McArdle is smarter than I am – or she knows more, at least. Apparently
she got 60 out of 60 questions right on this
quiz; I got 50 out of 60 and was pleased with that. I blame the fact that
I am not an American and did not receive an American education: I had no idea
there even was a president named Andrew Johnson, let alone what his fight with
the Radical Republicans might have been about. That said, the average Harvard
senior got fewer
than 42 questions right, so maybe it’s just a really hard test, or maybe
Harvard seniors aren’t as clever as everybody seems to think they are.
I’d be fascinated to find out the scores of the various presidential candidates
if this test were sprung on them. It would almost certainly tell us more than
any number of interminable debates. Interestingly, nearly all of Megan’s readers
(who revealed their score) got at most two or three questions wrong. I guess
they’re smarter than me, too.
I call shenanigans. In what sense was the war of 1812 a “stalemate”? Britain achieved none or almost none of its objectives; the US achieved all or almost all of its objectives.
I had no idea there even was a president named Andrew Johnson,
Felix, do you have a twenty-dollar bill in your pocket?
Excuse me, I read “Jackson”, not Johnson. But following the Clinton impeachment should have tipped you to the latter.
I got 48 right — including a couple of embarrassing wrong ones that I’ll put down to rushing it.
46.
42
55
56. And I made some stupid mistakes.
54. You’re still wicked-smart in my book, Salmon. Besides, how many of those 100% cats can write with even 50% of the panache that you do?
49. And proud.
46 (European MD, spend 3 years in the US)