I’m not sure but I believe in AmE dumb means stupid. I heard it many times used in the sense of “stupid”.
Let’s hear what Amy has to say, since she is a pro in AmE 
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I’m sure you have heard the word ‘dumb’ used to mean ‘stupid’, Alex. That is an extremely common way to use the word ‘dumb’.
A quick look at the American Heritage Dictionary (definition 6) will verify that meaning of the word ‘dumb’ for anyone who’s interested:
bartleby.com/61/3/D0420300.html
Here is what Webster’s Dictionary gives as one of the meanings of dumb:
Apparently the British may not be as knowledgeable about this.
dictionary.cambridge.org/define. … &dict=CALD
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I’d say that this test would benefit from a little bit of repair. To do nothing and simply leave it the way it is might be seen as a pretty dumb thing to do. 
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Hi,
Of course ‘dumb’ can mean ‘stupid’ in various contexts. The test wants you to choose for that particular sentence where ‘stupid’ conveys the idea of not knowing something/not understanding something.
Alan
Hi Alan
I guess you missed my point completely. On this side of the pond, the word ‘dumb’ would also work just fine in the context of the test sentence. It is frequently used that way.
Or are we to take this test as a “British usage only” sort of test?
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Hi,
It’s just an English test.
Alan
As the test stands, it excludes usage in US English. It may well exclude usage in Canadian English and Australian English as well, for example. Was this sort of exclusion your intention?
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Hi,
It is not exclusive in any sense. ‘Dumb’ suggests stupid in a broad sense often referring to attitude and behaviour. ‘Stupid’ in the test refers to not knowing or understanding.
Alan
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Are you familiar with the word insular, Alan? 
Apparently, it is sometimes next to impossible for you to understand things outside the borders of your tiny island nation. That’s pretty astounding for someone who claims to be very open and flexible when it comes to the English language.
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Oh dear! I see you’re back to your old tricks again - resorting to personal abuse.
Alan
Have you ever seen the movie Dumb and Dumber, Alan?
You really should try to understand and accept that there actually are some usages in AmE that are different from the usages you’re used to on your isolated island.
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Hi Alan
Your test sentence does not reflect widespread usage. Without a correction, the test simply provides test-takers with wrong information.
english-test.net/forum/ftopi … tml#100454
Here are some further examples of actual usage of the word ‘dumb’ in American English. Perhaps the fact that none of these sentences were written by me will be more convincing for you:
- I’m afraid I’ll do something dumb.
- Investors, after all, aren’t dumb.
- It’s not the first time they’ve been dumb in this sort of thing. They don’t understand us.
- I was so young and dumb, I believed him.
- That was dumb, maybe, but not deliberate.
- You must be pretty dumb not to know your own telephone number.
- You’re so dumb sometimes, Pat.
- It was dumb of us to go out without saying anything.
- Well, I guess I am a dumb bozo, since I’ve no idea what the “digital elite” is.
- I couldn’t believe it. How could they be so dumb?
- That was a dumb question. I didn’t think.
- There’s no such thing as a dumb question.
- There are no dumb questions or dumb answers. Let’s unclog your brains.
- Collins is far from being dumb; indeed, he is sharp-witted and intelligent.
- She’s dumb for sticking around. But hey I’m not going to get involved.
- And that dumb copper was just mistaken. I believe that he was sincere in thinking that…
- I was too dumb to buy it myself.
- I feel like I said something dumb
- I made a mistake. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
- Boys are dumb that way, my mother told me.
- Of all the dumb things this kid has done, this has to be at the top of the list.
- She’s dumb as a box of rocks…
- You’re dumb as sticks.
- You’re not dumb, boys and girls, you’re just not educated.
- I mean, if they were dumb enough to leave their fingerprints…
- No, but then that would be just plain dumb in the context of buying a car.
- I felt kinda dumb for getting myself into that situation.
- I see, and that was dumb of me to say…
- That’s foolish! I’m not that dumb.
- Dumb way to start this, I guess.
- You make your move, and if it’s a dumb move the computer says to you…
- But, the fact of the matter is very smart folks may have very dumb moves in the stock market.
- I thought she was dumb.
- Bootsie sounds dumb as grits-- which would make her a good match for B. J.
- Maybe she’s so dumb she thinks I’m still mulling it over.
- I’ll feel kind of dumb down there if some guy asks me and I get it wrong.
- We are not that smart and we’re not that dumb.
- Get real! Are there really people dumb enough to believe this?
- They would laugh about all this, how dumb everyone was.
- You can call Disney executives a lot of names, but dumb isn’t one of them.
- I never went to look. Wasn’t that dumb?
- How can he be so dumb as to pass up this opportunity?
- This desire to be above reproach was dumb for a thousand reasons.
- How could you be dumb enough to call out to me like that when you knew she was here.
- Bucky isn’t dumb, but he’s probably all of twenty-three years old and doesn’t have much experience with bureaucracy.
- I didn’t want country music or its audience to look ignorant or dumb.
- Basically, I just played poorly and made dumb decisions.
- I’d have to be really dumb to do that.
- I have a giant dumb area of my brain.
- I know it sounds dumb, but it’s a place to start. As good as anything.
- Maybe we’re dumb, but we wouldn’t be anyplace else on earth.
- He was too dumb to see what was going on.
- I hope you’re not too dumb to understand what I’m saying
- I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly, trying my best to sound dumb, casual and open.
- Of course not. Don’t be dumb.
- I did a dumb thing.
- I know, it was a dumb thing to say
- And yet, you have to be a pretty dumb middle manager not to know that the end result…
- Why do you want to do a dumb thing like that? All you have to do is tune-up the old original…
- Why would they be so dumb or so irresponsible?
- I’m sorry I acted so dumb that night.
- You must think I’m dumb. What are you bugging me for? I know what to do!
- You can’t do a song like that today. It would be dumb, stupid and ridiculous.
- Obviously, if they thought we were doing something dumb, they’d tell us about it and we’d change it…
- They’re so dumb they just stand there and let you shoot them.
- I shrug. I act dumb. She believes it.
- I was dumb, innocent, curious…
- Nina would see how dumb I am because I don’t know.
- This sounds dumb, but were you in the navy?
- Jerry was just a jerk – he got in too far and made a dumb mistake.
- It was a dumb move. By the time I reached Spruce Creek, they were all gone.
- He felt ashamed that he had been so dumb,
- Didn’t those dumb hippies know that nukes were a thing of the past?
- That’s a dumb thing to say.
- She’s a dumb blonde.
- He’s too dumb to realize
- Where do they get off telling you that you’re dumb?
- I mean, I was – I was business dumb.
- All right, it was a dumb and misguided policy…
- I never thought the Democrats would be dumb enough to nominate him…
- Being dumb is not impeachable or else our previous dumb presidents would have been impeached.
- It was a dumb decision by the White House.
- It seems pretty dumb to me not to just put it all out the first day.
- Now what does that mean, that you’re too dumb to do both?
- Feeling like a dumb cluck, I nevertheless looked at my watch and groaned…
- It’s a dumb thing to ask, he knows, the minute he says it.
- What a dumb, dumb thing to say.
- I’m so dumb. And I really am sorry about this phone call.
- You never say anything dumb.
- I’m not so dumb. Man cannot live on blintzes alone, you know.
- The voters are not as dumb and inert and gullible as the consultants and the media have assumed.
- We’d talk politics, and he wasn’t dumb about it like most actors.
- It was a dumb thing I did, Larry.
- But y’all think it’s dumb of me
- Today, I read the most dumb, moronic, stupid and unintelligent statement of all time.
- Here’s a dumb idea.
- It’s as dumb as the idea as George Bush and his no-fly zone.
- What it’s saying is that you ought to be dumb enough to do what everybody else does…
- I would take that as a dumb, stupid thing to do and a joke
- That’s the craziest, dumb ass thing I ever heard tell of.
- The guards were thrown out for being dumb and stupid.
- I know that I’ve been a dumb bastard, but I’m going to make a real effort to save our relationship
- It was a dumb title and a dumb thing for her to choose.
- Course, we did some dumb things back then.
- Too young and dumb about the world and men,
- Are you going to cry now too? That would be dumb.
- Josh, don’t be dumb.
- Michael said nothing but began to understand how dumb he’d been for the last three days…
- Because it makes me feel so totally stupid. Naive. Dumb.
- When I came into the system, I was young and dumb…
- She didn’t want to appear dumb and didn’t want to ask the boss to repeat the directions.
- You’re dumb for raising your baby around the gang.
- Did I feel dumb or what?
- Well, this a going to sound kind of dumb, but how does a Newtonian reflector work?
- That’s just the sort of dumb question I’d expect from you, Jake.
- My grandpa did something dumb at Indianapolis.
- That was a dumb, dumb mistake you made.
- It was a dumb excuse to fight, but …
- I smoked. It’s stupid. Dumb. There you go. Why do we do dumb things?
- But the difference is when you or I, Marty, make a dumb decision, we’ve just screwed up…
- You’re dumb. You’re stupid. You don’t get it.
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I trust that long list of examples is sufficient for you to better understand American usage. If that’s not yet sufficient, there are plenty more examples to be found. Simply do a bit of research yourself if for some inexplicable reason you still feel unsure.
You once suggested that I could write tests here. Well, if I had ever written a test sentence using the word ‘dumb’, I would have had no problem whatsoever producing one similar to yours. For example:
I guess you must think I’m dumb because I don’t understand that.
The main difference would have been that I would not have asked learners to choose between ‘dumb’ and ‘stupid’ in that sentence – because BOTH of those words can be correctly used in the context.
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Hi,
Are you familiar with the word over-egging, Amy?
Alan
Well, it seems that without plenty of supporting evidence, you simply choose to reject the idea that there might ever be any difference between AmE and BE.
You’re right, of course. I shouldn’t have to post so many examples. It really should be enough if I could simply tell you that there is a difference in usage. However, you have already made it crystal clear on more than one occasion that the “simple method” is not enough for you. Thus, I’ve provided you with what I think is more than enough “eggs” to convince you that I know a little something about common, standard usage in AmE – something about usage that you apparently did not know.
Are you now willing to correct the test?
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The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives “a: lacking intelligence : stupid b: showing a lack of intelligence ” as the sixth definition.
The Compact Oxford dictionary gives “3 [size=75]informal, chiefly N. Amer.[/size] stupid” as its third definition.
My understanding is that this usage of the word is “chiefly North American” because of the similarity of “dumb” to the German word “dumm”, which means stupid.
Since there has been such large German immigration to the United States (this ancestry group is nearly as large as that of the English), the English language in the US has been influenced by a lot of German.
Another example is the difference in the meaning of the word “bum”. The British use it to mean buttocks, because there it comes from a Middle English word “bom”, which also meant buttocks. The Americans use the word to mean a vagrant, because in the US the word is a shortening of the German word “Bummler”. If you look in American novels from the early 20th century, such as those by Upton Sinclair, you’ll see that the word had not been completely shortened yet, and these vagrants are called “bummers”.
“Stupid” doesn’t mean not to know something or not to understand something. That is being “ignorant”, not “stupid”.
Suffice it to say that Alan is often ignorant of American English and is frequently quite dismissive of it, much as he pretends to be open-minded.
Hi Jamie,
So you’ve decided to join the war of attrition. Clearly I am often ignorant of American English as you clearly must be often ignorant of British English. But to say I am frequently dismissive of the former is complete rubbish. And for your information I have never ‘pretended’ to be open-minded.
Quite frankly your comments are a great shock to me. I credited you with more perception than to join in with the personal snipes that have been paraded by Amy over the years.
Alan
There’s the pot calling the kettle black for the umpteenth time. :roll:
So, what about it, Alan? Are you going to repair the test or simply continue to cloud the issue?
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Maybe we should try and think about the message this discussion is sending to our users. They come here to learn English and many of them have been surrounded by constant ethnic conflicts. There are so many materials on our site which are written by British, American, Canadian, Irish, and Australian authors which means our users get exposed to a variety of “Englishes”. In addition, we frequently discuss differences between American and British English so anyone interested can get any information about any variant of English on our site.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, talks: Promoting the services of a fitness center[YSaerTTEW443543]
I take it that is a code message for “No, we are not going to correct the incorrect test because I have no influence over my partner.”
And, yes, there are a variety of Englishes, Torsten. However, this is a case in which a question about usage has been asked. The test has not been identified specifically as being limited to “UK usage and meaning” and therefore a learner ought to be able to assume that a choice that is specifically identified as “wrong” is actually universally wrong in most any form of English.
As I see it, you can’t have it both ways, Torsten. Either you acknowledge and accept that there are differences between AmE and BE, or you close your eyes and pretend there are none. If you acknowledge that there are differences, then you ought to be willing to point them out rather than to simply mislead learners.
When you present a choice in a generic English test as ‘wrong’ which is in reality ‘correct’ in one of the primary versions of English, you succeed in presenting incorrect information and misleading learners.
This particular test can be repaired extremely easily. You only need to change one of the two correct options to a word that would be a universally incorrect choice, and you’re done. As far as I’m concerned, the only reasonable explanation that you apparently are not going to do this is the pigheaded refusal of the author to admit that he doesn’t know much about American English and his pigheaded insistence on not wanting to know.
Ethnic conflict? Yes, it does sometimes appear that your partner is intent on providing some sort of ethnic cleansing of the English language. And your removal of my initial comments from the test-thread only succeeded in making you appear to be equally biased. Your initial choice was to make the information I had provided inaccessible in the test thread itself (where it was clearly on-topic and relevant), and to place my information about American usage somewhere else – where a test-taker would be much less likely to find it.
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