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Facts you forgot
THROUGHOUT my school years I was top of the class for a number of academic subjects and was considered a bright child.
However, a new book by Caroline Taggart has led me to consider seriously getting my head back into the books I used to study.
I Used To Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School is a collection of old school facts that we think we know and assume we can remember from our childhood - until we are actually asked to explain them.
Inspired by her inability to describe Pythagoras' Theorem or name the world's second tallest mountain, Caroline decided to put together the book in an attempt to revitalise adult aptitude.
In the process, she discovered two things - firstly, that everybody had been to school; and, secondly, that they had all forgotten completely different things.
Despite years of learning key facts in English, Maths, Geography, History and Science, it would appear that as we reach the grand old age of 21 and join the not-so-know-it-all adult generation, all knowledge from our school years flies out of the window.
It would also seem that the old line about adults knowing best - constantly drilled into us by our parents when we were younger - is in fact a porky pie.
The author hopes that the book will spark enthusiasm among the older generation, encouraging them to connect with their childhood, boost their brainpower and remind their children just how clever they are.
"It's not like you're learning from scratch, as you know it's in the back of your mind somewhere," says Caroline.
But is it? We hit the streets of Bournemouth to quiz passers-by on the 10 questions put forward by Caroline that we should really know and remember from school.
Who will be given a gold star for their efforts and who will be in the corner with the dunce's hat?
Phil Aitken, a 58-year-old heating engineer from Plymouth, came bottom of the class.
He was unable to name the author of Ode To Autumn and To A Nightingale, the capital of Canada or identify the symbols for a number of chemical elements.
Joining him in detention is 37-year-old Andy Lennan. The electrician from Southampton had no clue when the American Civil War was, who it was between and why it occurred and was unable to define what "mass" is.
Nicola Canning, 26, received a slightly higher grade. The Southbourne student and part-time jewellery shop assistant couldn't name the Greek goddess of love. But she was, however, able to describe the process of photosynthesis and is therefore exempt from after-school lessons.
Top of the class was retired sales manager Clive Peacock.
The 74-year-old Londoner shamed the youngsters by correctly identifying two out of the three chemical element symbols and confidently labelling Ottawa as the capital of Canada.
Not quite full marks for him either though, as the name John Keats failed to return to his memory when asked Question Two.
So, perhaps Homer Simpson speaks for us all when he says: "Every time we learn something new it pushes some old stuff out of our brains."
Whatever the reason, it's back to school for the majority of us.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE: Explain the following: phrase, clause, transitive verb, intransitive verb.
ENGLISH LITERATURE: Who wrote Ode to Autumn and To a nightingale?
GEOGRAPHY: What's the capital of Canada?
HISTORY: In Greek mythology, who is the goddess of love?
HISTORY: When was the American Civil War, between who, and what about?
CHEMISTRY: For what chemical elements are these the symbols: Fe, Au, P?
MATHS: What do you call a triangle whose sides are all the same length?
BIOLOGY: What is photosynthesis?
PHYSICS: Define "mass".
GENERAL STUDIES: What are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World?
7:00am Friday 18th July 2008
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CommentPosted by: MIG, Poole on 6:42pm Fri 18 Jul 08
[quote]Pythagoras' Theorem[/quote]
The squaw on the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaw on the other two hides. Or something like that....
(That's a sentence followed by a phrase)
Pythagoras' Theorem
The squaw on the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaw on the other two hides. Or something like that....
(That's a sentence followed by a phrase)
Posted by: laurie marsh, australia on 12:35pm Sat 19 Jul 08
"we hit the streets of B'm'th"
Next project; do it again and ask the 15 year olds!
Not many will be able to give you an answer (right or wrong) to even 50% of your questions.
I have to confess that I got the Eng. Lit. question wrong, the date of the American war and could not remember 2 of the ancient wonders.
"we hit the streets of B'm'th"
Next project; do it again and ask the 15 year olds!
Not many will be able to give you an answer (right or wrong) to even 50% of your questions.
I have to confess that I got the Eng. Lit. question wrong, the date of the American war and could not remember 2 of the ancient wonders.
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