Originally Posted By: andrewg
No...you are wrong. I'm not saying that because it isn't a child's puzzle that it isn't a legit test of a person geography skills.
When given the state of Colorado to place on the map (and I know full well where Colorado is), and no bordering state or landform is available to get a proper placement upon the map...it is a GUESS as to where it EXACTLY is to be placed. I did it and was off by 1/4"...and it said I missed it.
It therefor has no bearing on ones knowledge of U.S. geography, and more to do with luck in placement of those first plains states. It would be like being shown a diagram of a V-8, and you only have an outline to place the parts onto the diagram. Being off by a tiny bit (like placing a distributer 1/4" off where the diagram allows) would have no legitimacy in ones knowledge of V-8's.
It's just a fun game...with at least a portion of it requiring a good geography ability...and another portion of it being luck and a good guess.
I'm WRONG because you can't get 100%? That sounds like the "no child left behind" syndrome where everyone gets an "A" as well as a trophy in any team sport. Considering most people have reported getting 80-95% the first time around it sounds like a very fair test of general geographic ability. One person even reported getting 100% the first time through...a top 5%er for sure. If anything, it's "too easy" and skewed to the high end. Where are the 60% and 70% grades that should come about in any reasonable "fair" test. For a better test I'd like the actual US boundaries and not the somewhat cartoonish ones on the supplied map.
To separate the very good (90-96% from the best (98-100%) takes a lot more studying, something I wouldn't do. At the highest levels, luck should have nothing to do with it (ie which states you get in the first 10). But to get there, start finding ways to line up exterior national boundaries to the inner states. Note that Minnesota's top nook lines up with the one in Kansas's right edge as well as the gulf bay in Texas. Colorado's West boundary lines up perfectly with Arizona which runs down to a nook in Mexico. The East boundary runs slightly right of hump center in lower Texas. If you want to be 100% that's what it would take. Being in the top 1% of geographers probably means you can stick countries and states on a blank map to amazing accuracy. It takes time and effort and well-trained and conditioned mind. Not something us regular Bitogers would ever care to do. I suspect there are 5th graders out there who can get 100% consistently on this test....after studying. I'd be surprised if there weren't.
You want a "real" test? Do every state (without name - only the shape) and place it in a blank country. Every state is done on a blank map. It would be graded on how many average miles you miss by. No fair relying on bordering states to help you land the others. Now that's fair, and a truer test.
US maps
No...you are wrong. I'm not saying that because it isn't a child's puzzle that it isn't a legit test of a person geography skills.
When given the state of Colorado to place on the map (and I know full well where Colorado is), and no bordering state or landform is available to get a proper placement upon the map...it is a GUESS as to where it EXACTLY is to be placed. I did it and was off by 1/4"...and it said I missed it.
It therefor has no bearing on ones knowledge of U.S. geography, and more to do with luck in placement of those first plains states. It would be like being shown a diagram of a V-8, and you only have an outline to place the parts onto the diagram. Being off by a tiny bit (like placing a distributer 1/4" off where the diagram allows) would have no legitimacy in ones knowledge of V-8's.
It's just a fun game...with at least a portion of it requiring a good geography ability...and another portion of it being luck and a good guess.
I'm WRONG because you can't get 100%? That sounds like the "no child left behind" syndrome where everyone gets an "A" as well as a trophy in any team sport. Considering most people have reported getting 80-95% the first time around it sounds like a very fair test of general geographic ability. One person even reported getting 100% the first time through...a top 5%er for sure. If anything, it's "too easy" and skewed to the high end. Where are the 60% and 70% grades that should come about in any reasonable "fair" test. For a better test I'd like the actual US boundaries and not the somewhat cartoonish ones on the supplied map.
To separate the very good (90-96% from the best (98-100%) takes a lot more studying, something I wouldn't do. At the highest levels, luck should have nothing to do with it (ie which states you get in the first 10). But to get there, start finding ways to line up exterior national boundaries to the inner states. Note that Minnesota's top nook lines up with the one in Kansas's right edge as well as the gulf bay in Texas. Colorado's West boundary lines up perfectly with Arizona which runs down to a nook in Mexico. The East boundary runs slightly right of hump center in lower Texas. If you want to be 100% that's what it would take. Being in the top 1% of geographers probably means you can stick countries and states on a blank map to amazing accuracy. It takes time and effort and well-trained and conditioned mind. Not something us regular Bitogers would ever care to do. I suspect there are 5th graders out there who can get 100% consistently on this test....after studying. I'd be surprised if there weren't.
You want a "real" test? Do every state (without name - only the shape) and place it in a blank country. Every state is done on a blank map. It would be graded on how many average miles you miss by. No fair relying on bordering states to help you land the others. Now that's fair, and a truer test.
US maps
