The new civics test for immigrants demonstrates a desperate need of the test
compilers themselves for a basic understanding of English and civics.  The
test compilers and their supervisors not only believed that Puerto Rico was
a territory instead of an associated commonwealth that could choose at any
time to disassociate itself and that one had to be a citizen in order to be
a federal employee but chose to grade others on their own ignorance.  A
native-born American citizen's missing a question would not be grounds for
judging that person ignorant; a test compiler's using incorrect answers
would be.

"What two rights are only for American citizens?"  As opposed to being
'against' American citizens?  Their incorrect answers were matched by an
incorrect question.  I complained to a VIP from DC at a Federal Executive
Board meeting that directives from Washington were often so poorly written
that they meant exactly the opposite of what Title 5 USC said in lieu of
explaining how to follow Title 5 USC.  The official concurred, stating 
that, as a former English teacher,  she was continually embarrassed by the
flood of poor English from the Federal Government. 

Scott Catledge

Examples were taken from the NYTimes blog; so many persons commented on the 
blog that it was closed for further comment after only a few hours.
****************************

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/