Americans flunk constitutional quiz (fwd)

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 13:57:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
To: fight-censorship-announce@vorlon.mit.edu
Subject: Americans flunk constitutional quiz


WASHINGTON (AP) - Pop quiz: How many U.S. senators are there?
	One in two Americans do not know the answer is 100, according to a
survey on the U.S. Constitution released Monday. And two in five don't
know there are three branches of government, let alone what they are.
	Mayor Edward G. Rendell of Philadelphia, where the Constitution
was signed 210 years ago this Wednesday, said the results were
disappointing.
	"That shows an appalling lack of knowledge for a document that
determines what we do," said Rendell, chairman of the National
Constitution Center, created by Congress in 1988 to increase awareness of
the document. "Every day, issues important and central to us as people and
government are affected by the Constitution."

[...]

	Ten basic questions about the Constitution:
	1. When was the Constitution written?
	2. Where was the Constitution written?
	3. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
	4. Do you recall what the introduction of the Constitution is
           called?
	5. How many branches of the federal government are there?
	6. How many senators are there in the U.S. Congress?
	7. How many years are there in a Senate term?
	8. How many voting members are there in the House of
           Representatives?
	9. How many years are there in a representative's term?
	10. Who nominates the justices of the Supreme Court?

	Answers (and percentage of correct responses): 1. 1787 (19
percent); 2. Philadelphia (61 percent); 3. the Bill of Rights (66
percent); 4. the Preamble (55 percent); 5. three (58 percent); 6. 100 (48
percent); 7. six years (43 percent); 8. 435 (23 percent); 9. two years (45
percent); 10. the president (70 percent). 

	Source: National Constitution Center.