Americans Fail Basic Civics Test

I came across the website for the Intercollegiate Studies Institute's report on civic literacy in the US. The findings of the Institute astound me. In administering a test on basic civics, college students across the country failed in their basic knowledge of how the US government and ideals work. As the website puts it:

Americans Fail a Basic Test on Their History and Institutions is the third major study conducted by ISI on the kind of knowledge required for informed citizenship. In 2006 and 2007, ISI published the first ever scientific surveys of civic learning among college students. Each year, approximately 14,000 freshmen and seniors at 50 schools nationwide were given a 60-question, multiple-choice exam on basic knowledge of America’s heritage. Both years, the students failed. The average freshman scored 51.7% the first year and 51.4% the next. The average senior scored 53.2%, then 54.2%. After all the time, effort, and money spent on college, students emerge no better off in understanding the fundamental features of American self-government.

The test has a few problems, is skewed toward Libertarianism and has a few strange questions. But the idea is the thing. Check out the website and take the test yourself:

Civic Literacy Report

Me? Here's what the test result page said:

You answered 33 out of 33 correctly — 100.00 %

Average score for this quiz during December: 74.9%
Average score: 74.9%