How is you Civics Literacy? Take a test and find out!
I was watching CNN this morning. They ran a piece about a civics literacy quiz that was conducted by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Their major findings:
- Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy
- Americans Agree: Colleges Should Teach America's Heritage
- College Adds Little to Civic Knowledge
- Television--Including TV News--Dumbs America Down
- What College Graduates Don't Know about America
The results are appaling. One ramification: lack of civic literacy = indifference to civil liberty. (Perhaps the aforementioned is melodramatic, but I had to attempt a clever write-bite...)
Take the quiz here. It is only 33 questions. Good luck and share your thoughts.
- Americans Fail the Test of Civic Literacy
- Americans Agree: Colleges Should Teach America's Heritage
- College Adds Little to Civic Knowledge
- Television--Including TV News--Dumbs America Down
- What College Graduates Don't Know about America
The results are appaling. One ramification: lack of civic literacy = indifference to civil liberty. (Perhaps the aforementioned is melodramatic, but I had to attempt a clever write-bite...)
Take the quiz here. It is only 33 questions. Good luck and share your thoughts.
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I got an 89%. Turns out my econ minor wasn't enough to help me remember some of the economy questions...but I did get all the history and philosophy questions down. I wish I could say it was because I paid attention in school, but more likely it's because I watched John Adams over the summer...
Oh well.
November 20, 2008 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Same here.
I got 88% and missed mostly econ questions
November 20, 2008 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I missed four questions, all of which were in the econ section of questions 25 through 33. Those questions weren't really "civics" questions, and some were subject to disagreement.
November 21, 2008 12:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
93% here. Too many econ questions for a "civics" quiz, IMHO. Tho' the business of America IS business...
November 20, 2008 12:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
...though I agree with the finding that more civics education is needed. I argue it's needed at all levels. The bulk of my civics education has come in Poli Sci classes I'm taking for my minor.
Too many people think things like:
ours is a Christian nation
the Declaration of Independence is a founding document of our nation
our nation's birthday is July 4, 1776
the founders all said the Pledge of Allegiance
Better civics education will help rehabilitate the idea that liberalism is not a bad thing.
November 20, 2008 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Given the number of people we see on TPM opining about Econ policy, etc., makes sense to include Econ on the quiz.
I thought the only truly inappropriate question was the philosophers one. It's not tied to US History explicitly nor any of the founding fathers ideas.
A better (and more interesting question) would have been:
When Tom Jefferson wrote "Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness", he paraphased John Locke's phrase of
"Life, Liberty, and...." what?
The correct answer ("property") starts a nice discussion for those curious is why did Jefferson take a reasonably well defined thing (property) and insert an incredibly ambiguous thing (pursuit of happiness)? Could it be that he was thinking about slaves?
November 20, 2008 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree about the philosophy section. If you are going to go into philosophy, how is it not a Locke question?
November 21, 2008 12:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed...I couldn't believe it when I dug into some of my favorite history books and they spent loads of time on the founding of national banks. Turns out that was good to know, I just got the terminology wrong. I was really hoping for more than one "supply and demand" question, because that's the textbook chapter I know.
November 21, 2008 12:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
93% for me. I attribute my good grade to reading TPM and several other great blogs -- and coaching my daughter in Civics and AP Government classes.
November 20, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hah. I got an 86. I got all of the econ questions right, but I missed some of the history stuff. And I loved answer C to question #3:
3) What are the three branches of government?
A. executive, legislative, judicial
B. executive, legislative, military
C. bureaucratic, military, industry
D. federal, state, local
I would suggest that part of the reason some people are missing the econ questions is because a few of them have a decidedly Republican bias.
November 20, 2008 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I thought that there were 4 branches of government:
Legislative
Judicial
Executive
Shadow
:)
November 20, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I scored 100%... but am still disappointed by the quiz.
The questions were uneven at best (how is Sputnik part of civics, except to show you know a dated cultural meme?) and doesn't necessarily reveal the ability to think. The question on Church and State separation was quite interesting for example -- one would hope that there would be a mention of the Virginian Constitution and Madison. But no.
Still it's nice to think that some may learn what the Fed does or the difference between debt and deficit as a result of this quiz.
I think everyone should have to read this book as a starting point. It's not liberal nor conservative, just a good example of clear thinking.
November 20, 2008 1:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK, but Googling the answers is cheating...
November 20, 2008 1:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Didn't have to Google, bunny. But thanks for the jealous comment.
November 20, 2008 1:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was teasing you, obviously. I'm actually very impressed and humbled by your prodigious score. As, I'm sure, we all are.
November 20, 2008 8:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
I apologize for my response. I've known your posts to be sharp and thought I was just more road kill for you.
For what it's worth, I wasn't trying to brag, merely reporting another score as others have done. And if you look carefully, I think I do know a few things -- which doesn't prevent others from knowing things as well. And, despite my score, I'm not sure this quiz proves much -- as I stated.
November 20, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
I suspect clearthinker benefits from a natural ability to take tests (no offense intended to you or clearthinker). Even though I'm relatively ignorant about civics and economics, I was able to score a 97% just because I'm a good test taker in general.
November 20, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, Ben... I guess I'm not surprised that many people here are not willing to come to the more obvious conclusion that I actually know something. Perhaps even a lot. I dunno.
But we've already had the google excuse and the quizmanship excuse. Let's think up more excuses: perhaps it was this specific set of questions? Or maybe I just lied about my score? Possibilities are endless!
By the way, the "economics" questions were pretty straightforward. Perhaps this might be a wake-up call to some that they need to go back to read a little before talking about our present economic situation. Just as people who watch FNC think they "know" and "understand" things -- people who get their info from left-wing news sources without really hitting the books and reading are similarly blinded into complacency.
By the way, I've forwarded the quiz to several friends now and everyone is coming back with either 97% or 100%. Again, this is more proof that anyone can come onto the Internet with any opinion -- whereas in your real life, you will tend to clump with people that are more like yourself. That's the beauty of the Internet, but it's also a reason not to get all your info from boards unless you vet your sources over long periods of time. For example, I disagree with bslev (Bruce) on many issues, but I read his postings with great care because it's clear he says who he is: a labor lawyer.
That's why I still show up here.
November 20, 2008 2:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now now, folks (and bunny)...
It makes sense that performance is a combination of knowledge and test taking ability. There were some questions for which I knew the correct answer and others for which I knew the incorrect responses.
I think that a requirement for graduating high school should be passing a civics test. Shouldn't Americans have more than a basic idea of how our government runs? Naturalized citizens have to pass a citizanship test in order to become an American. Something should be required of those who are born here.
November 20, 2008 3:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I barely graduated high school and I lasted two weeks in college. Personally, I think the requirement for high school graduation should be the ability to build a sturdy four-season shelter and a general knowledge of vegetable gardening. Beyond that, it's all just about learning to be a good taxpayer.
November 20, 2008 8:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
There is great wisdom in your words. I'm being quite serious. Most people in this country have lost the ability to survive.
We tend to think of ourselves as smart and sophisticated by operating iPod and computers. But knowing how to tend a horse, grow your own food, where to build a home, are all forms of technology that is rapidly being lost at exactly the same time we will need them the most: post peak-oil.
November 20, 2008 8:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Clearthinker, I agree with you and BunnyCat. I think that scholarly knowledge is over valued. In junior high, we were required to take shop class. I'm pretty sure that it and other classes like home economics are not required these days.
There needs to be more school time devoted to practical knowledge. In addition to science and math, kids should be taught things like practical finance, cooking and the skills that y'all mentioned. (Oh yes, there should also be a course on how to think critically.)
I do think that part of practical knowledge includes basic civics. Knowing the basics on one's government is essential to citizenship.
November 20, 2008 10:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now how are people going to be able to sustain themelves living in their McMansions 5 feet from the street and a backyard a whole 10 feet?
I got a 78, but I knew the Gettysburg question!
November 21, 2008 1:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
These skills could be in high demand in the not too distant future.
November 20, 2008 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh... 84.85% I'm not worthy. Although I do know how to build a sturdy four season shelter. Gardening I'm gonna have to bone up on before I get my GED.
November 20, 2008 9:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's not that I doubt that you know something, it's that plenty of people who know quite a lot do poorly on tests because they lack test taking skills.
It wasn't intended as an insult.
November 20, 2008 4:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Since I know you like logical problems, I'll point out that your statement here (people may score more poorly than their actual knowledge) is quite different than your initial comment (people may score better than their actual knowledge).
November 20, 2008 4:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, I didn't explicitly make that statement, but I can see why you inferred it. You're right, however, that my point that I was able to score a 97% without knowing very much about civics could be interpreted as implying that you didn't know very much. I suppose it did imply that you didn't necessarily know very much just because you scored a 100, but I'll stand by that argument. (Not that you don't know very much, but that a score of 100 doesn't require that you know very much.)
November 20, 2008 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fair enough.
November 20, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
90.91 here. Economic is not my forte ;) Good quiz though.
November 20, 2008 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Economics is my forte. As opposed to studying history, which is my foible.
November 20, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
The first question is flawed. There are four rights mentioned in the Dec of Ind, not just three.
Extra Credit for knowing the fourth.
November 20, 2008 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
The right of the People to abolish a government that violates the first three inalienable rights. I can understand why they may have wanted to gloss over the right of revolution since GWB still has a couple more months in office.
November 20, 2008 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Somewhat of the same argument that the South wanted to use to secede. Of course, by then, the US Federal government was in charge and the idea of a revolution wasn't looked so kindly upon.
It's the old story: freedom fighter or terrorist?
November 20, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
The question is not flawed as stated. The question isn't worded: "which of the following are the only inalienable rights..."
Moreover, the declaration states:
So the unalienable [sic] rights are very clearly identified as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
November 20, 2008 4:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
scored 29 out of 33... (87.88%) ... I agree that some of the questions did not seem to fit the common definition of "civics" -- like the Sputnik question. And as always, there were a few questions where more than one of the answers was a plausible response.
November 20, 2008 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
I expected that anyone who blogs and comments here would score better than the average score reported on the website.
I missed two questions myself. One of the ones I missed was the last one:
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.
The "correct" answer is supposed to be D, which makes sense mathematically, but doesn't make sense to me when a) income tax is progressive and b) government spending does not benefit everyone equally.
Regardless, I think that it is appalling that the average score amongst Americans is 49% and college educators only scored 55%.
This question is for those who have kids in school: Do they currently teach civics? I don't think that I had an official couse, but y 9th grade Social Studies teacher took it upon himself to review the Constitution with us for an extended period of time.
November 20, 2008 3:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
They were still teaching civics in 1992 when I was in high school. We had the semester long assignment of covering the Presidential campaign. Thus began my Clintonista-dom and love for politics(and pie charts ala Ross Perot). Probably the same passion for politics that high school students taking Civics in 2008 will have for all things Obama.
November 20, 2008 4:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Does this mean that you will understand and accept anyone who came of age in the 1984 election cycle and whole heartedly supports Reagan?
November 20, 2008 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
My reasoning was the same for that question.
And the deficit would be zero. The question is sort of flawed, because you either make the assumption that they're talking about government spending equaling taxes always, or only in one year. They shouldn't leave room for any assumptions.
They weren't teaching civics when I graduated HS in 99. We had to take the various histories, of course (which were boring as dirt and I learned absolutely nothing from.) and American Government, where I believe I at least retained the three branches of government. (That's the most shocking to me. Really? That many people can't name the three branches of government??? That's really, really bad.)
November 20, 2008 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
"That many people can't name the three branches of government???"
Larry, Curly, and Moe? Right?
November 20, 2008 6:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
As of now, there are four branches - Legislative, Judicial, Executive, and Cheney...
November 20, 2008 7:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not true. Cheney is merely the intersection of the sets {Executive} and {Legislative}. At least according to Palin.
I wonder how many people would have thought that the Press was a 3rd branch of government (though the quiz didn't give that choice)?
November 20, 2008 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's only because Palin doesn't understand quantum mechanics. Cheney is clearly a quantum superposition of the Executive and Legislative branches. ;)
November 20, 2008 9:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Palin has become Schrodinger's Cat. Politically she isn't alive, but dammit, she won't die either!
November 21, 2008 3:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Nice…
November 21, 2008 4:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
The only reason I answered "Government debt is zero," is because I thought it was the least wrong. I understand that debt carries over from previous years, but I felt that the other answers were wronger [sic].
Too bad your school did not teach civics. I was shocked to learn that some of my college-educated peers did not know of the Electoral College.
November 20, 2008 7:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
I kind of felt my American Government class was civics. If it's not the same under a different name, then I missed it prior to my graduation in 1982.
November 21, 2008 1:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
Only missed one, but it was the last one, and for the exact same reason, Pangaea. It seemed the least wrong.
November 21, 2008 3:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
90.91% here... I guess that isn't so bad for a non-citizen.
November 20, 2008 4:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
My score was 87.88%. Got nos. 13, 27,29 and 33 wrong. I have to polish up on my Greek philosophers and economic theory.
Some of the economic questions were like the multiple choice questions on the bar exam: Which answer is "least" wrong?
November 20, 2008 4:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I found that pre-test quite useful. Suspect I'll score much better on the real one. When is it again?
Need a C to stay on the team. Bit of pressure.
November 20, 2008 4:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have learned more about this country out of school than in school. I am thinking about a quote given by Mark Twain: "Don't let school interfere with your education." I wasn't taught about Greek philosophers but I got the question correct. I screwed up on the economic questions which leads my to believe that the writers of the test wholeheartedly believe capitalism is part and parcel of the American heritage. It is if one considers that a companies settled the country first.
November 20, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Are you kidding me? Ever hear of the Hudson's Bay Company? Or the Massachusetts Bay Company?
The whole continent was about exploiting it for natural resources (e.g. business and commerce). It was discovered looking for the Northwest Passage (a mythical trade route to the East). It was plundered by the Spanish for gold.
It started that way, and we've been transforming the land ever since.
November 20, 2008 5:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
I actually know about the Virginia Company and Ohio Company. Both give me clues as to what is important but not taught. It wasn't civics it was business first.
November 20, 2008 7:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Virginia Company is another excellent example and would have been my third choice but TPM limits you to only 2 URLs per comment (so it seems).
I highly recommend the book LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME for some real civics...
Also, while it's not perfect, Howard Zinn's book: A PEOPLES HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, is really good at making you think about what's really going on. (My problem with Zinn's book is that sometimes he gets a big dogmatic about his politics. But only sometimes.)
Noam Chomsky is also worthwhile reading. His website is excellent to link historical events with "new" headlines. He's pretty good at showing you just how close the Dems and the GOP really are in terms of political parties.
The most important point that hasn't been made on this thread yet: many ignorant people vote. Of course , when you convince them to vote for your side (by whatever method), they are no longer ignorant... ;-)
I'm really glad you brought up the issue about companies settling America first -- I suspect our conversation will open a few more eyes.
November 20, 2008 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, to point out the obvious, it actually didn't start that way. The land was settled, long before it was "discovered."
November 21, 2008 7:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
I also earned a 93% having missed two econ questions. That seems to be a pattern for commentors. I di think the questions were uneven but it was fun to do.
November 20, 2008 6:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
My score was 93. I missed Question 7 and 33.
I thought there were 2 right answers to question 33. If Government taxes = spending, you have a debt of zero as well as the per capita spending answer which they said was correct.
November 20, 2008 7:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, that's not true. The fact that taxes equal spending at any given point says nothing about debt. Debt could be zero or it could be billions.
November 20, 2008 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Debt is not the same as deficit.
Clinton closed the deficit to zero (for a few years) but didn't bring down the debt to zero. It will take many years of non-deficit spending to zero the national debt.
That's what most people don't understand. We have to generate surpluses for YEARS AND YEARS to balance ourselves out of our debt. And after a few years of running surpluses, most people will want either more social spending or a reduction in taxes. There are those of us who always live within our means -- no monthly balance on our credit cards, cars and homes we can afford with our pay. Most people in the US don't know how to save and invest (regardless of income level). It's a tragedy that slowly but surely erodes our economy and civilization.
November 20, 2008 7:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
When do you think the world is going to figure out there is no way in hell we can repay them> Will the Chinese come over her to get the money? Oh, that's right, we pay them for making crap.
November 21, 2008 1:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
No, but a debt is accumulated over years of deficits. Codegen - you were assuming they were talking about "in any given year," which is what they meant. I was assuming a more theoretical view, where government spending had always equaled taxes. In which case, the debt would be zero. The question should be better phrased.
November 21, 2008 7:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
29 out of 33. 3 misses were history questions and I missed the last one due to what I believe was my haste to be finished since I assumed and didn't carefulyl read all the answers.
It's useful quiz, but I'm sure if memorizing who said a famous quote in a speech as important as understanding the concepts. Maybe that why I missed the history questions.
I'm not too sure what everyone is considering econ questions, because I only thought 3-4 were economics. I do agree that while important as things to know and understand, economics isn't civics. Any more that basic math or language skills or science is civics.
November 20, 2008 7:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Especially in today's climate, it is. It's important to know what the government can do (roughly) and how these policies succeeded or failed in the past.
November 20, 2008 8:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry I still disagree. To my way of thinking, the government sets a lot of policy on other things too that are just as important long term as economics. For example health care, or energy and the environment. But we don't have questions about medicine and medicare insurance and perscription drug plans, or the science of climate change or solar power that underlie EPA policy.
Maybe I think this way because I don't understand economic theory very well.
November 20, 2008 8:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Most policy is determined by the economic impact it will have.
Economics intersects everything because money intersects everything.
Want a simple example?
Many places build in the fines to pollute into their bottom line. They just pay for the privilege of polluting. Why? Because it's cheaper than fixing the problem.
However, if the government raises the fines on polluters so much as it would cripple the business to pollute, in all likelihood, the company may not be able to compete which then costs jobs.
Economics.
See also: bailout of the automakers. Do or not do? Give up manufacturing capacity? Or allow market to correct? Throw people out of work? Or continue to print money and devalue the dollar.
November 20, 2008 8:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
You picked the wrong example, because your claim that "most" companies build fines into their budget for the right to pollute is just plain wrong. I've worked in manufacturing as an environmental manager for over 20 years. NO company I've ever worked for or had knowledge of as a consultant or on industry groups follows the practice you suggest is prevelant. That practice would likely be defined as willful violation and would suject the owner or board of directors to jail time.
Yes, folks use economic analysis to determine how and when to comply and the emissions trading models are based very strongly on a free market concept, but your "simple" example that fines are the driving force for compliance is bogus.
November 21, 2008 10:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
And I've worked with regulatory organizations and water boards. And yes, things are exactly as I describe. It's another reason why companies move to Mexico and dump into the watershed directly: it's cheaper.
November 21, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Whew!
"You answered 31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %"
But I must say, I was not at all confident about some of my answers. It's not enough to answer correctly; I want to KNOW I'm answering correctly. If that makes sense.
November 20, 2008 8:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Proving I have spent too much time on political blogs...
You answered 33 out of 33 correctly — 100.00 %
November 20, 2008 8:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
96.97 and not terribly impressed with the questions...
November 20, 2008 8:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm delighted that so many of my fellow readers excelled on the quiz, although not particularly surprised. We're a self-selecting group, and an unusually informed bunch. To quote from the study's findings: "Active use of the Internet is positively correlated with higher test scores," "more involved political activities (beyond merely voting)...are also associated with higher test scores," and "Americans who make habits of both frequently conversing about public affairs and history and also reading about these subjects...increase their civic knowledge." That's us in a nutshell.
And yes, not all of the questions are perfectly clear. I do think, however, that a basic grasp of political economy is an essential civic virtue, as is some knowledge of our history. Sputnik, for example, touched off the space race and led to a boom in American science - it's not just a dated cultural meme. But I also suspect that the test was rigged, to some degree, to produce the usual jeremiads about the sorry state of civic knowledge, particularly among the young. There were two New Deal questions, two Cold War questions, one about Roe, and one on Dr. King: that's why the 45-64 year old cohort scores best on this test.
Still, you'd have to think that our esteemed host, with his Ivy League doctorate in American history, would be pleased that his readers posted these scores.
November 20, 2008 10:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Still, you'd have to think that our esteemed host, with his Ivy League doctorate in American history, would be pleased that his readers posted these scores."
Yup, he's gonna give us each a cookie. You'll have to set your security low enough to receive it.
November 20, 2008 11:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you want an example of an excellent question, it was the Lincoln/Douglas one. If you could answer it correctly, it meant you understood one of the primary debates about the cause of the civil war. A poor way of wording this question would have been; "Abraham Lincoln debated who in 1958 for a Congressional seat?" Know it was Douglas doesn't mean you know anything.
Similarly, knowing Sputnik was a satellite doesn't mean you know anything. Rather, the question should have been written something along the lines of:
(correct answer being f). Answering this question at least means you understand how the US wasn't first at everything all the time. I'm willing to bet many patriots wouldn't believe the answer.
Similarly, showing that you know FDR's program was called the New Deal is merely naming trivia and not indicative of any understanding. A better question of this sort would have been:
(correct answer is (d) which is a Teddy Roosevelt program). Again, this is a way of at least showing you might know something about political history.
November 21, 2008 4:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Stop the presses. When I went back to the test to look for the more of the quotes that FlyOnTheWall listed, my eye caught the sponsor of this test. The economic questions, and probably the reason so many here struggled with them, now make more sense.
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute is all about the "American ideal of ordered liberty", which are code words for the right wing love affair of limited gov't supporting free markets, while shelling out liberal doses of Christianity to keep the workers in line.
Here are their 6 principles of a free society:
A former professor of mine used to contribute papers to them, which is why I'm so familiar with their 'principles'.
Oh, and John F. Lehman, Jr., of Lehman Bros. fame is considered to be one of their outstanding alumni.
November 21, 2008 3:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ha! Good catch. I was sort of thinking as I was taking it that some of the questions were "up for debate," although I knew what they wanted as the right answer. Now I know why.
Number 27, in particular:
"Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because..."
November 21, 2008 8:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Fascinating. Thanks for posting this.
And in response to ClearThinker's post above, I'd add that while his revised questions seem slanted a little far in the opposite direction, I'd second his criticism of the test for privileging rote facts over their implications.
November 21, 2008 10:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
I was feeling pretty badly about scoring 90.91, missing those cursed Econ questions, but now? Thanks, Seashell -- the economic principles of ISI make it a club to which I don't ever want to belong. Gimme regulation, soon, so I'm not awake at this hour.
November 21, 2008 4:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, I got two questions (allegedly) wrong, but one of them was:
"27) Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because ..."
I thought the premise was bogus, and all the answers on offer were bogus. I guessed at what answer was expected -- and guessed wrong.
But despite the slight ideological bias, this was an astonishingly easy test.
The average scores of people who self-identified as present or former elected officials was truly shocking, though -- in this post-Palin era -- not surprising.
November 21, 2008 5:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Those economics questions were sheer propaganda.
November 21, 2008 10:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
I got 32 out of 33. Undoubtedly my accounting background helped with the econ questions. Like some others, I missed only 33. I agree now that A is wrong but I don't agree that D is correct, as Pangaea stated.
His name is a pretty good trivia question in itself.
November 21, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you to those commenters (including seashell and FlyOnTheWall) who took more time than I did to look at who sponsored the test.
In thinking about my mindset while I was taking the quiz, I realize that it didn't even occur to me to evaluate the motives behind the economics questions (especially, as pointed out, question 27).
Two reasons occur to me about why I was not fazed:
1) since 1980, we have been led by Presidents who were wary of economic regulations, and 2) last year, my wife took a microeconomics course and, out of curiosity, I read the text and did the problem sets as if I were a student.
November 21, 2008 11:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
For what it's worth, free markets are are better than central government planning -- for exactly the reason stated on the exam. Centralized planning for anything large never really works in the long run, just look how corporations are run. It's always broken down into Divisions, Sections, etc.
This doesn't mean free markets always give you a utopia, it just means that the government isn't as capable as reacting and incorporating all the market forces to be able to centralize plan.
Regulations are not centralized planning. One of the reasons for China's success is they began not rigidly planning the economy and letting a form of free market to exist.
I suggest before people write-off their missed questions to who authored the quiz, they need to re-examine some of their answers -- and the assumptions behind them.
November 21, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's not about writing off missed questions, CT. I really doubt anyone here is going to lose sleep over that. One, instruments intended to measure something in a quantifiable manner should leave no room for debate. Two, talking about the questions is a manner of opening up the ideas for debate.
What makes an economy grow? Well, there's the million dollar question.
"Free markets are better than centralized government planning."
It's simply not so black and white. First of all, our system is not one or the other, but rather a combination of the two. I doubt there are any true free markets in the world. Nor do we have a fully centrally planned economy. The U.S. is a mixed economy. Few debate that, instead, what is debated is the level of economic intervention governments should undertake. Who's right? Keynes? Friedman? Smith? Marx? My theory is: all of them and none of them. Different times call for different measures.
November 21, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink