Hereby seconding the editorial in today's Coeur d'Alene Press, suggesting that Americans find out how literate they really are on civic matters.
Developed by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the multiple-choice test covers a range of topics relevant to understanding government, politics, American history and political philosophy. a few of the questions are a little subtle or open to misinterpetation, but a civically-literate person ought to be able to answer the bulk of them without difficulty. The CdA Press editorial writer claimed a score of 88.7%. (Your scribe scored 100%, answering all 33 questions correctly.)
The editorial went on to say: "more than 70 percent of the people taking the test fail it, with scores of 59.9 percent or lower. According to Intercollegiate Studies Institute: Fewer than half of all Americans can name the three branches of government. Only 54 percent of college graduates can correctly identify a basic description of the free enterprise system. Almost a third of elected officials do not know that 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness' are the inalienable rights referenced in the Declaration of Independence. Folks, we've got some work to do."