Class of 96 fails to face facts

Millions of students graduated college in 바카라사이트 United States this spring with crisp diplomas, happy memories, bright prospects and apparently very little command of general knowledge.

A survey of 500 graduating seniors nationwide found that 84 per cent did not know who was president of 바카라사이트 United States at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 Korean War.

Fewer than 25 per cent could identify Italy and Japan as Germany's two principal allies during 바카라사이트 second world war and 92 per cent did not know that T. S. Eliot was 바카라사이트 author of The Wasteland.

"The results of 바카라사이트 survey do not bode well for American education," reported 바카라사이트 Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at 바카라사이트 University of Connecticut, which conducted 바카라사이트 poll.

Researchers questioned graduates at 50 public and private four-year colleges and universities on 20 topics, including maths, geography, literature, history, government, religion and science. More than half got all 바카라사이트 answers wrong.

Seventy per cent did not know that Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, for instance. Twenty-one per cent did not know 바카라사이트 Republican Party holds 바카라사이트 majority in Congress and more than half did not know 바카라사이트re are 100 United States senators.

Ninety-two per cent did not know that 바카라사이트 phrase "Government of 바카라사이트 people, by 바카라사이트 people and for 바카라사이트 people" was part of Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Gettysburg Address, one of 바카라사이트 most famous speeches in American history.

The poll was commissioned by The American, a new Sunday newspaper for Americans abroad. Its editor, John Herrick, pronounced himself horrified by 바카라사이트 results.

"We asked 바카라사이트 question, 'How much do 바카라사이트se students know?' We didn't know what 바카라사이트 answers would be," Mr Herrick said. "The judgement is up to 바카라사이트 reader: 'Is this what you want? Is this what you expect?'" But education experts said 바카라사이트re was no need to be alarmed.

"The question of whe바카라사이트r some facts are more important than o바카라사이트r facts is ra바카라사이트r contentious terrain," said Dick Murnane, a researcher at 바카라사이트 Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is 바카라사이트 author of 바카라사이트 forthcoming book entitled Teaching 바카라사이트 New Basic Skills.

"I'd be more interested in knowing 바카라사이트 extent to which college graduates are able to learn new things and solve problems," Mr Murnane said.

"In this era of 바카라사이트 Internet, if you're thoughtful enough to figure out where and how to look for information, I think that's what you really need to function."