Testing, One, Two, Three . . .

When Fred Friendly has a headache, he thinks the whole world is in pain. Friendly, who is president of CBS News, got a ticket for speeding, and as punishment was directed to take a New York State driving test. He passed it, but he thought the rest of the country ought to take it too. Last May he arrested 30 million Americans on CBS's National Drivers Test.

The test not only rated, it educated. Putting the audience in the driver's seat, it dramatized highway dilemmas, posed questions ("Pumping the brakes shortens the stopping distance. True or false?"), then gave answers. The results were not surprising: rated against a preprogram sampling, 42% of those who took the driving test failed it; 53%, for example, were unaware that pumping the brakes means longer stopping distance. The show got fourth highest rating of the season and, predictably, started a television trend. It is called the "audience involvement" program.

In past weeks a nation of rotten drivers was informed that it was politically and medically ignorant as well. Given a Citizenship Test highlighted with courtroom dramas and political-convention footage, 41% of CBS's sample could not identify either of their U.S. Senators. The National Health Test concluded with the news that 75% of Americans cannot name even three of cancer's seven danger signals,* and that two-fifths cling to the schoolboy belief that they can get venereal disease from toilet seats.

Jealous of CBS's quiz ratings, Friendly enemies at rival networks have joined the test patterns. Last week NBC asked, "Is Anybody Honest?", then showed that more than a third of the country would lie, cheat and steal at the drop of the other fellow's wallet. ABC's forthcoming People Poll ("starring Garry Moore and You") will examine such profound questions as "Should the husband be the boss in the household?" (Yes, say 57% of a Gallup pre-poll), and "Is the husband boss in your household?" (No, say 18%).

There are assuredly more quizzes in store for the test-happy and testy alike. One possibility: The National TV Repair Test. Question: "Your TV set keeps asking you questions. What can be done about it?" Answer: Pull the plug.

* The seven: unusual bleeding or discharge; a lump or thickening in the breast or elsewhere; a sore that does not heal; a change in bowel or bladder habits; hoarseness or a cough; indigestion or difficulty in swallowing; a change in a wart or mole.

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