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The CBSNews.com Genius Quiz

How smart are you? CBSNews.com hired a team of top cognitive scientists to come up with a cutting-edge test that accurately and precisely measures human intelligence. Below is the fruit of their months of hard work. See how you do!


1. When I was 9 I...
a. Invented a revolutionary new way to polymerize hexametric sodium ions.
b. Learned to ride a bike.
c. Learned to tie my shoes.
d. Came to the sudden realization that sand didn’t taste all that good.

2. Niece is to nephew as brother is to:
a. Sister.
b. Great-aunt's third cousin by marriage.
c. Yo momma!

3. What would be the next number in this series? 1- 2- 3- 4...
a. 5.
b. 8,127.
c. In the context of the latest chaos theory, the question is meaningless.
d. A series? You mean on TV, like “Becker” or “Nash Bridges”?

4. Which one of the following five is least like the other four?
Cat- Cat- Cat- Cat- Dog

a. Cat.
b. Dog.
c. The square root of 33.

5. Which one of the following five is least like the other four?
Hamburger- Hot Dog- Steak- Roast Beef Sandwich- The Planet Neptune

a. Neptune.
b. This is a meaningless question: All matter consists of the same inherent particles.
c. Roast beef sandwich: Most people don’t put ketchup on it.

6. In my spare time, I like to:
a. Resolve the question of space and time.
b. Read Dostoevsky, Flaubert, Wittgenstein, Lao Tzu, and Kierkegaard in the original.
c. Keep up with current events by reading the newspaper.
d. Take online quizzes.

7. In the future, I plan to:
a. Translate Shakespeare's entire oeuvre into Uighur, Swahili, Bengali, and Danish.
b. Become fluent in Italian.
c. Learn more about world history.
d. Buy another TV, so I can watch twice as much.

8. Which one of the following five is least like the other four?
Adolph Hitler- Mahatma Gandhi- Martin Luther King- Dalai Llama- Mother Theresa
a. Hitler.
b. Martin Luther King - he had three names.
c. Mother Theresa - she's a chick.

9. Napoleon lost his final battle at:
a. Moscow.
b. Waterloo.
c. Boston.
c. Daytona Beach.

10. You are helping your gym teacher. The teacher asks you to bring 16 balls from the storage room. You can carry 3 balls at a time. How many trips to the storage room do you need to make?
a. 5.
b. 6.
c. A bunch - I'll be carryin' them darn balls 'til the rooster crows.
d. 0 - I'm not getting paid; the teacher can get his own balls.

11. My idea of a perfect intellectual evening is...
a. A spirited conversation with several Nobel Laureates on the nature of phenomenological reality.
b. A few hours alone rereading "Othello."
c. An intense debate with frinds over the morality of the death penalty.
d. A "Gilligan’s Island" marathon on cable and a case of Milwaukee's Best.

12. Alison is 15 years old. She is now two-thirds of Sally's age. In five years, she will be twice as old as Randy. In four years, she will be 15/17ths as old as her younger brother Mark. If the sum of Randy's and Mark's ages is a prime number greater than 197 and less than 200, how old will Alison be a year from now?
a. 16.
b. The square root of 33.
c. The answer depends on whether or not she is traveling at the speed of light.
d. Who's Randy?

How did you do? Get the Answers.

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