THE COMMON SENSE TEST.
It is absolutely amazing to me how the world of psychiatry and psychology has not developed a way to test common sense, just as we test IQ. Of course, various avocations and occupations do prepare fitness tests for their particular needs. There is testing for autism, but I must say it is still in the developmental stage. Certainly such tests are not set up to focus on common sense. Many times all of these are really tests which include common sense testing.
We all have known very bright, by IQ standards, people who are all over the map on matters which seem so common.
Einstein stands out. He forgot how to comb and care for his hair, did not wear socks and his upper garment was generally a bad looking sweat shirt. Little things like keeping your room picked up, tying your shoes, choosing the right colors, and stuff like that.
We have known people who were absolutely sharp as a tack when it comes to inventing things and yet cannot remember to eat. Their balancing common things seem askew.
Estimates tell us approximately 136 million minds are created every year. Roughly 20 per 1000 of population. In all that volume, error is a part of the package. Quality control is totally lacking….none. Some minds will be defective, some will be great, and all will be different. The stories abound about the person, who is mentally defective in most things, but can draw pictures of what they have seen in amazing detail, or play a piano in a way that is a marvel.
Some say Common Sense has passed on. In the London Times the following appeared.
―Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend.
Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was, since birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as; Knowing when to come in out of the rain, Why the early bird gets the worm.
Life isn‘t always fair, And maybe it was my fault.
Common sense lived by simple, sound financial polices (don‘t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when wellintentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of 6 teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined every further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer such lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn‘t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot.
She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common sense was preceded in death, by his parents; Truth and Trust; by his wife, Discretion; by his daughter, Responsibility; and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers: I know my rights, I want it now, someone else is to blame, and I am a victim.
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him you are blessed.‖
In all Mind testing we dwell on Intelligent Quotient (IQ) and pay scant attention to the other major factor, common sense. Everyone will have a level of each. What level for common sense? The following test is simplistic and I hope scientist will devise a much better one. I and some of my friends have created a series of questions which test common sense.
The result is on a simplistic scale of 1 to 10. 10 is very good common sense and 1 is very poor common sense.
Take the test and then on the last page you will find the answers and a way to judge your score.
Question 1: If you have a square peg and a round hole. Can you put the peg through the hole?
a- Yes b- No c- Maybe Question 2: Faced with a desperate person who has a knife and is advancing to kill you, what option would you take if you have a pistol?
a- Run b- Stand and use the pistol as a club c- Reason with the man d- Shoot and aim to wound him.
e- Shoot and aim at his center.
Question 3: You are working in your garden, when a cold wind comes up and it begins to rain. You should leave the garden and seek shelter a- As soon as you feel the first drops.
b- As soon as you gather your tools to a dry place.
c- As soon as the rain makes the dirt too muddy to work.
Question 4: Your family needs a replacement car. You have $1,000 in money you can spend to obtain it.
a- Use the $1,000.00 as a down payment on a new car.
b- Find a dependable car that costs $1,000.00 c- Use $500.00 of the $1,000.00 as a down payment on a new car, keeping $500.00 for its upgrade.
d- Use the $1,000.00 to buy a classic car you have always wanted.
Question 5: You are an adult in a group outing consisting of 3 other adults and 20 teenage children. You are at Disneyland. There is not enough money for all of you to receive an all events pass.
Who should decide who gets what?
a- The 4 adults.
b- The tallest and strongest Adult.
c- The teenagers by a majority vote.
d- The teenagers by a 2/3ds vote e- A majority vote of the 3 Adults and the Teenagers.
Question 6: You have been tasked to open a locked door in a hurry.
You have been given a ring of 40 assorted keys and told one will work. The door lock has
―Master‖ stamped on it. Assuming you know little to nothing about locks what would be the best way to unlock the door.
a- Break off the lock.
b- Try each key in the lock c- Find a knowledgeable person to do it.
d- Locate a ―Master‖ key on the ring. If it fits, try only those that look like it.
e- Do not trust a Master key because they are not set up for one lock.
Question 7: You are in charge of a group of people who do not have a home to live in.
They live in apartments, or their cars. Each of their incomes is in the lower brackets and sometimes spotty.
Each of them wants to buy a house. Which of the following is correct?
a- Set them up with a savings plan to collect a substantial down payment.
b- Set them up with a loan which will take all their discretionary money to pay the loan.
c- Set them up with a loan which they will not be able to pay.
d- Tell them they cannot buy a home.
Question 8: Assume you are traveling into a foreign country. You have made arrangements with your Hotel to have someone at the depot to pick you up. When you arrive there is no one from the Hotel for you. Which option should you chose.
a- Telephone the Hotel and learn where the person is or whether they were ever sent.
b- Wait for the Hotel person by giving them some more time.
c- Take a taxi to the Hotel.
Question 9: Assume you are in a third world country. You have arrived at a single track train station. The track goes north and south. You hope to travel south. As you traveled to the Station it began to rain and storm and night has fallen. The local people who had no real shelter have filled the station to sleep and keep out of the storm. The ticket window is closed. The toilets no longer work.
A southbound train stops at the Station. It is packed and all seats are taken. People are even sleeping under the seats.
The only observable space is that between cars.
Which of the following actions makes the most common sense?
a- Try to find a taxi or other conveyance to take you back to the place from which you came.
b- Wait for the Ticket window to open and buy a ticket for a proper train.
c- Board the train without a ticket and hope to buy one from someone on board.
Question 10: You are a military officer. You have been given command of a Combat Division consisting of several infantry Regiments and some specialized units. One of those is a specialized reconnaissance unit. The officers and men of the Regiments all dress alike. Most of the special units also wear the same uniforms worn by the Regiments. For whatever reason the reconnaissance unit (RU) had developed a variant of the uniform with special applications and colors. This had been the case for several years and the members of this unit were proud of the fact they looked different. They have good esprit-decorps.
Your regulations say that all uniforms must in fact be uniform. What action should you take?
a- Comply with the language of the regulation and tell the RU commander to make his men wear the same uniform as the Regiments wear.
b- Create a committee to investigate what is best for your command. Give them authority to talk with all interested parties.
c- Ask the officer who commands you for instructions.
d- Do nothing so long as there is no change in the espritde- corps of all units.
Answers to questions 1 through 10 1- (Maybe) Since you do not know the sizes, the peg may go through if the hole is large enough or the peg is small enough.
2- (e) To insure survival use the best tool available. Aiming at his center is the least likely to miss.
3- (b) The most important matter is to preserve your tools.
Getting wet is not a big deal.
4- (b) Since all you have is $1,000.00 use it in the most economical way which does not burden you with other problems or debt.
5- (a) Having the 4 adults decide is the fastest and since they are in charge it is their responsibility.
6- (d) Since the ring contains the key, this will be the fastest and surest way.
7- (a) As the person in charge, the best interests of the people is part of your task. Setting up a savings account may in fact work, and all the time it exists it offers them hope.
8- (c) In both (a) and (b) there is no way to be certain of getting there or certain of how much time will be lost.
9- (c) You want to go South. The train is there. The staff want to obtain more money for the trip so they no doubt will help you along.
10- (d) Reconnaissance is vital to the lives of all troops. Making certain those soldiers are at their best, means keeping their spirit up. Taking away the variations will reduce and maybe destroy their spirit. Don‘t take the chance unless the spirit of all units is affected by it.