Pew Science Knowledge Quiz

[Ego]

http://www.pewresearch.org/quiz/science-knowledge/

How much do you know about science topics?

Test your knowledge of science facts and applications of scientific principles by taking our short 12-question quiz. Then see how you did in comparison with a nationally representative group of 3,278 randomly selected U.S. adults surveyed online and by mail between Aug. 11 and Sept. 3, 2014 as members of the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel.

When you finish, you will be able to compare your scores with the average American and compare responses across demographic groups.

[jacob]

Interestingly the typical range in correct answers in getting these answers correct between "HS or less" and "grad students" is only ~20% suggesting that either grad students didn't learn a whole lot more or didn't pay a whole lot more attention that HSchoolers.

What bothers me more is that except from the boiling point question and the tooth decay question which need some scientific reasoning skills (understand how boiling works + reading a graph), the rest of the questions are mere factoids that can be memorized. E.g. knowing that Salk found a vaccine for polio or that the "scientific study" of the connection between humans and the position of the planets is called astrology (what is this answer doing on a science test as anything but a diversion?!?!? ) is hardly direct evidence of any scientific thinking skills.

If this is how science is taught in school, i.e. Jeopardy style factoids, I can see why the public is so easily confused regarding scientific issues.

[henrik]

I also thought those two were the only questions that actually show something. If the test had been about a hundred questions like that, we might even learn something about the scientific knowledge of the general public:)

[Chad]

At least the distribution is skewed to the right. I was expecting a lot worse results for the general population. Still wasn't great.

@jacob
Agreed on all points. Memorization is the crutch of the bad teacher/school.

[jacob]

And from a state with an apparently well-deserved reputation for its science edumacation standards, we get the following ...

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/0 ... lipse.html

I.don't.even.know.where.to.begin!

You just can't make this stuff up.

[BlueNote]

I got 'em all right on the first try. Where do I pick up my Science master of the universe medal? Reminds me of this

[Dragline]

I got the right answers on the internet. I must be a genius.

It would be more interesting if they randomly selected some Chinese, Indian and Brazilian people too. And made the questions harder.