Enter a player name to begin or load your saved progress.
Steven Levitt, born in 1967, is primarily recognized for his contributions to theoretical physics.
Answer: False
Explanation: Steven Levitt is an American economist, not primarily known for theoretical physics. His work focuses on applying economic principles to diverse social phenomena.
Steven Levitt earned his PhD in economics from Harvard University.
Answer: False
Explanation: Steven Levitt earned his PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), not Harvard University.
Levitt's undergraduate thesis at Harvard focused on the economic implications of horse breeding.
Answer: True
Explanation: His undergraduate thesis at Harvard indeed explored the application of economic principles, specifically rational bubbles, to the context of horse breeding.
Before pursuing his PhD, Levitt worked as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs.
Answer: False
Explanation: Prior to his doctoral studies, Levitt worked as a consultant for Corporate Decisions, Inc. (CDI), advising Fortune 500 companies, rather than as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs.
James M. Poterba was Steven Levitt's PhD advisor at MIT.
Answer: True
Explanation: James M. Poterba, a distinguished economist, served as Steven Levitt's doctoral advisor during his studies at MIT.
Gary Becker, Malcolm Gladwell, and Milton Friedman influenced Levitt's academic work.
Answer: False
Explanation: The economists cited as influences on Levitt's work are Gary Becker, Kevin M. Murphy, and Josh Angrist, not Malcolm Gladwell or Milton Friedman.
Levitt's PhD thesis at MIT was titled 'Four essays in positive political economy'.
Answer: True
Explanation: The title of Steven Levitt's doctoral dissertation completed at MIT is indeed 'Four essays in positive political economy'.
Who is Steven Levitt, and what is his principal area of renown?
Answer: An American economist, co-author of the best-selling book *Freakonomics*.
Explanation: Steven Levitt is an American economist widely recognized as the co-author of the best-selling book *Freakonomics*, which applies economic principles to unconventional topics.
Where did Steven Levitt complete his undergraduate studies and earn his BA in economics?
Answer: Harvard University
Explanation: Steven Levitt earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in economics *summa cum laude* from Harvard University.
What was the subject of Steven Levitt's undergraduate thesis at Harvard?
Answer: The economic concept of rational bubbles applied to horse breeding.
Explanation: Steven Levitt's undergraduate thesis at Harvard explored the application of economic theory, specifically rational bubbles, to the domain of horse breeding.
What type of work did Steven Levitt undertake after graduating from Harvard before commencing his PhD studies?
Answer: He was a consultant for Fortune 500 companies at Corporate Decisions, Inc.
Explanation: Following his undergraduate degree, Steven Levitt gained professional experience as a consultant at Corporate Decisions, Inc. (CDI), advising major corporations.
Who advised Steven Levitt during his doctoral studies at MIT?
Answer: James M. Poterba
Explanation: James M. Poterba served as Steven Levitt's doctoral advisor during his PhD program at MIT.
Which economist is mentioned as an influence on Steven Levitt's academic work?
Answer: Kevin M. Murphy
Explanation: Kevin M. Murphy is cited, along with Gary Becker and Josh Angrist, as one of the economists who influenced Steven Levitt's academic research.
What is the title of Steven Levitt's PhD thesis completed at MIT?
Answer: Four essays in positive political economy
Explanation: Steven Levitt's doctoral dissertation from MIT is titled 'Four essays in positive political economy'.
Steven Levitt has published over 60 academic papers on topics including crime, politics, and sports.
Answer: True
Explanation: Levitt's extensive academic output includes over 60 papers that apply economic analysis to diverse fields such as crime, politics, sports, and social behavior.
Levitt's 2000 paper analyzed the finances of a political campaign.
Answer: False
Explanation: Levitt's 2000 paper, "An Economic Analysis of a Drug-Selling Gang's Finances," focused on the internal economics of a criminal organization, not a political campaign.
Steven Levitt's academic work is primarily situated within social economics and applied microeconomics.
Answer: True
Explanation: Levitt's research is indeed primarily situated within social economics and applied microeconomics, utilizing economic frameworks to analyze social phenomena.
Levitt and Ian Ayres studied the effectiveness of the Lojack car recovery system in a 1998 paper.
Answer: True
Explanation: In 1998, Levitt and Ian Ayres published a paper empirically analyzing the effectiveness of the Lojack car recovery system, focusing on positive externalities from unobservable victim precaution.
Levitt's 2000 paper 'Juvenile Crime and Punishment' examined the impact of school funding on crime rates.
Answer: False
Explanation: Levitt's 2000 paper, titled 'The Effect of Prison Population Size on Crime Rates,' examined the relationship between incarceration levels and crime rates, not the impact of school funding.
Steven Levitt's work on crime is primarily categorized under sociology.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Levitt's work addresses sociological phenomena like crime, it is primarily categorized under economics, specifically applied microeconomics, utilizing economic methodologies.
Levitt and Brian A. Jacob's 2003 paper 'Rotten Apples' investigated student cheating.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 2003 paper 'Rotten Apples' by Levitt and Brian A. Jacob investigated teacher cheating, not student cheating.
The paper 'The Causes and Consequences of Distinctively Black Names' explored the impact of names on political affiliations.
Answer: False
Explanation: The paper 'The Causes and Consequences of Distinctively Black Names' examined the social and economic implications of such names, not their impact on political affiliations.
Levitt's 2004 paper 'Understanding Why Crime Fell in the 1990s' identified increased police funding as the primary cause.
Answer: False
Explanation: Levitt's 2004 paper identified four key factors contributing to the crime decline in the 1990s, and while police presence was one factor, increased police funding was not identified as the primary cause.
Levitt's 1997 paper used electoral cycles in police hiring to estimate the effect of police on crime.
Answer: True
Explanation: Levitt's 1997 paper employed electoral cycles in police hiring as a methodological tool to estimate the causal impact of police presence on crime rates.
Levitt and Sudhir A. Venkatesh analyzed the financial records of a drug-selling gang.
Answer: True
Explanation: Levitt and Sudhir A. Venkatesh collaborated on a study analyzing the financial records of a drug-selling gang to understand its internal economic structure.
The link to the 'Business and economics portal' suggests Levitt's work is primarily in the humanities.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Business and economics portal' link indicates that Levitt's work is fundamentally rooted in economics, not primarily in the humanities.
Which of the following topics is NOT mentioned as a focus of Steven Levitt's academic papers?
Answer: International trade
Explanation: Steven Levitt's published academic work extensively covers topics such as crime, sports, and politics, but international trade is not typically cited as a primary focus.
What was the subject of Levitt's 2000 paper, "An Economic Analysis of a Drug-Selling Gang's Finances"?
Answer: The income distribution and structure within a criminal gang.
Explanation: The paper analyzed the financial records of a drug-selling gang to elucidate the internal economics, specifically the income distribution and organizational structure among its members.
In their 1998 paper, what did Levitt and Ian Ayres empirically analyze regarding the Lojack system?
Answer: The positive externalities from unobservable victim precaution.
Explanation: The 1998 paper by Levitt and Ayres empirically analyzed the Lojack car recovery system to measure positive externalities derived from unobservable victim precautions.
What relationship did Levitt's 2000 paper, 'The Effect of Prison Population Size on Crime Rates,' examine?
Answer: The relationship between the size of the prison population and actual crime rates.
Explanation: Levitt's 2000 paper investigated the causal relationship between the size of the prison population and observed crime rates, using litigation over prison overcrowding as a natural experiment.
What did Levitt and Brian A. Jacob investigate in their 2003 paper 'Rotten Apples'?
Answer: The prevalence and predictors of teacher cheating.
Explanation: The 2003 paper 'Rotten Apples' by Levitt and Jacob focused on identifying the prevalence and underlying factors associated with teacher cheating within educational systems.
What was the focus of the 2004 paper by Levitt and Roland G. Fryer Jr. concerning names?
Answer: The social and economic implications of distinctively Black names.
Explanation: The 2004 paper by Levitt and Fryer Jr. examined the social and economic consequences associated with the use of distinctively Black names in the United States.
In his 2004 paper, Levitt analyzed the decline in crime during the 1990s and identified how many key factors?
Answer: Four
Explanation: Levitt's 2004 paper identified four primary factors that he posited explained the significant decline in crime rates during the 1990s.
What did Levitt and Sudhir A. Venkatesh analyze in their study of a drug-selling gang?
Answer: The gang's internal economics and income distribution.
Explanation: Their study of a drug-selling gang focused on analyzing its internal economics, specifically the distribution of income among members and the gang's operational structure.
Steven Levitt co-authored the seminal work *Freakonomics* with Malcolm Gladwell.
Answer: False
Explanation: While *Freakonomics* was co-authored by Steven Levitt, his collaborator was Stephen J. Dubner, not Malcolm Gladwell.
The 2005 book *Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything* was co-authored by Levitt and Stephen Dubner.
Answer: True
Explanation: The highly influential 2005 book *Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything* was indeed co-authored by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.
The book *SuperFreakonomics* discusses topics such as patriotic prostitutes and suicide bombers.
Answer: True
Explanation: Yes, the book *SuperFreakonomics* delves into a range of unconventional subjects, including those mentioned, using economic reasoning.
*Think Like a Freak* encourages readers to challenge assumptions and think unconventionally.
Answer: True
Explanation: The book *Think Like a Freak* indeed aims to guide readers toward more unconventional thinking and challenging established assumptions.
The 2015 book *When to Rob a Bank* is a collection of Levitt and Dubner's academic research papers.
Answer: False
Explanation: *When to Rob a Bank* is primarily a compilation of insights and advice drawn from Levitt and Dubner's blog, exploring various curious economic and social topics, rather than a collection of academic research papers.
Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner maintained a popular blog together.
Answer: True
Explanation: Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner maintained a popular blog, which served as a platform for many of the ideas later explored in their books.
Which book by Levitt and Dubner explores topics like global cooling and the economics of suicide bombers?
Answer: *SuperFreakonomics*
Explanation: *SuperFreakonomics*, published in 2009, delves into a wide array of unconventional subjects, including global cooling and the economic rationale behind suicide bombers' actions.
What is the relationship between Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner?
Answer: Collaborators and co-authors
Explanation: Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner are long-standing collaborators and co-authors, most notably known for their work on the *Freakonomics* series.
Steven Levitt was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal in 2003.
Answer: True
Explanation: Indeed, Steven Levitt received the John Bates Clark Medal in 2003, recognizing his significant contributions to economic thought at a young age.
The John Bates Clark Medal is awarded annually to economists under the age of 50.
Answer: False
Explanation: The John Bates Clark Medal is awarded biennially (every two years), not annually, and specifically recognizes economists under the age of 40, not 50.
Steven Levitt currently holds a professorship at Stanford University.
Answer: False
Explanation: Steven Levitt is affiliated with the University of Chicago as the William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, not Stanford University.
Steven Levitt co-founded the Center for Radical Innovation for Social Change.
Answer: True
Explanation: Yes, Steven Levitt is a co-founder and the Faculty Director of the Center for Radical Innovation for Social Change at the University of Chicago.
Steven Levitt founded TGG Group, a consulting firm, in 2009.
Answer: True
Explanation: Steven Levitt co-founded TGG Group, a consulting company focused on business and philanthropy, in 2009.
Steven Levitt served as editor-in-chief for the *Journal of Political Economy* until December 2007.
Answer: False
Explanation: Steven Levitt served as a co-editor for the *Journal of Political Economy*, not editor-in-chief, and his tenure concluded in December 2007.
In 2006, Steven Levitt was recognized by *Time* magazine as one of the "100 People Who Shape Our World."
Answer: True
Explanation: Indeed, *Time* magazine included Steven Levitt in its 2006 list of the "100 People Who Shape Our World."
A 2011 survey ranked Steven Levitt as the second favorite living economist under 60.
Answer: False
Explanation: A 2011 survey ranked Steven Levitt as the fourth favorite living economist under 60, not the second.
The Center for Radical Innovation for Social Change incubates the 'Data Science for Everyone' coalition.
Answer: True
Explanation: The Center for Radical Innovation for Social Change, co-founded by Steven Levitt, does indeed incubate initiatives such as the 'Data Science for Everyone' coalition.
The John Bates Clark Medal is often considered a precursor to winning the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Answer: True
Explanation: The John Bates Clark Medal is widely regarded as a significant indicator of future success, often preceding a Nobel Prize in Economics for its recipients.
What prestigious award did Steven Levitt receive in 2003?
Answer: The John Bates Clark Medal
Explanation: In 2003, Steven Levitt was honored with the John Bates Clark Medal, an award recognizing significant contributions by American economists under the age of 40.
With which university is Steven Levitt currently affiliated as a professor?
Answer: University of Chicago
Explanation: Steven Levitt holds the position of William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago.
Beyond his academic role, what significant professional venture did Steven Levitt co-found in 2009?
Answer: TGG Group, a consulting company.
Explanation: In 2009, Steven Levitt co-founded TGG Group, a consulting firm that applies economic analysis to business and philanthropic endeavors.
How was Steven Levitt recognized by *Time* magazine in 2006?
Answer: As one of the "100 People Who Shape Our World."
Explanation: *Time* magazine recognized Steven Levitt in 2006 by including him in their list of the "100 People Who Shape Our World."
What is the significance of the John Bates Clark Medal in the economics field?
Answer: It is awarded to the most promising American economist under 40.
Explanation: The John Bates Clark Medal is awarded biennially by the American Economic Association to an American economist under the age of 40 who has made the most significant contribution to economic thought.
The 2001 paper by Donohue and Levitt argued that legalized abortion significantly reduced crime rates.
Answer: True
Explanation: The seminal 2001 paper by Donohue and Levitt posited a controversial link, arguing that the legalization of abortion was a significant factor in the subsequent decline of crime rates.
The Donohue-Levitt study estimated that legalized abortion accounted for roughly 10% of the crime reduction in the 1990s.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Donohue-Levitt study estimated that legalized abortion accounted for nearly half (approximately 50%) of the crime reduction in the 1990s, not merely 10%.
Levitt stated that his research on abortion and crime should be used to inform opinions on abortion policy.
Answer: False
Explanation: Conversely, Levitt explicitly stated that his research on abortion and crime should not be used to form opinions on abortion policy, emphasizing the separation of statistical findings from ethical or moral stances.
Theodore Joyce challenged the Donohue-Levitt findings, suggesting abortion had little impact on crime rates.
Answer: True
Explanation: Theodore Joyce published research in 2003 that directly challenged the Donohue-Levitt findings, arguing that legalized abortion had minimal impact on crime rates.
Foote and Goetz claimed in 2005 that correcting statistical errors in the Donohue-Levitt study showed abortion increased violent crime.
Answer: True
Explanation: In 2005, Christopher Foote and Christopher Goetz published a critique suggesting that statistical errors in the original Donohue-Levitt study, when corrected, indicated that abortion legalization might have actually increased violent crime.
Donohue and Levitt acknowledged statistical errors but maintained their core findings were unaffected.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Donohue and Levitt acknowledged statistical errors in their 2006 response, they argued that the proposed corrections introduced their own biases and maintained that the link between abortion legalization and crime reduction remained statistically significant, albeit potentially weaker.
The 2019 update by Donohue and Levitt estimated legalized abortion contributed to a 20% fall in crime between 1997 and 2014.
Answer: True
Explanation: In their 2019 update, Donohue and Levitt reaffirmed their thesis, estimating that legalized abortion contributed to approximately a 20% reduction in crime rates between 1997 and 2014.
What controversial argument did Levitt and John Donohue III present in their 2001 paper?
Answer: The legalization of abortion in 1973 was a significant factor in the subsequent reduction of crime rates.
Explanation: Their 2001 paper controversially argued that the legalization of abortion in 1973 was a significant contributing factor to the subsequent decline observed in crime rates.
According to the 2001 Donohue and Levitt study, approximately what proportion of the crime reduction in the 1990s was attributed to legalized abortion?
Answer: Nearly half (almost 50%)
Explanation: The study estimated that legalized abortion accounted for nearly half, or approximately 50%, of the observed reduction in crime rates during the 1990s.
How did Steven Levitt advise the use of his research on abortion and crime?
Answer: He stated it should not be used to form opinions on abortion policy.
Explanation: Levitt explicitly cautioned against using his research findings on abortion and crime to inform opinions on abortion policy, separating the statistical analysis from ethical considerations.
Who challenged the Donohue-Levitt paper in 2003, arguing that legalized abortion had little impact on crime rates?
Answer: Theodore Joyce
Explanation: Theodore Joyce published research in 2003 that contested the findings of Donohue and Levitt, suggesting that legalized abortion had minimal effect on crime rates.
What did Christopher Foote and Christopher Goetz suggest in their 2005 critique of the Donohue-Levitt paper?
Answer: That statistical errors in the original study led to incorrect conclusions.
Explanation: Foote and Goetz's 2005 critique argued that statistical errors within the original Donohue-Levitt study led to flawed conclusions, suggesting that corrections indicated an increase in violent crime.
In their 2006 response, what did Donohue and Levitt concede regarding the criticisms?
Answer: They acknowledged statistical errors but argued proposed corrections introduced bias.
Explanation: Donohue and Levitt acknowledged statistical errors in their 2006 response but contended that the corrections proposed by critics introduced their own biases and maintained that the link between abortion legalization and crime reduction remained statistically significant.
What did the 2019 update by Donohue and Levitt estimate regarding abortion legalization's contribution to crime reduction?
Answer: It contributed to approximately a 20% fall in crime between 1997-2014.
Explanation: The 2019 update by Donohue and Levitt estimated that legalized abortion contributed to roughly a 20% decrease in crime rates between 1997 and 2014.
The 'Chicago Principles' emphasize the importance of open discourse and freedom of expression at the University of Chicago.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'Chicago Principles' are a formal statement from the University of Chicago affirming the fundamental importance of open discourse and freedom of expression within the academic community.
The 'Latke–Hamantash Debate' is a serious academic conference held at the University of Chicago.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Latke–Hamantash Debate' is a tradition characterized by humorous, mock-academic arguments, not a serious academic conference.
The University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt involves students completing a list of unusual tasks.
Answer: True
Explanation: The University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt is a well-known campus tradition where students undertake a series of complex and often unusual tasks.
The 'Nuclear Energy' sculpture at the University of Chicago commemorates the site of the first nuclear reactor.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 'Nuclear Energy' sculpture marks the location of Chicago Pile-1, the world's first artificial nuclear reactor, a significant event in scientific history that occurred at the university.
What is the primary purpose of the 'Chicago Principles' at the University of Chicago?
Answer: To affirm the importance of freedom of expression and open discourse.
Explanation: The 'Chicago Principles' articulate the university's commitment to fostering an environment of open discourse and robust freedom of expression for all members of the community.
What does the 'Nuclear Energy' sculpture at the University of Chicago commemorate?
Answer: The site of the first controlled nuclear chain reaction (Chicago Pile-1).
Explanation: The 'Nuclear Energy' sculpture stands at the location of Chicago Pile-1, the world's first artificial nuclear reactor, a pivotal achievement in scientific history that occurred at the university.