Current Affairs Test

Late last year TIME asked two young members of the University of Minnesota faculty, Alvin C. Eurich and Elmo C. Wilson, to draft a current affairs test for use in schools and colleges. Testmakers Eurich and Wilson, old hands with an interrogation mark, based their questions on stories which were thoroughly covered by both TIME and U. S. newspapers between Sept. 1, 1934 and Jan. 15, 1935. Just in time for mid-years the examination was completed. Some 60,000 students have tested their knowledge on it. That TIME readers may test theirs, the Eurich-Wilson questionnaire is reprinted in this issue.*

By last week returns on the test had come in from classes in 22 colleges, 160 senior high schools, 44 junior high schools. One journalism dean wrote that he had taken the test himself, ranked fourth in a class of 142. Many a teacher confided that he had taken home spare copies, used them as a parlor game.

First thing Authors Eurich and Wilson noted about the returns was the low general average. Out of 105 questions, the ordinary college student could correctly answer 55, the ordinary high school student 44, the ordinary junior high student 36. Second thing the authors noted was the wide range of scores. Surprising were the two students, one in college and one in high school, who correctly answered 100 questions each. Appalling were the high school dullard who could answer but three, the collegian who could answer but 16.

Author Wilson analyzed, question by question, the returns from his own class, found that his students were 66% right on foreign news and 62.8% on national affairs, 46% on science, but only 29% on music & art, 32% on books. Ninety-nine percent knew what country has a Soviet form of government, what Bruno Richard Hauptmann was tried for. Almost as many could tell what the Townsend Plan is about. Scarcely any, on the other hand, could pick the reason for unusual interest in last summer's Salzburg Music Festival (TIME, Sept. 3), or name the city which was offered $15,000,000 by the Federal Government to build a municipal power plant. The 2% who correctly answered what disease killed thousands of Ceylonese early this year were suspected of guessing.

*From TIME'S Chicago office, 350 E. 22nd Street, additional copies upon request.

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