How many adults would ace a simple test on the U.S. Constitution? Not many.
That is the finding of a survey conducted by some Morgan Middle School students.The 43 eighth-graders, students in Laraine Whitear's U.S. studies classes, had been studying the 203-year-old document and wanted to find out how many adults were familiar with its specifics.
They surveyed 222 people of voting age in and outside Morgan County, including parents, relatives and parents' co-workers.
"Most of the people I took it to said they guessed. They didn't want to take it because they didn't know anything," said student Connie Garn.
"They didn't want to fill it out, they didn't know the answers, they were embarrassed," added Kami Carter.
The survey asked six questions, such as: what does the Second Amendment guarantee (the right to keep and bear arms), how many amendments make up the Bill of Rights , and is the phrase "separation of church and state" found in the Constitution .
Only about half of those surveyed knew the correct answers to those questions, the results showed.
Many students said they got similar responses from their parents.
"My mom did not want to do it. She said she didn't remember anything, she learned it in fifth grade. I teased her," said Heather Holt.