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Are you scientifically literate? Take our quiz
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/1209/Are-you-scientifically-literate-Take-our-quiz/Composing-about-78-percent-of-the-air-at-sea-level-what-is-the-most-common-gas-in-the-Earth-s-atmosphere?google_editors_picks=true ^

Posted on 12/10/2011 7:19:01 PM PST by chessplayer

You may have an opinion on climate change, evolution education, stem-cell research, and science funding. But do you have the facts to back up your opinion? This quiz will test your basic scientific literacy.

(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blog; chat; sourcetitlenoturl
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To: chessplayer

I got 44/50. Never read Finnegan’s Wake, got that one right.


21 posted on 12/10/2011 8:04:08 PM PST by null and void (Day 1054 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes arent made, Frank, they're cornered...])
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To: chessplayer

Got 41. Thought it was pretty good considering the wide-ranging field of questions.


22 posted on 12/10/2011 8:05:03 PM PST by stormhill
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To: Calm_Cool_and_Elected

“Wow. I scored 64%!”


So that makes us barely above flunking. lol Not so funny, I suppose.


23 posted on 12/10/2011 8:07:11 PM PST by chessplayer
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To: chessplayer
82%. And a review of the wrong answers reveals that my greek sucks. Which is what my grandfather (baptist preacher) observed 40-ummmm years ago. My latin and hebrew were ok, but he always gritched to mom about my greek fundamentals.

That and chemistry. Part of that, I blame on Mary Sue, 5th class, 8th grade. Hard to concentrate on chemistry, when all you are thinking about is biology. ;)

/johnny

24 posted on 12/10/2011 8:07:34 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: chessplayer

You didn’t have to read Finnegan’s Wake to answer that question. You just had to know the date it was written and when the particles mentioned were discovered.

That question was element-ary my dear. Pun intended. ;-)


25 posted on 12/10/2011 8:10:37 PM PST by Waryone
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To: coloradan

What hath past postal stamp issuage to do with literacy?


26 posted on 12/10/2011 8:13:06 PM PST by rawcatslyentist (It is necessary that a person be born of a father who is a citizen; ~Vattel's Law of Nations)
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To: definitelynotaliberal
I have a degree in Mathematics, and I only got 39 out of 50

Looking back? How did you do on the greek roots?

I had to run down the list to get the nano = e-10 question. And that was one of the greek ones I got right.

The latin questions were easy.

I may need to obey grandfather and study my greek a little better.

/johnny

27 posted on 12/10/2011 8:14:17 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: chessplayer
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How long did it take you to figure out that the "previous" button actually worked?

28 posted on 12/10/2011 8:15:38 PM PST by Delta 21 (Make your choice ! There are NO civilians.)
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To: coloradan

48 - 50


29 posted on 12/10/2011 8:17:20 PM PST by clamper1797 (Hoping to have some change left)
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To: chessplayer
Some might remember Winnagain's Fake. And that obscure pulp literary reference is lost in the haze of memory. Even google doesn't know about it.

But I do remember a Discovery documentary that explained where quark came from. ;)

/johnny

30 posted on 12/10/2011 8:20:07 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: chessplayer

Questions about the elements were often given away with the atomic number. A lot of lower level chemistry classes involved memorizing the first part of the periodic table.

Some of the others, like the brontosaurus and Eris questions were more like science news. “BTW, we’ve decided to change an arbitrary designation for a different one that we like better, and wonder if you heard.”

Personally, I would have thrown in a question about the scientific method, and another one on what must be involved for a theory to be judged as “scientific”.


31 posted on 12/10/2011 8:25:07 PM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: rawcatslyentist
What hath past postal stamp issuage to do with literacy?

The postal stamp thing was a 'look here' handwave. The real question was about thundering dinosaurs. Tyra? no...that's a politician that's going to dry-**** you. Tri-cerito? Three horns... nope...

Bronto? Ah... perhaps.

That was one of the ancient language questions I got correct.

/johnny

32 posted on 12/10/2011 8:25:47 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: chessplayer

72% for me.


33 posted on 12/10/2011 8:26:40 PM PST by MCF
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To: rawcatslyentist

Some famous physicist, I think it might have been Rutherford, famously said “all science is either physics or stamp collecting,” meaning, those other sciences not physics were just learning about a bunch of different unrelated facts and names, like so many stamps on a page. There are 21 amino acids and 92 elements and three types of rocks, etc.; collect them all and study them, but in any case it isn’t physics, the only “real science” (was his dismissive implication). Depending on how wide your reading has been, you will have come across them or not, and you will know how to answer most of these questions or you will not.


34 posted on 12/10/2011 8:27:10 PM PST by coloradan (The US has become a banana republic, except without the bananas - or the republic.)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy
Yep. I supidly answered 'Charon' when I saw the keyword 'Pluto'. If I had actually read the question. I might have gotten a different wrong answer.

/johnny

35 posted on 12/10/2011 8:28:19 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: chessplayer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6CHq9mXkJ8

Tim Finnegan’s Wake with Lyrics


36 posted on 12/10/2011 8:29:37 PM PST by seton89 (Starve the Beast)
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To: coloradan
Having a good grounding in the ancient languages (Greek, Latin {grandfather would add Hebrew}) seems to help make sense of the questions.

/johnny

37 posted on 12/10/2011 8:30:27 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (gone Galt)
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To: chessplayer

I must admit that I’m fascinated by quantum theory.


38 posted on 12/10/2011 8:36:37 PM PST by TBP (Obama lies, Granny dies.)
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To: chessplayer

46/50 correct
3/50 I knew but pushed the wrong darn button (I was flying!).
2/50 I guessed lucky.
1/50 I guessed unlucky.

Most of this stuff I remembered from high school and college 30 years ago.

Anyone know what the percentiles are?


39 posted on 12/10/2011 8:36:42 PM PST by Born to Conserve
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To: chessplayer

39/50. But then again, it’s late and I have been drinking ...


40 posted on 12/10/2011 8:37:50 PM PST by GenXFreedomFighter
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