Sunday, September 13, 2015

Brushing up on science quiz


Los Angeles Times/Science Now/Karne Kaplan, 9/11/15. "American adults get a D in science; 22% confuse astronomy and astrology."

Image result for I knew that picture
A+, 14 out of 12 questions correct.
"Americans get a D in science. So says the Pew Research Center, which issued a report Thursday on the state of the nation’s knowledge regarding some basic scientific facts.

The public opinion and research organization quizzed a representative sample of U.S. adults on geology, physics and astronomy, among other topics. Out of 12 questions, the test-takers answered 7.9 correctly, on average. That’s a score of 66%. ... (Want to see how you'd fare? Take the quiz here.)

....  The quiz was hardly a comprehensive assessment of Americans’ scientific knowledge, but it did include a mix of questions about things we should have learned in school and topics that have been in the news. ....  As the public grapples with issues such climate change, the rise of drug-resistant superbugs and genetically modified crops, a firm understanding of “scientific facts and principles” will help voters understand what’s at stake and “make informed judgments,” the report authors wrote. The poll was conducted last year between Aug. 11 and Sept. 3.   Read more, including some answers to the quiz if you prefer to cheat."

Note photo of Miss Piggy from The Mary Sue.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

2 comments:

Tom Clifford said...

Eleven out of twelve for 92% A- Denver was my down fall.

The Shell Question Man said...

That's nothing. I challenge all "real" Pacificans to take this challenging "only in Pacifica" science quiz:

Q: The fully "accredited" financial statements for Pacifica for a given year show a General Fund valued at X dollars. What is the actual book value of that General Fund?
a: $X
b: $X + compounded interest on $X
c: $X + simple interest on $X
d: $X - $4,000,000.00

Q: How many Pacifica City Council members does it take to screw in a light bulb?
a: 1
b: 0 (we do not use light bulbs in Pacifica because of their negative impact to the environment)
c: 5 (1 to hold the light bulb and 4 to turn the ladder)
d: Depends how fast they can pull their pants down

Q: Which scientific reason best explains why absolutely NO housing component should be developed in the Quarry:
a: Increased traffic congestion
b: Negative environmental impact
c: Developer realizing astronomical/inequitable profits at the expense of the poor
d: Infrastructure costs to taxpayers exceed realized tax revenues
e: We've already got ours. Good luck getting yours!

Q: In Pacifica, with respect to Highway 1 and all scientifically accepted queuing theory models, the following is true:
a: Increasing the number of lanes will decrease traffic backup times
b: Increasing the number of lanes will have no effect on traffic backup times
c: Increasing the number of lanes will actually increase traffic backup times (PSD NO-B model)
d: The whole thing is moot since we will all be riding bicycles in the very near future.

Answers will be published in next week's blog. Good luck and God speed!