Have you ever wondered if you’re smarter than average? At a school like Magnet, it can be hard to know where you rank among your peers. We devised a quiz to figure out which Raptors could pool their knowledge when approached randomly by us asking three history questions. We received a wide range of answers and levels of historical accuracy in our responses; read more to find out which of your fellow birds is the brainiest and where you fall on the scales. 

Mr. Garris, Faculty. 

To make sure our “research” was feasible we made Magnet’s AP World: Modern teacher take our test, Mr. Garris. Mr. Garris, unsurprisingly, got a 100%. Everyone knows that Mr. Garris knows everything about history off the top of his head, a statement that came to fruition when we tested him ourselves. He was getting a Ph.D. from Columbia University before coming to Academic Magnet, and had attended USC, so if you don’t know all the answers to these tricky questions, you should not feel bad. 3/3. 

Walker Moore.

Walker Moore, our first interviewer, was a great historian for his age, although we did not quite catch his grade level. When asked what is considered the largest empire in history, Walker quietly, and confidently said, “the Mongols.” On to his second question, when asked when Julius Caesar was assassinated Walker failed, his response being “Um.” Good try, we will catch you next time. From this point on we decided to announce that we were not looking for the specific date, just the title, “The Ides of March.” ⅓ 

Sabetta, Grade 9.

Next up is Sabetta, a current Freshman! Sabetta was not too confident about answering history questions stating “oh I’m going to get them all wrong,” we get it, sometimes people may be more science/math focused. Her first question was one that did not end in triumph. Instead, when asked where the pilgrims landed, she responded with, “America!” Yes! you’re exactly right, but we asked for the name of the location. She went on to state, “Pennsylvania!” While Pennsylvania is land locked we understand the misconception. 1/3

Wren Allen, Grade 12.

Wren Allen was another close winner, her first question, an oldy but a goody, was about the Trail of Tears. Her response seemed to show the age of the question becauset it has been over a year since this topic was learned. It’s true, Wren did get a five on her AP World exam so this should be easy. Wren responded, “I literally forgot the question,” but after a quick repeat, she stated, “The trail of tears?”. Correct! Her second question was about who really came from Europe to discover the new world first, she responded with an astounding “the Vikings!”. Great job, you made it past the second round. Finally, when asked about the Salutary Neglect, Wren plummeted, so close to the answer, but yet so far. “I don’t think I’m going to know it,” so we decided to give her a hint, “it starts with s.” Sadly, Wren was still unable to guess salutary neglect, just repeating, “Ssssssssss, that’s all I got.” So close Wren, so close. 2/3. 

Mrs. GG and Mr. Perlmutter, Faculty. 

Who knew Mrs. GG and Mr. Perlmutter knew so much history? Mrs. GG was quick to respond with “France” when asked about who built the Statue of Liberty, and many others responded the same way. Mr. Perlmutter’s AMHS background pulled through when he recalled that the Ides of March was the day that Julius Caesar was assassinated, a question many others missed. His freshman year English teacher would be proud! Maybe Mrs. GG and Mr. Perlmutter should observe an APUSH class because neither of them knew that Salutary Neglect was the official definition of Britain’s policy of relaxing strict parliamentary law on the colonies. 2/3. 

Evie Walldorf and Olivia Smith, Grade 11.

Juniors Evie Walldorf and Olivia Smith easily figured out that Sacagawea was the woman who guided Lewis and Clark on their expedition to explore the Louisiana territory. Neither of them knew, however, that the name of the 85 essays written by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison that defended the constitution were known as the Federalist Papers. They tried their very best and quoted multiple lines from the musical Hamilton to complete their responses, but the catchy tunes couldn’t help them remember. History may have its eyes on them, but Olivia and Evie might need to put their eyes on history, thank you Wilson for that “pun.” 1/3.

Meghan Rassy, Grade 11. 

When asked about two news pieces circulating right now, Meghan may have the best answer yet. She mentions the house speaker debacle and how the House of Representatives still struggle to come up with an adequate choice. This seems to be a common conflict that has become so normal it has slipped my mind. Meghan also mentions the Israel-Gaza war. Next up the infamous question about the one hundred year war, and unfortunately, Meghan fell short. 2/3.

Carolina Cararra, Grade 12.

One of our first winners was Carolina Carrara! While our first question regarding the Trail of Tears did throw her for a loop, she eventually came around to the correct answer, impressing us once again. Her second question was answered much more confidently, Carolina stating “federalist papers” without a second guess. Finally Carolina had reached the last question, about three federal court cases in American history. Like the speed of lightning she rattled off, “Marbury vs. Madison, Plessy vs. Ferguson, and Brown vs. Board of Education. Wow Carolina, someone knows their US history cases. Great job! 3/3. 

James King, Grade 12. 

Name ⅘ of the oceans? Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic, James answers the first 4 flawlessly but he adds an interesting new answer, “the Australian ocean” … never heard of it. Once, again we let James continue on because the Southern Ocean has been a tough one to crack and only Mr. Garris had avoided this trick so far, presenting us with the controversy over what is considered an ocean or not. Although we all studied Julius Caesar during our freshman year, still, many struggle with this next particular question, the day Julius Caesar was assassinated? We assured James that the exact date was not needed but the “name” of the day was what we were looking for, but still he was left speechless. Don’t worry, you are not alone. 1/3.  

Ava Smoak, Grade 12. 

Ava Smoak, a current senior blazed through the first question. While known for her great poses in pictures, Ava is also quite the historian and always eager to participate in her history classes. Her question about two news stories circulating currently, came with a quick, “HAMAS, and also el niño is making the earth have a colder winter.” Great answers and great job Ava! Secondly, we asked her the name of the day Julius Caesar was assassinated, and instead of a spirited IDES OF MARCH, we were left with a sad “I don’t know.” 1/3.

Blake Boyd, Grade 12. 

Blake Boyd is quick to answer with “Constantinople” when asked about Modern-day Istanbul, Turkey. What are the odds that he got this knowledge from AP World instead of the “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” song; personally for me it is the latter. He answers “The Federalist pamphlets” to “what set of 85 essays were published in New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788?” a response so close to accurate that we will let it slide. The true answer being the “Federalist papers” not “pamphlets”. Blake Boyd became another interviewee who claimed “Philadelphia” to be the first capital of the New World; he falls into the average, receiving 2 points out of 3. 2/3. 

Lukey Sutherland, Grade 12. 

Lukey Sutherland approached us with some big confidence for his interview. Lukey breezed through the first four oceans, so far, he has come closest to getting the fifth one; he recounts the “southeast ocean.” I am afraid you are incorrect. Maybe you should study up on your worldly landmarks before we come up to you again with these tricky history questions. Just a thought. We let it slide this time but maybe we won’t again… We next asked about the Christmas Tree Truce and in what war it took place? “World War One,” Lukey jumped at the answer before we even finished asking the question; looks like someone is eager to win back his pride after that last question. For the final question, points away from making it through all three levels and becoming a member of the select few, Lukey answers “1910,” 8 years away from the true beginning date of the Influenza pandemic, 1918. Honestly, compared to the majority, this was a close one. ⅔. 

Sean O’Brien, Grade 12. 

Sean O’Brien is apparently a history buff! He only needed 30 seconds to respond to all the questions and get an easy one hundred percent! Real fans of Sean will remember his curve-breaking tendencies in sophomore year AP World, so his score isn’t that surprising to the Academic Magnet population. Maybe next time we will test him with some harder questions. 3/3. 

Hank Baer, Grade 12. 

Hank Baer, while busy munching on his rice krispy treat, did not fail to impress. When asked to name two current news stories, he stated, “I have no clue”. Someone’s not very well informed! But, after thinking about it, he stated “Israel stuff and then probably like presidential stuff.” Great answer Hank! Next question, when naming three presidents who were assassinated, Hank was quick to respond with JFK and Lincoln, but seemed to be at a loss of words for the other two possible answers. Good try Hank! ⅓

James Benetti and Thomas Hershey, Grade 11.

Another duo, two juniors, James Benetti and Thomas Hershey! Their first question when naming the 5 oceans was only the beginning of their uphill battle. Thomas quickly responded, “Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic,”, but the duo fell short. Anyways, we had allowed them to continue on due to our immense caring nature. On to their next question, when asked to name three presidents who have been assassinated, Thomas once again led the discussion, “uhh JFK?” James finally popped in with “Abraham Lincoln.” And for their last pick, Thomas took a gamble, “Ronald Reagan was shot right?” correct statement but Ronald Regan was not asassinated. Then they begged for one final question and we complied. “Who fought in the 100 years war?” both responded with an astounding “France and Britain!”. While there were many trials and tribulations for the duo, they made it to the final round. When asked to name three Supreme Court cases, the duo fell short. While the team could name Roe v Wade as one of the popular Supreme Court cases, their APUSH knowledge did not pull through and they weren’t able to name any other cases. Good try guys! 1.5/3. 

Harrison Crites and Wyatt Mahoney, Grade 12.

Next up we have another team, Harrison Crites and Wyatt Mahoney, both seniors! Their first question about the makers of the Statue of Liberty, in unison both jumped to the answer, “France!”. Their next question created both confusion and collaboration. When asked about which war the Christmas Tree Truce was called in, there were some troubles. While alone they may have failed, together they built off of one another and gained some critical thinking points. “We were fighting the Germans, in the snow” then with high amount of uncertainty the dynamic duo squeaked “World War One?”Y es, that is correct! Now after making it past the first two rounds, we approached their final question about when the influenza started, a question that brought both failure and success. Wyatt, who seemed quite the expert on pandemics, claimed “every 100 years there is a pandemic” and after debating whether the great depression was in the 1920s or 30s, with an educated guess the two stated, “1920?” While the correct answer was 1918, the duo seemed quite upset they didn’t get it correct, due to only being two years off. We are ones to embrace collaboration so we will award them half a point. 2.5/3. 

Charlotte Halford, Grade 12.

Charlotte Halford struggled to recount who fought in the 100 Years War. She could remember that Britain was involved, but couldn’t recall that the opposing force was France. Charlotte is taking AP French this year, so maybe she should study up a little more before taking the exam and speaking on behalf of France in the culture section. Just kidding Charlotte, that question has stumped many. 0/3. 

Lindsey Griffin, Grade 11.

Lindsey Griffin, a current junior also struggled with naming the 5 oceans, “the Atlantic, Pacific, the Mediterranean one??” It’s okay Lindsey, the Mediterranean sea is quite large and most of us mistake it to be one of the oceans. Maybe it will live up to the “ocean” name one day. 0/3

Caroline Spann, Grade 12.

Finally we have Caroline Spann another senior! When asked what the original name of Istanbul was when it was the capital of the Byzantine empire, she was quick to respond with “Constantinople.” Her next question, about who fought in the Hundreds Years War, Caroline sadly missed the mark, with her response, “England and Spain”. So close but yet so far Caroline, missing France by only a couple of countries. 1/3

We have always wanted to put Academic Magnet High School students to the test, and now that we finally have, I am thoroughly impressed. Many Magnet students came out on top and we are proud to be part of a school that is so eager to learn. Although for this set of questions, we focused largely on history, maybe next time we will delve into science, English, and maybe even math topics. Below are all of the questions we asked, along with their answers.

Easy:

• Name the five oceans. Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean
• “From 2000 to 2008, U.S. “golden” dollar coins were minted with an image of what Shoshone woman who guided the Lewis and Clark expedition?” Sacagawea.
• “Modern-day Istanbul, Turkey, used to be called what when it was the capital of the Byzantine Empire?” Constantinople. 
• “What three-word name is given to the forced displacement of Native Americans, in particular members of the Five Civilized Tribes, by the United States government during the 1830s and 1840s from their ancestral homes in the Southeast to present-day Oklahoma?” The Trail of Tears.
• Name two news stories that are circulating right now.
• Where was the statue of liberty made. France.

Medium:

• The name of the day Julius Caesar was assassinated. Ides of March.
• During which war was a Christmas Truce called? World War I.
• “Name three presidents who have been assassinated?” Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, or John F. Kennedy.
• “Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison used the pen name “Publius” to publish what set of 85 essays in New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788?” The Federalist Papers.
• Who fought in the Hundred Years War? France and England.
• Who actually discovered the “new world”  from Europe first? The Vikings.

Hard:

• “What name is given to Britain’s policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws on early American colonies?” Salutary neglect.
• “Today, Washington D.C. is the nation’s capital, but it’s far from being the only place to take on the role throughout America’s history. In 1789, the first capital of the United States was actually located in which city?” New York City.
• “2017’s ‘The Post’ dramatized the attempts of that paper to publish the Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force, a set of documents known commonly by what geometric, alliterative name?” Pentagon Papers.
• Name three Supreme Court cases you know of.
• When was the influenza Pandemic. 1918.