EYRE: Think Gen Z is as smart as previous generations? This quiz may change your mind

“Gen Z is less cognitively capable than previous generations.”See how they fare in our comprehensive, back-to-school quiz.Over the last two decades, billions have been spent by countries, including the US, Canada, and Sweden, replacing school textbooks with laptops and tablets. Sweden is now scrambling to reverse course as its student literacy rates tumble.Meanwhile, in recent testimony to the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath called Gen Z “less cognitively capable” than previous generations. Seniors, who were taught via textbooks and blackboards, have been proven to do better in math than their grandchildren.Today’s students often lack basic references — to history, art, literature — along with breadth of vocabulary and knowledge of basic grammar. So, this Labour long weekend, grab your favourite Gen Z’er and see how you score on Eyre’s six-part, general knowledge, 100-question quiz. Don’t know the answer? Depending on your age, either Google it, ask AI, or check a book..I. General What is the adjective in the following sentence? So as not to be caught, the brown fox decided to jump over the fence quickly.Divide 117 by 13, then multiply the quotient by 8. What number do you now have?What do you call a substance that causes or hastens a chemical reaction, but is not affected by that reaction? Who ran against Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election? Christopher Columbus sailed for the New World… i) before 1500, ii) between 1500 and 1600, iii) between 1600 and 1650.Who was the reigning monarch of Great Britain from 1837 to 1901? What’s the name of the first book of the Bible?What does the Latin phrase quid pro quo mean, colloquially? What is the name given to a person who investigates complaints against government officials or agencies? What was Copernicus’ main proposition? The sixteenth-century religious movement that led to the establishment of Protestant churches is known as what?Name the English naturalist who visited the Galapagos Islands in 1835, aboard The Beagle.What’s the name given to the ancient bedrock extending from the Lake Superior region across to the Northwest Territories? The prime meridian runs through what centre in England?The American Civil War was fought between 1) 1776-1780, ii) 1789-1802, iii) 1832-1835, iv) 1861-1865.What’s the name of the 12 km x 41km strip of land on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea?On June 22, 2025, the US Air Force dropped “bunker buster” bombs on three nuclear facilities in what country? On a map, what’s the east-west line separating Canada and the USA officially called? In the energy world, what do the letters LNG stand for? .II. Instant recognition (Indicate your familiarity with, or the significance of, the following items in two or three words.)The “Sun King” Hiroshima J.D. Vance Vimy Ridge Third person plural A.I. The Louvre House of Lords D.E.I. June 6, 1944 Vatican City NATO International Date Line Kiev (or Kyiv) F-35 Lightning .III. Names (Briefly identify the following names.)Zohran Mamdani Margaret Atwood Xi Jinping Volodymyr Zelensky Leo Tolstoy Andy Burnham John A. Macdonald George Gershwin Louis Pasteur Charles Lindbergh Eva Perón(Prophet) Muhammad T.C. Douglas Leonard Cohen Adolph Hitler ‘Duke’ Ellington J. K. Rowling Joseph Stalin Martin Luther King Jr. Frank Sinatra Vladimir Putin .IV. Words* (Provide a brief definition or good, single synonym for the following words)appendindigent antithesis facile benign rapacious temerity charlatan veracity heinous imbibe cryptic gist felicity anthology *From Words are Important (Grade 12), H.C. Hardwick, The Book Society of Canada..V. Trivia (briefly indicate your familiarity with the following).Winning team, 2025 Grey CupComma splice ‘Little Rocket Man’ Bitcoin A paperback TSX A ‘mulligan’ Charter of Rights and FreedomsUSMCA (or CUSMA)Hammer and sickle .VI. Finally…What’s the signing device President Biden allegedly overused for presidential pardons and executive orders?What is an isosceles triangle?In meteorology, what’s an isobar?Who was the nineteenth-century Norwegian playwright often referred to as “the father of modern drama”?What does Homo sapiens refer to?“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!” was the cry of what revolutionary movement?What scale has traditionally been used to rank earthquakes?Does The Levant refer to 1) an ancient passageway between Turkey and Syria, 2) a French protectorate in Northern Africa, 3) a region in southeastern Europe comprising the Balkan Peninsula, 4) a geopolitical coastal region of the eastern Mediterranean Sea?Relative to the orbital plane, the Earth’s axis is tilted at approximately how many degrees?What artist created the famous marble statue of David?What’s the name of the eight-day Jewish festival held in December to commemorate the resurrection of the Temple in 165 BC?Does the company Nvidia operate chiefly in the world of 1) sports, 2) space, 3) agriculture, 4) technology, 5) travel, or 6) pharmacy?The trumpet, trombone, and tuba are classified as what kind of instruments?What is the Ukrainian term for the Soviet-caused famine that took the lives of millions of Ukrainians in 1932-33?Who is the only Canadian author to win the Nobel Prize for literature?What is a deciduous tree?Who wrote The Odyssey?What does ‘checkmate’ signify?What is popularly known as “TDS”? Across what river did Julius Caesar famously lead his troops in 49 BCE?

EYRE: Think Gen Z is as smart as previous generations? This quiz may change your mind

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