It would be interesting to see a "General Knowledge" test, covering ALL of the subjects that I was required to study in the public school system (public schools in the United States are not the same as public schools in Great Britain--you knew that, didn't you? Do you know what the difference is?) and had to pass tests on to graduate. I started the first grade in 1937 and graduated from high school in 1949.

I would be interested in seeing a demographic breakdown (including age, which would indicate when the respondent went to school), to see which age and regional groups know what.

I'm betting that it would be a real indictment of what the American educational system has become in recent decades.

Who are the Senators from your state? How many of them are there? Can you name the Congressional Representative from your legislative district? Can you name your state attorney-general? Without taking out your voter registration card, what are your district and precinct numbers? Where is Patagonia? In World War II, American troops fought in French Indo-China. What is French Indo-China known as now?

I remember reading a newspaper article in the late 1950s about a general knowledge test given to college graduates. 4% of them were unable to name the current president of the United States (Eisenhower). I thought that was pretty pathetic back then! I wonder what percentage of Americans could answer that correctly now? The current president, I mean!!

Don Firth