Evening star., 1960-02-29
College Student Survey Reveals
Sad Lack Of knowledge of U. S.
BY DR.. BENJAMIN FINE
Anrth Annnrirnn AnMrnnnnr AIIa.n..

NEW YORK, Feb. %.
While millions of Russian
students are learning the fea-
lures of the far side of the
moon, American students
from the college level on
down-are still ignorant of
the basic geography of their
own country. They know even
less about the rest of the
world.
A survey of 5000 students
In "a typical colleges across
America, made by the North
American Newspaper ALI
ance, shows that geography
has become the forgotten
subject in our educational
system.
OF the 5000 college stu
dents, for example, less than
so per cent had even the
vagueSt notion of the popu-
lation of the United States,
while less than 10 per cent
could make an intelligent
estimate of the worlds popu-
lation.
Two-thirds of the students
listed Cuba and Puerto Rico
as trust territories admins
tered by the United States
for the United Nations truS-
teeship council.
Seaway Stumps Many
An even larger fraction did
not know why the st. Lawr-
ence Seaway was built. One
answer was that it was to
connect the Atlantic and
Pacific oceans. Another was:
THE st. Lawrence Seaway
can be used as a major fish,
ing area in the months when
the New York port is frozen"
The survey was based on
a test prepared by DR.. Sam
uel van Valkenburg, director
Of the Graduate School of
Geography at Clark Univer-
sity, Worcester, Mass. DR..
van Valkenburg consulted
other leading authorities in
drafting the test.
The 5000 students who
took the examination did so
under the supervision Of
geography professors at each
of the 81 colleges. The
students were given so min
utes to complete the tests
and were told that the re-
suits would be published in
newspapers subscribing to
the North American News
paper Alliance.
The ignorance displayed
by the students is staggering.
THE results Of this test
should come as a shock to
the American people," DR..
van Valkenburg says. Fol-
lowing are some of the
shameful gaps-or chasms
in the students knowledge
Of America.
Guesses Far Apart
Regarding the population
Of the United States, for
example, any answer be-
tween 10000 900 and 2O0,-
100000 was considered ap-
proximately correct. Only
48 per cent of the students
chose a figure within this
wide margin. The others
gave such answers as IS mil
lion, IL million, 2 billion,
$50 million or 18 billion.
Another question asked the
studens to name the two
major sources from where
the United States imports
large quantities Of iron ore
each year. Only IL per cent
of the students correctly
named Venezuela and Can
ada.
What is troublesome is not
how few knew the right an
swer, but how far off base
the others we're. Almost
every country in the world,
including Jordan, Red China
and Siberia" was listed as
a major source of imported
United States iron ore.
One answer: I'VE import
our iron ore from coal"
Another: "The United
States imports its iron ore
from the Rocky Mountains"
Corn Belt Is Mystery
The students we're also
asked to name three States
belonging to the corn belt.
Sixty-three per cent got the
answer wrong. Among the
incorrect answers were such
as: Massachusetts,, North
Carolina and Georgia; Ore
gon, Idaho and Vermont;
New York, Texas and Louisi-
ana; Mississippi. Colorado
and New Hampshire.
Asked which State Cali
formal has the highest
amount of land under irri-
cation, the students named
every State in the Union, in
cluding such as Rhode Is
land, Delaware and New Jer-
sey. Only 81 per cent gave
the correct answer.
The news that Hawaii and
Alaska we're admitted to
Statehood was known to 95
per cent of the students. But
the other S per cent thought
that such places as Canada,
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam,
Korea and Okinawa were re-
Gently admitted to the Union
as States.