- Note - It should be pointed out that snopes.com, though
admitting the test is genuine, calls this matter "false," passing
a value judgment instead of sticking to the veracity or incredulity of
a matter. In a rather lengthy, overblown defense of today's educational
system, snopes goes out of its way to render this material essentially
meaningless, even casting doubt on the 'dumbing down of America.' Sorry,
snopes, but that dog won't hunt! There was a time when someone with a mere
high school education could determine the meanings of words they'd never
heard simply because they were schooled in latin, and could ascertain the
meaning from the latin root. Snopes would have us believe knowing such
drivel is pointless and has no value.
- http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.htm
-
- -----
-
- Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated
that they "only" had an 8th grade education?
-
- Well, check this out.
-
- Look what it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895;
this is what you were expected to KNOW.
-
- Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895?
-
- Can You Pass This Test Now?
-
- This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina,
Kansas, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey
Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by
the Salina Journal.
-
-
- 8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS -1895
- Grammar (Time, one hour)
-
-
- 1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
- 2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have
no modifications.
- 3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph
- 4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal
parts
- of"lie,""play," and "run."
- 5. Define case; Illustrate each case.
- 6 What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks
of punctuation.
- 7 - 10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show
therein that you
- understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
-
- Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
-
-
- 1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
- 2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft.
wide. How many
- bushels of wheat will it hold?
- 3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth
at
- 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
- 4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is
the necessary
- levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month,
and have $104
- for incidentals?
- 5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
- 6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days
at 7 percent.
- 7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16
ft. long at $20
- per meter?
- 8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace)
at 10 percent.
- 9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre,
the distance of
- which is 640 rods?
- 10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
-
-
- U.S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
-
-
- 1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.
- 2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.
- 3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary
War.
- 4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
- 5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
- 6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the
Rebellion.
- 7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell,
Lincoln, Penn,
- and Howe?
- 8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607,
1620, 1800,
- 1849, 1865.
-
-
- Orthography (Time, one hour) Do we even know what this
is??
-
-
- 1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic,
orthography,
- etymology, syllabication
- 2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
- 3. What are the following, and give examples of each:
Trigraph,
- subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals
- 4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.' (HUH?)
- 5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.'
Name two exceptions
- under each rule.
- 6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate
each.
- 7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection
with a word: bi,
- dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.
- 8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following,
and name
- the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy,
sir, odd, cell,
- rise, blood, fare, last.
- 9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site,
sight, fane,
- fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
- 10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate
pronunciation
- by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
-
-
- Geography (Time, one hour)
-
-
- 1 What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
- 2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in
Kansas?
- 3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
- 4. Describe the mountains of North America
- 5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa,
Denver, Manitoba,
- Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and
Orinoco.
- 6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the
U.S.
- 7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital
of each.
- 8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific
in the same
- latitude?
- 9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean
returns to the
- sources of rivers.
- 10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination
of the
- earth.
-
- Notice that the exam took FIVE HOURS to complete. Gives
the saying "he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning,
doesn't it?
-
-
- "Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every
fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness,
patience, understanding, forgiveness, love, gentleness, fellowship and
endurance."
- Edgar Cayce
-
-
-
- Comment
- Jim Mortellaro
- 10-18-5
-
- There is nothing difficult about this test. I can testify
to the fact by answering every question on it and getting an "A"
for my labor. I shall give you some examples of this feat below. Now pay
attention, place your books inside your desks and take out a pice of blank
paper. No talking. Let the answers begin ...
-
- Wait! Before I begin, let me state that my education
is in engineering. So I use the "arithmatic" section even though
I can answer all the other subject as well, I am more comfortable with
the math. Let the answers begin ...
-
- Wait! I spelled 'arithmattic' wrung. But aside from speeling,
I can answer correctly. OK? Thanks. Now we begin ...
-
- 1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
-
- Always use a pencil and paper.
- Never use ballpoint pens.
- No calculators allowed. They cause brain adhesions and
rarely provide the correct answers. Then there is the radiation from the
darn thing.
-
- 2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft.
wide. How many
- bushels of wheat will it hold?
-
- One bushel is the equivelent of four baskets. And this
wagon will hold twelve baskets. I know; I just placed my baskets in the
same type wagon. Therefore, the answer is 12X4 which equals 36. Sheesh!
Any child knows this.
-
- 3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth
at
- 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?
-
- Twelve ferns per fortnight. But only when the moon is
in the seventh house.
-
- 4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is
the necessary
- levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month,
and have $104
- for incidentals?
-
- School terms are nine months. This is a trick question.
Next ...
-
- 5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
-
- 6720 divided by 2000 = Pi (3.12) times $6.00 converted
to 1895 dollars = $2,750 = $6,759.21. And I did NOT use a calculator.
-
- 6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days
at 7 percent.
-
- I have no interest in this type of question. No Answer
provided.
-
- 7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16
ft. long at $20
- per meter?
-
- Another trick question. What kind of bored? Would? Steel?
No Answer provided, fool!
-
- 8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace)
at 10 percent.
-
- Name me one bank which gives a discount and I shall answer
this one. Since this question has no meening, I will not answer it. Fool!
-
- 9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre,
the distance of
- which is 640 rods?
-
- All farms are round. Square converted to round makes
this farm worth a bundle. Next!
-
- 10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
-
- Bank Check ... I got mine!
-
- Promissory Note ... I promise to pay the bearer $(X)
on demand or when my horse comes in. Receipt ... This note is receipt for
your payment of the promissory note. My horse won.
- NEXT!
-
- OK, I am finished. I got an "A." My point is
made. And it's right at the top of my head.
-
- Jim Mortellaro AKA, Morty
- Morty@MortysCabin.Net
- http://www.mortyscabin.net
|
