Jeff Foxworthy’s newest show “Are you smarter than a 5th-grader?” has been a let down.

The promos for the Fox network game show were intriguing. Adults would try their smarts against the brains of current fifth-grade students to win large sums of money. Foxworthy would throw in witty banter, likely about rednecks, to keep things moving.

When the show actually aired, I realized, much to my disdain, that the children and adults weren’t competing against each other. The adult contestants work alongside the students, using them as a crutch when they don’t know the answer. The adults can essentially cheat off the children.

Without the competition factor, I get bored, but the concept is still an interesting one.

Are you smarter than a fifth-grader?

Adults simply aren’t asked to recall schoolwork on a daily basis. We do math by balancing our checkbooks, but we use calculators.

We need grammar for e-mails to the boss, but the e-mail program comes with a built-in grammar checker.

And reading more than important forms and documents is simply optional.

Face it, much of your fifth-grade knowledge has left you.

You’ve likely developed higher-order analytical knowledge, but do you know how many years the Constitution says you must be a U.S. citizen to run for president? (Fourteen.)

Tests are a part of life, but detail-oriented book knowledge tests end for most of us at college graduation.

Students in the Natchez-Adams School District have one of those detail-oriented tests coming their way next week. Second- through eighth-grade students will take the Mississippi Curriculum Test. High school students will be taking Subject Area Tests.

Teachers, administrators and students have worked since August to cover the material on this year’s test. This week they are reviewing and attempting to relax before the big day.

In the spirit of Jeff Foxworthy, here are a few sample fifth-grade questions from the MCT. Let’s see if you are smarter than a fifth-grader.

I’ll list the answers below.

4Solve the following equation for n. 32 + n = 45 x 5

4Which of the following is the same as 2 yards? 6 feet; 7 feet; 24 feet, 36 feet

4Randy set up chairs for the school play. He made 6 rows with 8 chairs in each row. Which of these equations can be used to find the total number of chairs (n) he set up?

N=8-6; n=6+8; n=8/6; n=6×8

4Choose the sentences that best support this topic sentence: Without spiders, the world would be buried in insects.

A. Insects are six-legged and usually have wings. Spiders are eight-legged creatures.

B. All spiders spin silk to make webs. This silk is very strong and can stretch without breaking easily.

C. Very few spiders are poisonous to humans. The Black Widow is perhaps the most well known of the poisonous types.

D. In a year’s time the world’s spiders eat an amazing number of insects. That’s because spiders have insects for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Answers: 193, 6 feet, n = 6 x8; D.

How did you do?

The MCT seems slightly easier than Jeff Foxworthy.

You can view a full sample test for any grade level at www.mde.k12.ms.us/acad/osa/gltpprac.html.

It’s a good idea if you have children taking next week’s test, or even if you don’t, to know what the state is asking our students to learn. Print out a few pages and make some note cards. Quiz the kids in your life and talk them through the answers.

Remember what they need right now is confidence. Build up the students, let them know you believe in them and remind them to relax.

Let them know that sometimes even the adults aren’t smarter than the test.

Julie Finley is the managing editor of The Natchez Democrat. She can be reached at 601-445-3551 or Julie.finley@natchezdemocrat.com.