Civic Literacy Quiz

[Julie Fern]

Ah, right, when in doubt, "'MERICA THE FREE!!!!1!"

This is are country.

yes, it are.

[Miss P]

what, arguing answer not clearly d?

 If taxes equal government spending, then:
A. government debt is zero
B. printing money no longer causes inflation
C. government is not helping anybody
D. tax per person equals government spending per person
E. tax loopholes and special-interest spending are absent

nothing else even close.

D is, of course, the closest to correct -- and on the plain language it's just the distributive property -- but it doesn't tell you anything about civics or government.  A lot of that government spending would have to be debt service, and "tax per person" is a fairly meaningless measurement when so many people do not pay taxes.  

13)   Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas would concur that:
...
this not julie's strongest area, but all three not say e?

There are actually four there!  It's not my strongest area, either, and admittedly we have very little direct evidence of what Socrates believed, but there's no clear evidence that he would concur.

this not julie's strongest area either, but what your criticism of a?

27)   Free markets typically secure more economic prosperity than government’s centralized planning because:
A. the price system utilizes more local knowledge of means and ends
B. markets rely upon coercion, whereas government relies upon voluntary compliance with the law
C. more tax revenue can be generated from free enterprise
D. property rights and contracts are best enforced by the market system
E. government planners are too cautious in spending taxpayers’ money

There's no inherent reason that A is true, but neoclassical economics accepts it as axiomatic.  Also, as a practical matter, the price system also fails sometimes.  I thought E was at least as close to being true (if more ridiculously laden with free market dogma).  A huge reason capitalist economies have experienced such tremendous expansion is because the profit motive spurs capital investment beyond what is required to address human need.

And two nearly correct answers to this:

25) Free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as . . . (B & E)

what your problem with b?  what your other neat-choice, e?--as, presumably, socialist critique of government role in capitalism?

25)   Free enterprise or capitalism exists insofar as:
A. experts managing the nation’s commerce are appointed by elected officials
B. individual citizens create, exchange, and control goods and resources
C. charity, philanthropy, and volunteering decrease
D. demand and supply are decided through majority vote
E. government implements policies that favor businesses over consumers

I answered B because I knew that it was the credited response.  Nonetheless, it's not very accurate in the context of modern capitalism which has very little to do with "individual citizens" creating and controlling goods and resources.  Perhaps if it specified "corporate citizens."  

I think E is just as valid: modern capitalism exists only to the extent that government policies favor businesses.  If they favored consumers, we would have a much more tightly regulated economy.

[Miss P]

::superiors::

 

[Susan B. Anthony]

31 out of 33 correctly — 93.94 %

I missed Question #7 - D. Gettysburg Address and Question #33 - D. tax per person equals government spending per person

Good company.

Me three!

I was totally shocked I got the "omg capitalism is so awesome" question right, mostly because I was too busy drawing pictures of Mr. Moneybags in econ to learn anything.

[Private David Lewis]

I got one wrong.   Surprise, surprise, it was one of the ones about the superiority of capitalism.  (96.97%)

Me too!  Although I missed the one about the Lincoln-Douglas debates.  Hopefully you have learned your lesson re: superiority of capitalism! 

[Julie Fern]

what, arguing answer not clearly d?

 If taxes equal government spending, then:
A. government debt is zero
B. printing money no longer causes inflation
C. government is not helping anybody
D. tax per person equals government spending per person
E. tax loopholes and special-interest spending are absent

nothing else even close.

D is, of course, the closest to correct -- and on the plain language it's just the distributive property -- but it doesn't tell you anything about civics or government. A lot of that government spending would have to be debt service, and "tax per person" is a fairly meaningless measurement when so many people do not pay taxes.

it do say something about civics and government, whatever quizzers' motivation.  debt service spending also.  "per person" mean per capita;  no basis for assuming mean everyone pay exactly same tax.

smart test-makers always have out:  directions should say choose best answer.

[Miss P]

what, arguing answer not clearly d?

 If taxes equal government spending, then:
A. government debt is zero
B. printing money no longer causes inflation
C. government is not helping anybody
D. tax per person equals government spending per person
E. tax loopholes and special-interest spending are absent

nothing else even close.

D is, of course, the closest to correct -- and on the plain language it's just the distributive property -- but it doesn't tell you anything about civics or government. A lot of that government spending would have to be debt service, and "tax per person" is a fairly meaningless measurement when so many people do not pay taxes.

it do say something about civics and government, whatever quizzers' motivation.  debt service spending also.  "per person" mean per capita;  no basis for assuming mean everyone pay exactly same tax.

smart test-makers always have out:  directions should say choose best answer.

As I did.  But if I were writing a test, I'd try to have the answers be both entirely correct and something more than arithmetic. 

ETA: My point is that if the question said, "If baseball bats equal baseballs, then . . . baseball bats per person equal baseballs per person," it would be just as correct, and similarly meaningful.

[Julie Fern]

13) Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Aquinas would concur that:
...
this not julie's strongest area, but all three not say e?

There are actually four there! It's not my strongest area, either, and admittedly we have very little direct evidence of what Socrates believed, but there's no clear evidence that he would concur.

yes, four.  julie just testing you!

may be should ask our resident socratites.

[nealric]

The philosopher question was kind of redundant.

Pretty much all we know about the philosophy of Socrates is through the writings of Plato. They really can't be distinguished ideologically.

[goaliechica]

may be should ask our resident socratites.