Evening star., 1926-01-01
PUPILS IGNORANT
7 Of CURRENT NEWS
Crime Mostly Read, Quiz of
1,407 in Tennessee
School Indicates.
Specia Dispatch to The Star.

| nat the DTPSeIlI-tltiS ileH SpopN4 ~
indispensable to assure we'll rounded
and complete education that will en-
BILE a young man. or woman, 10 cope
Nronerly with the problems OF lie
and that a course in newspaper read
ing, If added TO the curriculum Oh
he schools today, would produce
better informed and more efticlent
group OF young people, is demon
strated hv the results of the test at
the Knoxville High School. The out
standing features of the test show
tnat:
out of a QUESTIONABLE OF 25 simple.
everyday questions, the answers OF
which are Immediately known 10 any
,0nsiStent reader of the newspapers.
not a perfect list OF answers was
received.
Crime Is Favored.
OF the ,4O7 students who turned IN
answers 10 the questionnaires, NJ
least 81 per cent read crime news end
the more sensational stories
At least so per cent OF the stuCentS
were unable to tell the location OF the
District of Columbia. Among answers
10 that question were: "A small por
ton Of land between Delaware and
West Virginia coast OF West
Virginia ia"-"Northwest part of United
States"-"Between Maryland and
New Jersey''-"A part Of Canada.
The test shows that girls are prone
10 read the scandal stories. This was
evidenced in replies received as TO the
identity of Mary Roberts Rinehart,
Dozens of students, especially girls.
confused the author with Mrs. Alice
Rhinelander in the sensational Rhine
lander divorce case.
The sophomore class rolled un an
average of approximately 10 per cent.
making the highest average OF any OF
the four one-year groups. The seniors
answers ran only about so per cent
correct
The test was conducted by the
Knoxville Sentinel, daily newspaper.
and among the questions and some of
the replies We're:
Who is Billy Labor
leader" foot ball star" aviator who
flew to North Pole. base bali
Who wrote The star spangled
Banner '?''-"Scott Francis" Keys,
Keith" "Sir Walter Scott Ed
ward Scott" Two said Poe
The Electoral College.
What is an electoral college?-"A
college were electricity Is taught
Take what YOU want" Take all diff
where YOU elect what you take The
uuc,&iOn haffied AT least % per cent
of the students In the senior group.
Scores declined TO answer that ques-
ton.
What member of royalty died
~ccently y?"-"Queen Of England"
King George, Wilson" King
Bryan" Four sad Queen Mary"
Two said princess Victoria" Two
said Queen Victoria" Four said
Harding" Four said Queen Eliza
beth"
Where is the Golden Gate?"-
Heaven" Florida. Statute Of
Liberty "Graystone National Park.
city I'm Washington.
What Is the Fourth Estate -
Peasants" An estate given a fourth
heir" The poorer class The lower
lass" Poorest class of people in
Europe" Law"
Who is Miriam Ferguson" -
Governor Of Kansas" Governor OF
Oklahoma Singer recently admitted
to grand opera. Foot bal player"
Base ball player" Author
Writer" Movie star "A Senator"
Husband of Governor Of Texas.
Author Of some story"
NOlliIS n SdNt
Who IS Vice President to Presi
dent Coolidge ?''-'Davis,' :, Secretary
Of Treasury, Hughes" None"
Who was Floyd Collins ?"-"Char-
acter in music" Murderer" Mine
explorer" "Aacave man"
What member Of royalty is noted
Tor his inability To ride his horse"
Roosevelt" Paul Revere, Gen.
Spence" Five said Prince "t
Wales"
Who is Henry l.. Mencken o
tor "A German excavating in 5.
A." steel magnate."
Who is Mary Roberts Rhine
hart t?'-"Opera singer "A woman
getting a divorce" "On trial with
husband" Nine said Noted actress"
Who wrote Main Street %
n LeIIta Hnschinson a9rse "churchil edrl Mary NJ ~
Roberts Rhinehart." Another says
I saw the picture but don't know
who wrote it,
What is a county court t?''-"Court
for country people" The court that
handles marriage licenses"
Who is John Thomas Scopes?
one said he was the man who fought
evolution; another said he was d man
who questioned the Darwin theory
and aroused public sentiment. One
said Scopes was "A lawyer in evolu-
ton" and another said he got in
trouble over monkeys"
For what is Dayton, Tenn, noted?"
one said it was noted as home Of
Bryan. Others gave various answers.
Other Answers the Same.
What national project is being
launched in Tennessee" - Law
against teaching evolution" "Iigher
tax rates" Abolish evolution and tax
rates" Abolish evolution in COM
munity chest National park in
Rocky Mountains Wilson dam"
John Sewer Monument, "Commu-
nity chest" The correct answer to
this is the movement for a national
park in the Great Smoky Mountains,
for which the Tennessee Legislature
has made an appropriation to buy
land and the people are raising ST.
600 900 more. The land will be pre-
sented to the Government for a great
national park for the eastern part
of the United States.
''Who Is Gerald Chapman?"-"Gen
eral in Civil War" Bandit caught
her" French general" Representa-
rive from Knox" Wrote Main
street" Three confused him with
Col. D. c. Chapman Of Knoxville, who
is heading the movement for ma
tional park in the Great Smoky
Mountains.
Many did not know that Austin
Peay is Governor of Tennessee. Some
designated him as "Ex-Governor of
Tennessee" president of Tennessee,
Secretary of State Governor of
some State Travelling explorer
and "World-famous politician" Sew
eral also thought he was mayor of
Knoxville.