If you--like me--have spent entirely too much of your life driving through Illinois on I-74, where there is a prominent sign pointing out that Ronnie went to college in nearby Eureka, then the "Reagan was born in California" question is probably not too hard for you.
I mean, Jefferson, without any explicit or implied authority to do so, entered into the Louisiana Purchase. Maybe that's the exception that proves the rule, but that was a pretty radical undertaking at the time, and rather obscures his legacy as a proponent of "small government."
Buchanan has been last on nearly every list I've seen (aside from the few that have William Henry Harrison there, since he was only in office for 30 days).
But that's because most people don't know presidential history. They only learn about the great ones, and for a lot of people, if you asked them *why* Jefferson or Teddy Roosevelt were great, they couldn't tell you. Most people just say "the worst" is the most recent president from the opposing party. Lots of Republicans genuinely believe Obama is the worst president in history because they know his administration. Scholarship on the issue puts him somewhere near the top of the middle, but the average person has no idea about Buchanan, Grant, Harding, or Taylor, all of whom were demonstrably worse by any measure.
This is so true @jmellor, but I am increasingly convinced that scholars are just as biased as the average dope on the street. There are really two axis that one can judge a President on: competence and ideology. But if you think the ideology is wrong, then competence could even be a negative. For example, FDR is generally cited as one of the greatest Presidents ever but if you are a proponent of small government, then he is one of the worst. When something like 95% percent of historians belong to one political party, the ranking should be taken with a massive grain of salt.
That said, there are things that a President can do that are genuinely good or bad across the board. Presidents like FDR, Reagan, and Obama were strong communicators who brought a message of hope that inspired people across the country. For this, you could rank them more highly even if you disagreed with their policies.
I really don't like that last question. Subjective questions shouldn't be on a quiz. William Henry Harrison died 30 days into his presidency. I'm not sure how you can adequately compare.
Agreed, that’s a problem with this particular question. Lincoln and Johnson were elected as members of the Union Party, and both held office after the end of the Civil War (Lincoln only briefly). That question should be changed or dropped.