Only 30 per cent of adults can answer this question - Can you?

Can you remember the difference between oxymorons, similes and metaphors, or the mean, median and mode?

The YouGov survey suggests many adults have forgotten they key principles of English and science they were taught in school (William Vanderson/Fox Photos/Getty Images)

More than a third of adults do not know what an oxymoron is and a fifth have forgotten how to work out fractions or percentages, a survey has found.

The YouGov survey, commisssioned by Oxford Open Learning, suggests many adults have forgotten they key principles of English and science they were taught in school.

Of 2,000 adults surveyed, 35 per cent could no longer calculate the mode, 31 per cent the median and 28 per cent the mean.

When it came to English, 34 per cent did not know what an oxymoron was, 24 per cent could not remember what a simile was and 20 per cent could not explain metaphors.

For science topics, 41 per cent were unable to explain mitosis, while 21 per cent had forgotten photosynthesis.

Can you remember the difference between oxymorons, similes and metaphors, or the mean, median and mode? Take our quiz below:

Let us know how you got on in the comments below.