Tag Archives: Act

The Dove Counter-balance IQ Test (Updated Version)

In 1968, African-American student Adrian Dove was excoriated by his professor and colleagues regarding a subpar performance on an IQ Test; legend has it that Dove’s performance landed him in the region of mental retardation. Angered by this experience, the industrious Dove set out to prove a seismic point to all around him regarding culturally biased IQ Tests. From this young man’s perspective, these tests did not measure intelligence, rather reflected how similar the test-taker was in cultural perspective as the creator of the test. He created the following IQ Test and distributed it to his classmates who all performed worse than he had on the initial test.

Keep in mind that the issue of IQ and Standardized tests will become a hot-button issue in the wake of the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education (Topeka, Kansas) decision. A few of the major questions that were being bantered around the nation by White power-brokers were the following?

  • Are Blacks intellectually inferior to their White counterparts?
  • Is the Black mind capable of learning as rapidly and retaining information as the White mind?
  • Is poor testing on Standardized Tests (ACT /SAT) a sign of Black intellectual inferiority?
  • Is it possible for Blacks to gain entry and complete coursework at Predominantly White Institutions?

This matter became a frontpage issue with the arrival of Allan Bakke and the State of California’s attempt to implement “Affirmative Action” strategies to diversify their medical school classes. Bakke’s argument was a simple statement of “In the Federal Government’s rush to include Blacks, they failed to understand that it meant excluding more deserving (meaning higher performing)  students.”

What follows is a modernized Dove Counter-Balance Intelligence Test. A major portion of our discussion regarding Affirmative Action.

NAME:

TIME:

THE COUNTER BALANCE INTELLIGENCE TEST

  1. A “handkerchief head” is:
    (a) a cool cat                                                  

(b) a porter

(c) a Uncle Tom                                             

(d) a hoddi

  1. Which word is most out of place here?

(a) black                                                         

(b) blood

(c) gray                                                          

(d) spook

  1. A “gas head” is a person who has a:
    (a) fast-moving car                                        

(b) “process,”

(c) habit of stealing cars                                

(d) long jail record for arson

  1. “Bo Diddley” is a:
    (a) game for children                                     

(b) down-home cheap wine

(c) down-home singer                                    

(d) new dance

  1. “Hully Gully” came from:
    (a) East Oakland                                            

(b) Fillmore

(c) Watts                                                        

(d) Harlem

  1. Cheap chitlings (not the kind you purchase at a frozen food counter) will taste rubbery unless they are cooked long enough. How soon can you quit cooking them to eat and enjoy them?
    (a) 45 minutes                                                

(b) 2 hours

(c) 24 hours                                                   

(d) 1 week (on a low flame)

  1. What are the “Dixie Hummingbirds?”
    (a) part of the KKK                                       

(b) a swamp disease

(c) a modern gospel group                             

(d) Deacons.

  1. If you throw the dice and 7 is showing on the top, what is facing down?

(a) 7                                                                

(b) snake eyes

(c) boxcars                                                     

(d) 11.

  1. “Jet” is:
    (a) an East Oakland motorcycle club            

(b) a gang in “West Side Story”

(c) a news and gossip magazine                    

(d) a way of life for the very rich

  1. T-Bone Walker got famous for playing what?
    (a) trombone                                                  

(b) piano

(c) “T-flute”                                                   

(d) guitar

  1. “Bird” or “Yardbird” was the “jacket” that jazz lovers from coast to coast hung on:
    (a) Lester Young                                            

(b) Peggy Lee

(c) Benny Goodman                                      

(d) Charlie Parker

  1. Hattie Mae Johnson is on the County. She has four children and her husband is now in jail for non-support, as he was unemployed and was not able to give her any money. Her welfare check is now $286 per month. Last night she went out with the highest player in town. If she got pregnant, then nine months from now how much more will her welfare check be?
    (a) $80                                                            

(b) $35

(c) $150                                                         

(d) $100

  1. “Money don’t get everything it’s true.”
    (a) but I don’t have none and I’m so blue      

(b) but what it don’t get I can’t use

(c) so make do with what you’ve got             

(d) but I don’t know that and neither do you.

  1. How much does a short dog cost?
    (a) $0.15                                                         

(b) $2.00

(c) $0.35                                                         

(d) $0.05

  1. Many people say that “Juneteenth” (June 19) should be made a legal holiday because this was the day when:
    (a) the slaves were freed in the USA             

(b) the slaves were freed in Texas

 (c) the slaves were freed in Jamaica             

(d) the  slaves were freed in Ca.

  1. The saying that “He’s Clean” means?

      A.        Fresh out of the shower                     

B.        Not carrying drugs

      C.        Well Dressed                                     

D.        Extremely smart

17. Who wrote The Road to Riches?

      A.        Kool Moe Dee                                   

B.        Big Daddy Kane        

      C.        Ice-T                                                  

D.        Kool G. Rap

18. Who performed a soulful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the NBA All             Star Game?

      A.        Prince                                                 

B.        Marvin Gaye

      C.        TLC                                                    

D.        Al Green

19. Who was the first woman to run for the U.S. Presidency?

      A.        Shirley Chisholm                               

B.        Hillary Clinton

      C.        Jane Goodall                                      

D.        Susan B. Anthony

20. What religious leader was known as “The Charmer” during an earlier music       career?

      A.        Malcolm X                                         

B.        Louis Farrakhan

      C.        The Honorable Elijah Muhammad    

D.        Father Divine

21. The lead rapper for Public Enemy was?        

      A.        Chuck D                                             

B.        Flavor Flav

      C.        KRS-ONE                                          

D.        Paris

22. The first person to say “Black Power” during the 1960s was?

      A.        James Brown                                     

B.        Al Green

      C.        Stokely Carmichael                           

D.        Willie Ricks

23. Which artist is closely associated with the P-Funk

      A.        Shock-G                                             

B.        George Clinton

      C.        Big Baby                                            

D.        All of the Above

24. Tupac Amaru Shakur was born in

      A.        Baltimore                                           

B.        Harlem

      C.        Marin City                                         

D.        Oakland

25. My dogs are barking means

      A.        My feet are sore                                 

B.        My feet hurt

      C.        My shoes are too tight                       

D.        All of the above

26. Which group made “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”

      A.        Public Enemy                                    

B.        Busta Rhymes

      C.        The Last Poets                                   

D.        Sister Souljah

27. “Are you waiting for my arm to fall off?” Is a classic line from what movie?

      A.        School Daze                                       

B.        Lady Sings the Blues

      C.        Mo Better Blues                                

D.        Sparkle

28. The father on Good Times was named?

      A.        Jerry                                                   

B.        JJ

      C.        James                                                 

D.        Bookman

29. Jim Brown was a famous?

      A.        Athlete                                               

B.        Movie Star

      C.        Political Activist                                

D.        All of the above

30. Drez is the lead rapper in what group?

      A.        The Lords of the Underground          

B.        Black Sheep

      C.        X-Clan                                               

D.        Digital Underground

31. Nassir Jones’ first album was titled?

      A.        Stillmatic                                           

B.        Illmatic

      C.        Automatic                                          

D.        Too Tragic

32. Who song “I Will Survive”?

      A.        Whitney Houston                               

B.        Yolanda Adams

      C.        Gloria Gaynor                                    

D.        Hezekiah Walker

33. What was Muhammad Ali’s former name?  

      A.        Sonny Liston                                     

B.        Cassius Clay

      C.        Joe Louis                                           

D.        Carl Johnson

34. Malcolm X was a member of which organization?

      A.        Nation of Islam                                  

B.        OAAU

      C.        Muslim Mosque Inc.                          

D.        All of the Above

35. Michael Ray Richardson was a?

      A.        Boxer                                                 

B.        Pugilist

      C.        Politician                                           

D.        Basketball Player

36. The lead singer of LTD was?

      A.        Jeffrey Osborne                                 

B.        Luther Vandross

      C.        Teddy Pendergrass                            

D.        Prince

37. “Freeway Ricky Ross” garnered fame as a?

      A.        Drug Dealer                                       

B.        Corrections Officer

      C.        Rapper                                               

D.        Race Car Driver

38. Bruce Leroy was

      A.        The Last Dragon                                

B.        A Political Leader

      C.        Bruce Lee’s son                                 

D.        Sho’ Nuff

39. Marvin Gaye recorded many songs with whom?

      A.        Diana Ross                                         

B.        Gladys Knight

      C.        Tammi Terrell                       

      D.        Michael Jackson

40. Billy Dee Williams was the spokesperson for what?

      A.        Malt Liquor                           

      B.        Candy

      C.        Love                                       

      D.        Wine