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8TH GRADE - 1895 Ladies and Gentlemen - are you ready for the 8th Grade Exam in as in 1895?? Here goes .......  What it took to get an 8th grade education in 1895... 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. . The 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 7percent per annum. 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 events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865. Orthography (Time, one hour) 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, 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. Huh??? Are they kidding??? This is hard to believe.... 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?! Also shows you how poor our education system has become and, NO, I don't have the answers! "To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle" - Zarathustra |
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6/10/2013 8:09 am |
And they had to write it in Latin.
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6/10/2013 9:48 am |
My grandmother was a great example of the old 8th grade education. With hers she was able to run the business end of the farm and help my mother solve her algebra problems even though she never had algebra herself. In Mexico standard education ends at the 9th grade, which is considered the equivalent of HS graduation here in the US. Schooling after that is vocational in nature teaching skills needed for specific jobs. Spiritwoman ^i^
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I am amazed Mrs Joe; I go shopping buy just three items and come to the cashier to pay for them = cost 20 rupees. 204 rupees and 91 rupees - total Rs 315. I have calculated the total while picking up the final item. The girl on the counter makes three attempts on the computer calculator; there is a glitch and she calls her supervisor. I spent another 15 minutes waiting for the Store-in-Charge to come and accept my 315 rupees. Brilliant, isn't it ?? Have a wonderful day tomorrow.  "To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle" - Zarathustra
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You are right about the thinking bit, Rainbowfleur. Thanks. But there is, unfortunately, a catch there. The whole system in grammar and arithmetic as the other subjects has a logic to it. While rote may discourage thinking, computers and calculators, extremely helpful in complex calculations and dealing with great volume, seem to slaughter it. I certainly agree that creativity needs to be encouraged and must not be dumbed down either by rote or by calculators. Have a great day tomorrow. "To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle" - Zarathustra
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And they had to write it in Latin. Have a great day tomorrow. "To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle" - Zarathustra
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Absolutely right, Grandbluff; each era has had its intellectual strengths and deficiencies which were determined by the evolution of thought which, in turn, stemmed from the need of times. While technology has made hings so much easier, the need for constant evolution can never be given a short shrift to. Many thanks for your well considered observations. Have a wonderful day, My friend. "To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle" - Zarathustra
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My grandmother was a great example of the old 8th grade education. With hers she was able to run the business end of the farm and help my mother solve her algebra problems even though she never had algebra herself. In Mexico standard education ends at the 9th grade, which is considered the equivalent of HS graduation here in the US. Schooling after that is vocational in nature teaching skills needed for specific jobs. I bet your grand mother had a higher IQ (and definitely EQ)than most. My Father had no college education; he wrote and spoke better than most scribes in English, Hindi or Punjabi (the family mother tongue). Have a wonderful day tomorrow.  plus a KOC"To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle" - Zarathustra
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I just keep adding up as I go, Poet_dancer, and it helps. They don't believe that the arithmetic was done all while filling up the shopping cart or basket. Have a great evening and a wonderful day tomorrow with sound sleep with happy dreams in between while in the Slumber Land. & KsOCs"To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle" - Zarathustra
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6/11/2013 10:56 am |
And in Tibetan and Chinese ......., Rentier. Have a great day tomorrow.
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And that after walking ten miles to school, uphill both ways, through four feet of snow. "To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle" - Zarathustra
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