wirehairman Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Remember when grandparents and great-grandparents stated that they only had an 8th grade education? Well, check this out. Could any of us have passed the 8th grade in 1895? 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 , 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 hour 15 minutes) 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 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 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 6,720 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 metre? 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 event s 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.' 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. ______________________________________________________ The whole exam only took 5 hours! It would probably take me 5 days and extensive use of the internet. It really gives the term "He only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning and raises questions about today's educational system. P.S. No, I don't have the answers, but Big John should be along shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 reading this makes me feel and although the code for that is "crazy"...it seems more like durrrrrhhhh to me... I need to go back to school apparently.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabuffbills Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) Hey Sky, how long did it take you to finish this test when you took it in 8th grade?... Edited February 5, 2008 by dabuffbills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) Hey RR, how long did it take you to finish this test when you took it in 8th grade?... Funny but the guy you're looking to speak with is known as Sky. By the way, holy shnikees I'd fail that test and I'm a teacher!! Edited February 5, 2008 by irish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabuffbills Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Funny but the guy you're looking to speak with is known as Sky. By the way, holy shnikees I'd fail that test and I'm a teacher!! what are you talking about, that's what I said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 what are you talking about, that's what I said That's not what your edit time says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 In case you didn't notice, that smiley was a link to this being totally bunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursa Majoris Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 In case you didn't notice, that smiley was a link to this being totally bunk. Didn't notice the link but it obviously was. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 In 1994 I did a demonstration speech in college. 4 different ways to roll a "cigarette". I got an A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 In 1994 I did a demonstration speech in college. 4 different ways to roll a "cigarette". I got an A. Did you do the one-handed leg technique? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yukon Cornelius Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) In 1994 I did a demonstration speech in college. 4 different ways to roll a "cigarette". I got an A. in 1982 i did one on how to clean a shotgun... Edited February 5, 2008 by Yukon Cornelius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 In 1984 I did a symposium on how to moonwalk like Michael Jackson. Got an A, mofos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonKnight Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 In case you didn't notice, that smiley was a link to this being totally bunk. Well not totally bunk, just misconstrued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 when i was in eight grade , skinny leather ties were in style i looked real fine at that time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Hey Sky, how long did it take you to finish this test when you took it in 8th grade?... While the education system has take a giant leap backwards in what they require kids to learn nowadays I have big time doubts that many would have been able to pass that test bogus or not. However, be that as it may, it only took me 3 1/2 hours. And I received a D- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coffeeman Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I would fail the math, mostly due my lack of knowing what a bushel is.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I would fail the math, mostly due to my lack of knowing what bush is.... Not sure what one has to do with the other but my condolences regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimC Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I also got in 8th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 While the education system has take a giant leap backwards in what they require kids to learn nowadays I have big time doubts that many would have been able to pass that test bogus or not. I think that what I learned in school has served my life far more than any of that stuff. Knowing the rules of mathematics and grammar is less important than demonstrated application of them, I think. I couldn't tell you the 9 rules of punctuation, but I bet I didn't break more than 3 of them in this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wirehairman Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 Well not totally bunk, just misconstrued. How many times do I have to tell myself to Snopes stuff before posting it on the Tailgate? Anyway, I'm a little confused. Is Snopes saying the test is false of the accompanying statement that says our education system has been dumbed down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 (edited) How many times do I have to tell myself to Snopes stuff before posting it on the Tailgate? Anyway, I'm a little confused. Is Snopes saying the test is false of the accompanying statement that says our education system has been dumbed down? i just read (ok, skimmed) the article, and they don't even address whether the test is "real". they just say "false" to the idea that it indicates declining educational standards. which i guess assumes that the test is real? i think the test must be fake though, because it is from kansas and there are no questions about what kind of dinosaurs jesus rode around on. Edited February 5, 2008 by Azazello1313 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 How many times do I have to tell myself to Snopes stuff before posting it on the Tailgate? So was cliaz 2 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 I would fail the math, mostly due my lack of knowing what a bush is.... This makes me sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irish Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 This makes me sad. What did you miss my post? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.