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Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)

 
Anonymous Coward
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09/20/2007 01:36 AM
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Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
Take quiz here:
[link to www.americancivicliteracy.org]


The University of Wisconsin-Madison did relatively well in a 50-college test of how much students learned about history and economics during four years of college, but students in Wisconsin and nationally knew little when they came in and not much more when they left. No college did better than a D-plus on the Civic Literacy Test released Tuesday by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, a nonpartisan conservative educational organization that stresses the values of a free society.

The national average was F.

The test of 14,000 randomly selected students revealed that some of the most expensive Ivy League universities, with the highest-paid presidents and largest government subsidies, were the worst-performing, the institute found.

Overall, the nation's freshmen and seniors scored slightly more than 50 percent on the 60-question exam. The institute said that a kindergartner would have scored about 20 percent correct just by guessing.

The study tested freshmen and seniors at the colleges and universities, in order to determine how much history they learned there. The researchers did not test the same students in freshmen and senior years, but those who were freshmen and seniors in the same year.

Eastern Connecticut State University ranked first, by adding 9.65 percentage points to the score from freshman to senior year. Marian College, a private school in Fond du Lac, was second, with a 9.44 percentage point gain, while the University of Wisconsin-Madison ranked 15th, gaining 6.3 percentage points.

UW-Madison and Marian College were the only Wisconsin schools tested.

Living in the present

Asked about the exercise, David McDonald, chairman of the History Department at UW-Madison, termed the test interesting but questioned the institute's conclusions.

Students generally learn basic history in high school, he said, adding that they often study historical details in order to pass college entry exams, but then go on to pursue other knowledge at the college level.

"Colleges reflect general attitudes and patterns in society. This is not a historically oriented society. We look at quarterly reports instead of long trends. There is a lot of emphasis on living in the present, and not a great deal of understanding of larger historical patterns," said McDonald, who grew up in Canada but got just three wrong on the American history exam.

"There is a mythical past in which everyone knew this material. If you are from a well-to-do household with well-educated parents, you will do well on this and other academic areas. Students should probably know the sequence of events in the Civil War. But is it more important for Americans to know that John Locke was a major influence on the Declaration of Independence or that they have a strong understanding of their rights and be willing to act on them?"

Students at several expensive universities, including Yale, Cornell, Princeton and Duke, actually lost ground during four years of college education.

But the median score of students at those prestigious universities was higher than most colleges where students gained more knowledge during their college career.

For instance, freshman at Yale got 68.94 percent of the answers right and those at Cornell got 61.9 percent correct, though seniors did worse in both cases.

UW-Madison freshmen scored 51.57 percent correct and seniors got 57.87 percent. At Marian College, freshmen scored just 33.66 percent and seniors 43.10 percent.

Gorbachev who?

The test consisted of 60 multiple-choice questions about America's history, government, international relations and economics. The test, the answers and the results at the various colleges can be found online at [link to www.americancivicliteracy.org]

Typical questions included: "The Constitution of the United States established what form of government?" and "Which wall was President Reagan referring to when he said, 'Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall'?" The test also included some questions on the U.S. economy and political philosophy.

"The evidence from our ongoing research shows that colleges, especially the most expensive and elite schools, are failing to advance students' knowledge of America's history, government and free market economics and consequently not preparing their students to be informed and engaged citizens," said Josiah Bunting III, chairman of ISI's National Civic Literacy Board.

"The time has come for higher education's key decision-makers -- state legislators, trustees, donors, alumni, faculty, students' parents -- to hold the nation's colleges and their presidents accountable for teaching their students America's history and institutions."

McDonald said nationwide, students who took the test did well on questions regarding Abraham Lincoln, the New Deal and Brown vs. Board of Education, and did worst on the Revolutionary War, Plato and the requirement for a just war, a question that he said was strangely phrased.

Students who study history in college learn that events are the results of several levels of cause, and that people are products of their times, McDonald said.

"They learn that evidence must be scrutinized and viewed with skepticism," he said. "Our job is to produce people who can do critical thinking, who are aware that they hold certain views and understand why."
Retarded Alien

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09/20/2007 01:54 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
i got everything right 5a
Anonymous Coward
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09/20/2007 02:04 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
Madison..one of the most educated cities in the US.
mathetes

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09/20/2007 02:12 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
Only got 80%, hey its a passing grade! Not an easy test
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
NaciremaDream
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09/20/2007 02:16 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
Thankfully I don't have to rely on government testimony about the history of the Republic.

Which is what you get in the public schools as well as colleges.

Lets see how i do... one sec.
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 226992
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09/20/2007 02:36 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
3) The Constitution of the United States established what form of government?
A. Direct democracy
B. Populism
C. Indirect democracy
D. Oligarchy
E. Aristocracy


This is why I made the statement I made.

Article 4, Section 4 of the USConstituion.

"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence."

All answers avaliable are wrong.
Anonymous Coward
User ID: 226992
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09/20/2007 02:38 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
-----------------------------------------
30) The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
A. prayer in public school.
B. discrimination based on race, sex, or religion.
C. the ownership of guns by private individuals.
D. establishing an official religion for the United States.
E. the President from vetoing a line item in a spending bill.

NONE OF THE ABOVE - 'Establishment' is not used as a verb in the bill of rights. Its telling government not to make a law redarding the establishment of religion... its already there... and government can't touch it..

As if government can establish a religion other than the worship of itself
mathetes

User ID: 281281
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09/20/2007 02:47 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
3) The Constitution of the United States established what form of government?
A. Direct democracy
B. Populism
C. Indirect democracy
D. Oligarchy
E. Aristocracy


This is why I made the statement I made.

Article 4, Section 4 of the USConstituion.

"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence."

All answers avaliable are wrong.
 Quoting: Anonymous Coward 226992

Hey genius, an Indirect Democracy is also known as a Republic! So instead of trying to tell us what is wrong with the test what was your score?
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Anonymous Coward
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United States
09/20/2007 03:00 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
I scored 70%, and it's been a LONG time since I was in school!
NSMystic88

User ID: 268326
Canada
09/20/2007 03:02 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
80%, and not even American!

tomato
The truth will set you free! :)

TABARNAK!!
mathetes

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09/20/2007 03:08 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
Hey I admit it was not an easy test but look at the top 10 scores.

1. Harvard University 69.56%
2. Grove City College (PA) 67.26
3. Washington & Lee University (VA) 66.98
4. Yale University 65.85
5. Brown University 65.64
6. University of Virginia 65.28
7. Wheaton College (IL) 64.98
8. University of Pennsylvania 63.49
9. Duke University 63.41
10. Bowdoin College (ME) 62.86
For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
jonk

User ID: 300678
Australia
09/20/2007 03:34 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
I'm an Aussie who did American History, still I only got:

You answered 37 out of 60 correctly — 61.67 %
Average score for this quiz during September: 75.1%
Average score since September 18, 2007: 75.1%

You can take the quiz as often as you like, however, your score will only count once toward the monthly average.

If you have any comments or questions about the quiz, please email [email protected].
You can consult the following table to see how freshmen and seniors scored on each question as part of the survey administration.

Where to from here?
Answers to Your Missed Questions:
Question #2 - B. stressed the sinfulness of all humanity.
Question #3 - C. Indirect democracy
Question #5 - D. Yorktown
Question #6 - E. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Question #7 - B. Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, Appomattox
Question #10 - E. slavery and its expansion.
Question #13 - B. the nature and control of Reconstruction.
Question #14 - C. 1901-1925
Question #18 - D. The Declaration of Independence.
Question #19 - C. philosopher kings.
Question #21 - A. support ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Question #23 - B. Marbury v. Madison.
Question #24 - D. A political system where state and national governments share power.
Question #26 - D. John Locke.
Question #33 - C. To receive ambassadors.
Question #34 - B. President Washington's Farewell Address.
Question #35 - A. discouraged new colonies in the Western hemisphere.
Question #37 - C. North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Question #39 - D. Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America.
Question #44 - B. gave President Johnson the authority to expand the scope of the Vietnam War.
Question #54 - D. can be reversed by government spending more than it taxes.
Question #58 - B. An increase in the volume of commercial bank loans.
Question #60 - B. social security.
Crock O Dundee
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Australia
09/20/2007 04:46 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
I'm an Aussie who did American History, still I only got:

You answered 37 out of 60 correctly — 61.67 %
 Quoting: jonk

Also an Aussie, never been to the US. I got 78% right.
Does this mean Aussies have become more Americanised-or that Americans have become.. er.. more ignorant?
Anonymous Coward
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09/20/2007 05:01 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
I got 35% but that's because I got bored after the first few questions so I clicked answers without reading first.
Isaac Brock died for us

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09/20/2007 05:19 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
I got 88% and I'm not American.

But the question about the United Nations was fucked-up.

The allies in World War II were officially known as the United Nations. The leading allied war powers Britain, France, the USSR, the USA, and China became the Security Council.
The alliance didn't begin till 1939, but an anti-axis coalition was taking when Italy invaded Ethiopia.
owner of an extensive collection of curios from the exotic orient
Anonymous Coward (OP)
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09/20/2007 09:58 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
I got 76%
jonk

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Australia
09/23/2007 01:28 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
I'm an Aussie who did American History, still I only got:

You answered 37 out of 60 correctly — 61.67 %

Also an Aussie, never been to the US. I got 78% right.
Does this mean Aussies have become more Americanised-or that Americans have become.. er.. more ignorant?
 Quoting: Crock O Dundee 208226



Definately Americanised for sure. But US history was real boring btw, it was this act or that act blah blah, never got to do 'modern' american history, which is what we thought we'd do anyway.

Yet, Aussie history was aboriginals and bushrangers, that's it. Everyone who did only Oz history was saying how dull it was. Convicts, one rebellion... aboriginals, bushrangers. More bushrangers, then some about the aboriginals. The convicts became 'bushrangers, the ab's would spear the bushrangers, and someone had a rebellion, Ballarat, or thereabouts.
Anonymous Coward
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United States
09/23/2007 02:25 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
Here is some History for you

[link to www.thebushconnection.com]

bump
Anonymous Coward
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09/23/2007 02:40 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
You answered 60 out of 60 correctly — 100.00 %
Average score for this quiz during September: 74.7%
Average score since September 18, 2007: 74.7%
Anonymous Coward
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United Kingdom
09/23/2007 07:37 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
I'm British, never set foot in the US. I got 75%. And I never went to college either.
Anonymous Coward
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09/23/2007 07:46 AM
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Re: Graduates Know Even Less About History (Take The Quiz!)
3) The Constitution of the United States established what form of government?
A. Direct democracy
B. Populism
C. Indirect democracy
D. Oligarchy
E. Aristocracy


This is why I made the statement I made.

Article 4, Section 4 of the USConstituion.

"The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence."

All answers avaliable are wrong.

Hey genius, an Indirect Democracy is also known as a Republic! So instead of trying to tell us what is wrong with the test what was your score?
 Quoting: mathetes


Hey jewboygenius, why didn't they just use the word Republic then?

Why did they have to substitute a meaningless Jewspeak word, when they had the original article to use instead?





GLP