The new proposed more relevant citizenship test questions for documented immigrants, obeying the D-squared test has answers that are 1) Irrelevant 2)Questionable 3)Wrong
I had a boss who would give me an assignment, and when I asked if he has any predisposition about how to handle it, say "You handle it, use your judgment" When I would come in having investigated, negotiated and come up with a position, he would pull a memo out of his desk and say, "Did you consider this ?" I called it the secret memo style. I transfered out as soon as I could.
So I decided to look at the the new questions,
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via Think Progress' Think Fast we find that there are new citizenship questions being proposed
In the first revision to the U.S. citizenship test in 20 years, immigrants "will be assessed on their grasp of the nation’s ideals." But civil rights advocates note that some of the questions are "just off the wall," "unusual," or "odd."
I decided to look it over and following the link to the Boston Globe which didn't have a link, I googled the "US Citizenship and Immigration Services" and in a surprising shift for the Bush Administration, they actually posted the proposed questions. (But, you say, if Terrorists are reading the tests, they could infiltrate our country, but no, I say, they are terrorists because they hate our freedoms and therefore could not answer the questions correctly.)
Being aware of the old Southern tradition of poll questions, I was interested in seeing if I could pass the test. Some of them were okay, although knowing the number of representatives is something that I guess less than 30% of Americans can answer correctly. (Q22) But I was concerned that questions that had many answers were asked and I would be afraid that a Republican Appointee scoring the test wouldn't allow a true answer because it wasn't on his list.
- Name one important idea found in the Declaration of Independence.
A: People are born with natural rights.
A: The power of government comes from the people.
A: The people can change their government if it hurts their natural rights.
A: All people are created equal.
For example, as Senator Kennedy has pointed out, Bush doesn't have "a decent respect for the opinions of mankind". That might not be counted as correct.
And don't get me started on Q3.
- What does the Constitution do?
A: It sets up the government.
A: It protects basic rights of Americans.
But if you assume as the Tinfoil Scary Brown People do that one purpose of this test is to make it more difficult to pass the test, what about the following ?
- What type of economic system does the U.S. have?
A: Capitalist economy
A: Free market
A: Market economy
How about Mixed Corporate ?
- How many amendments does the Constitution have?
A: Twenty-seven (27)
My wife who has two master's degree and a History BA thought there were over 30.
- Name one thing only the federal government can do.
A: Print money
A: Declare war
A: Create an army
A: Make treaties
How about regulate interstate commerce, give you a terrorism score or torture you ?
It continues to get weirder.
- When must all males register for the Selective Service?
A: At age 18
A: At 18
A Rangel attack ?
- What is the "rule of law"?
A: Everyone must obey the law.
A: Leaders must obey the law.
A: Government must obey the law.
This applies to blowjobs but not wiretapping.
- Name two rights that are only for United States citizens.
A: The right to apply for a federal job
A: The right to vote
A: The right to run for office
But not felons, and the same error appears in
- Who can vote in the U.S.?
A: All citizens over 18
A: All registered citizens over 18
- Name two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy.
A: Vote
A: Join a political party
A: Help out with a campaign
A: Join a civic group
A: Join a community group
A: Tell an elected official your opinion on an issue.
A: Call your Senators and Representatives
A: Publicly support or oppose an issue or policy
A: Run for office
A: Write to a newspaper
How about contributing to a 527 ?
How many of you can answer this all 13 on this one ?
- There are 13 original states. Name three.
A: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.
- Name one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for.
A: U.S. diplomat
A: Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention
A: First Postmaster General of the United States
A: Writer of "Poor Richard’s Almanac"
Lightning, Volunteer Fire Departments, Free Public Libraries, Successful Ambassador to France, Printer, Franklin Stove
- Name one famous battle from the Revolutionary War.
A: Lexington and Concord
A: Trenton
A: Princeton
A: Saratoga
A: Cowpens
A: Yorktown
A: Bunker Hill
Cowpens ?