Young Americans flunk geography, according to National Geographic quiz survey

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | November 20, 2002 | Paul Recer

[HEY4QDEMS]

Maybe some day someone will develop a spelling check utility for web postings.
Until then, I'll just have to take pleasure in the fact that my keyboard miscues aggravate the hell out of picky people.

Flame on and FReegards

[hattend]

Well, you know the schools are in dire shape and need a pantload more money for better schools and teacher pay incentives. The American people are failing the school children. < /sarcasm>

Those globes that were in every classroom I was in while in grade school must really cost a fortune. Maybe if they silkscreened a world map on condom packages the kids would have a chance.

[Jhensy]

I love geography.

Freeper pop quiz!

What's the largest state (in area) east of the Mississippi River?

[yarddog]

Georgia.

[yarddog]

BTW don't try the old, if you keep going East you will get to Alaska, scam.

[yarddog]

Here is a better one.

What is the largest city, in the largest county, in the largest state East of the Mississippi, area wise?

[Jhensy]

Ding ding. That was quick Yarddog. Have a cookie. Usually everyone says Florida or North Carolina.

[Jhensy]

What is the largest city, in the largest county, in the largest state East of the Mississippi, area wise?

The obvious is Atlanta...?

[yarddog]

Sorry no biscuit.

Fulton County is not the largest in Georgia area wise.

[Old Professer]

Hey, don't get your panties all in a wad; I thought maybe someone knew the true difference between apposite and opposite: apposite - side by side; opposite - face to face (roughly speaking).

[ravinson]

I was one of only six students in a university class of about 1600 to get a degree in geography. Since then, the geography department has been closed and the remaining professors have been transferred to the "Environmental Studies" department. If no one's learning about geography in college then few are teaching it at the lower levels.

[WIladyconservative]

The reason kids can't find these places is no one asks them to in school.

I beg to differ. My 11 year old just got through with a Middle East Geography unit, preceded by Europe and The United States (in a public school). The tests consisted of finding countries on blank maps. They DO teach it, but perhaps not in much depth or long enough to retain into adulthood.

[yarddog]

They closed our geography dept. too a few years after I graduated. It was a shame because we had a real active one while I was there. We even had a geography club. Our meetings usually consisted of inviting one of the University's professors to show slides of his trip to Greece, or Argentina etc.

It actually was far more interesting than it sounds like. For some reasons those professors tended to be really good photographers.

[Dog Gone]

Only 71 percent of the surveyed Americans could locate on the map the Pacific Ocean, the world's largest body of water. Worldwide, three in 10 of those surveyed could not correctly locate the Pacific Ocean.

That sounds so different, but it means exactly the same thing, doesn't it?

30% of the population in any country are total idiots, which is why the Democrat party has a base, which surely includes this reporter.

[Rockitz]

Michigan?

[knighthawk]

A while ago there was a tv-program on the Dutch TV. They asked people on the street to point out the Netherlands on a worldmap.

A lot of people actualy failed, one guy even pointing to China!

[ravinson]

We even had a geography club. Our meetings usually consisted of inviting one of the University's professors to show slides of his trip to Greece, or Argentina etc. It actually was far more interesting than it sounds like. For some reasons those professors tended to be really good photographers.

I had a fantastic geography professor whose lectures consisted almost entirely of slide shows and his commentary. Studying geography definitely makes you a much better observer.

[ravinson]

What's the largest state (in area) east of the Mississippi River?

Georgia... BTW don't try the old, if you keep going East you will get to Alaska, scam.

Ding ding. That was quick Yarddog. Have a cookie. Usually everyone says Florida or North Carolina.

Careful folks. One of the extra credit questions on my college geography class (North America) final exam was to name the easternmost, westernmost, nothernmost, and southernmost states. The answers, of course, are Alaska, Alaska, Alaska, and Hawaii, respectively. (Alaska is both the easternmost and westernmost state, of course, because the 180th meridian runs right through it.)

And even if you limit your question to the contiguous states, Minnesota lies east of the Mississippi River (albeit only partially) and has a larger area than Georgia. Be careful when you make those bar bets or you might end up buying a few rounds.

[Int]

Here is a street survey done in NY by a British paper. Some of the people's comments are amazing. Laugh or cry- what to do??

Here's a sample of the original National Geographic test questions