If you were asked to explain how global warming works, could you?
You’re not alone if you can’t, say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. In a small study, they found that while most people believe that global warming is happening and is caused by human activity (they only surveyed people in San Diego), very few could explain the basic science behind it.
I find that the amazing thing here is not the quick learning by students upon providing the oversimplified background (that's somewhat expected if the exam material is 400 words long) but the complete lack of initial understanding. Smells purposefully anthropogenic to me.