OK Mensans--step up to the plate

Wolfman · Post by **Wolfman** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:31 pm

http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/re ... /quiz.aspx

I'm no genius, but got 80% correct. I expect some here with better knowledge of say economics and political philosophy to do better. Let's see.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 3:58 pm

73.33

Mostly the authors that got me.

OCmike · Post by **OCmike** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:13 pm

70% Stupid author questions...

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:15 pm

88% not bad for an engineering major drop out.

if there is a single liberal arts major that doesn't beat my score, you officially suck ass.

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:15 pm

91.67 %

Finally I can put that history degree to use.

Dinsdale · Post by **Dinsdale** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:15 pm

OCmike wrote:Stupid author questions...

I was pretty worthless on the author ones, fairly money on the rest.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:16 pm

i somehow got all the author questions. i knew maybe one and pulled the others outta my ass.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:18 pm

mvs, you a history major too, ain't cha?

i'm guessing you're more a military history type.

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:30 pm

Here's the questions I missed without giving away the answers.

Question #36 - According to just-war theory, a just war requires which of the following?

IMO, the answer was a gross oversimplification. I trended towards a more modern opinion regarding just war. But it's the kind of question I would have nailed back in the day because it obviously plays to the test giver's world view. Which, had I been in class and taking notes, would have been quite self evident.

Question #50 - Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:

Just straight wiffed on that one. Though I disagree with the answer, I offer no excuses for missing it.

Question #53 - National defense is considered a public good because:

IMO there were 2 good answers, 2 answers that were remotely plausible and one that was a joke answer. I picked the wrong good answer.

Question #58 - What is a major effect of a purchase of bonds by the Federal Reserve?

Not sure what the hell I was thinking when I answered this one. Not only did I get it wrong, my answer was the exact opposite of what actually happens.

Question #60 - The Federal government’s largest pay out over the past twenty years has been for:

Took a guess and missed.

See You Next Wednesday · Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:33 pm

90% - 54 out of 60, just a random collection of wrong answers for me.

OCmike · Post by **OCmike** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:35 pm

BSmack wrote: Question #50 - Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:

Just straight wiffed on that one. Though I disagree with the answer, I offer no excuses for missing it.

Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig shocker that you'd miss the question on free markets and disagree with their impact on economic prosperity over that of the government.

Sincerely,
No it's not

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:39 pm

BSmack wrote:Here's the questions I missed without giving away the answers.

Question #36 - According to just-war theory, a just war requires which of the following?

IMO, the answer was a gross oversimplification. I trended towards a more modern opinion regarding just war. But it's the kind of question I would have nailed back in the day because it obviously plays to the test giver's world view. Which, had I been in class and taking notes, would have been quite self evident.

i missed it too, but, it's a dumbass question for philosophy geeks, anyhoo

Question #50 - Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:

Just straight wiffed on that one. Though I disagree with the answer, I offer no excuses for missing it.

the karl marx in you just wouldn't let you pull your head outta your ass and go with the obvious right answer, huh? color me shocked.

Question #53 - National defense is considered a public good because:

IMO there were 2 good answers, 2 answers that were remotely plausible and one that was a joke answer. I picked the wrong good answer.

I got that one, but, it was kind of a dumbass question, as were many others.

Question #58 - What is a major effect of a purchase of bonds by the Federal Reserve?

Not sure what the hell I was thinking when I answered this one. Not only did I get it wrong, my answer was the exact opposite of what actually happens.

Question #60 - The Federal government’s largest pay out over the past twenty years has been for:

Took a guess and missed.

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:09 pm

OCmike wrote:Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig shocker that you'd miss the question on free markets and disagree with their impact on economic prosperity over that of the government.

Sincerely,
No it's not

I disagree with the answer for the simple reason that there is no data to support that conclusion that has not been influenced by outside political, military and economic factors.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:32 pm

nope no data at all. the fact that capitalist democracies actually work while socialist paradise states like the USSR, the rest of eastern europe failed miserably at it aren't data.

Or do you subscribe to the 'they failed because the west undermined them' school of thought?

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:39 pm

smackaholic wrote:nope no data at all. the fact that capitalist democracies actually work while socialist paradise states like the USSR, the rest of eastern europe failed miserably at it aren't data.

Or do you subscribe to the 'they failed because the west undermined them' school of thought?

Amongst other reasons, yes. Shoddy leadership at the highest levels didn't help their cause either.

smackaholic · Post by **smackaholic** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:18 pm

BSmack wrote:
smackaholic wrote:nope no data at all. the fact that capitalist democracies actually work while socialist paradise states like the USSR, the rest of eastern europe failed miserably at it aren't data.

Or do you subscribe to the 'they failed because the west undermined them' school of thought?
Amongst other reasons, yes. Shoddy leadership at the highest levels didn't help their cause either.

ohhh, I get it. they just didn't have smart folks like hillary running it.

don't you fukking get it? i don't give a fukkk how smart you are. you can be steven fukking hawkins and still not be bright enough to run something as ginormous as an economy with 300 million fukkers in it. can't be done.

some day dimwits like you will be smart enough to know you aren't smart enough to do it.

BSmack · Post by **BSmack** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:24 pm

smackaholic wrote:ohhh, I get it. they just didn't have smart folks like hillary running it.

don't you fukking get it? i don't give a fukkk how smart you are. you can be steven fukking hawkins and still not be bright enough to run something as ginormous as an economy with 300 million fukkers in it. can't be done.

some day dimwits like you will be smart enough to know you aren't smart enough to do it.

You may well be right. But the fact remains that you can only reach that conclusion through a combination of logical inference informed by your own personal philosophical prejudice. There is no data to support either the success or failure of a socialist state that is absent of outside interference.

Terry in Crapchester · Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:57 pm

88.33%. I beat the two biggest know-it-alls on the board. :wink:

Questions I missed, without giving away the answers:

19) In The Republic, Plato points to the desirability of:

I read this one, but you have to go back over 20 years for that. I just forgot the answer. Back in the day, I would've nailed it.

21) The Federalist (or The Federalist Papers) was written to:

Period between Declaration of Independence and ratification of the Constitution is where my weakest knowledge of U.S. history lies. As I saw it, there were two possible answers, and I guessed the wrong one. No excuses otherwise.

43) “Balance of power” refers to:

After re-reading this question, reading the answer I chose and the correct one, I think I just misread the choices the first time.

53) National defense is considered a public good because:

Like Bri said, two possible answers to this one. I took the other one.

55) Over the past forty years, real income among American households has:

Took a guess and was wrong.

58) What is a major effect of a purchase of bonds by the Federal Reserve?

A little beyond my knowledge of economics. I had it narrowed down to two choices and took the wrong one.

60) The Federal government’s largest pay out over the past twenty years has been for:

Took a guess and was wrong.

Terry in Crapchester · Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:18 pm

BSmack wrote: Question #50 - Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:

Just straight wiffed on that one. Though I disagree with the answer, I offer no excuses for missing it.

After looking at that question a second time, the question kinda sorta suggests its own answer. I didn't catch that the first time through, though, even though I got the question right.

See You Next Wednesday · Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:37 pm

Having an economics degree made that question pretty obvious to me, as it did for the public good question with respect to defense.

RumpleForeskin · Post by **RumpleForeskin** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:26 pm

70%

I really sucked it up on the Authors and the law questions.

Ang · Post by **Ang** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:00 am

I'm assuming that folks that get 70% or less won't come in here and admit it, but I will. I only scored 59%, and I even got most of the author questions correct. I'm a landscape architect, not a historian, and I was amazed that when I couldn't get something important in a political moment in history, I knew the famous gardens that were designed in each particular era. When I teach landscape design, I tell my students that they need to know the historical basis for what they are doing and give them the background and resources for it, and most times the political climate at the time shapes what happens on the land. And those were the answers that I knew about, a self-admitted limited view of history.

Nice test. I learned a lot by reading the correct answers to those I got wrong, and it took awhile. Will it change my world view and make me appreciate world and American history more? In a way, not like I'm going to hit the history books hard, but I will pay more attention and look for links I wouldn't have looked for before. And it does make me appreciate that a whole hell of a lot of people know more about history than I do, but I basically already knew that.

So, I would encourage everyone that won't fess up to their score on the board to at least go back and read what they got wrong. It's not what you don't know that hurts you...it's not giving a shit if you know or not.

Always looking for that silver lining in a cloud...:)

Fat Bones · Post by **Fat Bones** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:42 pm

75%

Ouch. I knew playing hookie was gonna catch up to me one day.