I don't watch a lot of TV, and Niki happened to just leave it on whatever channel this abomination is on.
They had a young woman on who was... well... probably about as dumb as a chair.
There were two questions she had to answer while I was watching:
Q1: "True or false: North America in the Eastern Hemisphere?"
She answered "True", but there was some kid who also got to answer, who said the right answer, and somehow she still won money .
Then the next question was:
" y = 3x 3x = 12, what is y?"
She was going to go with '4', but then changed her mind and decided to keep the money ($50,000!).
I think I died a little inside.
Did they take the audience, give them a quiz, and then take the absolute dumbest to let them play?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Well, that makes for more amusing television, I guess. Like when Jay Leno does Jaywalking, they only show the dumb people 'cause it wouldn't be funny if they just knew the answers.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I've watched the show a half dozen times, and I got one question wrong because I didn't know that numbers were adjectives.
But when people believe that Alaska can't be more west than California because it's so far north, or have to ask for help because they aren't sure what the country to the north of us is... it makes me sad for the future of our nation.
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
Do you know how they pick the contestants? I'd imagine that if it is random, they will eventually pick someone who has at least average intelligence, and then there goes the game.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I was thinking the same thing, Xavier. I wonder if it is a Reverse Jeopardy sort of thing, where they pick you based on the number of answers you got wrong.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I just watched one as well.
All I can say is I want to go on that show.
Posted by stihl1 (Member # 1562) on :
I can tell you that I am smarter than a 5th grader, and many people I've talked to about this show are as well. The only question I was not able to answer was something to do with teaspoons and tablespoons, and that doesn't really bother me. I believe they make the contestants take a quiz and they take the people that don't necessarily score the highest. There's no other reason for someone not knowing what country borders the US to the north, or what continent is also its own country.
PS I still like watching the show to see how dumb people really are.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
are numbers really adjectives? they don't describe the actual item. I don't agree that they are adjectives. not in the usual sense.
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
Another thing you and I have in common Lyr. I made the same mistake. Who knew?
5th graders apparently, but the ones I teach don't even know what adjectives ARE, until I teach them in the course of my band class. No offense to any Hatrack english teachers out there, but it truly makes me wonder what the heck goes on in those other classrooms.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
"I'm sorry, you've lost our game. And, incidentally, your voting rights."
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I believe that more modern grammars classify numbers as determiners—a class of words including things like articles—not adjectives. The English taught in fifth grade is somewhat outdated, though.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: I've watched the show a half dozen times, and I got one question wrong because I didn't know that numbers were adjectives.
Huh. I might have gotten that wrong too. But how exactly did they ask that? Does it depend on context? For example in "There are 42 beers", its obvious that its an adjective. However, in "The meaning of life is 42", not so much.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
Thank you, Jon Boy. I'm relieved.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mucus: Huh. I might have gotten that wrong too. But how exactly did they ask that? Does it depend on context?
It definitely depends on the function of the word in the sentence.
quote:For example in "There are 42 beers", its obvious that its an adjective. However, in "The meaning of life is 42", not so much.
If you believe that numbers can be adjectives, then yeah, it's obviously an adjective in that sentence.
Unfortunately, my last grammar class was a few years ago, so I can't really remember the arguments against numbers being adjectives. I'll try to look into it.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I've never watched this show, but I think that several things about it are problematic. First of all, questions like are numbers adjectives is a little confusing and isn't something necessarily taught in fifth grade. A smart kid could probably figure out that the number is acting like the adjective in that sentence, as could an adult, but it's not a fact that's taught so it's more of a "can you think strategically given a certain knowledge level?" question.
Secondly I think this show raises a tension between raising the awareness of ignorance in the nation and glorifying/rewarding idiocy or a lack of thought.
It sounds like much of the knowledge should be acquired outside of the classroom simply by paying attention if it was not acquired/taught in class. If people do not know which country borders America to the North, they simply are not paying attention. A fifth grader may be confused about which is the North.
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
Question tonight:
What is the only continent that is also a country?
The lady answered "well, all of them are".
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
>_<
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
quote:A fifth grader may be confused about which is the North.
Basic map skills are usually taught in 1st or 2nd grade, IME.
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
I know lots of adults who say Right sometimes when they mean Left Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
Case in point: I know North, South, East and West but still get right and left mixed up sometimes.
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
When I play along with Jeopardy at home, I get about half the questions in the first round. When I was on the academic team in high school, I didn't get nothing right. You can't underestimate the stress of competing and knowing you'll look like a compete idiot on national television if you screw up. Even otherwise smart people might be freaked out by the cameras and audience.
Sure the Jeopardy guys manage, but they don't have a little kid on hand waiting to roll his eyes and correct them if they screw up.
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
Have you seen any of the show, Avid?
I've only seen two people on the show, and they both answered two questions each, but you can tell that the stupidity has nothing to do with being on TV. The comments they make before answering really do show that the people don't even have a basic grasp on common knowledge.
Posted by Javert (Member # 3076) on :
Saw it last night. I feel sad for Jeff Foxworthy, having to pretend that he doesn't know any of the answers to make the contestants feel better. (Of course, this is assuming Jeff is a pretty intelligent guy, which I think he is...could be wrong.)
The only question I got wrong was "Density is mass divided by what?". And I really don't feel too bad about that one.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
We usually enjoy this show (although didn't watch it last night because BASKETBALL was on, duh!). Although I get very aggravated with the people second-guessing their gut instinct, or just being dumb.
And sometimes it all has to do with what you have been exposed to and are familiar with. Like the question stihl referred to above dealing with teaspoons and tablespoons -- I got that right easily, while my brainiac son, who never cooks, didn't have a clue.
FG
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Why are we confusing intelligence with knowledge? I'm sure there are a bunch of 5th graders who are genuinely smarter than me and a bunch of 5th graders who are dumber n' a box of rocks. The only difference between me and the average 5th grader is an extra 16 years of education and experience.
Knowing whether or not the US is in the Eastern hemisphere is less an indication of your intelligence than an indication of whether or not you can call up that kind of information while in an extremely stressful situation. People get really stupid on tests. Can you imagine how stupid people get when money is on the line? Can you imagine how much worse it gets when they realize that if the get it wrong they'll look really, really stupid?
Generally speaking, I'm a good tester, and I'd probably do alright on this show. But I've known some people who are really bright and really knowledgable that would look like a bunch of dumb hicks if they ever got near a game show, just because they freeze up on tests.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:Originally posted by Boon: Case in point: I know North, South, East and West but still get right and left mixed up sometimes.
Yeah, I still sometimes have to do the left hand to remember which is left. As in your left hand, if you spread out your thumb, you see the shape of an L.
If only I knew a similar memory aid in Chinese.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mucus:
quote:Originally posted by Boon: Case in point: I know North, South, East and West but still get right and left mixed up sometimes.
Yeah, I still sometimes have to do the left hand to remember which is left. As in your left hand, if you spread out your thumb, you see the shape of an L.
If only I knew a similar memory aid in Chinese.
If you give somebody a high five or one of those complicated hand shakes to somebody do you use your left or right hand? if its your right try thinking "yo yo! whats up!"
you= right zuo= left
Posted by Perplexity'sDaughter (Member # 9668) on :
quote:Originally posted by Frisco: Question tonight:
What is the only continent that is also a country?
The lady answered "well, all of them are".
I couldn't believe she said that. I mean, come on. Come on!
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:Basic map skills are usually taught in 1st or 2nd grade, IME.
What I mean is, sure pretty much everyone knows how to follow a map and such but applying that to the globe may be more difficult. You have to know that the globe is in fact usually oriented "like a map" and that North is up above the US.
Which begs the question, would people be more able to answer the question "Which country is above the US on the map?"
Posted by Omega M. (Member # 7924) on :
I think there are a lot of hard questions on there. One of the high-level ones was "What geologic era are we currently in?" and I'd never even heard of the correct answer (Cenozoic). Another one was, essentially, "How many cups are in a gallon?", and while I got it right I had to guess on one of the necessary conversions.
It's a neat concept for a show, but it moves way too slowly.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I think a lot of recent game shows (like, everything since Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) have been working from the mistaken assumption that long pauses always increase the dramatic tension. Compare that approach to Jeopardy's, where it's one question after another all the way until the Final Jeopardy round.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy: The English taught in fifth grade is somewhat outdated, though.
Yeah, in first grade, we were doing "See Beowulf Run."
By fifth grade, we had progressed to Chaucer.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
The Eastern Hemisphere question? It's very Eurocentric. I had to think about it for a second because you almost never read the phrase "Eastern hemisphere" in adult non fiction and because I LIVE in the U.S. - West of me is Asia. Why isn't Asia in the Western Hemisphere?
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
I always thought that articles/determiners were just types of adjectives. They diagram the same, at least.
[edit: typo]
[ March 23, 2007, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: FlyingCow ]
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
The adjective question was something like this:
"How many adjectives are in the following sentence? 'There were two glasses on the brown table in the big kitchen' "
That wasn't the exact sentence, but when I saw it I immediately would have said "TWO! DUH!" and been wrong. Ah well....
Posted by Perplexity'sDaughter (Member # 9668) on :
quote:Originally posted by katharina: The Eastern Hemisphere question? It's very Eurocentric. I had to think about it for a second because you almost never read the phrase "Eastern hemisphere" in adult non fiction and because I LIVE in the U.S. - West of me is Asia. Why isn't Asia in the Western Hemisphere?
Think of your standard map of the world. North America and South America are on the left (west) and Europe, Asia, Austraila, and Africa are on the right (east). I suppose map makers had to ultimately decide which continents were going to be represented on which side of the map so that things wouldn't become confusing.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Actually, there are plenty of maps available with other lines chosen as "center" -- there is no consensus. Certainly not worldwide, as you imply.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
BlackBlade: Hey, thats good! I'll try to remember that one.
Posted by stihl1 (Member # 1562) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: Actually, there are plenty of maps available with other lines chosen as "center" -- there is no consensus. Certainly not worldwide, as you imply.
That's what the prime meridian is for. And the equator.
I bit on that question and would have gotten it wrong. For the most part, because I think of asia being to the west of the US and the US being to the east of asia. I'm not sure why that affects anything.
Posted by Perplexity'sDaughter (Member # 9668) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: Actually, there are plenty of maps available with other lines chosen as "center" -- there is no consensus. Certainly not worldwide, as you imply.
Hmm, yes. I'm sure there are different kinds of maps, but my point was that there must have been a certain distinction to which side of the world would be labeled "west" and which would be "east", at least in the U.S.
I was just supposing that that's why *most* maps you see (or, at least, most maps I see) have, for example, the U.S. on the left and Asia on the right.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Originally posted by stihl1:
quote:Originally posted by rivka: Actually, there are plenty of maps available with other lines chosen as "center" -- there is no consensus. Certainly not worldwide, as you imply.
That's what the prime meridian is for. And the equator.
Those two are very different.
The prime meridian is an arbitrary line/circle, chosen centuries ago, which passes through the north and south poles. There are an infinite number of lines/circles which could serve equally well as a prime meridian. It only exists where it does because of consensus.
The equator comes from the geometry and motion of the earth -- it's formed from the intersection of the surface with a bisecting plane which is perpendicular to the axis of revolution. There is one and only one possible equator for the earth.
[ March 24, 2007, 05:59 PM: Message edited by: mr_porteiro_head ]
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Yeah, I still sometimes have to do the left hand to remember which is left. As in your left hand, if you spread out your thumb, you see the shape of an L.
That's not so helpful for someone who is even slightly dyslexic.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"Think of your standard map of the world. North America and South America are on the left (west) and Europe, Asia, Austraila, and Africa are on the right (east). I suppose map makers had to ultimately decide which continents were going to be represented on which side of the map so that things wouldn't become confusing."
There is a "north-south" map which is often used in schools. Or at least in schools I have worked in. It is odd, because the continents appear longer and thinner. (actually, I think continents "appear" fatter and shorter on the "regular" maps."
I will see if I can find a link.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I cannot find a link. It was pretty, I remember that. Pastels.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: The prime meridian is an arbitrary line/circle, chosen centuries ago, which passes through the north and south poles. There are an infinite number of lines/circles which could serve equally well as a prime meridian. It only exists where it does because of consensus.
The equator comes from the geometry and motion of the earth -- it's formed from the intersection of the surface with a bisecting plane which is perpendicular to the axis of revolution. There is one and only one possible equator for the earth.
I think that the point was that arbitrary or not, the concept of eastern and western hemispheres is fairly well established (at least in the American educational system, which is what's being tested in that show).
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Do world maps in Asia have Asia as the center? Do world maps in the Middle East have the Middle East as the center? Anyone?
The thing about the north-south map I cannot find a link to is that it shows the true dimensions of the continents as they would appear on a flat surface. To me, they seem way off. It made me feel sort of duped by my education when I saw it for the first time.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I once had a map with the US in the center, and it showed more than 360 degrees around, so parts of the world actually appeared on both the left and right edges. (Hmm. We had a lot of maps growing up, now that I think about it. We even had a world map shower curtain. It still had the USSR on it.)
IIRC, the best one for preserving shapes and sizes is Goode's split projection.
--j_k
Posted by BlueWizard (Member # 9389) on :
On Hemispheres - East and West.
The Prime Meridian passes through Greenwich England which is the site of the Royal Observatory, and you are right, they arbitrarily chose that place as the ZERO meridian (longitude). They said, 'we get to set the standard, and we set it here', from then on it was accepted as the world standard. So anything west of the Zero/Prime Meridian up to the 180th Meridian (also called the International Date Line) is in the western hemisphere. Any thing east of the Zero/Prime Meridian and up to the 180th Meridian is in the eastern hemisphere.
So, because the observatory in London discovered this method of marking and navigating the globe, it also set the standard, and was then accepted as the world standard. From that point on East and West were set.
Also, note that 'time' begins at the Zero Meridian. All time is measure plus or minus from this point. USA Central Standard Time is Greenwich Mean Time minus Six Hours (GMT-6:00).
For the record, I get about +80% of the question, and note that the question are in catagories of 1st grade subjects through 5th grade subjects. Fifth grade are the hard questions.
"What is the radius of a circle with a diameter of 4 inches?"
That was one of the questions. She didn't know; I almost cried.
Each contestant gets 3 'cheats' that they can use.
Also, note that most contestants are college graduates.
I also agree that the 'dramatic pauses' go on a little too long on nearly all the current 'quiz' shows. They think they are being dramatic and suspensefull, but really it's just annoying. I could see it later in the game when there was a lot at stake, but they drag it out for everything.
Steve/BlueWizard
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
quote:I also agree that the 'dramatic pauses' go on a little too long on nearly all the current 'quiz' shows. They think they are being dramatic and suspensefull, but really it's just annoying. I could see it later in the game when there was a lot at stake, but they drag it out for everything.
Well, they do have to make the show last 30-60 minutes. Also, it gives people at home time to discuss what to do amongst themselves.
I die a little inside every time I see a category like "Mathematics" on Jeopardy. Sure, the contestants might know every historical figure that has ever existed, or every book ever written and by who, but they can't do fractions if their life depended on it.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
To be fair, Nighthawk, there are large numbers of scientists and mathematicians who are clueless about historical, literary and geographical (etc.) information.
I mentioned the French Revolution to someone the other day and he was like "uh huh" in such a way to make me think he really had no idea what had happened. I asked him. He had only the vaguest of ideas about what had occured and the French Revolution isn't obscure.
Ignorance can run both ways. I admit, it's tragic, but it's not one-sided.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
It's not obscure... to you.
I see big difference between knowing relatively simple mathematics and knowing French history. I may not need to know French history in order to live my life. And, quite frankly, although I know bits and pieces of it, the French Revolution *is* reasonably obscure... to me.
Let me play devil's advocate here... one's expected to know things that impact their life directly. I may not need to know history or geography. Whether I know the capital of Belarus, or what the main character in Death of a Salesman is, doesn't affect how much I get paid or how I live my life. But I like to think that mathematics, at least basic mathematics, are pretty much necessary wherever you go. Granted, I'm not expecting them to do square roots in their head, but still.
I might expect that ignorance from John Q. Public, but not from the elite, those that pride themselves on their knowledge and on their education. I expect people to do elementary mathematics if their introduction uses "professor" or "graduate", even if their degree might be the polar opposite. Hell, I've seen stockbrokers get math questions wrong on the show, and I mean *really* wrong.
Then again, I do have a family member, an attorney, who has called me during meetings with her customer, while standing in front of the customer, and asks questions like "what's 10% of three million dollars?"
Posted by theamazeeaz (Member # 6970) on :
In all fairness, I am generally appalled when the average adult tells me how little of their childhood they actually remember, so I wouldn't be surprised with what they covered in school got blacked out too.
Most of the questions seem to cover basic knowledge about the world around us. None are that obscure, but childhood education is almost all memorization. You can whine all you want about unfairness of the questions, but when it comes down to it, the unfairness part is that probably any regular Jeopardy contestant would have won the full amount of money. But that's not entertainment.
In my experience, adults are dumber than children. They don't read signs or remember or learn well because they aren't used to being told what to do. They also try to get away with more than kids do.
As for the pacing of the show, well that was just typical of my elementary school education.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Reminds me of one of my father's favorite stories.
He works for the Oregon state legislature, in some position that involves him running committees and doing the work behind the scenes that legislators take credit for when a bill is coming up for a vote. At any rate, he was testifying before a committee about a program with a proposed budget of $500,000. In his talk, he sometimes said "five hundred thousand" and in other places said "half a million". The chair of the committee, stopped him at one point and said "Now wait a minute, Mr. R. Don't try to put something over on me. Is it half a million, or is it five hundred thousand?"
My father said he just swallowed his smirk and said "I apologize, Madam Chair for confusing the issue. It is five hundred thousand.' and then continued his testimony. He said the other legislators on the panel were all chuckling but she never seemed to get what had happened.
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