.

[Viking]

"You answered 28 out of 33 correctly — 84.85 %"
Not too bad .

[RoadKingLarry]

You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

Not bad for a dumb ole yokel from flyover country.

[cosine]

"You answered 28 out of 33 correctly — 84.85 %"
Not too bad .

Your score clobbers a lot of American citizens'. 

[Viking]

Your score clobbers a lot of American citizens'. 

Indeed. Scary, isn't it?

[BridgeRunner]

- 25% didn't know what country we declared independence from.
- 58% didn't know what year (1776) we did it.

I haven't read the article yet, but it occurs to me that a lot of those were bored, didn't care, are marginally literate or illiterate, or thought it would be funny to screw around

Of college graduates:
- 9% didn't know what country we declared independence from.
- 2% gave the incorrect country.

Most of the above still apply.  Probably not illiterate, but certainly marginally literate.  Which is infuriating.

[HankB]

Got 100% . . . I guess some of what I was taught in history class actually stuck, including the topic of the Lincoln/Douglas debates . . .

[Boomhauer]

32 our of 33.

My reasoning was, "whats the most crack-monkey thing to do in a severe recession?"

My reasoning on that was, you could have taxes equal to spending, and still have an outstanding debt from before sanity began to reign.

I got the same two wrong you got. Using the same reasoning you did.

[Scout26]

Results
    *You answered 31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %
      If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email americancivicliteracy@isi.org.
      You can consult the following table to see how citizens and elected officials scored on each question.

Incorrect Answers

    *Question: Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:
      Your Answer: property rights and contracts are best enforced by the market system
       Correct Answer: the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends

    *Question: If taxes equal government spending, then:
      Your Answer: government debt is zero
      Correct Answer: tax per person equals government spending per person on average

I got the recession question right because it ask

Which of the following fiscal policy combinations has the federal government most often followed

  Not "What's the smart, correct and proper thing to do".

[KD5NRH]

32/33 because I misread the Puritans one. 

[Boomhauer]

Can't be that difficult

You underestimate the extreme dedication of our population of morons to maintaining their reputation.

 

[erictank]

A little longer than most though... 33 questions, but also seemed to me to be more "meaty" than some on the internet.

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute civics literacy exam.

Statistics on how people and politicians scored on the exam.


I found it interesting. The only question I had no idea about was the last. My results:

I definitely think I would have gotten more of the economics questions wrong if I hadn't taken a microeconomics class when in college.

The average score of 49% from their 2008 survey is just sad.

49% *IS* sad.  I got the same score as you, but missed a different quesstion - after changing my answer from the correct one! 

Results
You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email americancivicliteracy@isi.org.

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

Incorrect Answers

Question: What was the main issue in the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858?
Your Answer: Is slavery morally wrong?
Correct Answer: Would slavery be allowed to expand to new territories?

[Iain]

You underestimate the extreme dedication of our population of morons to maintaining their reputation.

Hmm. I'm wondering if there is something up with their sample. I've posted the quiz on a rugby forum and added a poll for people to vote for which grade (the grades the organisation provided) they got. The odd American on there, but mostly Brits, Irish, French, Aus and NZ. Only been up a few hours, 30 votes so far:

1.   A - 90-100%   7 / 23%
2.   B - 80-89.9%   8 / 27%
3.   C - 70-79.9%   9 / 30%
4.   D - 60-69.9%   5 / 17%
5.   F - 59.9% and below   1 / 3%

Generally quite a literate and educated crowd, college grads and professionals. Still, they're trumping the sample in the link, and that seems a little odd.

edit: 53 responses now, probably not going to get too many more.

1.   A - 90-100%   8 / 15%
2.   B - 80-89.9%   15 / 28%
3.   C - 70-79.9%   15 / 28%
4.   D - 60-69.9%   10 / 19%
5.   F - 59.9% and below   5 / 9%

[Monkeyleg]

I got the recession question right because it ask

Which of the following fiscal policy combinations has the federal government most often followed

  Not "What's the smart, correct and proper thing to do".

That's what I thought. Historically, how many times have taxes and spending been decreased, versus the opposite? FDR raised taxes and spending (or his congress did, to be more exact). Obama and his Democrats haven't cut taxes and spending. Reagan cut taxes but wasn't able to decrease spending. JFK? Can't remember. GW cut taxes, but I don't recall spending cuts of any magnitude. Other presidents had recessions, but I don't recall their policies.

This test was just too easy (except for the questions I got wrong ). 49% is hard to believe.

[Stickjockey]

84.85%; need to brush up on my econ.

[CypherNinja]

    You answered 31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %

Incorrect Answers

    Question: What was the main issue in the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858?
        Your Answer: Are free African Americans citizens of the United States?
        Correct Answer: Would slavery be allowed to expand to new territories?

    Question: What was the source of the following phrase: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”?
        Your Answer: Declaration of Independence
        Correct Answer: Gettysburg Address


The Civil War and immediately surrounding periods are admittedly (shamefully) areas with which I have little familiarity.  
The Lincoln/Douglas question was a total guess for me, and the quote seemed quite familiar, but I had to guess. Makes sense I guessed the document I was more familiar with rather than the Address with which I was totally unfamiliar.

As a point of pride however, I did not have to think about any of the other questions and knew many of the answers even before looking at the choices.  

EDIT: I take that back, I had to think about the Puritan question for a few seconds or so because the 5th choice threw me as a possible correct answer. Ah well......