Are You Smarter Than Miss America? | The Brunching Shuttlecocks

Are You Smarter Than Miss America?
by Lore Sjöberg

"Sure, I'm smart," you ask yourself on a daily, even hourly basis. "But am I as smart as a beauty pageant contestant?" Well, it's time to start showing some appreciation around here, because at long last you have the chance to pit your wits against five of the most poised and shaven women in America.

The 2001 Miss America pageant featured, for the first time ever and for no apparent reason, a multiple-choice quiz section which covered subjects from civics to Betty White. Answer the eight questions below and you can discover whether you're smarter than some or all of the five finalists. Because you have to know.

1. Which of these monuments has the inscription "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses..."?

The Lincoln Memorial
The Statue of Liberty
The Washington Monument

2. What is the highest judicial authority in the United States?

The U.S. Court of Appeals
The Court of Last Resort
The Supreme Court

3. A diabetic, this Emmy Award winning actress recently spoke to Congress about finding a cure to diabetes through stem cell research. She is:

Betty White
Carol Burnett
Mary Tyler Moore

4. Started by the Kennedy Administration, this worldwide volunteer service is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. It is:

The Red Cross
The Peace Corps
The Public Works Administration

5. At no time in American history have there been so many living United States presidents. How many are there today?

6
5
4

6. Which of these historical documents begins "When in the course of human events..."?

The Declaration of Independence
The Bill of Rights
The Constitution

7. The Statue of Liberty was given to the United States from the people of what country?

France
Germany
England

8. Who was the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court?

Clarence Thomas
Thurgood Marshall
Harlan Stone

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