Darren New wrote:
> Sabrina Kilian wrote:
>> My first reaction was to just shake my head in wonderment about how only
>> 28% could get that right. Then I checked the Supremacy Clause of the
>> Constitution. It isn't just the Constitution, but also Federal Statutes
>> and Treaties.
> 
> I don't believe it has been interpreted that way. Certainly federal
> statues are secondary to the constitution in practice, and I believe the
> question of treaties is still somewhat open to argument. There are
> regularly federal statues struck down as unconstitutional, and I think
> the argument is that since the president can't make a treaty without the
> congress approving it later, it's also subject to constitutional limits.
> 

Yes, the Constitution overrides the others. But the clause in the
Constitution (Article 6 paragraph 2) says that the "Supreme Law of the
Land" is made up of those three things.

I was more bashing the test than anything else. The question was vague
enough, and I didn't see the link at the bottom providing the answers
that they wanted. I can still hold some hope for humanity, and just wish
that 30% of the students just told the inquisitive folks to buzz off.

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I wonder how elementary school, say 5th & 6th grade, children in the
same school system would do. Sometimes it seem that people in high
school forget a lot they learned earlier.

David


Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:33:17 -0700, Darren New wrote:
> 
>> High school is grade 10, 11, and 12, so age 15 thru 17.
> 
> 15 thorough 18.  Some of us were not fortunate enough to be born before 
> the cutoff and started a year later than others our age.  But also these 
> days, "High school" tends to be grades 9-12 rather than 10-12...
> 
> Jim

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On Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:28:57 -0500, David H. Burns wrote:

> I wonder how elementary school, say 5th & 6th grade, children in the
> same school system would do. Sometimes it seem that people in high
> school forget a lot they learned earlier.

That would be interesting (though elementary typically is K-5 now, 6-8 is 
middle, 9-12 is high, at least here and where I grew up).

Jim

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Darren New wrote:
> Chambers wrote:
>> Or the fact that they keep adding Justices?  At least, that's the one 
>> I got wrong.
> 
> It's been nine for as long as I can remember. Occasionally you have 
> situations where one or more have left and new ones haven't taken their 
> place, but nine is normal?

I thought it was 7.  Looking it up, though, it's been 9 since 1869.

...Chambers

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