I have no idea how to even define "well-rounded", let alone to test for it. But here are a few arbitrary questions that I think most people should know.
1) What is an adverb? What is a simile? What is a homophone?
2) Other than Beethoven, name two classical composers. Name an American composer.
3) Name 5 elements from the periodic table and give their symbols.
4) What is the formula for the area of a rectangle? A triangle? A circle?
5) Name 2 art museums not located in the USA.
6) Translate "hello" into 3 other languages.
7) Name the governor of your state. Name 1 congressman from your state.
8) Name the capitals of the following countries: Haiti, Iraq, Afghanistan. Name 2 capital cities (with the country) in Europe, Africa, and South America.
9) Give the name and general location of 3 muscles in your body. Give the name and general location of 3 bones in your body. Name 3 sections of the brain.
10) Put the following historical eras in order from earliest to latest: Ancient Rome, Space Age, Industrial Revolution, Dark Ages, World Wars 1 and 2, Age of Exploration, Stone Age, Renaissance, Ancient Greece, Iron Age.
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11 comments:
1) Adverb: Verb used as an adjective to modify a noun (usually by adding "-ly" to the end of the verb)
Simile: Comparison using like or as
Homophone: word that sounds the same as another, but is spelled differently.
2) Non-American: Bach, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachelbel, and many more.
American: Gershwin, Copland, and many more
3) Too many to name. http://www.chemicalelements.com/show/name.html
4)Rectangle: L x W
Triangle: 1/2 B x H
Circle: pi r^2
5) Louvre - Paris
National Gallery - London
El Prado - Madrid
Uffizi - Rome
and manny more
6)Hola - Spanish
Bonjour - French
Guten Tag - German
Bon Giorno - Italian
Ni Hao - Chinese
Konichiwa - Japanese
and many more
7) Governor of Michigan: Granholm
Governor of Ohio: Strickland
Governor of Maryland: O'Malley
Michigan Senators: Stabenow and Levin
Ohio Senators: Brown and Voinovich
Maryland Senators: Cardin and Mikulski.
(If you said a member of the house you'll have to look that up yourself)
8)Haiti - Port au Prince
Iraq - Baghdad
Afghanistan - Kabul
Too many to name for the pick your own.
9) Too many to name
Muscles: http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/muscular-system-picture.html
Bones: http://webpages.shepherd.edu/ECOLLI02/Skeletal.jpg
Brain: http://www.cs.stir.ac.uk/courses/31YF/Notes/brain3D.jpg
10) Stone Age, Iron Age, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Dark Ages, Renaissance, Age of Exploration, Industrial Revolution, World Wars 1 and 2, Space Age
See, I view a well-rounded person completely different. I view a person well-rounded based on what they can do rather than the knowledge they carry. The ability to cook in the kitchen, to write a story, to read a challenging book, to fix random things, plant a garden, etc. The ability to answer questions on a test!
And what if they couldn't name two classical composers? Does that mean they aren't well-rounded? Uneducated, yes, but I don't think you could call a person not well-rounded.
How about instead of the "Well-Roundedness Test" we call this test, "Shit You Should Probably Know"?
I agree that a well-rounded person should be able to do all of those things. What I meant by well-rounded person was a person who has a well-rounded education. You're right, I should probably use a different term. (in fact, I think I will...)
These questions are completely arbitrary. And there are way too few of them to determine anything either way. If I forgot the area formula for a triangle, that doesn't mean I don't know any math at all. Or if I can't name composers, that doesn't mean I'm completely ignorant of classical music.
Haha, you changed the name of the test!
I agree with what you said- not enough to determine anything either way. You could make a 100 question test based on the topics used in this test, then we could make a more accurate assessment of a person's well-rounded education.
Ummm I'll let you do that one. =)
http://www.teflgames.com/gkq.html
Just science, sports, geography, and music?
One of the questions is how many legs does a butterfly have (6). That's common knowledge!?! I'm assuming so because it was on the lower intermediate quiz.
Haha, if you don't like it, make a better one.
Here's what I came up with on my paper...
1. Adverb: A verb that describes something (quickly)
Simile: comparison using like/as
Homophone: I know it references a specific category of words, but I can't remember
2. Bach, Brahms
American: the father of Marching Band music, John Phillip Sousa
3. Sodium Na
Carbon C
Hydrogen H
Zinc Z
Lead Pb
Helium He
(I was wrong about Zinc, which is Zn)
4. Rectangle: b*h
(I say b*h is the same as l*w)
Triangle: 1/2b*h
Circle: pi*r-squared
5.Louvre... that's all I can remember
6.Hola', bonjour, salaam alekum (literally translated from arabic means "peace be upon you" but it is used as a greeting, so I think it counts)
7.Ted Strickland Governor
(I know John Glenn was a famous Senator, but I can't name a congressperson. I haven't voted in Ohio yet, so I think I get a pass. I know Stabenow and Levin are Michigan, so that makes up for it.)
8.Port Au Prince, Baghdad
Europe: Paris, London
Africa: Tripoli (Libya) and Cape Town (South Africa).
I looked this up and SA has 3 capitals. CT is the legislative capital, so I say I got it right
South America: Lima (Peru), Brazilia (Brazil)
Even though it is correctly spelled with an "s" rather than a "z" I was proud of that one because most people think it is Sao Paolo or Rio de Janeiro
9. muscles: gluteus (butt), bicep (arm), tricep (under arm)
bones: radius (upper arm) ulna (lower arm) femur (thigh)
(I was wrong - radius and ulna make up the forearm)
brain: frontal lobe, frontal cortex, brainstem
(I was wrong about cortex. I can't believe I forgot the medulla oblongata)
10. Stone, Greece, Rome, Iron, Dark, Renaissance, Exploration, Industrial, WW1&2, Space
I'm pleased with my answer to this one because I only misplaced the Iron Age. I'm horrible with history and I don't remember what the Iron Age was about. I'm glad I placed Greece and Rome in the correct order - I think many people wouldn't.
After looking at my results, I would say I scored 75th percentile or above for Americans. According to your standards, I would say you would think that's sad.
I didn't know homophome, another art gallery in Europe, or the Iron Age. I was incorrect about the radius and Zinc.
I think Mike and I came to the consensus that this is pretty much a bullshit test. That it's really more of a trivia game rather than an indicator of a "well-rounded education."
But I do believe a well-rounded education is important, and that the "Average American" should be able to answer questions like these. He probably can't...but he should.
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