not all americans are stupid

http://www.netcartoon.net/naaas/doquiz.html

good quiz I had 15/20 and I'm not american :p

Well, the stupid Americans are pretty stupid, but the smart ones are pretty smart. I did 15/20, but I know Adolph was an Austrian and missed it. What did I just prove?

Ok boys, I got 17 out of 20... not bad for a girl!

Ok, guys, I did it again and got 19 out of 20
Hilarious!

Okay. I'll admit it. I'm one of the stupid ones. hehehe.. I did only slightly better the second time: I'd love to see what other, non-USA nationals are scoring on this thing. Man-o-Man! I'm Stupid!! I guess my college degree in science doesn't make me any smarter than those 10-year old non-USA'ins mentioned above. I'd like to see ANY 10-year old get 5 of those 20 questions right. Oh-brother! Any non-USA'in have a 10 year old who could like to take this quiz and admit how they scored to give us some idea? Cute quiz, though.

Saludos, MadridMan :o

okay... I'm a dumb American
but like most Americans I thought I was much smarter

Hmmm ...

(Some of my guesses were lucky )

But I think I'll try it again and kid it that I'm an American so that I get more interesting feedback

I obtained 16 out of 20, both the two times.

I don't mind publicing it here. I could have said 20 or have tried again and again until I got a 20 for most of the questions were repeted.

I want to comment that:

- There is a difference between stupid (=dumb) and "lack of knowledge". A dumb will never be enlightened, a person that lacks knowledge may or may not fill the gaps.

- Nobody thinks americans are dumb but there is a certain agreement (I am not saying wether deserved or not, I can't tell) than most have a certain "lack of genaral culture" that's so important for understanding the world and it's politics and economics.

- Forum members are probably well upon the average level of the Americans, as the proposed website statistics prove, and also knowing the profile of MM members.

- The test is very biased towards american-related facts. Like the japanese emperor who surrendered (to America), like the dead with the nuke on hiroshima (by the Americans), like the capitals of Australia and New Zealand, anglosaxon, allied countries, and culturally near the USA (Why not Ucrania or Tibet?), and so on , like opercentages of obese americans, like first man in the space, like some questions on plays by english (common history with the origin of América) writers like the Bronte or William Shakespeare and Wordsworth...

Then, there are also some matters that some may consider "culture", others just a trivia, like "who painted such painting", that are obviously included also to make all a little bit more homogeneous through having some strange questions that only real fans know (like: "Who won the superbowl in 1977?"), in order to make it more difficult to get a 20.

I got 18 out of 20 and one that I missed was the question on former name of Iraq, I didn't get credit for Babylon, I wonder why not, don't the authors of the quiz know that Iraq covers the area Babylon covered? A number of the questions are actually quite difficult even for a well educated citizen of the world!

Babylon was a city, Babylonia was the kingdom.

Irak is most of what used to be Persia in the past.

I was recently admitted to MENSA, and only scored 13/20. Thought I was a better test taker.... maybe I will take the advice to travel the world more!!!!!!

Ignacio,

I'll have to agree with you. Being only a little over 200 years old, we do lack culture, especially compared to a country like Spain, that I feel, is nothing but culture. America's founding was resolute in it's seperation from the way that Europe had been running for centuries. The founders considered Europe's endless wars for power and wealth desolate, as the pyramid on our dollar bill symbolizes.
And yes, there is a difference between dumb and lacking in knowledge. Someone who is lacking in knowledge is ignorant, not dumb, and so has the possibility of being less ignorant.

sparkalina wrote: I guess there's hope for me yet. Where do I sign up for MENSA ? Now I don't feel nearly as stupid. hehehe.. But give us a quiz on The Simpsons trivia and we're F'in Wizards! hehehe..

Saludos, MadridMan

Gazpacho, I didn't mean to offend through speaking of the USA's short history. In fact, I think that is a deduction that is not supported by what I wrote.

Many times I don't want to write endless lines to explain certain things, but it seems that many people expect me to follow a critical line in every aspect of certain matters, like the USA. In fact, there are many things that I like from the USA.

I don't know why you say this:

Maybe because of this?:

Here, I am not critizising the shortness of your history but meaning that the test is biased through asking about authors an american is more prone to know. They could also have asked about Cervantes, and Garcilaso de la Vega, or Rabindranah Tagore and Ghandi, for example.

As for the reasons of founders, Europe was truly going through stormy times, but ... I'll pass on comenting the storms the USA caused from there on. Fortunately for the country, it was riding the storm, not suffering it.

Ignacio,

I was merely capitulating to the simple fact that the U.S. is lacking in culture compared to a country like Spain. We don't have Phoenician, Greco, Roman, Arabic, Iberian, Visigothic, etc... heritage. So if you find us lacking in culture, that is understandable. Historically, we try not to align ourselves even with England. Our Canadian brothers, God Bless them, maintain more ties to the old continent. Independence is still a very strong idea here.
You can criticize us at will. We will still be Americans, and this one, darn proud of it. Do we make errors? Yep. Do we make errors even when trying to make amends? Yep.
I liken it to Don Quixote going throughout a non-chivalrous Spain trying to right wrongs in pursuit of honor. For a Spaniard, from what I have read and observed, honor is very important, maybe, some would say, the most important. But as we learn from Sancho, when it gets right down to it, there is very little honor in day-to-day life. For the U.S., justice, is very important. We go about tilting windmills in the name of justice, when in truth, only the most powerful and/or rich can afford justice.
I'm not telling you this to prolong an argument, or to justify our actions. I'm sharing this with you for insight into who we are. And perhaps you will feel as great affection for us one day, as I do for my Spanish friends.

Well, I thought this test was a hoot. As a former reference librarian, it is similar to the questions we get every day in academic libraries, and of course in our training in library school.

One also needed to have taken Chemistry to have answered some of the questions. Which means that it was biased towards those who had prepared for an academic track in high school.

The Humanities questions did require one to be a well-travelled person, so once again, it was biased to those that could afford to travel, such as the location of the Mona Lisa.

What many of you have noted are the reasons why so many academicians are opposed to norm-referenced tests and favor criterion-referenced testing.

But heck, it was just fun!

Gazpacho,

In fact, I tend to like americans, but not America as a country. At least, the capitalist-imperialist part of it (no, I am not a commie, but I like social-capitalism), however, I like many traditions and some aspects where americans (in the big cities) are freer of social constraints.

Booklady:

Anybody with an average secondary school passed could have answered most of the questions (at least outside the USA ), however, doesn't it tell you anything the fact that the history questions are related to America's history? and the literature questions about the main authors the americans study at schools?, and the geography ones about countries the americans know better?

Sure, it's easier to make a joke, and not analyze, isn't it?

Anyway, I don't want to spoil the psicologyst work on inferiority complex.

P.D.: I took chemistry, but I knew what was bronze composed of before I took it.

Social-capitalism Ignacio? Please enlighten me. Is that where everyone is free to succeed, but only if the current government allows you to. You're scaring me dude.

If us Americans wanted that we would truly be all stupid!! The problem is not that Americans don't understand the economies and governments of other countries, the problem is that many of us don't understand what makes America so great. But that's because most people function very well over here without having to.

"Sure, it's easier to make a joke, and not analyze, isn't it? "

Ignacio,

You need to lighten up dude! You are taking things too seriously, this test is silly...es una boberia. Didn't you notice that a member of Mensa got a 13! Those people outscore and outperform everyone on criterion and norm tests.

The problem is that you did not understand what I said, look at my final paragraph. You are making assumptions where there are none to make, a mountain out of a molehill. But anyway, if it makes you happy to take exceptions to what I say Ignacio, go ahead, enjoy! :p

Feliz Navidad and all tha jazz!

yeah Booklady!
I thought this was supposed to be fun??
Gee, there always has to be a party pooper spoiling the fun.
Oh my god I said pooper, someone will now try to over-analyze that too!

:p

Hey! who said that americans are stupid?? c'mon!

I know people from certain countries who say the same thing about spaniards: "Spaniards are stupid, they don't know how to do anything". Well, so if both of us are stupid, we should be good friends and have a pretty stupid fun time together!

This 'little quiz' could become addictive !!!

I "tested" one of my coworkers today, also an "American", is about 55 years old, as educated as me, upper management-type, and he first scored 13 out of 20 and got a good laugh at the explanation of his knowledge at the end of the quiz. He played it until he FINALLY got 19 out of 20 and then the explanation for his success was rather nasty and condescending to 'Americans'.

What's a "Blinkered"? At the front page it says "Blinkered" isn't even in my dictionary or... maybe I'm just stupid - or maybe my 'American' dictionary is stupid. hehehe..

Saludos, MadridMan

Hey Madridman,
if you inverse "American dictionary is stupid"
you have "Stupid is American dictionary."
WEIRD!

12/20 Arrrrggg!

I'd just like to say that the test obviously originates in England and that I felt the questions were "British centric". I got 15/20 just doing it once. To me the site is insulting and the Authors obviously would love it if all Americans were stupid. It would reinforce their world view. I hope we can trust the results.

Just another meaningless test that has absolutely nothing to do with the real world, and takes the time to slam the U.S. one way or another. The authors of the test failed, spelling "realize" wrong in their "evaluation" if they were intending to make it sound "unbiased," and equal for Americans.

Of course that never was their intent, was it? So who gives a rip?
-----------------------------------------------

You answered 19 questions correctly out of 20.

You have an impressive understanding of the world for an American. It is likely that you feel intellectually isolated in your home country, and often have to hide your opinions from others. Deep down, you realise that your country is the single biggest threat to world peace in modern times, but you have not yet summoned up the courage to emigrate.

-------------------------------------------

Wolf

15/20 Hey! No Fair! I tanked on the math questions. That's why I'm a Spanish teacher. Duh!

Gloria

Check out the comments on the main page, it shows how (most) people out there can take a joke but also recognize that the site is irrational and immature in it's attitudes towards Americans.

Another thing, a person in Great Britain registered the domain name which hosts the site. Aha!

Happy Holidays, Everyone! Saludos, MadridMan

Many years ago, when I was in college, and had just recently completed an IQ test, a professor stood in front of us and gave us our scores. When he was through he told us that we did very well. In fact we were the highest scoring class he'd ever had.

Then he smiled and said; "Your test results prove you know a lot about things that don't mean a damned thing!"

I found out, as time went on, that he was right. We were just in the beginning of our learning curve, and whether you get a low or high score on general knowledge doesn't mean anything if you don't have the real skills needed to learn something of substance. After all, how many jobs do you know out there that people spend their time taking general knowledge tests?

Still, they should be fun, and this one was because of that pesky bar at the top that made you think quick or start to hyperventilate!

Wolf

When you read the analysis of your score, it is anti-american. Take the test and identify yourself as american. Take the test again, identify yourself as someone other than american. If you are "other than american" you are given words of support. If you are "american" you are critized for the politics of the government. The score is identical, but the analysis is very different.

It was a very fun test, but also mean spirited.

They can't still be sore about getting their butts kicked 200 years ago, could they? What does it mean to lose a war to a bunch of "Stupid Americans?"

good one gazpacho!

Thanks Chica. However when I get to thinking about it, this "Stupid American" is probably showing even more of his stupidity. I'm probably not aware that the European revisionist history that is unquestioned by a couple of members of this board, undoubtably demonstrates how America was "granted" it's independence by Great Britain.

I've always gotten a kick out of that phrase, "for an American." It smacks of the old racist comments like, "You're pretty smart for a black person, Italian, German, or Mexican." In it's own little way political ideologies raises its ugly little head the same way racism and ethnic bashing does. I've often wondered if the same people who claim political superiority also don't believe in racial superiority. It kind of goes with the territory, don't you think?

Still, I don't believe the authors really intended it as more than a lame offering of satirical humor. I've seen enough British comedies to know they do things tongue-in-cheek. So... I enjoyed it.

Wolf

I too enjoyed it, Wolf, for the very same reason you mentioned. It was a totally superficial test.

It did not measure cognitive skills, critical thinking skills, nor problem solving skills. That's the real giveaway that this was a silly test!

I will bet the person who designed the test and wrote the final analysis would be delighted to know he/she was getting such an emotional response from the quiz. The comments regarding Americans and our government was surely done to generate either anger or humor depending on which box you clicked. Their wish was granted.

Ed, you have accurately described what their strategy was. But, isn't it darn sad that these obviously leftist European elite folks have to resort to a silly test to get their jollies?

They probably don't get dates on a Saturday night!

I scored 15 out of 20 on the first try, and 16 out of tweny later. It seems interesting to me that Americans are the ones that are seen as 'dumb.' I'm sure there are other cultures that this web site creator could pick on, but probably chooses the U.S. because we're strong, efficient, hard-working and don't take crap!