Real World

Interesting little study. It's obviously a small sample size, and not without some flaws, but it's worth a read. They sampled 30,000 people, 165 of which identified themselves as being elected officials to office (either former or present).

Opinion: Elected Officials Flunk Constitution Quiz

Jan 14, 2011 – 6:00 AM


Special to AOL News

When the Republican House leadership decided to start the 112th Congress with a reading of the U.S. Constitution, the decision raised complaints in some quarters that it was little more than a political stunt. The New York Times even called it a "presumptuous and self-righteous act."

That might be true, if you could be sure that elected officials actually know something about the Constitution. But it turns out that many don't.

In fact, elected officials tend to know even less about key provisions of the Constitution than the general public.


Opinion: Elected Officials Flunk Constitution Quiz

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

Harry Boy

Most of them are all drunks and sex perverts.

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Harry Boy (Genius)

In The Absence Of Law And Order Society Will Surely Destroy Itself

Real World

I posted the 10 question Quiz.

The linked Quiz and answers can be found here:

Opinion: Elected Officials Flunk Constitution Quiz

1) What are the three branches of government?
A. executive, legislative, judicial
B. executive, legislative, military
C. bureaucratic, military, industry
D. federal, state, local

2) What part of the government has the power to declare war?
A. Congress
B. the president
C. the Supreme Court
D. the Joint Chiefs of Staff

3) In the area of United States foreign policy, Congress shares power with the:
A. president
B. Supreme Court
C. state governments
D. United Nations

4) The United States Electoral College:
A. trains those aspiring for higher political office
B. was established to supervise the first televised presidential debates
C. is otherwise known as the U.S. Congress
D. is a constitutionally mandated assembly that elects the president
E. was ruled undemocratic by the Supreme Court

5) What impact did the Anti-Federalists have on the United States Constitution?
A. their arguments helped lead to the adoption of the Bill of Rights
B. their arguments helped lead to the abolition of the slave trade
C. their influence ensured that the federal government would maintain a standing army
D. their influence ensured that the federal government would have the power to tax

6) The phrase that in America there should be a "wall of separation" between church and state appears in:
A. George Washington's Farewell Address
B. the Mayflower Compact
C. the Constitution
D. the Declaration of Independence
E. Thomas Jefferson's letters

7) The Bill of Rights explicitly prohibits:
A. prayer in public school
B. discrimination based on race, sex, or religion
C. the ownership of guns by private individuals
D. establishing an official religion for the United States
E. the president from vetoing a line item in a spending bill

8) Identify one right or freedom below guaranteed by the first amendment.
A. Right to bear arms
B. Due process
C. Religion
D. Right to counsel

9) Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government listed below?
A. Make treaties
B. Make zoning laws
C. Maintain prisons
D. Establish standards for doctors and lawyers

10) Who is the commander in chief of the U.S. military?
A. Secretary of the army
B. Secretary of state
C. President
D. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

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To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

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"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

STFarmy

Not to toot my horn, but I got them all right. Of course, I think most people in here would. I also teach a class for a prominent online university regarding the Constitution; all of these questions are addressed in that class. So that makes me happy.

Pretty sad story though.

Mrs.PatsFanInVa

I got them all right except #9.

STFarmy

9 and 6 are tricky. But to think that most elected officials fail it is crazy. Failing in this case would mean getting 5 wrong, as 6 is 60%, and thus a passing grade. So they're getting 5 of these wrong! Unreal.

chicowalker

6 doesn't really belong, as it's specifically not about the Constitution. I can see people not knowing the answer, but I'm sure many people get it wrong b/c they incorrectly think it is in the Constitution.

It is sad that the avg would be 5 -- I think common sense would get you to more than 5.

Holy Diver

10/10!

If elected officials can't answer these 9th grade questions....they shouldn't be able to serve.

The Brandon Five

Even Christine O'Donnell can get that one right!

Nikolai

I can agree with that. If a public official isn't grounded in the rule of law in this country, then what is it that grounds them? Scary to think about.

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We get what we deserve.

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