Are you smarter than a third grader in Ohio?

Today I was looking at a Standards Guide for Families, What is Expected in Grade Three. Some schools have a pdf to print at their website, but you can see it at www.OhioAcademicStandards.com, and select the grade you're interested in.

I found some of the questions overwhelming, and here are two examples:

1) Explain the major functions of the government. Right now we have major political parties and grass roots movements like the Tea Party trying to figure that one out. Does a third grader have the experience and the vocabulary to understand the question let alone answer it? Do they know their school is a function of the government? The snow plows? Not sure I did.

2) Describe the changes in religion in your community. Now that was part of a long list, which included among other things, architecture. Again, I think when I was in 3rd grade I knew that our little town (Forreston, IL) had a Lutheran Church (we weren't Lutheran but attended there), a Reformed Church and something across the street from the school that years later became part of United Methodist after a few mergers (I've forgotten its name), and that during Bible School, kids from country churches came that we didn't usually see. I knew our Pastor's name and that at school we each had a little Bible in our desk and took turns reading it aloud. But that's about as much as I knew and we were regular attenders. Kids today? I don't think a lot of them are even aware there are churches.

I also found some terms I didn't know. "Using a compass rose and cardinal directions. . ." What's a compass rose? Not sure I would know what a cardinal direction was either.

Are these tests written to explain to adults what children should know? The vocabulary doesn't seem very kid friendly to me.