The sample questions from the most recent draft of the Australian Citizenship Test for migrants has hit and it's as predictably incomprehensible as one might have imagined. Really, does knowing who Phar Lap is make you Australian? Let's remember anyway that while Phar Lap has historical significance in Australia, he was actually a Kiwi born and bred horse!
Of The Age's 20 sample questions I was able to get 16 correct with the other four being wrong on technicality. Clearly they did not have an English teacher or any kind of editor proof read their questions because the vagueness of many of the questions leaves room for multiple answers and yet they only give one possible correct answer. Having heard some of the other questions, it really makes you wonder what the hell they are thinking!
Q: In which capital territory is the parliament of Australia situated?
A: Canberra.
In actuality the answer to such a question would be the Australian Capital Territory, not Canberra which is the city in which parliament is situated. This kind of stupidity leaves me breathless.
The other issue to consider is what is the point of all this. Prospective migrants will learn the answers to the test by Rote memorization and then forget the information as soon as they walk out Again... what is the point of all this?
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Another one of John Winston Howard's original brilliant ideas like the magnet? Or maybe not. I knew I've read about this somewhere before:
http://usgovinfo.about.com/blinstst.htm
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