Kris on the Street: Are Leonia High School students smarter than…

Are Leonians smarter than New Yorkers?

This may be a question that relatively no one has asked, but it is one that many Leonians would most likely want to be answered. In order to solve this question I have asked ten basic questions known to trip up New Yorkers in various interviews of one person in each grade; senior Teodora Zivkovic, junior Dakota Roberts, sophomore Mohit Gore, and freshman Emily Ignacio. Here is how it went:

Can you name the continents?

Teodora: “Antarctica, Australia, Asia, Europe, North and South America and Africa.”
Dakota: “South America, North America, Europe… How many are there?”
Mohit: “North and South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Antarctica and Africa.”
Emily: “North, South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Antarctica, Australia.”

If you are driving sixty miles an hour and you drive for an hour how far have you gone?

Teodora: “Thirty six, three thousand three hundred.”
Dakota: “Sixty miles.”
Mohit: “Sixty miles.”
Emily: “Sixty miles.”

When did America declare independence?

Teodora: “In the 1700s… Hold up, I know this, 1776 or 1778, yeah 1776.” 
Dakota: “1914.”
Mohit: “July 4th 1776.”
Emily: What the heck.. 19…1819.”

How many states were there when America was founded and how many are there now?

Teodora: “There’s fifty states now and there were thirteen.”
Dakota: “There were fourteen, now there are fifty two.”
Mohit: “There were thirteen colonies and now there are fifty states.”
Emily: “Thirteen original colonies, now fifty.”

Who is on the $1 bill?

Teodora: George Washington.

Dakota: “Ethan (passerby), who is on the one dollar bill?”
Ethan: “George Washington.”
Dakota: “George Washington.”

Mohit: “I don’t know. Some dude.”
Emily: “George Washington?”

What state is Missouri in?

Teodora: “Is it not a state?”
Dakota: “Kentucky. I feel like I got that one wrong.”
Mohit: “Missouri is a state.”
Emily: “Missouri is a state.”

Can you name the 68th President?

Teodora: “Biden?”
Dakota: “Sixty eight.. How many Presidents are there? One hundred fourteen? Let’s just go with Abe Lincoln.”
Mohit: “I’m going to say no one. Unless we are at the 68th President, I don’t know.”
Emily: “There’s not 68 presidents are there?”

Can you name a country in Central Asia?

Teodora: “Kazakhstan.”
Dakota: “No.”
Mohit: “Singapore.”
Emily: “I don’t know.. Central.. India.”

Can you name our current President and Vice-President?

Teodora: “Kamilla Haris is vice president, Joe Biden the current President.”
Dakota: “Joe Biden, but I don’t know the Vice President.”
Mohit: “Joe Biden, Kamala Harris”
Emily: “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris”

From these questions, it seems that there is no difference between a these Leonia students and random New Yorkers interviewed on the streets. There are certainly people who will get these questions right at Leonia High School outside of the people interviewed, but this particular sampling did not get many questions right. Time to get back to those books!

 

Edited by: Katerina Romanides