In order to become a US citizen, immigrants must pass the Naturalization Test. American citizenship bestows the right to vote, improves the likelihood of family members living in other countries to come and live in the US, gives eligibility for federal jobs, and can be a way to demonstrate loyalty to the US. Applicants must get 6 answers out of 10 in an oral exam to pass the test. According to US Citizenship and Immigration services, 92 percent of applicants pass this test. You must get 58 or more of these test questions correct in order to pass.
It’s an article of faith on the Right that our public schools are failing in their appointed mission of edumicating our children. Of course, education isn’t something you stuff into a child’s head; they have to be taught the value of education and they have to want to learn. In today’s America, edumication isn’t often a cherished value; indeed, it’s frequently viewed as the hallmark of the effete elites who think they possess the inalienable right to govern by indoctrinating our children with Liberal propaganda. It’s as if America’s being dumbed down by those willing to appeal to the lowest common intellectual denominator…and when you look at the Tea Party and the rest of the Rabid Right, it’s difficult to argue that point.
All that set me to thinking recently, and I began to wonder if, given our current collective disdain for edumication, we’re are as stupid as I sometimes fear. What better way, I thought, than to see how many Americans could pass the citizenship test that immigrants must pass before being granted the privilege of becoming a member of the tribe? The questions aren’t all that difficult (I got 94 correct out of 96 questions; I missed two because I was tired and not paying attention), but I’d be willing to bet that a lot of Americans would struggle to pass. Not only is that a sad commentary on the state of our collective IQ, it also tells me that Americans collectively take what they have for granted…all while millons around the world would gladly trade places.
Could you pass the test required to become a citizen of your own country??
