Alternative title: High Information Citizens

At lunch today, Mr. Big Food and I were discussing the results from a recent survey conducted by The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. It was a survey testing American citizens’ knowledge of civics. The irony of this organization conducting this survey was not lost on either of us. (We are not fans of WW.) The Foundation declares that only one state’s citizens can pass the test.

The test is a version of the citizenship test given to those wishing to become citizens of the United States of America. (The test itself is an oral test. That given to participants in the survey is a 20-question multiple-choice test drawn from the bank of real test questions.)

We were discussing some of the state’s results. For example, Vermont– the state the Foundation claims is the only one in which a simple majority of citizens pass– has 49% Fs (scoring below 70% on the test). All others have greater than 50% Fs. I find this unbelievable.

Mr. Big Food countered that it really wasn’t apples & apples: immigrants taking the test have time to prepare, while those random (?) participants in the survey did not. Fair point, but I’ve taken the test and I can assure you that it’s outlandish that only 20% of Wyoming citizens got As or Bs. (Wyoming is #2 on the list with 51% Fs; it’s also the state with the highest percents As, and As & Bs.) On the other hand, it’s hilarious that only 7% of Kentuckians got As or Bs; 1% got As!

“What’s on the test?” Mr. Big Food asks.

So I read to him the test questions. Long about #12 he asks, “People can’t answer these questions?!?”

“I’m sayin’,” I say.

Needless to say, Mr. Big Food scored an A+, too.

1. What is the capital of the United States?
   1. Washington, D.C.
   2. Boston, MA
   3. New York, NY
   4. Philadelphia, PA
2. Who is the “Father of our country?”
3. What does the President’s cabinet do?

See what I’m saying?

You, too, can pass a practice test!