Common Knowlege....
 

When does something cease to be uncommon? I took a plagiarism quiz and missed a question. I marked it as "common" knowledge. So is there some kind of update I am missing as to what is common knowledge today? How am I supposed to know what everyone knows, as opposed to what they don't know?

Shall I just give reference to everything just assuming they know nothing? Just to be sure?

The question still stands-when does knowledge become common? Who is this "everyone" that knows this knowledge?

Is this a Stephen Wright joke? I don't get it.

No I seriously had to take a plagiarism quiz for school.........It hasn't been funny so far....:)

Heh! I just figure that whatever I know is common knowledge. ;)

Now I'm curious, what was the plagiarism quiz like?

I also vote to see a plagiarism quiz.

But in the meantime, common knowledge (aka received wisdom) is for me a euphemism for urban legend, or cliche.

We have a whole quiz show based on it here, called QI.
Unfortunately, despite the questions and answers of the host being properly researched, during the first series the panel's additional comments were not checked before broadcast, and a lot of guff seeped through. I watched it aghast, and decided the object of the show was simply lying for fun.

I'm glad to say it's tightened up a lot now. I still check snopes for anything I consider fishy though.

BTW - did you know the American who bought London Bridge thought he was buying Tower Bridge and didn't find out his mistake til after he paid to have it shipped all the way home? Stupid Yank, hahahaha.

some people should die......
that's just unconscious knowledge

bah dum
bah dum
bah dum bum bump bumm

There are two different types of 'common knowledge'. One is 'common knowledge' which most people know. The other is a more specific academic application in which something is 'common knowledge' within that field. It's the latter that is relevant within a plagiarism test.

I found a "common knowledge" quiz, not the one I took for school of course, but much like it!

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/site...edge_quiz.html


Heh...I missed one on this one too!! lol!

10/10 :P

10/10 here too. We must have the same common knowledge Dana. ;)

7/10. I'm terrible. See, I told you that if I know it I just assume everyone else does too. :headshake

Much of that stuff was stuff I didn't know. It's about whether or not it is in common usage, not necessarily by you. I couldn't say for sure any of the big statistics like size of a country, population figures, distance of the earth from the sun, the regnal dates of European monarchs. But all of those are common knowledge.

I once foot-noted a phrase my professor said was a truism and didn't need a reference.

SamIam, I've usually assumed if I know something, so does everyone else, but, over and over, I've learned it isn't true. However, if ya ask someone if they know a certain something, invariably, they will respond they do.

Had no problem teaching teens, since, I knew they didn't know what I know, but, teaching adults is the pits for a totally different reason.

Taught adult classes in clay sculpture for five years and they didn't want to do outside work and seemed to think objects should materialize from their hands with little effort of their part. :eek: Fortunately, there were a few who did work at it and became very good.

Yah that's what I think.....If I know it...Everyone else must have known it first! The last one to know...lol!