Can You Answer These "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" Questions?

In elementary school, you learn a ton about U.S. geography, past presidents, fractions, and even musical instruments. But how much of that information do you actually retain into your adult years? Well, there's a way to find out: testing your knowledge with some tricky questions from the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? You might be surprised to discover much you still remember—and how much you don't. And for a word you're almost certainly getting wrong every time you use it, check out This Is the Most Commonly Misspelled Word in the Country.

Professor doing math equations on the board
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Category: 3rd Grade Math

Woman Confused About Math {Tricky Math Questions}
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Don't feel bad if you answered this math question incorrectly: On the show, computer science major Aswad Ali didn't get it right either!

And for location names most of us aren't saying correctly, check out The Most Mispronounced Places in America.

Various world flags
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Category: 5th Grade World History

European Union flag with 12 stars
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This was the final question for contestant Brett Connell when he appeared on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Instead of guessing, he decided to drop out with the money he'd already earned.

For what you're doing wrong every time you send something to your coworkers, This Is the Worst Way to End an Email, Research Shows.

A teaspoon with spices
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Category: 3rd Grade Measurements

Tablespoon and teaspoon measuring cups
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There are 3 teaspoons per tablespoon!

To find out which behaviors are bothering the people around you, check out 50 Things You Do Every Day That Annoy Other People.

Man doing math and counting on his fingers
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Category: 2nd Grade Math

Older teenager solving fractions and doing math on a board
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Thankfully contestant Bruce Eckelman got this question right and secured $1,000.

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A piece of paper with a chemistry equation on it
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Category: 5th Grade Chemistry

An atom of carbon
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Though Eckelman knew the answer to this question, he chose to flip a coin to decide whether to answer it before he saw what it was. He could have walked away with $200,000!

Man or woman drafting engineering plans
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A. Marble
B. Printing
C. Oil and canvas
D. Ceramics

Category: 2nd Grade Art & Music

Person making technical drawings for an architect
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This elementary school question was included in the video game version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

A bunch of different musical instruments
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A. Violin
B. Saxophone
C. Trumpet

Category: 1st Grade Music

Saxophone
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If this question is any indication, first graders know a lot about musical instruments!

Author H. C. Andersen
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Category: 1st Grade Reading

Princess and the Pea
Parragon Books

On episode 3 of season 4 of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, master's student Alex incorrectly guessed that it was "The Princess and the Bride."

Measuring wood with ruler
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A. The table's length
B. The table's width
C. The table's weight

Category: 1st Grade Measurements

Brown wood dining room table
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At least Alex got this question—worth $5,000—right!

picking plants hobbies
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Category: 5th Grade Life Sciences

Farmer planting a seed in the soil
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Fun fact: Chlorophyll can also be found in algae and cyanobacteria!

President John Adams
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Category: Social Studies

the white house on a crystal clear day, american history questions
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Contestant Ken Jennings decided not to go for this million-dollar question—even though he ended up having the correct answer!

man looking at watch
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Category: 2nd Grade Measurements

clock sits on table with timer, running late is poor ettiquette
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Answering this question correctly earned contestant Gregory Baldi $1,000.

Acadia National Park in Maine
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Category: U.S. Geography

maine state welcome sign, iconic state photos
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This million-dollar question was answered correctly by Nobel laureate George Smoot III. In the show's history, only two people have ever won the $1 million!

Calendar page
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Category: 5th Grade Astronomy

Mercury Planet
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In the version of the show hosted by John Cena, third-grade teacher Lindsey got this one wrong, guessing Mars instead.

Sheet music
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Category: 10 Year Old Music

Little girl playing piano
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Actor Martine McCutcheon (who you probably know from Love Actually) missed this question in the U.K. version of the show, Are You Smarter Than a 10 Year Old? It's alright if you did as well—Americans know this type of note as a quarter note.

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