'Are You Smarter Than A Fifth-Grader?': Testing civic knowledge one question at a time

The sign on the table lured me in: “Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?” I selected a question out of the bowl and hoped I would know the answer.

The challenge came from sophomore Milo Congdon and senior Jaxon Foster, political science majors at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. They manned a table over the weekend for Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society, at the annual Pop-Conn extravaganza at UAF Wood Center.

Pop-Con is a celebration of all things pop culture — gaming, entertainment, books, comics and more. But while other booths featured cosplay and workshops, these two students merely asked passersby to answer one or more simple questions.

The questions were all taken from a U.S. Citizenship Test. The reference to fifth-graders is because that is when youn