Obama vs. Romney: Who is Smarter than a Fifth Grader
The next president of the United States needs to portray the following trait: Intelligence. It is clear that both candidates are knowledgeable when it comes to politics, but are they smarter than a fifth grader?
Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader is a television game show where adults test their knowledge by answering questions that are targeted at a fifth grade level. The contestants are asked questions from elementary school textbooks and are able to win up to one million dollars. With the help of five fifth graders and three chances to get help with an answer, they will discover if they are smarter than a fifth grader.
President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are both well-educated gentlemen, but how smart are they really? With their fancy black cars and expensive suits, it may be possible they are putting up a façade. They may not be as bright as all of America seems to believe.
After taking a random sample of who would win, Obama or Romney, at the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Andruss Library, it was shown that Obama was favored to win. When asked why, some had said he looks smarter, others said he seems more intelligent when he speaks and the rest said they just like him better. Although Obama received more votes, there were quite a few that did not hesitate to say Romney when asked their opinion.
Last week, in a grueling match of Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader: Presidential Edition, Barack Obama won by a landslide over his opponent Mitt Romney. There were a set of questions from each grade level up to the fifth grade that both contestants were asked. They then relayed their answers through a screen. The object of the game was not to see who could answer the questions the fastest, but to see who could answer the questions correctly.
Instead of using fifth graders, they were replaced by other political figures: Joe Biden, Paul Ryan, Nancy Pelosi, George Bush and Bill Clinton. These were the people that would be used as Obama’s and Romney’s lifelines when they needed help answering a question. Each of them could only use a lifeline three times during the duration of the show.
Obama seemed to prevail when it came to subjects such as second and fourth grade social studies, fourth and fifth grade science and fifth grade mathematics. He also made it to the million dollar question. Listed below are a few questions he answered correctly:
True or False: The Declaration of Independence was signed in Boston?
Pollen grains are made in what part of the flower?
Kingdom, phylum, class… What comes next?
Romney came out on top in the subjects such as first grade geography and music, second grade mathematics and third grade science. Listed below are a few questions he answered correctly:
What three colors will you find on a street light?
True or False: Castanets are percussion instruments
How many feet are in a yard?
Romney might have had a chance at beating Obama if his lifelines would have answered a question correctly in his time of need. He chose to use George Bush twice and Paul Ryan once but they seemed to come up short and answer the questions incorrectly each time.
Obama, on the other hand, chose wisely when using his lifelines. He utilized Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Bill Clinton when his mind went blank.
The students at Bloomsburg University were correct; Obama came out on top when put against Mitt Romney to test their knowledge on elementary school material. There is only question left to ask; does America want their president to be smarter than fifth grader?
