Young Americans off the charts

CHICAGO (ap) -- While a new national poll paints a dismal picture of young Americans' knowledge of world news and geography, a survey at one Chicago high school shows that teens are a lot savvier than they appear.

The recent FACT survey, conducted by an unnamed source at Regnef High, balances out young people's poor performance in the Roper poll conducted for National Geographic.

Among the findings:

ROPER: One-third of respondents COULDN'T pinpoint Louisiana on a map and 48 percent were UNABLE to locate Mississippi.
FACT: Four-fifths of respondents COULD point out in which bathroom a small drug purchase could be made and, while half could not come up with the annual school fee, 89 percent were ABLE to find cash for the bathroom purchases.

ROPER: FEWER THAN three in 10 think it important to know the locations of countries in the news and just 14 percent believe speaking another language is a necessary skill.
FACT: MORE THAN eight in 10 think it important to know the locations of security guards each period and 84 percent believe "being cool" with those guards is a necessary skill.

ROPER: Two-thirds DIDN'T know that the earthquake that killed 70,000 people in October 2005 occurred in Pakistan.
FACT: Two-thirds DID know which cell phone company offers 1,000 anytime minutes for $49.99.

ROPER: Six in 10 COULD NOT find Iraq on a map of the Middle East.
FACT: Nine in 10 COULD find a way out of in-school suspension.

ROPER: While Israeli-Palestinian strife has been in the news for the entire lives of the respondents, 75 percent were UNABLE to locate Israel on a map of the Middle East.
FACT: While some sort of school dress code has been in effect for their entire high school career, 75 percent of seniors were ABLE to make it through eighth period without anyone telling them to put on an ID.

ROPER: Nearly three-quarters INCORRECTLY named English as the most widely spoken native language.
FACT: Nearly 95 percent CORRECTLY named English as the most boring subject in high school.

ROPER: Six in 10 DID NOT know the border between North and South Korea is the most heavily fortified in the world. Thirty percent thought the most heavily fortified border was between the United States and Mexico.
FACT: Eight in 10 DID know how to sneak into a different lunch period. Seventy percent thought the most closely watched period is fifth, so they snuck into sixth or seventh.