THE WORLD HISTORY TEST

[Deni]

history test - 92%
biology test at the same site - 90%

But it supports my position that tests only create illusion of education. I know very little about post-Columbian history of South America but I have a vague idea that Simon Bolivar is related to it. So the test can give me a wrong belief that I know something more than some indigested facts about it. Though I don’t.
Answers to some questions can be guessed very easily without any real knowledge of the subject.

For example:
48.The Sino-Japanese War was fought
Between Japan and England over control of the opium trade
Between Japan and China over control of Korea
Between Japan and the United States over control of the Phillipines
Between Japan and Siam over control of trade in the South China Sea


Perhaps they hope that not everybody knows sino = china? I am not sure it is a reasonable approach.

Real knowledge of history is not the knowledge of some separate and senseless facts, names, dates. It is the knowledge of connections between facts, of reasons, of consequences, and generally speaking, of concrete situations.
Tests like this can’t evaluate it. They can reveal complete ignorance but they can’t tell the difference between really well-educated person and a person that got a smattering of history.
It would be a tragedy if Russia turns to this test system of education.


[Edited by Deni on 30th May 2002 at 10:47]

[old-reb]

76%
old reb

[vorosilov]

Originally posted by old-reb
76%
old reb

Hello Old-Reb,

This is not bad at all. I hope you enjoyed it.
I am happy that you took my advise.

What did you like most in the test?

[old-reb]

I could not imagine the holy roman empire lasting from 800-1800 unless it was that German, Charmainge, that called his country the holy roman empire.

old reb

[rikbe]

76%, better than I expected.

[old-reb]

I had the same opportunity for a good education as everyone else but I was a rebel and played hookey every other day until I could quit. That is the worst mistake I ever made, but you can't go back. That is why I made sure my kids got a good education.
What I learned about histroy was living it from 1941 to now, and from movies, TV and books.

old reb

[rikbe]

Originally posted by old-reb
I had the same opportunity for a good education as everyone else but I was a rebel and played hookey every other day until I could quit. That is the worst mistake I ever made, but you can't go back. That is why I made sure my kids got a good education.
What I learned about histroy was living it from 1941 to now, and from movies, TV and books.

old reb

I am not sure that everyone else had the same opportunity of education.
But I can say the same as you, except I never played hockey.

Personally I am not interested in details of history but I am in explanations. What I mean is that it is not important to know WHEN Rome collapsed but WHY.