The network that brought us "American Idol" and "Joe Millionaire" has done it again: "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" premiered a month ago to a record audience, and like "Idol" and "Millionaire," humiliation is a prime objective.
Host Jeff Foxworthy drills contestants with questions from elementary school textbooks, ranging in topic from mathematics and history to science and government. Questions from past episodes include: We inhale what gas that plants need in order to live? How many teaspoons are in five tablespoons? Are Komodo dragons extinct?
A contestant may venture a guess, "copy" the answer from one of the show's fifth grade assistants or leave with his winnings after confessing he is not smarter than a fifth grader. Inevitably, a contestant will flub a simple question, allowing the audience to share a laugh at his or her expense.
Is the average American truly unable to grasp the concepts in a fifth-grade curriculum? According to the 2006 National Geographic-Roper Survey of Geographic Literacy, most Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 have little understanding of the world outside the United States. The study found 50 percent of study participants could not identify New York on a map, 74 percent believed English was the most common native language in the world and 54 percent did not know Sudan was in Africa.
The irony of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" is that contestants have respectable educations and careers. University of California, Los Angeles graduates, computer consultants, real estate agents and accountants have all met their match in "5th Grader." A recent study suggests what the show implies: A college degree does not necessarily correspond with common sense.
The survey, conducted by the American Institutes for Research, found50 percent of four-year college students score below the proficiency level in literacy and are unable to perform common tasks such as understanding newspaper editorials, calculating restaurant tips or finding locations on a map. It also found 20 percent of four-year college students had only a basic understanding of mathematics.
"The surprisingly weak quantitative literacy ability of many college graduates is troubling," AIR study director Stéphane Baldi said. "A knowledgeable workforce is vital to cope with the increasing demands of the global marketplace."
So, where does the ability to distinguish between stalactites and stalagmites fit in?
"Don't fifth graders learn about ... states and stuff?" first-year College student Raquel Suarez said. "Once you reach our age, you forget trivial things like that."
Suarez said she and her friends knew answers to questions from the showsuch as "An amendment to the U.S. Constitution must be ratified by what percentage of states?" and "How many e's are in 'pledge of allegiance'?" but struggled with the year Abraham Lincoln was elected president and the number of cups in a gallon.
"Fifth-graders probably know this stuff, but it's just not important to life," Suarez said. "It's not a good indication of intelligence."
A couple weeks ago, a "5th Grader" contestant said, "five times two is ... uh ..." It made great television, but as fans of the Facebook group "Overheard at UVa." can attest, even the straight-A students among us can have less-than-intelligent moments. All University students can hope is that theirs will not be broadcast on national television.
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