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Based on my score on the Pew “News IQ” test — 91st percentile of participants (with 11 of 12 answers correct). (The one I got wrong is the second-least likely question for folks to get right — though evidently that makes me and others headline-worthy.)
I suspect BD will get 100%, and perhaps DOF, but I’m not sure who else I know is enough of a news wonk to do so.
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Previous post: Beginning three weeks of lifestyle zaniness!
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
12 of 12 – I listen to Morning and Weekend Edition daily. Living with major Marine and Navy installations all around, the news of casualties is more prominent, although I did have to look up the actual number afterwards. Some of these answers are rather old news, I must say. Not knowing what position Condi Rice holds means one has had one’s head in the sand a long time, as opposed to the changing nature of the casualties from Iraq.
And how many folks would know that in Afghanistan-
“There have been 884 coalition deaths — 552 Americans, six Australians, 110 Britons, 87 Canadians, three Czech, 14 Danes, 16 Dutch, three Estonians, one Finn, 12 French, 22 Germans, two Hungarians, 11 Italians, one Lithuanian, three Norwegians, five Poles, two Portuguese, seven Romanians, one South Korean, 23 Spaniards, two Swedes — in the war on terror as of July 18, 2008, according to a CNN count.”
Even I had to look that one up.
I thought it was interesting today that one of the NPR commentators wondered if the American public would be understanding of a diplomatic presence in Iran. I bet many don’t even remember why we left in the first place or what the US actions were that led up to it.
I scored 91% too, but that’s perhaps a little misleading since I had to make intelligent guesses on a couple of questions. I could eliminate a couple of answers, but I had to guess between a couple of options. I stay pretty well-informed, but I’m definitely not a news wonk.
The article said that the national average is 50%: perhaps the question we should worry about isn’t why Johnny can’t read, but why so few people follow the news.
Oh….
A challange. =P
As long as it has nothing to do with missing white women I should do well.
12 of 12 for 97th percentile.
Really easy questions, I was hoping for something more than basic trivia questions.
Also, Mary:
What, Americans actually learn their history, or even think about something other than “America. F yeah!”?
Crazy talk…. =P
My miss was on Iraqi war deaths (amongst American soldiers), where I guessed closer to 3,000 than 4,000 — though the fundamental answer is “too many.”
BD, if you were hoping for questions that required analysis rather than just a good memory, then that’s bound to be a fruitless hope for two rasons. First, as a practical matter, it’s harder to score such questions objectively. Second, if the questions required analysis, I think most people would regard it as “too hard” and would not complete the survey.
I missed a Kosovo question and disagree with a second answer (I HATE questions whose answer is ‘about #’ because the difference is how one rounds up/down.) But they put me at 83% *shame*
Tooo much time listening to Bob & Tom I guess . . . .