Sample questions from the 2001 National Assessment of Educational Progress:

Fourth grade:

Which religion is practiced by most people in the United States?

(a) Islam

(b) Judaism

(c) Hinduism

(d) Christianity

Correct answer: (d); 58 percent answered correctly.

Switzerland is located in the middle of which mountain range?

(a) Alps

(b) Andes

(c) Urals

(d) Pyrenees

Correct answer: (a); 34 percent answered correctly. The question was also given to eighth-graders, 56 percent of whom answered correctly.

Eighth grade:

Florida is an example of

(a) an isthmus

(b) an island

(c) a peninsula

(d) a plateau

Correct answer: (c); 74 percent answered correctly.

What is an important reason that skyscrapers were built in American cities?

(a) Construction companies liked to build structures that made residents feel as if they lived in single-family houses.

(b) Skyscrapers allowed tenants to create a closer community.

(c) Skyscrapers allowed people to use small amounts of land more efficiently.

(d) Citizens wanted to be safe from street crime.

Correct answer: (c); 80 percent answered correctly.

Twelfth grade:

The “Corn Belt” is a region defined on the basis of

(a) population

(b) economic activity

(c) transportation networks

(d) political organization

Correct answer: (b); 74 percent answered correctly.

What religion is practiced by most people who live in India?

(a) Confucianism

(b) Buddhism

(c) Christianity

(d) Hinduism

Correct answer: (d); 61 percent answered correctly.