(no subject)
Jul. 18th, 2006 02:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
winterbadgerWell, let's hope this link (to a PDF) works better.
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/citizenship/flashcards/Flashcard_questions.pdf
This came up on a community I read. How many folks who are US cits already know all the answers to these? I annotated the copy I sent around the office (where most people are gettting at least a couple wrong), as I feel some of the questions are subjective and rather open-ended, and one or two answers are actually wrong or incomplete.
I assume this follows up on a test booklet that may train applicants in the "right" answers to some of the more subjective questions. (Whihc makes me think of the scene in The Untouchables where Sean Connery's character is asking the police cadets why they want to be policemen. "To uh, protecta, and, er, serve the people, of, er..." :-)
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/citizenship/flashcards/Flashcard_questions.pdf
This came up on a community I read. How many folks who are US cits already know all the answers to these? I annotated the copy I sent around the office (where most people are gettting at least a couple wrong), as I feel some of the questions are subjective and rather open-ended, and one or two answers are actually wrong or incomplete.
I assume this follows up on a test booklet that may train applicants in the "right" answers to some of the more subjective questions. (Whihc makes me think of the scene in The Untouchables where Sean Connery's character is asking the police cadets why they want to be policemen. "To uh, protecta, and, er, serve the people, of, er..." :-)
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no subject
Date: 2006-07-18 06:07 pm (UTC)when it's subjective/in doubt, the best thing is to go UNCLE SAM WOOO ALL DA WAY! u.s.a. u.s.a. oh, we're so silly.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-18 06:17 pm (UTC)OTOH, since my buddy whose wife went through this assures me that they just coach the taker towards the right anwswer, I guess I won't be too bothered. Wait, though...
no subject
Date: 2006-07-18 06:25 pm (UTC)Because I am THAT bored, pt. 1
Date: 2006-07-18 06:42 pm (UTC)1. red, white, blue
2. each represents a state
3. 50
4. white
5. 13
6. each represents one of the original 13 colonies (PA represent!)
7. red
8. 50 (this seems redundant give #3)
9. independence from Ma England
10. England (weird, they seem to ask the same questions a lot)
11. England . . .and Prussian mercenaries
12. George Washington
13. Dubya
14. Cheney
15. the electoral colleges (okay, this could be one of the open-ended ones)
16. VP
17. The document which outlines our government (Er, people could write a freakin' ESSAY on this one, not sure how to be concise on that one)
18. Amendments
19. Ooh, that one I don't know.
20. Executive, Legislative, Judicial
21. Congress
22. Senate & House o' Reps
23. Ooh, don't know this one, either. Congress? Maybe Dubya should institute more Civics classes . . .
24. er, the American People? Now I'm unsure of all my answers
25. I
26. am
27. Rick Santorum (I think), Arlen Specter
28. an
29. idiot.
30. The Prez
31. Four years
32. Supreme Court
33. I feel very guilty that I don't know the answer to this.
34. The Constitution
35. Uh, things that can't be made illegal?
36. Harrisburg
37. Ed Rendell
38. The Speaker of the House (I think)
39. Clearly, I don't know enough about the Supreme Court.
40. PA (word!), NJ, NY, VT, CT, NH, ME, MA, VA, NC, SC, MD, DE
41. Patrick Henry (I think)
42. Germany, Italy, Japan
43. Shit. Alaska?
44. For some reason I think it's three, so long as the third one isn't consecutive to the first two. But I could be full of crap and I have no idea where I got that from.
45. I'm supposed to answer that in a sentence? COME ON. Central figure in the Civil Rights movement?
46. All I know for sure is that you have to be born in the USA. Like The Boss.
47. Er, because each state has two? In case one dies so the state is represented?
48. The Prez?
49. Not sure. 13? 26?
Re: Because I am THAT bored, pt. 2
Date: 2006-07-18 06:43 pm (UTC)51. Governor
52. Mayor
53. Thanksgiving!
54. Thomas Jefferson
55. 1776
56. Again, another essay question. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness and all that.
57. The Star-Spangled Banner
58. Francis Scott Key (but not the music! That, according to urban myth is an English drinking song)
59. 18
60. School House Rock is hazy right now.
61. The Supreme Court
62. Abraham Lincoln
63. Make slavery illegal. Start the Civil War?
64. The Cabinet
65. I've actually never heard that. I've only heard "Founding Fathers".
66. Washington (?)
67. Hawaii (?)
68. Native Americans (though if you want specific tribes, forget it)
69. Mayflower
70. colonies
71. Ooh, don't know.
72. I am SUCH a bad American. I'm beginning to think I shouldn't be voting.
73. See above answer.
74. The Bill of Rights
75. Anyone in the US (not just citizens?)
76. preamble
77. Congress (or is it just the House of Reps?)
78. White House
79. 1600 PENNSYLVANIA Avenue, DC.
80. freedom of speech, right to bear arms, freedom of press, freedom of religion, DAMN, I always forget the fifth one, used to know
81. The Prez
82. November
83. January
84. Ooh, not sure. As many times as they like?
85. Democrats & Republicans
86. The President, I don't know who else
87. The Bill of Rights
88. No clue.
89. I want to say Democracy, but something is nagging at me that it's a Republic. I'm ashamed that I don't know this.
90. "Peacekeeping". Heh, seriously, I don't know.
91. BECAUSE WE'RE #1! Er, I mean . . .actually, I could answer that in a lot of ways.
92. Amended.
93. Ooh, don't know. Freedom of speech?
94. It's where Dubya lives.
95. The Capitol is where Congress meets. As opposed to the capital, which is DC.
96. 3
no subject
Date: 2006-07-18 06:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-18 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-18 07:26 pm (UTC)I went through the ?s and found the following either unknown to me, or misleading.
-How many changes or Amendments are there to the Constitution?
Easy, but I just couldn't remember.
-Name some countries that were our enemies during WWII?
The answers imply that only the big three were against us. I think that's a bit simplistic, so I'd likely have argued with the questioner...
-Which President was the first CiC of the US Army and Navy?
I'm an idiot. Don't look at me.
-In what year was the Constitution written?
Again, I apparently didn't pay attention when I was in Civics. Ah well.
Seems like if you got the right draw, a 2nd grader could answer the questions.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-18 08:12 pm (UTC)Countries: Yes, that was one of the ones I annotated. Other countries in or associated with the Axis include Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia (before the coup), Croatia (once it declared independence), Slovakia, Finland, and Thailand (!). Spain also sent troops to fight in the German Army, and nationals of several countries were represented in various Axis armies, but those were the only ones formally allied with Germany, Italy, and Japan (as far as I know).
CINC: Kind of a trick question, IMO. The president is CINC of the Army and Navy, and Washington was the first president, making "Washington" the correct answer. He was appointed commander in chief of the army of the United Colonies in 1775 and resigned that position in 1783, but I don't think he had authority over the navy until he became president.
Constitution written: Also a mildly sublte question, as it was *written* in 1787, but of course it wasn't *ratified* until 1788, it came into effect in 1789, and the last of the 13 states ratified it in 1790.
Another question I took issue with was the one on the Emancipation Proclamation. Their answer is that it "freed the slaves", but that is not correct. The 13th Amendment, in 1865, abolished slavery. The EP only freed slaves in territory currently in revolt agaisnt the federal government; several slave states that had not rebelled, or had been subdued, were exempted.
As a Virginian, I also bristled that all the questions about the Pilgrims were not balanced by any questions about the Virginia Colony, which predated Plymouth by 13 years.
Re: Because I am THAT bored, pt. 1
Date: 2006-07-18 08:21 pm (UTC)(I think it was the last who sent a contingent that sat for most of the war on transport ships anchored in the St. Lawrence; very sad, as they had magnificent uniforms, IIRC white with black boots (or shoes and gaiters for practical use), red cloaks, and tall black cylindrical fur or felt hats--meant to look like the ferocious "pandours" or bandit-soldiers of the Balkans, whow had been terrific light infantry in recent wars in Europe, being the Austrian Empire's equivalent of Scottish Highlanders.)
Not too bad...
Date: 2006-07-18 11:06 pm (UTC)#28 - my answer is too damned many, and they are mostly useless... grrr
I guessed at 434 before I looked it up - so wrong on that one. I did know it is controlled by population, and the number of states.
#43 - I had to think, and hum a few bars of an old TV show to remember it is Alaska (grin).... book 'em Dan-O!
#62, there are two correct answers here, and I got them both - this happens to be my favorite 20-questions figure, because of the obvious logic trap
#72 - again, had to consult pocket constitution first (ouch) - that's three wrong so far...
#73, ok four wrong now... for some reason I was thinking 1789
#88 - I had no idea, that's 5
#93 is a matter of opinion and point of view, and should remain so - and I'll debate this with anyone. Right to Vote is for most Americans, but if you are opporessed, there are other rights that are suddenly much more important. I disagree with their one-size-fits-all answer.
#95 is a spelling question, it's one thing as spelled (a building) and entirely another for people who mis-read it as Capital.... (a city/seat of government).
Ouch, 5 wrong or don't knows out of 96 is not so good for a natural born citizen... sigh...
This, like many tests is easy for test takers to fool - as often you can read the following question to get the answer to the question you are stuck on.
Also, knowing the prejudices of the test administrators helped me get several questions "right" when I know that there are other answers, especially the Emancipation Proclomation thing and the CinC question (but then I am a bit of a rules-monger and I have military experience and living history is a hobby).
no subject
Date: 2006-07-19 05:43 am (UTC)Washington was the first president, yes, and the President is Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. But that doesn't mean Washington was Commander in Chief of the Army or Navy. The Army yes; we have been a militarized nation from day one despite not always having a standing force. But Congress abolished the Continental Navy after the treaty of Paris because it was too expensive to maintain. Eventually it was reinstated, but the first ships weren't christened until 1797, when Adams was President. So I would argue that in fact Adams was the first Commander in Chief of the Army AND Navy. But that's my two cents.
And I didn't get them all...didn't know the INS form one.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-19 12:44 pm (UTC)Re: Because I am THAT bored, pt. 1
Date: 2006-07-19 12:59 pm (UTC)49. Kind of a trick question IMO, only because all the other questions they ask are set by the Constitution and this one isn't. And of course there's the whole Roosevelt court-packing episode to make it exciting.
Re: Because I am THAT bored, pt. 2
Date: 2006-07-19 01:19 pm (UTC)I used to know the first and last verses by heart.
75. Yes, and I think that's a very interesting point. In one or two places, the Constitution deliberately distinguished between persons or people and citizens, but in the Bill of Rights it does not. NOTHING about the basic rights guaranteed in the Constitution limits them to citizens.
80. Right to bear arms is the Second Amendment. :-) First = no establishment of religion, freedom of religion, freedom of speech & press, freedom to assemble & petition for redress of grieveances.
89. I would have added "representative democracy" to their answer. Maybe they feel that's covered by "republic".
94. Only for two more years. (I hate the 22nd Amendment, but I'm not going to argue with it this time.)
Now, you, young lady, need to brush up on the legislative process! :-)
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/laws/legproc.htm
http://www.loc.gov/law/guide/uscong.html
Re: Because I am THAT bored, pt. 2
Date: 2006-07-20 12:32 pm (UTC)Think about it. The silly Repugs would run "W" for re-election, and with an approval rating lower than Mariah Carey's it would all but guarantee a Democratic victory!
Woo hoo!