How Much Do You Know About US Government?

[Liagala]

I found this link on another forum. It's 33 questions about US history, government, and the things that influence it. The average score for 2500 average Americans taking this test was 49%. How did you score?

Edit: The first few poll options cover 20% per option, the last couple are only 10%. I figured the PC would tend to lean toward the latter options, so made those more specific.

http://www.isi.org/quiz.aspx?q=FE5C3B47-9675-41E0-9CF3-072BB31E2692

[Gelston]

You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

[Ryvicke]

You answered 24 out of 33 correctly — 72.73 %

[Back]

You answered 24 out of 33 correctly — 72.73 %

[Liagala]

I got 3 wrong. Of course I closed the window without copying it, but all 3 were more economics questions than history/legal stuff

[Nordaak]

You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

[Drevihyin]

You answered 21 out of 33 correctly — 63.64

[Ryvicke]

Whatever dudes, me and Gelston answered honestly with our scores and now y'all just liars, OBVI.

[poloneus]

I just had to get the last question wrong!

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: If taxes equal government spending, then:

[Drew]

Results

You answered 31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %


Incorrect Answers

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

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 disagree with the last one and I was on the fence about where that quote came from! I never had to memorize the Gettysburg Address at school, PUBLIC SCHOOLS YOU'VE FAILED ME AGAIN!

[Warriorbird]

I disagree with the last one and I was on the fence about where that quote came from! I never had to memorize the Gettysburg Address at school, PUBLIC SCHOOLS YOU'VE FAILED ME AGAIN!

96.97% and the last one got me too.

One of those true but not what they wanted questions I guess.

[msconstrew]

You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

[SHAFT]

i just guessed i know 0-19%. screw tests

[Latrinsorm]

You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

Missed last one, Gettysburg one, Anti-Federalists one, free markets one... I am therefore a neo-socialist-Federalist, which suits me fine. I also guessed at a couple.

[Bobmuhthol]

You answered 27 out of 33 correctly — 81.82 %

Missed "wall of separation," Roe v Wade, Lincoln/Douglas debates, free markets for some reason, Puritans, and the philosophers.

But I did get the last question, which I thought was straightforward and accurate.


Why there is only one correct answer on the last question:
Government debt is zero: There can be a surplus, and you're still going to have government debt. The deficit is zero.
Printing money no longer causes inflation: Self-explanatory. Printing money will always cause inflation (relative to not printing money, or less deflation, or whatever you want to call it).
Government is not helping anybody: They're providing government services regardless.
Tax loopholes and special-interest spending are absent: This is not a necessary consequence of taxes and government spending balancing. They can still be equal.
Tax per person equals government spending per person on average: By definition. Taxes = Spending. Taxes / People = Spending / People.

[Ashlander]

You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

[Jarvan]

You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

[Jarvan]

You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

Seems most of us are fairly well above average.

[TheEschaton]

You answered 30 out of 33 correctly — 90.91 %

Missed the "fiscal policy combination" one because I didn't know the overall most used combo and just went with what I'd do, increase both taxes and spending.

Missed the Gettysburg Address one as well, put the Constitution.

And missed the last one that everyone seems to be missing too.

[TheEschaton]

P.S. it says on the front page that college educators were scoring 55%. Wow.

Also, I'd love to see the results on MMO where you got this thread from, lol.

[Bobmuhthol]

Missed the "fiscal policy combination" one because I didn't know the overall most used combo and just went with what I'd do, increase both taxes and spending.

You'd raise taxes in a recession???

[TheEschaton]

Always seemed to work in Civ II.

[Makkah]

You answered 24 out of 33 correctly — 72.73 %

Very surprised I even did that well. I'm politically retarded.

[Parkbandit]

I was 32 out of 33.. I missed the philosopher question.

[Sam]

You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

I should be a goddamn professor.

[Asile]

28/33 correct, 84.85%

I have a feeling that if it were a short-answer test, I'd bomb it. I guessed on a few of them, doing process of elimination stuff; others, I was pretty confident on the answers.

Still, my US Government and US History teachers would be proud.

And it's sad that most people aren't getting at least 75% correct. Though it does explain a lot about today's state of the US.

[Nieninque]

You answered 23 out of 33 correctly — 69.70 %

Fuck yeah...I dont even live in your poxy country.Having said that I did a British nationality test the other day. You had to get something like 20/25 to passand I got 9/25.I did it again and got 8. Amazing that I got less British the second time round. Fuckers.

[Warriorbird]

I was 32 out of 33.. I missed the philosopher question.

You missed the philosophers, I missed a spending question. Something telling in that. I'd have expected Drew to beat us both.

[diethx]

You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

[Gelston]

You answered 23 out of 33 correctly — 69.70 %

Fuck yeah...I dont even live in your poxy country.Having said that I did a British nationality test the other day. You had to get something like 20/25 to passand I got 9/25.I did it again and got 8. Amazing that I got less British the second time round. Fuckers.

QUICK! Who comes first in precedence, the eldest son of an Earl or the youngest son of a Duke!?

[mgoddess]

You answered 24 out of 33 correctly — 72.73 %

[poloneus]

QUICK! Who comes first in precedence, the eldest son of an Earl or the youngest son of a Duke!? Or choice "C" - nobody gives a fuck.


C

[Gelston]

C

Royal wedding man, royal wedding.

[Drunken Durfin]

Thread title fail. A lot of those questions were not "US Government" questions.

[Liagala]

Also, I'd love to see the results on MMO where you got this thread from, lol.
http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1098272-Americans-How-knowledgeable-are-you-about-your-government

[Valthissa]

You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

PB and I are just old (I mean mature)

C/Valth

[Warriorbird]

You answered 32 out of 33 correctly — 96.97 %

PB and I are just old (I mean mature)

C/Valth

Inquiring minds want to know what you missed.

[Ardwen]

You answered 24 out of 33 correctly — 72.73 %

[TheEschaton]

You and PB did 32/33 because the quiz is so obviously right leaning it's relatively silly.

[Stanley Burrell]

Too many target buttons. I probably would have done around ~66.6-repeating to 75%.


You and PB did 32/33 because the quiz is so obviously right leaning it's relatively silly.

"J. Marshal has made his decision, let him enforce it." Regarding the ToT or who said it. Something about Honest Graft and a Civil War I vs. II between loyalists and separatists would've made things fair. It seemed right-leaning, like, by a microscopic morsel. Right as in conservative; not Democrat or Republican, like, before, or during, or after White Flight flipped party biases during a KKK II timeframe, sorry.

My eyes are bleeding, sorry.

Who was the French guy, I think, that tried to record Lincoln's voice?

[Parkbandit]

You and PB did 32/33 because the quiz is so obviously right leaning it's relatively silly.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_r-LHKwbxaGI/TLTu5yzwvFI/AAAAAAAAAX4/WU2dgqro_Io/s1600/wtf-cat.jpg

I think you missed an ideal opportunity to throw down the race card and call the test biased towards WHITES!

[Warriorbird]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_r-LHKwbxaGI/TLTu5yzwvFI/AAAAAAAAAX4/WU2dgqro_Io/s1600/wtf-cat.jpg

I think you missed an ideal opportunity to throw down the race card and call the test biased towards WHITES!

I think I just got called a Republican. The ISI is a conservative organization but other than an excessive number of economics questions I didn't think the test was biased, and it didn't say to cut taxes and cut spending, it said to cut taxes and raise spending.

[BriarFox]

30/33 - 90.91%.

[Stretch]

You answered 27 out of 33 correctly — 81.82 %

Question: What was the main issue in the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858?
Your Answer: Do Southern states have the constitutional right to leave the union?
Correct Answer: Would slavery be allowed to expand to new territories?

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: 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

Question: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas would concur that:
Your Answer: all moral and political truth is relative to one’s time and place
Correct Answer: certain permanent moral and political truths are accessible to human reason

Question: In 1935 and 1936 the Supreme Court declared that important parts of the New Deal were unconstitutional. President Roosevelt responded by threatening to:
Your Answer: override the Supreme Court’s decisions by gaining three-quarter majorities in both houses of Congress
Correct Answer: appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views

Question: The phrase that in America there should be a “wall of separation” between church and state appears in:
Your Answer: the Constitution
Correct Answer: Thomas Jefferson’s letters

[Parkbandit]

I think I just got called a Republican. The ISI is a conservative organization but other than an excessive number of economics questions I didn't think the test was biased, and it didn't say to cut taxes and cut spending, it said to cut taxes and raise spending.

Why? Would economic questions slant to the right somehow?

[Tgo01]

Why? Would economic questions slant to the right somehow?

Well yeah, it's not like Democrats know anything about economics.

OH SNAP!

[Nieninque]

QUICK! Who comes first in precedence, the eldest son of an Earl or the youngest son of a Duke!?

That's why I didn't get British Citizenship! I don't know.

[Liagala]

That's why I didn't get British Citizenship! I don't know.
Younger son of a Duke. Raymond E. Feist books FTW. Do I get honorary citizenship?

[Gelston]

Younger son of a Duke. Raymond E. Feist books FTW. Do I get honorary citizenship?

Correct, who go after the eldest son of a marquess!

[Liagala]

Correct, who go after the eldest son of a marquess!
They don't have those in the Riftwar Saga, sorry. :(

[Valthissa]

I think I just got called a Republican. The ISI is a conservative organization but other than an excessive number of economics questions I didn't think the test was biased, and it didn't say to cut taxes and cut spending, it said to cut taxes and raise spending.

I assumed The E was joking.

Agree on the quanitity of economics questions as 'excessive' for the purposes of determining ones basic US government knowledge.

Sadly, I missed the Gettysburg address queston - even though I memorized it for some school event in the third(?) grade.

C/Valth

[WRoss]

31 here.

[Warriorbird]

I assumed The E was joking.

Agree on the quanitity of economics questions as 'excessive' for the purposes of determining ones basic US government knowledge.

Sadly, I missed the Gettysburg address queston - even though I memorized it for some school event in the third(?) grade.

C/Valth

Crazy. Yeah, I was pretty sure they used to make everybody memorize that.

[TheEschaton]

I didn't realize the thing was only 10 sentences long. It seemed much longer as a kid. But I def thought it was in the Constitution, apparently not.

[diethx]

I didn't realize the thing was only 10 sentences long. It seemed much longer as a kid. But I def thought it was in the Constitution, apparently not.

Pretty sure the only reason I got it right was thanks to Kindergarten Cop.

[Deathravin]

Who wrote this thing? Glenn Beck?

I kept thinking it would get more balanced or at least less right-leaning at time went on, but it's just getting worse and worse.


You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

When I was stuck, I would just channel my inner Glenn.

[Deathravin]

Which of the following are the unalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence?
* life, liberty, and property
* honor, liberty, and peace
* liberty, health, and community
* life, respect, and equal protection
* life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

In 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed a series of government programs that became known as:
* the Great Society
* the Square Deal
* the New Deal
* the New Frontier
* supply-side economics

What are the three branches of government?
* executive, legislative, judicial
* executive, legislative, military
* bureaucratic, military, industry
* federal, state, local

What was the main issue in the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858?
* Is slavery morally wrong?
* Would slavery be allowed to expand to new territories?
* Do Southern states have the constitutional right to leave the union?
* Are free African Americans citizens of the United States?

The United States Electoral College:
* trains those aspiring for higher political office
* was established to supervise the first televised presidential debates
* is otherwise known as the U.S. Congress
* is a constitutionally mandated assembly that elects the president
* was ruled undemocratic by the Supreme Court

The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
* prayer in public school
* discrimination based on race, sex, or religion
* the ownership of guns by private individuals
* establishing an official religion for the United States
* the president from vetoing a line item in a spending bill

What was the source of the following phrase: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”?
* the speech “I Have a Dream”
* Declaration of Independence
* U.S. Constitution
* Gettysburg Address

In 1935 and 1936 the Supreme Court declared that important parts of the New Deal were unconstitutional. President Roosevelt responded by threatening to:
* impeach several Supreme Court justices
* eliminate the Supreme Court
* appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views
* override the Supreme Court’s decisions by gaining three-quarter majorities in both houses of Congress

Under Our Constitution, some powers belong exclusively to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
* Make treaties
* Make zoning laws
* Maintain prisons
* Establish standards for doctors and lawyers

Name one right or freedom guaranteed by the first amendment.
* Right to bear arms
* Due process
* Religion
* Right to counsel

What impact did the Anti-Federalists have on the United States Constitution?
* their arguments helped lead to the adoption of the Bill of Rights
* their arguments helped lead to the abolition of the slave trade
* their influence ensured that the federal government would maintain a standing army
* their influence ensured that the federal government would have the power to tax

Which of the following statements is true about abortion?
* it was legal in most states in the 1960s
* the Supreme Court struck down most legal restrictions on it in Roe v. Wade
* the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that underage women must notify their parents of an impending abortion
* the National Organization for Women has lobbied for legal restrictions on it
* it is currently legal only in cases of rape or incest, or to protect the life of the mother

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas would concur that:
* all moral and political truth is relative to one’s time and place
* moral ideas are best explained as material accidents or byproducts of evolution
* values originating in one’s conscience cannot be judged by others
* Christianity is the only true religion and should rule the state
* certain permanent moral and political truths are accessible to human reason

The Puritans:
* opposed all wars on moral grounds
* stressed the sinfulness of all humanity
* believed in complete religious freedom
* colonized Utah under the leadership of Brigham Young
* were Catholic missionaries escaping religious persecution

The phrase that in America there should be a “wall of separation” between church and state appears in:
* George Washington’s Farewell Address
* the Mayflower Compact
* the Constitution
* the Declaration of Independence
* Thomas Jefferson’s letters

In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
* argued for the abolition of slavery
* advocated black separatism
* morally defended affirmative action
* expressed his hopes for racial justice and brotherhood
* proposed that several of America’s founding ideas were discriminatory

Sputnik was the name given to the first:
* telecommunications system
* animal to travel to space
* hydrogen bomb
* manmade satellite

Susan B. Anthony was a leader of the movement to
* guarantee women the right to vote in national elections
* guarantee former slaves the right to vote
* ensure that harsher laws against criminals were passed
* reduce the authority of the Constitution of the United States

The Scopes “Monkey Trial” was about:
* freedom of the press
* teaching evolution in the schools
* prayer in the schools
* education in private schools

Who is the commander in chief of the U.S. military?
* Secretary of the army
* Secretary of state
* President
* Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

Name two countries that were our enemies during World War II.
* Canada and Mexico
* Germany and Japan
* England and Spain
* China and Russia

What part of the government has the power to declare war?
* Congress
* the president
* the Supreme Court
* the Joint Chiefs of Staff

In October 1962 the United States and the Soviet Union came close to war over the issue of Soviet:
* control of East Berlin
* missiles in Cuba
* support of the Ho Chi Minh regime in Viet Nam
* military support of the Marxist regime in Afghanistan

In the area of United States foreign policy, Congress shares power with the:
* president
* Supreme Court
* state governments
* United Nations

Free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as:
* experts managing the nation’s commerce are appointed by elected officials
* individual citizens create, exchange, and control goods and resources
* charity, philanthropy, and volunteering decrease
* demand and supply are decided through majority vote
* government implements policies that favor businesses over consumers

Business profit is:
* cost minus revenue
* assets minus liabilities
* revenue minus expenses
* selling price of a stock minus its purchase price
* earnings minus assets

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

A progressive tax:
* encourages more investment from those with higher incomes
* is illustrated by a 6% sales tax
* requires those with higher incomes to pay a higher ratio of taxes to income
* requires every income class to pay the same ratio of taxes to income
* earmarks revenues for poverty reduction

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

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?
* increasing both taxes and spending
* increasing taxes and decreasing spending
* decreasing taxes and increasing spending
* decreasing both taxes and spending

International trade and specialization most often lead to which of the following?
* an increase in a nation’s productivity
* a decrease in a nation’s economic growth in the long term
* an increase in a nation’s import tariffs
* a decrease in a nation’s standard of living

Which of the following is a policy tool of the Federal Reserve?
* raising or lowering income taxes
* increasing or decreasing unemployment benefits
* buying or selling government securities
* increasing or decreasing government spending

If taxes equal government spending, then:
* government debt is zero
* printing money no longer causes inflation
* government is not helping anybody
* tax per person equals government spending per person on average
* tax loopholes and special-interest spending are absent

All of the questions & answers so we can discuss.

[Parkbandit]

Who wrote this thing? Glenn Beck?

I kept thinking it would get more balanced or at least less right-leaning at time went on, but it's just getting worse and worse.



When I was stuck, I would just channel my inner Glenn.

Could you point to the specific questions that you believe are "right leaning"?

[Deathravin]

What questions do you believe I would think are "right leaning"?

[Parkbandit]

What questions do you believe I would think are "right leaning"?

I don't believe you put much actual thought into it.. which is why I asked the question.

You made the claim, like TheE before you, that this "test" was clearly right leaning... I'm curious to know what questions you believed were right leaning.

[Deathravin]

What questions would you consider to be 'Left-leaning'?

[Parkbandit]

What questions would you consider to be 'Left-leaning'?

Where did I say there were questions that were "left leaning"?

I didn't.

You made the claim this test was SO far right leaning that Glenn Beck must have made it... but yet you can't back it up.

No biggie.. I didn't think you could either.

[droit]

You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

[Deathravin]

I haven't had the time to craft my answer as of yet (Minecraft skull castles don't build themselves!). I figured I'd start a conversation with questions of my own until I'm done getting the lava-bleeding eyes just right.

[TheEschaton]

In 1935 and 1936 the Supreme Court declared that important parts of the New Deal were unconstitutional. President Roosevelt responded by threatening to:
* impeach several Supreme Court justices
* eliminate the Supreme Court
* appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views
* override the Supreme Court’s decisions by gaining three-quarter majorities in both houses of Congress

An odd question especially considering 1) there was already an FDR question about the New Deal, 2) FDR never followed through on his thread, and 3) it points out a very negative aspect of a very popular Democratic President.

Which of the following statements is true about abortion?
* it was legal in most states in the 1960s
* the Supreme Court struck down most legal restrictions on it in Roe v. Wade
* the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that underage women must notify their parents of an impending abortion
* the National Organization for Women has lobbied for legal restrictions on it
* it is currently legal only in cases of rape or incest, or to protect the life of the mother

A right wing issue, with the correct answer couched by 2 blatantly incorrect answer (a and D), and two right wing desires (c and e)

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas would concur that:
* all moral and political truth is relative to one’s time and place
* moral ideas are best explained as material accidents or byproducts of evolution
* values originating in one’s conscience cannot be judged by others
* Christianity is the only true religion and should rule the state
* certain permanent moral and political truths are accessible to human reason

A correct answer surrounded by misrepresentations of leftist ideas (a and b), a nonsensical answer (c), and a right wing idea (d).

Free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as:
* experts managing the nation’s commerce are appointed by elected officials
* individual citizens create, exchange, and control goods and resources
* charity, philanthropy, and volunteering decrease
* demand and supply are decided through majority vote
* government implements policies that favor businesses over consumers

Most of these answers don't even make sense, but are delusions that the right thinks of the left in re: how we want to run the economy.

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

Question itself is biased and unproven, and makes large assumptions about the idealness of free markets.


I guess it's that last one which struck me as most obviously right-leaning.

[WRoss]

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas would concur that:

Also everything we know of Socrates came from Plato. They are mutually exclusive.

[Tgo01]

(d)* Christianity is the only true religion and should rule the state

A correct answer surrounded by misrepresentations of leftist ideas (a and b), a nonsensical answer (c), and a right wing idea (d).


You trollin.

[TheEschaton]

their idea of right wing ideas. They, after all, supported Rick Santorum's book.

[Stanley Burrell]

23. Bah.

Oh. I'm not taking this again, but it probably helps if you read the actual question /facepalm

[Parkbandit]

In 1935 and 1936 the Supreme Court declared that important parts of the New Deal were unconstitutional. President Roosevelt responded by threatening to:
* impeach several Supreme Court justices
* eliminate the Supreme Court
* appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views
* override the Supreme Court’s decisions by gaining three-quarter majorities in both houses of Congress

An odd question especially considering 1) there was already an FDR question about the New Deal, 2) FDR never followed through on his thread, and 3) it points out a very negative aspect of a very popular Democratic President.

Which of the following statements is true about abortion?
* it was legal in most states in the 1960s
* the Supreme Court struck down most legal restrictions on it in Roe v. Wade
* the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that underage women must notify their parents of an impending abortion
* the National Organization for Women has lobbied for legal restrictions on it
* it is currently legal only in cases of rape or incest, or to protect the life of the mother

A right wing issue, with the correct answer couched by 2 blatantly incorrect answer (a and D), and two right wing desires (c and e)

Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas would concur that:
* all moral and political truth is relative to one’s time and place
* moral ideas are best explained as material accidents or byproducts of evolution
* values originating in one’s conscience cannot be judged by others
* Christianity is the only true religion and should rule the state
* certain permanent moral and political truths are accessible to human reason

A correct answer surrounded by misrepresentations of leftist ideas (a and b), a nonsensical answer (c), and a right wing idea (d).

Free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as:
* experts managing the nation’s commerce are appointed by elected officials
* individual citizens create, exchange, and control goods and resources
* charity, philanthropy, and volunteering decrease
* demand and supply are decided through majority vote
* government implements policies that favor businesses over consumers

Most of these answers don't even make sense, but are delusions that the right thinks of the left in re: how we want to run the economy.

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

Question itself is biased and unproven, and makes large assumptions about the idealness of free markets.


I guess it's that last one which struck me as most obviously right-leaning.

LulZ.

[Buckwheet]

You answered 25 out of 33 correctly — 75.76 %

[WRoss]

I always like giving people the US Citizenship test. It's humorous when people who are political science majors fail it.

[Mathari]

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: Do Southern states have the constitutional right to leave the union?
Correct Answer: Would slavery be allowed to expand to new territories?

Question: In 1935 and 1936 the Supreme Court declared that important parts of the New Deal were unconstitutional. President Roosevelt responded by threatening to:
Your Answer: override the Supreme Court’s decisions by gaining three-quarter majorities in both houses of Congress
Correct Answer: appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views

I had the answer right for the Lincoln one I missed, too, but I second-guessed myself and changed it. :-/

[Androidpk]

32

Question: Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:
Your Answer: markets rely upon coercion, whereas government relies upon voluntary compliance with the law
Correct Answer: the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends

Maybe i'm learning shit at Suffolk after all.

[Celephais]

I was most annoyed by the sputnik question, they should be asking about Explorer 1.

You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

And I hate politics/history ... most of the stuff was just common sense or I could narrow it down easily enough.

I mean.. fuck it's a multiple choice, in order to score a 50% you would have to answer only 1/3rd correct (and then get 25% of the remaining 2/3rds as guesses).

[4a6c1]

I decided to be a Republican for this quiz. So I got 100%.

AMERICA. FUCK YEAH.

[Jack]

You answered 33 out of 33 correctly — 100.00 %

I did guess on a couple, but guessed correctly. The last one didn't have any real good choices in my mind. Even the correct answer wasn't correct in my view, but it was the best choice out of those presented.

[Beguiler]

You answered 29 out of 33 correctly — 87.88 %

Meh.

[Mighty Nikkisaurus]

I got 100%, but I felt some of the questions were really poorly worded. The question about the benefits of the free market really listed 2 right answers, so I just went with the one I thought was stronger and got it right, but they really shouldn't have listed multiple right answers.

[Menos]

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 source of the following phrase: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”?
Your Answer: U.S. Constitution
Correct Answer: Gettysburg Address

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

4 of these I missed because I really didn't know, the first amendment I do know but I guess I clicked it too quickly.

You answered 28 out of 33 correctly — 84.85 %

Question: What was the main issue in the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in 1858?
Your Answer: Do Southern states have the constitutional right to leave the union?
Correct Answer: Would slavery be allowed to expand to new territories?

Question: In 1935 and 1936 the Supreme Court declared that important parts of the New Deal were unconstitutional. President Roosevelt responded by threatening to:
Your Answer: override the Supreme Court’s decisions by gaining three-quarter majorities in both houses of Congress
Correct Answer: appoint additional Supreme Court justices who shared his views

Question: The Puritans:
Your Answer: were Catholic missionaries escaping religious persecution
Correct Answer: stressed the sinfulness of all humanity

Question: Name one right or freedom guaranteed by the first amendment.
Your Answer: Due process (I swear I clicked relgion, so I don't think I missed this one!)
Correct Answer: Religion

Question: The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
Your Answer: discrimination based on race, sex, or religion
Correct Answer: establishing an official religion for the United States

[Bobmuhthol]

Question: The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
Your Answer: discrimination based on race, sex, or religion

Come on, dude. The Bill of Rights was written when women couldn't vote, slavery was actively practiced, and we killed Muslims for being terrorists.

[Warriorbird]

Run on six high school students and we have:

31 of 33

29 of 33

20 of 33

15 of 33

14 of 33

7 of 33

[Androidpk]

Run on six high school students and we have:

31 of 33

29 of 33

20 of 33

15 of 33

14 of 33

7 of 33


Sad

[Celephais]

7 of 33
Shit Tyrone! Get it together.

[Warriorbird]

Notably the family of the girl with the 7 is from India. The girl with the 20 is Hispanic, the guy with the 15, black. 14 is a white girl and the two top scores are white guys.

This totally proves nothing, but I was curious how they'd do.

[Latrinsorm]

Notably the family of the girl with the 7 is from India.Taking our jobs AND failing arbitrarily designed internet quizzes? That's going too far.