Clear Your Desks and Take Out Your Number Two Pencils
If number two pencils are so popular, why are they still number two?
Perhaps it's because I managed to refrain from bad jokes such as this for the short duration of my interview that I was approved this morning for US Citizenship. I was in and out of there pretty quick; I didn't even finish a chapter of the Canadian-authored book I was reading in the waiting room. After verifying my name, date of birth, marital status and lack of past illegal activity, I passed the quiz on US history and government with flying colors (presumably red, white and blue). I will soon be notified of the next oath-taking ceremony, where I will be sworn in as a citizen and receive a certificate to said effect. And that, as they say, will be that.
So without further ado, here as promised are the seven questions I was asked. As you will see, they try to shake you up with a mix of easy and hard. I expect everyone to get at least 4. If you get 6 without using Google I will be mildly impressed. The answers are provided in the comment section.
1. Who elects congress?
2. How long is a presidential term?
3. How many Supreme Court Justices are there?
4. How many amendments to the Constitution have there been?
5. Who was the first president?
6. Who was president during the Civil War?
7. What was the 49th state to join the Union?
Now, just for fun, I'll do something I haven't done on this blog before and post some pictures. In honor of my dubious heritage, I offer these examples of Canadian humor. These signs were all supposedly spotted/photoshopped in Canada. Enjoy.
posted by Josh Fuller @ 10:09 AM
21 comments
21 Comments:
1. The people
2. 4 years
3. 9
4. 27
5. George Washington
6. Abraham Lincoln
7. Alaska
I got all but the number of justices (I said 12) and the number of amendments (I said who the hell knows that).
Loved the signs. DId I ever tell you I was conceived in Canada? Rainy fishing trip. Anyway, I've always felt an affinity for our neighbors to the north.
oh, I forgot. Congratulations and welcome to the greatest nation on earth (you believe that now, right?)
The gauntlet has been thrown down, or at least timorously dropped. Five right...not bad.
Perhaps of interest, the most recent amendment, made in 1992: "No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened."
As far as I can make out, this basically says you can't monkey with the salaries of Congress without Congress having a say. We've come a long way from Freedom of Speech, haven't we?
Perhaps also of interest and relevant to your second comment is the sentence I was asked to write from dictation to demonstrate my literacy:
"His wife is in the house."
Pretty much sums up everything that makes this the greatest nation on earth, doesn't it?
I heard that when they are looking for translators from English to another language, they ask relatively silly questions because the translation for those determine is you really know english well enough to translate (or be a spy) or if you know the words but are unable to put them together well. The friend that told me this said he was asked where his button was (he was Korean) and he reacted as any english speaking person would react to being asked that question. Congrats on being a certificated American city. Now you can complain like the rest of us.
dadgum! Citizen, not city *sigh* I haven't typed anything to you that hasn't had to be typed more than once. *sigh*
Yup. I just thought it was a pretty funny reinforcement of good old-fashioned American values.
But more importantly, TG, how many did you get right?
I didn't know how many amendments there were but knew the rest. I beat out a published author? Land Sakes! (winks to carla).
"In honor of my dubious heritage..."
Well, we [Canadians, that is] don't want you anyway! (Just kidding...)
I'm curious though; what's so "dubious" about your Canadian heritage? Just because Canadians don't have a testosterone-charged, dogmatically chauvanistic, "we're divinely appointed" self-image doesn't mean our heritage is "dubious", does it?
Welcome, David. You'll find a lot of irony on my blog. I refer you to a statement I made on 7.19: "If you can't tell whether I'm joking or not, I'm joking."
Most of my readers are American, so self-deprecating statements like this are generally intended as subtle digs against their superiority complex. Besides, I like to think Canadians have a long and proud tradition of mocking themselves, secure in the knowledge that in truth they are the highest-evolved life forms on our humble planet.
Aside from mice, of course.
David, I suppose the ahormonal, apathetic whining, heckling, stand-for-nothing take on life is better? ;)
Josh...I can see getting the Amendment thing wrong (as I did)...but 12 Justices? Getting that wrong doesn't make you a bad American so much as it does a bad liberal! To think, all of the NPR and Jim Lehrer commentary (both of which I love by the way) on the ever-crucial "5-4 splits" and just what Roberts, as well as Rehnquist's replacement, will mean for this nation's future?
Goodness...for all of your "I know the real truth about Abraham Lincoln" rhetoric (regarding slavery, et al)...I would have expected more.
Oh well...I'm just givin' you grief...good to have you, my friend. Congrats!
Geez Brad...I'm going to have to put up a warning sign about YOU next...I can take the grief, but go easy on the newcomers, would ya?
I got all seven right, as would anyone who had the answers to study beforehand and had several hundred dollars riding on the outcome. That was Carla who missed those two.
I certainly wish I could have emphasized my ";)" even more. I hope that wasn't taken seriously...just in the light-hearted, good-faith jostling that the original comments were made in.
As for the Carla thing...I'm a total bonehead and completely missed that. I'd be tempted to delete the comment altogether, but I suppose I'll have to leave my dirty laundry out for all to see. Big-time goof...oh well. I trust you can all forgive me.
I got two wrong, one because I was listening to my husband. I didn't think I remembered there being 12 justices, but then again, my husband is rarely wrong.
sometimes, I wish there were a way to write sarcasm
"If you can't tell whether I'm joking or not, I'm joking."
I'll take that into account next time...
Ditto for me, Dave. No hard feelings here...
six out of seven...I didn't count my (correct) answer on #4 (amendments) since Jeff took this a few days ago and corrected me- without that forewarning, I would have guessed 21.
Congrats!
Brad, I am not offended at you calling me a bad liberal--only in part because you thought you were offending Josh--primarily because you are correct. Not only should I have known it would have to be an odd number, but I just finished the "Supreme Court" chapter in Jon Stewart's "America." Perhaps I was just thrown by all the nudity.
Interestingly, Jon Stewart endorsed McCain for '08. We'll have to see what happens.
Yeah, West Wing seems to be going that way for next season too...with Alan Alda playing a moderate Republican president. I've really liked the character so far.
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