The Universal Test of Citizenship

The Americans have had their civics test for many decades. Certain politicians around here (in Europe) have been proposing a similar test for new immigrants as a way to share our common values and culture and to integrate the newcomers in our society. The proposal has been problematic from the start for various reasons I do not wish to go into here. In essence the problem is that the rules don’t seem to apply equally to all.

So why not go for a universally applicable test : A test for citizenship of our Solar system

1. What is the most abundant element in the earths crust ?
2. How many planets in the solar system are larger than Earth ?
3. What is the radius of the Earth ?
4. How long does it take light to travel from the sun to the Earth ?
5. Which is the most abundant element in the Earth’s atmosphere ?

Answers:

1. oxygen
2. 4
3. 6371km
4. approximately 8 minutes
5. nitrogen

Unfortunately even this would not be universally accepted because ever since the old Battlestar Galactica series it is known that ‘there are those who believe …’