Testing my students' Cultural Literacy
April 13, 2007 6:29 PM   Subscribe

Help me devise a quiz testing my students (college fresh-people) on fundamental knowledge of current events, history, and culture.

I'm a graduate student who teaches first-year college English. Today, I had my students working on organization, piecing together paragraphs of a larger essay. As I was walking around checking in on the various small groups, I was shocked to learn that none of them had even heard of Valerie Plame (one of the essays that they had to organize was the Wikipedia article on the Plame controversy). You always hear about this sort of cultural ignorance, but I guess until it hits you in the face you never realize that it is real.

Anyway, I want to put together a quiz (or series of quizzes) to give my students (for fun, not part of their grade) to test their knowledge of current events, American/World history, culture, art, etc. etc. I've got a bunch of question ideas, but I thought I'd open it up to my wise Mefite colleagues. I'd also like to include a few questions like "Who is Anna Nicole Smith's baby daddy?" for comparison.

So, ask away! (please include answers in your post, in case I'm too stupid to know it also :)
posted by papakwanz to Education (34 answers total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
I would definitely draw heavily on "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" for inspiration and material.

Good luck!
posted by rossination at 6:43 PM on April 13, 2007


You could use the U.S. citizenship tests (discussed in this post).
posted by dilettante at 6:45 PM on April 13, 2007


Q: Which film won best picture at the most recent Academy Awards?
A: The Departed

Q: Who is Matt Drudge?
A: American Internet journalist and a talk radio host behind DrudgeReport.com.

Q: Who is Apple's CEO?
A: Steve Jobs

Q: Who is Harvey Weinstein?
A: Founder of Miramax films, current head of The Weinstein Company.

Q: Who is Nancy Pelosi?
A: The current speaker of the house.

Q: Who is Sergey Brin?
A: The President of Technology at Google.
posted by JPowers at 6:52 PM on April 13, 2007


Some cultural literacy tests for inspiration.

for fun, not part of their grade

Your fun, you mean. Not that I wouldn't. Don't forget to include a blank map of the world and ask them to pencil in a few basic items.
posted by kmennie at 7:11 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]


Your fun, you mean

One of my favorite teachers does this semi-regularly. I think just about every student enjoys it.
posted by niles at 7:23 PM on April 13, 2007


What country does the United States border to the north?
What country does the United States border to the south?
Who is your governer?
Mayor/City-Manager?
Who are your representatives in the House?
Who are your representatives in the Senate?
Who are the supreme court justices?
Who is the Attorney General?
President?
Vice-President?
House Majority Leader?
House Minority Leader?
Senate Majority Leader?
Senate Minority Leader?
Describe the ideology of the Democratic party.
Describe the ideology of the Republican party.
Roughly what portion of the world population follows Christianity?
Roughly what portion of the world population follows Islam?
Explain global warming.
Explain natural selection, evolution.
What causes the seasons?
How did we come to call the current time "10:28PM - April 13, 2007"?
posted by phrontist at 7:28 PM on April 13, 2007


The cultural literacy tests kmennie links to are quite good. If they're English students, as you say, they should definitely be getting near full marks on the two literature tests (1,2).
posted by Aloysius Bear at 7:29 PM on April 13, 2007


Q. According to the NBER, when did the last US recession end? (within X months)
A: November 2001

Q: When did Congress last make an formal declaration of war?
A: June 5, 1942

Q: How many Senators voted against the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001?
A: One (Russ Feingold)
posted by Kwantsar at 7:30 PM on April 13, 2007


Who won the popular vote in 2000?
Who won the popular vote in 2004?
What determines the winner of the presidential election?
What is inflation?
What is the most common first language?
When did Hip-Hop emerge?
What document is the basis for our government?
Who was fighting in the revolutionary war?
Who was fighting in the french and indian war?
What years did World War one/two occur during?
What years did Korea occur during?

I'd also throw in a bunch on which amendments garuntee which freedoms.
posted by phrontist at 7:41 PM on April 13, 2007


Kwantsar: You expect them to know what the patriot act is?
posted by phrontist at 7:41 PM on April 13, 2007


After you do this, if the class isn't gigantic, encourage them to prepare a similar test for you based on what they'd expect everyone (but you) to know!
posted by mendel at 7:57 PM on April 13, 2007


For American/world history (plus a smattering of civics):

- What president resigned as a result of the Watergate scandal?
- Who became president upon his resignation?
- What years did WWI and WWII take place? For WWII, name the major Allies (and their heads of state) and three main Axis powers (and their heads of state).
- Name the three branches of the U.S. government. Which branch does the president belong to? Which branch has the most power over the other two (trick question!)
- Name the years of the American Revolution, the French Revolution, the Mexican Revolution, and the Russian Revolution.
- When was the concept of democracy invented, and by whom?
- Name the years of the American Civil War. Name the two sides. Name the U.S. president (and his counterpart) during the war. Name his assassin.
- Name the years of the civil rights movement. Name its most well-known leader. Name his assassin.
- Here's a U.S. map, without state names. Fill them in.
- Here's a world map. Locate Iraq.
- What is the Bill of Rights? Name at least five rights that it guarantees. Which amendment abolished slavery? Which amendment allowed women to vote?
- What was Prohibition?
- What was the Scopes Trial?
- What (and when) was the Great Depression?
- What was the "baby boom"?
- Extra credit: what is the oldest capital city in the U.S., and who founded it?
posted by scody at 8:13 PM on April 13, 2007


A lot of this seems like trivia to me.
posted by archagon at 8:28 PM on April 13, 2007


damn, I'm sorry -- I skipped right past your request for answers!
- Watergate: Nixon resigned (Aug. 9, 1974); Ford became president
- WWI (1914-18); WWII (1939-45); main Allies: Britain (Churchill), U.S. (FDR), USSR (Stalin); main Axis: Germany (Hitler), Italy (Mussolini), Japan (Hirohito)
- Three branches: executive, judicial, legislative. President belongs to executive. No branch holds power over the others.
- American Revolution (1775-83), the French Revolution (1789-1815), the Mexican Revolution (1910-21), and the Russian Revolution (1917, though major bonus points for anyone who mentions the revolution of 1905).
- democracy: first named in ancient Greece.
- American Civil War (1861-1865), Union vs. Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln killed by John Wilkes Booth. Jefferson Davis was president of the confederacy.
- civil rights movement: c. 1955-1968. Martin Luther King killed by James Earl Ray
- Bill of Rights: first 10 amendments to the constution. (Take your pick of rights.) Slavery abolished by the 13th amendment. Women's suffrage granted by the 19th.
- Prohibition (1920-1933) outlawed making, selling, or drinking alcohol
- Scopes Trial (1925): named after John Scopes, teacher found guilty of teaching evolution in defiance of Tennessee law.
- Great Depression - U.S./global economic downturn, started in 1929, persisted throughout 1930s and into WWII.
- Baby boom: upsurge in birth rates following WWII, c. 1946-64
- oldest capital city in the U.S.: Santa Fe (established by Spain in 1515, made a capital in 1610)

posted by scody at 8:41 PM on April 13, 2007


Picking up on Archagon's comment about trivia, I wonder if it would be better to have students read and respond to short passages, instead of giving them a quiz that uses the above questions. My understanding of current high school education trends is that students are taught more to focus on interpreting and responding to material than to commit facts to memory. So, with that in mind, it makes more sense to ask things like, "What was the Great Depression?" or "What was the Scopes Trial?", as opposed to "who did what" or "when was...?" When I was taking history in university, we didn't even get marks for knowing dates. The prof considered interpretation to be more important.

For what it's worth, the Plame controversy unfolded when your students were in the first term of their freshman year of high school (assuming high school starts in 9th grade). That might be why it washed over them. So much of the media today is in real-time, with little or no backstory. It's difficult to understand a story if you haven't been there the whole way. And so much of young people's media diet is self-selected or peer-selected -- they aren't necessarily absorbing the same media that older people are. FWIW, the Tiananman Square Massacre unfolded when I was getting ready to write 10th grade exams and I had very little knowledge of what had gone on, even though I was heading to Japan on a student program for the summer. Yet I was one of those kids who knew a huge amount about politics, history, current events and so on.
posted by acoutu at 8:45 PM on April 13, 2007


Nb. I realize Japan is not China. I meant that I should have had a big interest in Asia.
posted by acoutu at 8:46 PM on April 13, 2007


Yeah, archagon. One man's trivia is another's fundamental fact. To me, it's not a big deal if they don't know who the House Minority Leader is.

Rather than political ephemera, I'd rather they could name the author of the Republic, state which symphony the Ode to Joy is from, locate Sudan, name the French national anthem, explain the symbolism of the green light on the end of Daisy's dock, state the date of Bastille Day, remember who wrote je pense, donc je suis, who composed Fanfare for the Common Man, who wrote Animal Farm, who wrote Das Kapital, who the man from Porlock was etc etc
posted by Aloysius Bear at 8:53 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]


It's late, so I'm sure that one of the following is totally wrong, in which case I apologize for being a culturally-illiterate idiot....

1. What artist created the painting "Guernica"?

2. What artist created the song "My Humps"?

3. What document starts "When in the course of human events..."?

4. Who said "my God, my God, why have you forsaken me"?

5. Who directed the movie "Birth of a Nation"? Why is that movie controversial?

6. Who is the current prime minister of Canada?

7. What language do people speak in Austria?

8. Name three plays written by William Shakespeare.

9. Name one novel by written Ernest Hemingway.

10. Name one reality show hosted by Tyra Banks.

11. In what country is the city of Amritsar located? What famous event happened there in 1919?

12. How long is the term of a U.S. Supreme Court justice?

13. On which continent is Egypt located?

14. Is Ginny Weasley a muggle?

15. In what movies did Marlon Brando play Vito Corleone?

16. What are the official languages of the United States?

17. What city will host the next Olympics?

18. Who won the last soccer World Cup?

19. Who won the last Superbowl?

20. Who won the last Man Booker Prize?

21. For what kind of accomplishment does one win the Man Booker Prize?

Answers:

1. Picasso
2. Black Eyed Peas
3. Declaration of Independence
4. Jesus
5. D.W. Griffith, and some variation on "it's racist" or "it glorifies the Ku Klux Klan"
6. Stephen Harper
7. German
8. I'm not going to list them all.
9. And again with the not listing.
10. America's Next Top Model
11. India. There was a massacre of people protesting for Indian independence.
12. Until he or she dies or retires.
13. Africa
14. No
15. The Godfather movies
16. The United States doesn't have any official languages.
17. Beijing
18. Italy
19. Indianapolis Colts
20. Kiran Desai
21. For writing a novel.
posted by craichead at 8:56 PM on April 13, 2007


Cultural Literacy, eh?

How about "name all 4 members of the Beatles" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr)? Put all 50 states on a blank map? "Who was considered the King of Rock and Roll? (Elvis Presley)" Name 3 major cities that are not in counties (I'm thinking NYC, St Louis, and New Orleans, YMMV)? What year was the President elected and why is his election controvertial? Maybe a few pictures of famous paintings/sculptures, identify title and artist (Mona Lisa/DaVinci, etc)?
posted by ilsa at 9:00 PM on April 13, 2007


Ok, what the hell.
Who were:
* Mitchell Palmer
* Joe McCarthy
* Anthony Comstock
* Carry (or Carrie) Nation?

What are:
* The Alien and Sedition Acts
* The Fugitive Slave Act
* Plessy v. Ferguson
* Swift v. United States
* Buck v. Bell
* Griswold v. Connecticut
* Bowers v. Hardwick?

Who were:
* Johnathan Edwards
* John Winthrop
* Joseph Smith
* Mary Baker Eddy
* David Koresh?

Who were:
* Henry Clay
* William Jennings Bryan
* Marcus Garvey
* Margaret Sanger?
posted by orthogonality at 9:21 PM on April 13, 2007


Is the test meant to be highly American-centric? I'm not sure what good this test brings.
posted by divabat at 10:05 PM on April 13, 2007 [1 favorite]


What about a little "science"? I am a currently a college student and each of these questions have eluded a different professor, to my horror.

Why do compass needles point north? (The explanation given by the professor was gravity. The real answer is the spinning molten iron core of the earth generates a magnetic field that makes compass needles point roughly north/south and is pretty important for all life on Earth)

In the northern hemisphere, does the sun track across the southern sky or the northern sky during the course of a day? (The instructor did not know but had been living in the northern hemisphere all his life. It's the southern sky.)
posted by 517 at 10:13 PM on April 13, 2007


517, that reminds me of a college professor (not in the sciences) who challenged the class to name a universal force/power. When someone suggested gravity, he crowed that there is no gravity in space! (ARRRGGGH.)

So, um, to put this in the form of an answer to the question:

Q: True or false: there is no gravity in space.
A: False.
posted by Orinda at 10:44 PM on April 13, 2007


Searching for "current events quiz" should come up with a bunch of them that are produced periodically. A lot of them are more appropriate for younger students, but the NY times one (first result in google) looks to be appropriate for college students. Their copyright notice at the bottom of the quiz makes it clear that they do allow instructors to reproduce the quiz for educational purposes, so you won't need to trek over to a computer lab just to have your students take the quiz.
posted by gauchodaspampas at 11:14 PM on April 13, 2007


Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions. Many are ones that I have thought of (or some variation). There are a number of others I haven't.

divabat: It is partially intended to be USA-centric. Not that it isn't important to be a citizen of the world, but I think if students don't know who the politicians (for example) are in their own country, how likely would they be to know much about another country, barring some random hobby?

As for what "good" comes out of this ... well, none, really. It is mostly my interest. Even though I'm only 30, I'm pretty far removed from my 18 yr old students in many ways, so this is just a way for me to figure out what is in the scope of their worldview. I know that people could make an argument for many of these questions being useless knowledge. But then, it's all context, isn't it? There are plenty of things I know jack shit about (most sports, for example). And in some circles, I'm sure that would be important. I'm just curious as to what my students think is worth paying attention to.

Anyway, keep em coming.
posted by papakwanz at 11:28 PM on April 13, 2007


Describe and (if you can) explain the significance of:
    Part I
  1. The Berlin Wall
  2. The G.I. Bill (1944)
  3. The Model T
  4. Jackie Robinson
  5. The steam engine
  6. The Apollo missions
  7. Kurt Cobain
  8. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
    Part II
  1. The shuttle Challenger
  2. Philo T. Farnsworth
  3. The 1919 Chicago White Sox
  4. The Battle of Midway
  5. Blondie
  6. Akira Kurosawa
  7. The Archiduke Franz Ferdinand
  8. Martin Luther (NOT Martin Luther King Jr.)
    Part III
  1. Alan Turing
  2. Jelly Roll Morton
  3. Truman Capote
  4. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
  5. The gold standard
  6. The Magna Carta
  7. Johannes Gutenberg
  8. New urbanism
And oh, how I wish I could print the answer key upside down. But actually, the point is that the questions aren't simply "do you know what this is," but also ask "how did this affect everything else?" So I'll just print what everything is, and leave the significance part up to you.
    Part I
  1. The wall dividing East and West Germany. Knocked down in 1989. Symbolizes the iron curtain and the divide between the communist and western worlds.
  2. An American bill that made provisions for returning vets to receive financial assistance for college and house loans. One of the triggers of the post-war boom, a major component of the American welfare state.
  3. The first mass-produced vehicle and the first product of the assembly line process that runs our entire economy today.
  4. The first black player to make a major league baseball team. Representative of racial integration, both in his career as a player and subsequently as a civil rights activist.
  5. The device that launched the industrial revolution.
  6. A series of American manned space missions intended to land on and study the Moon.
  7. Lead singer and principal songwriter of Nirvana, the seminal alt-rock/grunge group of the early 90s.
  8. The two Japanese cities bombed with nuclear weapons in August 1945.
    Part II
  1. The first shuttle disaster. (The best answers will probably come from the significance part, so you can probably replace Challenger with Columbia.)
  2. The credited inventor of the television, though others demonstrated similar technologies around the same time. (But if we included that caveat every time it was true, there'd be an asterisk beside every inventor. Which is probably fair, actually.)
  3. Nine members of the White Sox were thrown out of Major League Baseball after conspiring to throw the World Series.
  4. A World War II naval battle in the Pacific theatre where the Japanese suffered heavy losses and arguably lost the war.
  5. A late-70s/early-80s new wave group with several hit records and a major influence on countless later bands.
  6. A prolific Japanese film director best known for his slate of thoughtful samurai films.
  7. His assassination led to the start of World War I.
  8. Nailed his 95 Theses to the door of his Wittenberg church and thus started the Reformation.
    Part III
  1. Worked at Bletchley Park during World War II and helped cracked the German Enigma code. Also a pioneer of computing and the creator of the Turing Test.
  2. A hotshot pianist from the early-20th century widely credited as the first modern jazz composer.
  3. A novellist and writer in the mid-20th century who all but invented the narrative non-fiction genre.
  4. A groundbreaking sitcom in the 1970s because of its strong-willed, career-oriented female protagonist.
  5. A method of valuing currency by tying its value to the value of gold. America used the gold standard through most of its history up until the middle of the Great Depression, when it switched to a fiat currency as most other nations did.
  6. A series of documents signed in 1215 that represents a major landmark in constitutional law, for the first time stating that the rights of a monarch should be limited and subject to the rule of law.
  7. The inventor of the printing press in the mid-15th century.
  8. A form of urban planning that advocates a return to higher-density mixed-use zoning and an encouragement of mass transit and non-automotive forms of transport. A recent response to the post-war suburban form of development.

posted by chrominance at 2:47 AM on April 14, 2007



The New York Times Crossword would be a good place to check out for question topics. Another good place would be sample foreign service exams, if such things are available. (I looked around some, but couldn't find any. But since you're in a university, you might have access to better resources than I do.)
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 2:50 AM on April 14, 2007


After you ask them questions about countries and/or events, give them a blank map of the world, and get them to fill in the countries surrounding the US, particularly island nations and South America, if you want it to be US centric. Otherwise, you could give them another region, like the Middle East and/or Europe and have them mark in as many countries as they can. It shows how much attention they pay to the physical location of world events, and not just the details of them.
posted by cholly at 5:54 AM on April 14, 2007


These are all swiped from the last season of Perplexity and cover a bit o' popular culture:

1. Rock stars are well known for their excesses, such as the clichés of throwing TVs out of windows, biting heads off bats and demanding certain colours of M&Ms. However, one excess that never gets old - or less embarrassing - are the outrageous names some rock stars give to their children. Match up these rock stars to their children:

(a) David Bowie
(b) Bob Geldof
(c) Michael Hutchence
(d) Jermaine Jackson
(e) Michael Jackson
(f) Chris Martin
(g) Keith Richards
(h) Diana Ross
(i) The Edge
(j) Frank Zappa

(i) Apple
(ii) Blue Angel
(iii) Dandelion
(iv) Fifi Trixibelle
(v) Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lili
(vi) Jermajesty
(vii) Moon Unit
(viii) Prince Michael
(ix) Ross
(x) Zowie

Answer: a,x b,iv c,v d,vi e,viii f,i g,iii h,ix i,ii j,vii

2. Many T.V. shows have had successful, and not so successful, spin-offs. Can you match the spin-off to the show that spawned it?

(a) Beverley Hills 90210
(b) Buffy the Vampire Slayer
(c) Cheers
(d) Columbo
(e) Dallas
(f) Doctor Who
(g) Friends
(h) Happy Days
(i) Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
(j) Porridge
(k) The X-Files

(i) Angel
(ii) Frasier
(iii) Going Straight
(iv) Joey
(v) Knots Landing
(vi) Melrose Place
(vii) Mork and Mindy
(viii) Mrs Columbo
(ix) The Lone Gunmen
(x) Torchwood
(xi) Xena: Warrior Princess

Answer: a,vi b,i c,ii d,viii e,v f,x g,iv h,vii i,xi, j,iii k,ix

3. Which movies do these tag-lines come from?
[These are bit tricky, so you might want to put spaces for the letters and few clues, e.g. (b) _ _ _ B _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ C _ _ _ ]

(a) In Space, No-one Can Hear You Scream
(b) They Only Met Once, But It Changed Their Lives Forever
(c) Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them
(d) Debonair. Defiant. Defrosted.
(e) He's Out To Prove He's Got Nothing To Prove
(f) If You Can't Be Famous. Be Infamous
(g) 3% Body Fat. 1% Brain Activity
(h) She Was The First
(i) Some People Just Don't Belong

Answer: (a) Alien, (b) The Breakfast Club, (c) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, (d) Austin Powers, (e) Napoleon Dynamite, (f) Chicago, (g) Zoolander, (h) Jaws, (i) Caddyshack

4. Which is the correct definition for each of these words?

(a) darknet (i) Marvel's newest superhero - a sentient network of dark matter that fights crime; (ii) a type of night-time fishing device invented by Earl Stephenson in 1714; (iii) a shady way of entrapping criminals involving illegal electronic surveillance; (iv) the collection of networks and technologies used to share copyrighted digital content.

(b) pomosexual (i) someone who shuns rigid sexual categories such as heterosexual and bisexual; (ii) a man who doesn't know the difference between teal and aqua and doesn't care; (iii) someone who has an unusual but fulfilling relationship with pomegranates; (iv) someone who switches sexual categories regularly.

(c) bluejacking (i) gaining partial access to someone's cell phone using the Bluetooth protocol; (ii) the funky and fresh new name for the Young Democrats, (iii) a fusion of hip-hop dance and blues music; (iv) the feeling given to a player who loses big at blackjack.

(d) hasbian (i) a former thespian who no longer participates in drama; (ii) a former lesbian who is now in a heterosexual relationship; (iii) a fan of Hasbro's board games; (iv) celebrities who engage in lesbian antics in order to attract publicity.

(e) irritable male syndrome (i) a phenomenon observed approximately 24 hours following a wedding; (ii) a phenomenon observed whenever a partner discusses previous relationships; (iii) a state of hypersensitivity, frustration and anger in males caused by testosterone deficiency; (iv) a state of hypersensitivity, frustration and anger in females caused by uncommunicative males.

Answer: a,iv b,i c,i d,ii e,iii

5. A crime wave is sweeping fairytale land! Two rival newspapers, The Moral Guardian and The Magic Mirror, are reporting developments in a number of cases. Can you match up teh more sensational Mirror headlines to the Guardian's more staid versions?

(a) Monster Hunters Approve of Giant-Slaying
(b) Vertically Gifted Widow Receives Compensation
(c) Jack Challenged to Defend Damages Funding
(d) Clever Sting Catches Returning Goldilocks
(e) Thief Escapes Pillory's Poor Security
(f) Confectionery Lure in Cannibal Case
(g) Roots Irreparably Damaged

(i) Giantess Redress Success
(ii) Produce Goose Abuse Excuse
(iii) Bear Chair Snare Flair
(iv) 'Locks Mocks Stocks' Locks
(v) Sweet Treat Meat Deceit
(vi) Hack Pack Back Jack Attack
(vii) Hair Tear Repair Dispair

Answer: a,vi b,i c,ii d,iii e,iv f,v g,vii

6. Sometimes the opening line to a book is so powerful and moving it stays with you long after you've finished the final page. That's true for some but certainly not all of the examples below. Can you name the nine books in question and their authors?

(a) All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

(b) Call me Ishmael.

(c) It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents- except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

(d) Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

(e) It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

(f) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

(g) The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel.

(h) A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green.

(i) I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.

Answer: (a) Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy), (b) Moby Dick (Herman Melville), (c) Paul Clifford (Edward Bulwer-Lytton), (d) Harry Potter And The Philosopher's/Sorceror's Stone (J.K. Rowling), (e) Pride And Prejudice (Jane Austen), (f) A Tale Of Two Cities (Charles Dickens), (g) Neuromancer (William Gibson), (h) Of Mice And Men (John Steinbeck) (i) I Capture The Castle (Dodie Smith)

Enjoy!
posted by dogsbody at 8:31 AM on April 14, 2007 [1 favorite]


"Who was considered is the King of Rock and Roll? (Elvis Presley)"

Fixed that for you.
posted by docgonzo at 9:50 AM on April 14, 2007


(1) Roughly explain the evolution of peer to peer networks. For example, state which sites, services, or protocols that you are aware of and explain their technological progression with respect to their impact on people and society.

(2) Provide a diagram linking music genres stuch that sub genres are placed below larger genres, drawing lines to indicate group relations. Feel free to limit the diagram to music that interests you. For example:

[of course, you would draw a better diagram... Also, info just taken from wikipedia as a generic unbiasing example. It might also be good to indicate that there could be further subdivisions.]
(Classical)
| | | | |
[But, you know, actually bothering to connect the lines to the below 'bubbles']
(Medieval) (Renaissance) (Baroque) (Classical) (Romantic) (20th century)

(3) Define "cool".

Just a few ideas off the top of my head inspired by my desire to see how things have changed.
posted by choice at 12:52 PM on April 14, 2007


Some language/historical questions associated with culture:

1. Which 1920s American author, after signing a contract with his publishers that stated his prose was not to be edited in any way, used the word "fuck" in his next book?
(Answer: Ernest Hemingway, in The Sun Also Rises.)

2. When did the word "gay" start to lose its innocent meaning in the US?
(Answer: The 19th century, when New York City prostitutes of both sexes were called "gays". The meaning may have existed earlier in England.)

3. Of the forms "OK", "O.K." and "okay", which is considered the most correct by the majority of authorities? And what did it originally stand for?
(Answer: "O.K." It originally stood for "oll korrect", a (supposedly) humorous misspelling used by some newspapers.)

4. What's the common name for the apostrophe in the phrase, "Apple's 69 cents a pound"? Is it placed correctly?
(Answer: A greengrocer's apostrophe, and it is not placed correctly.)

5. Where does the phrase "catch-22" come from?
(Answer: It's the title of a book by American writer Joseph Heller.)

6. What's the difference between whisky and whiskey?
(Answer: National preference. Irish and most American whiskeys are spelled with an "e", while Scottish, Canadian, and Japanese whiskies are spelled without it.)

7. Who is "America" named after?
(Answer: Amerigo Vespucci.)

8. Who wrote Gulliver's Travels, and what genre of book was it meant to be?
(Answer: Jonathan Swift, and it was a satire for adults.)

9. Who wrote, "the bawdy hand of the dial is now upon the prick of noon"?
(Answer: Shakespeare, in Romeo and Juliet.)

10. Who was Thomas Bowdler, and why is he notorious?
(Answer: He was an English writer who censored Shakespeare's works because he thought they were inappropriate for women and children. "Bowdlerization" has entered the language as a word for "prudish censorship".)

And a bonus question:

Where in the continental United States did Columbus land?
Answer: He didn't. He did visit Puerto Rico, though.
posted by watsondog at 5:26 PM on April 14, 2007 [2 favorites]


Various people mentioned maps upthread ... just give them a blank world map and have them fill in as many countries as they can. I really don't think it would be a very long exercise.

What happened in 1066?
(Norman Invasion of England)

Name a religious text besides the Christian Bible.
(lots, among them the Vedas, the Qur'an, the Tanakh)

Who is the Secretary General of the UN? Who recently retired from that position?
(Ban Ki-moon; Kofi Annan)

How many people died in the Holocaust? What group was principally targeted? What other groups were also targeted by the Nazis?
(~9 million; Jews (5-6 million) {Good Lord, I hope they know that}; Poles, Roma (Gypsies), homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, people with disabilities)
posted by Alt F4 at 7:11 PM on April 14, 2007


Ask them about apartheid in South Africa. (That was my moment of total shock a few years ago, to realize that my freshman students had never heard of the concept of apartheid.)

Ask them if they know what Watergate was, or why Nixon resigned.

Ask them if they know what the Vietnam war was fought over, or how long it went on for.

Ask them if they know what the Iran-Contra scandal was about.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:54 AM on April 19, 2007


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