Questions that Smart

“Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” Questions that Smart by Roxanne McDonald

“You’re lookin’ about as confident as a turkey on the second week of November,” host Jeff Foxworthy tells the man….The jokes delivered by the delightful Foxworthy may sting, but the questions really stump most of the adult contestants.

And those adults are executives, artists, and even teachers. Maybe the trick is in the memory, for the questions are not that difficult, they just contain subject matter we have not had to use or be aware of for any reason since the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grade.

I collected a few of the questions:

1.3rd grade astronomy
Which star is the hottest, a red dwarf, a blue giant, or a regular yellow star?

2.4th grade math

How many sides does a rhombus have?
3.1st grade animal science
True or false—Kimodo dragons are extinct.

4.1st grade earth science
In the Northern Hemisphere, summer ends in which month?

5.2nd grade world geography
After China, what country has the biggest population?

6.2nd grade astronomy
Which planet is typically brightest in the night sky?

7.3rd grade social studies
An amendment to the United States Constitution must be ratified by what fraction of the states? a) 2/3; b) ¾; c) all

8.4th grade measurements
How many cups are in five and a half gallons?

9.5th grade earth science
What geologic era are we in right now?

10.4th grade history
In what year was Abraham Lincoln first elected U.S. president?
11.3rd grade math
A decagon has how many sides?

As you can tell from the number of questions and the increasing degree of difficulty, this episode’s contestant, Phil, made it quite far. He decided to take the money he had accumulated and “drop out of school,” which you know means he had to tell the audience he was not in fact smarter than a fifth grader.

But he answered all the questions except or one or two. Here is how he answered. How’d you do? [More questions are on the “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” site, by the way.]
1. a blue giant (contestant got it right)
2. four (contestant said 10, but was saved by the kids)
3. false (contestant got it right)
4. September (contestant first said August, then went with Laura’s correct answer)
5. India (contestant got it right)
6. Venus (contestant said Mars; Jacob got it correct)
7. b) ¾ (contestant—and Spencer–got it right)
8. 88 (contestant got it right; Alana got it wrong [only second time I have seen a wrong kid answer])
9. Cenozoic
10. 1860 (contestant—and Spencer–got it right)
11. ten (contestant got it right)

SirLinksAlot Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader links

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