This test is mostly for American members only !!

[j7wild]

Okay you red-blooded Americans...

How well would you do if you took the U.S. citizenship test right now?

24 out of 30 is considered a passing grade.

Supposedly 96% of all High School seniors FAILED this test...

AND if that's not bad enough, 50% of all individuals over 20 did too!!

What does that say?!

http://games.toast.net/independence



I got 23 out of 30!!



I don't remember the test being so difficult when I took it in 1985 for my U.S. Citizenship; they must had changed it since then!!

[Kal-el]

Yeah, I got 23 too....

[wirm]

20 for me

[Jake]

Your Score is 25
Very, Very close! A little refresher course and you'll pass.

I'm a little ashamed but some of the questions are a little different from what I'd consider "worthy of my brainspace."

Do you seriously have to know which president was born in Texas? That's a little unnecessary don't you think?

How about we require people to know the tax deadline instead?

[chernabog_ca]

I got 20, not too bad I guess for a non-Yank.

[corfy]

I got 23 as well, although it should have been 24. I need to slow down and do these tests more carefully.

But my question is, how do we correct the test?

It asked the question "On July 4th, 1776 we declared Independence from whom?" The correct answer should be "nobody". We didn't declare Independence on July 4, 1776, it was July 2, 1776. July 4, 1776 was when the document "The Declaration of Independence", which explained the reasons for the separation, was adopted. The document naturally has the date of it's own adoption on the top, and (considering that it was a time before the Internet, satellite communication, or even the telephone, so it took weeks or even months for the word to spread), people associate July 4 with Independence because that is the date at the top of the document.

But the actual Declaration, "These United Colonies are, and of the right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from their allegiance to the British Crown, and any political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be totally dissolved," passed by a vote of 12-0 with one abstention on July 2, 1776. (spoilers covered for those who haven't taken the test yet)

BTW, the famous signing of The Declaration of Independence didn't occur until early August, by which time some people who voted for Independence were no longer on the Second Continental Congress, so their signatures aren't on it. And there were some other members of the Second Continental Congress who signed the Declaration even though they weren't there for the vote. In addition, not everyone signed at the same time. Some signed as late as January 1778.

[Jake]

Very good point corfy, kudos to you for knowing that.

Now you gotta tell me, who in the world could possibly get the above question wrong? I mean "ROME"??? LOL! I think if someone put that as an answer they should be immediately disqualified for being a retard.

Now as far as J7s initial post goes, I'm skeptical about these "studies" that show ___% know _____. I've seen polls that say Americans can't find North America on a map, now does anyone seriously believe that? I get a feeling they're skewed in some strange statistical way so as to show sensational results that will get people to buy a newspaper or click on the article.

[corfy]

Very good point corfy, kudos to you for knowing that.

I've always been fascinated by the American Revolution period. If you look at the "What are you reading?" thread, you will see lots of books about that era or people from that era in my reading list. Of course, the fact that one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence is in my family tree helps with that interest as well.

[Jake]

^Very cool, who is it BTW?

I'm a little into genealogy and have used genetics testing to really work out a nice big family tree for myself. I've got some interesting people on there reaching back to the very early 1800s.

One of my teachers in HS was somehow related to Aaron Burr and he always joked about coming from "a long line of men who shoot important people."

lol

[stardragon]

I got 25 as well.
I happen to agree with Jake, a couple of those questions were far fetched.
Do people really care where the president was born? No, we just care that they were president. I think that it is stupid to ask someone a question like that.

[corfy]

^Very cool, who is it BTW?

I'm a little into genealogy and have used genetics testing to really work out a nice big family tree for myself. I've got some interesting people on there reaching back to the very early 1800s.

One of my teachers in HS was somehow related to Aaron Burr and he always joked about coming from "a long line of men who shoot important people."

lol

My ancestor was George Walton, a delegate from Georgia. If you look at the signatures, his signature is the last one in the left-hand column. Walton is my paternal grandmother's maiden name, BTW.

But genealogy never really interested me. But then, I grew up in an area where I had no family members (outside of my parents and sister). On the other hand, my dad told me when he was growing up, if he was ever interested in dating a girl, he had to go home and ask his father if they were related because there were so many family members in that area. I think if I had grown up around there, I would be a lot more interested in knowing more about my family. As it is, I barely know anyone in my family more distantly related to me than my grandparents. But other than the fact that I am related to George Walton, and the fact that my great-great-grandfather fought in the Civil War on the side of the North, and my grandfather fought in World War I (and was later a high-ranking member of the KKK, but that isn't exactly something to be proud of), I don't know much about my family history. My uncle had our family tree traced back to the 1600s in Germany, though, so I know some of that information exists.

Supposedly, there is a strong chance I am related to the Walton family that owns Wal-Mart, but to the best of my knowledge, nobody in my family has tried to confirm that. But if there is a connection, I'm sure it is too distant for anyone in my immediate family to benefit from it.

[j7wild]

when I took the test in 1985, I remember they did ask me who the President of the United States was (Ronald Reagan)...

not only did I had to take a written citizenship test... but at the interview with the INS officer, he asked me some of the same and a few different questions too.

[thebiggestjoe]

Your Score is 28
Near Perfect! This was a difficult test, you should be proud!

[Gaumont]

21, im a dummy =(