Last year, the Council on Foreign Relations and National Geographic commissioned a survey to assess the global literacy of American college students. Over 1,200 people participated; less than 30 percent earned a passing grade. Below are six questions they included, each of which a majority of respondents answered incorrectly. See how you, or your students or children, do. (Answers below.)
1. In which of these countries is a majority of the population Muslim?
a) South Africa
b) Armenia
c) India
d) Indonesia
2. Which language is spoken by the most people in the world as their primary language?
a) Russian
b) Mandarin Chinese
c) English
d) Arabic
SEE CFR survey