Need sample exams for Citizenship Badges

Just came onboard as MB and need some support.

Anyone have sample questions for the Citizenship exams?

I've taken on all three and want to do a good job and be within reason.

THX

Citizenship exams???

I don't recall an exam as a requirement in any of the Citizenship Merit Badges. Perhaps you are refering to some school subjects?

Many counselors teach Citizenship like school, especially Nation, as the info needed tends to be like a school subject. I know a number of them who use actual tests for Nation and World, especially if teaching at a "merit badge" midway or fair. There were some examples on "meritbadge.com".

As someone noted earlier someplace, Nation pretty much follows the Constitution Test material used in middle schools. When I was a scout here in California, teachers were accepted counselors for this, and if you passed the state test, you passed the merit badge.

A test is one more type of tool to use, and may sometimes be a preferred method.

Welcome to the forums, and thanks for taking on the role of Merit Badge Counselor for these badges. My first suggestion is to become familar with the role of the Merit Badge Counselor and learn what they may, and may not do, in the course of their counseling - you should be able to get information on that either from your district advancement chair, or from the BSA website. My second suggestion is to read the requirements of each badge, and the merit badge books - become very familiar with them. I think as you do, you'll notice that none of the requirements even suggest any kind of written exam, or any kind of exam at all. A requirement may say "List the six functions of the government as mentioned in the preamble to the Constitution and discuss with your counselor" but it doesn't say anything about listing them from memory, or anything about being tested on it. In fact, none of the requirements mention a test at all. Now there may be some Merit Badge Counselors out there that are giving some kind of written test, but that just means those are poor counselors that shouldn't be counseling the badge in the first place. I know if I were a Scoutmaster and knew of a counselor who gave written tests for these badges (or pretty much for any badge - none of them require a written test to the best of my knowledge), that counselor's name would not be provided to one of my Scouts.

Let's take our example above - the lad can show up to your agreed upon meeting place with the list already written out - if he read the preamble, he should have gotten it correct. The next step is to discuss with you what he thinks those mean. The list serves as a device to have the lad read at least the preamble, and then as a jumping off point for the discussion. It isn't really conducive to a test, is it?

All three of these merit badges are about learning something, then discussing what was learned with the counselor. Discussion is the key word, and a discussion is not a test. In fact, in many cases, what the lad thinks about some aspect, and what you think, may be quite different - but that doesn't mean he (or you) is wrong. Especially those that say something along the lines of discuss or explain how this or that affects you (the Scout) or your family, or how you feel about it, or what you think about it.

There may be more suggestions to consider looking at a middle school constitution test - but that really shouldn't be of any use to you because they are completely separate things (or are likely to be). I remember my middle school constitution test asked such questions as "What are the qualifications to be President" and "Which branch of the Legislature initiates revenue bills" and "What amendment prohibits the government from quartering soldiers in civilian homes". Not a single one of these questions (or any other questions) on a constitution test applies to the merit badge, because the merit badge doesn't require the Scout to memorize the constitution - or for that matter, to even read it. They need to be familiar enough with certain documents (like the Constitution) to be able to discuss them, and how the US would be different without them, but that can be accomplished by reading about the documents as easily as reading the documents themselves.

Good luck with the badges - and most importantly - HAVE FUN.

Calico

What CalicoPenn said!

As MB Counselors (and I counsel 2 of the 3 Citizenships), our job is to share with the youth, to inquire of the youth, and most assuredly not to make them "recall on demand."

Look at the requirements. Figure out what places to go and things to do are readily in your neck of the woods. Be a resource to the kids, and, as CP said: HAVE FUN working with them!

I am also a counselor for 2 of the 3 citizenship badges, and I teach this stuff in my "day job" too. For what it is worth, I do not use any tests when I work with boys on these MBs. It isn't because I don't have them available - I give exams all the time in my college courses so I have plenty of questions and could certainly write more. Rather, it is because that (in my view) is not how MBs ought to work.

Consider this: many boys put off the citizenship MBs until late in the game, and/or they approach them with a sense of dread because they expect them to be just like school - and I don't mean that in a good way. In fact, in another recent thread on this board, many adult scouters advocated getting rid of one or more of the citizenship badges! I suspect that this approach is based on bad school experiences with boring social studies teachers who didn't adequately introduce their students to the fascination and importance of the topics in question.

A good MB counselor can awaken a scout's interest in, and understanding of, the duties of citizenship without making it just a repeat of mediocre (or worse!) schooling experiences. Share both your knowledge and your passion for the MBs you chose to counsel, and you'll find you have some great conversations with the boys without ever needing exams.

Welcome to the forum. I have counseled all 3 badges for a long time with groups as large as a dozen boys, although I prefer groups of 3-4. I've never given an exam to any of them. I see my job as MB Counselor as being to see that the boys understand the stuff. Citizenship is a job and a responsibility and I see it as my job to make sure the boys see that.

As someone said above, don't forget it's supposed to be fun. All of it can be interesting and fun to talk about.

I have used the worksheets such as those used on meritbadge.com as a discussion prompter, since it has not been common for me to have a scout that can discuss all the various points, ideas and sides off the top of their head. I will send them home with the worksheet and then at our next meeting we will discuss what they found and thought, and so far I have found that the process of putting stuff down on paper usually helps with the digestion and makes for a much more thoughtful regurgitation during discussion.

We've used the worksheets from Meritbadge.com also, but as a place to organize & record work the boy has completed, not as a test.

hh,

Sorry, no sample questions. But, for Citizenship in The Comm. requirement for watching a movie, I have a suggestion. Last Friday my wife and I went and saw Swing Vote. There are a couple minor swear words in the movie, but otherwise it would be a great movie that shows our constitutional obligations, and how idiotic our gov. can be.

Have you considered getting the current Naturalization Exam questions and just quizzing the boys? Make it a game and then discuss what they thought of the questions, how the exam is administered, etc.