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posted by martyb on Thursday October 04 2018, @09:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the 19-percent dept.

The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation reports:

Just a third of Americans can pass a multiple choice "U.S. Citizenship Test", fumbling over such simple questions as the cause of the cold war or naming just one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for.

And of Americans 45 and younger, the passing rate is a tiny 19 percent, according to a survey done for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

Worse: The actual test only requires that 60 percent of the answers be correct. In the survey, just 36 percent passed.

Among the embarrassing errors uncovered in the survey of questions taken from the U.S. Citizenship Test and conducted by Lincoln Park Stragtegies:

  • 72 percent of respondents either incorrectly identified or were unsure of which states were part of the 13 original states.
  • 24 percent could correctly identify one thing Benjamin Franklin was famous for, with 37 percent believing he invented the lightbulb.
  • 12 percent incorrectly thought WWII General Dwight Eisenhower led troops in the Civil War.
  • 2 percent said the Cold War was caused by climate change.

Also at Sputnik and The Tri-City Herald


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  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 05 2018, @02:06PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 05 2018, @02:06PM (#744608)

    Not sure if this is the same question referred to in TFA, but in my practice test [uscis.gov], I got:

    14. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
    ✔ Communism

    The biggest issue I had was with:

    20. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
    ✔ freed slaves in most Southern states

    Unfortunately there was no "fuck all" choice (approximately true), nor "freed slaves only in Union-occupied areas of most Southern states" (correct answer). The proclamation's only real effect was on slaves in Union-held areas (who were then freed rather than being held as contraband) and making it legal for runaways who escaped to such areas to join the Union Army.

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  • (Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Friday October 05 2018, @02:27PM

    by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us (6553) on Friday October 05 2018, @02:27PM (#744621) Journal

    I enjoyed answering that Democratic and Republican are two major political parties in the U.S., and therefore the answer "Reform and Green" is wrong. Not untrue, just biased against third parties as a question.

    Also the last day to turn in taxes is April 15. Even though you automatically get a free 90 day extension for filling by asking for it by April 15. But you owe the taxes which are due on April 15 and owe penalty and interest if you're in the red, so maybe that one isn't so dumb after all... of course come to that you can turn in your taxes any time you want as long as you're willing to accept the penalties (including being charged with tax evasion for willful neglect) for doing so.

    20/20 without breaking a sweat.

    --
    This sig for rent.