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8th grade exam from 1895... I failed... take the test... good luck... Check out this eight grade exam from 1895. 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, 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 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, 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?! Also shows you how poor our education system has become...I failed the 8th grade test!  Let the shine!!! michael |
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Very interesting. I wonder how many PHD's would have trouble with this test. I am pretty sharp but I couldn't answer over half  Born Again Christians only need to chew, It's those left behind that have to swallow it.
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1/2/2008 1:22 pm |
Ok, that's it!!!! I was thinking about going back to school to get my degree, but now I just failed the 8th grade test! I think I'm in biiiiig trouble!  Gee thanks alot, Michael! Just throw all my dreams out the window! Oh well, I guess I can forgive you, but only because you're my favorite!  But just this once!  God's blessings always, Karen God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. ~C.S. Lewis~ Time to say goodbye
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1/2/2008 2:01 pm |
It only goes to show, how slack we are in education. We are not dumb! Our government is dumb for changing the educational system that is now employed. We need to be challenged. Oh, by the way,,,I didn't pass! ,,,, Horrible! 
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I know for certain that I couldn't pass it!!! But I will give myself and all of you some credit. First off, how long has it been since you studied . . . anything? No one can expect to pass a test they haven't studied for! Secondly, were you ever taught some of this stuff in the first place? Not being able to pass this test is also in a big part due to the difference in the way we do things now as opposed to how things were done then. I mean seriously, who uses rods as a unit of measurement anymore? And who among you would ever have learned the weight of wheat per bushel and how many bushels of that wheat could fit into a square foot? Thirdly, how pertinent are these thing to our day and time (determining the likelyhood of even being taught them in the first place)? Back then, no doubt, most of the folks taking that test were the children of farmers and this type of information (at least the math) would have been vital to their future success as adults since most children followed in their elders footsteps. Also things like the grammer and othography are really quite unnessary if you stop to think about it. A good foundation in grammer is all the average person really needs to be able to communicate effectively. Both history and geography have changed a great deal since that time so it is no wonder that most could not answer these questions now. I am quite sure that if this test were taken and changes made to fit what we use today (names of places, standards of measurement, etc.) most of us would find we would do much better on this test. And if we were just finishing the eight grade, having learned and studied this material for the past year, I am confident that we would all pass with flying colors. None of this is to say that our school systems have not gone downhill. For I agree that they have. One of the biggest differences is that back in those days, if a child went to school then he learned what was taught to him, no if's, and's or but's. Another huge difference is the standard of home life (believe it or not) and other changes in our society. Children are no longer taught to respect their elders, all of them! They are no longer held accountable for their actions, anywhere, many times even when they break the law! The morality of the western nations has a lot to do with it as well. You won't find this problem in Japan, where I lived for three years, or Iran or many other nations, where morality has not, is not collapsing. When the adults in a nation have no control over themselves, how are they supposed to have any sort of control of the children? When they are not even responsible enough to take care of themselves, their finances, their home, etc, what makes one think that they are responsible enough to take care of making decisions concerning anyone else, be it education, politics or what have you? Sorry, Michael, that I got long winded again. I suppose that this was meant to be a fun post and I just messed it up royally. If so I apoligize. I just feel that some subjects are too important to to laugh off. As I have said in my own post, I guess I am just a radical! God Bless and Keep You, Love ya, Cecilia Ephesians 6:13 . . .and having done all, to stand 
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1/2/2008 3:39 pm |
Michael, I kindof gave up after reading the first line. It all became garbled in front of my eyes and I quit. Wow. Really makes you THINK! I know the older generation dont get enough respect - that frustrates me. I visit five dear friends all in their eighties, they are very often patronised to greater or lesser degrees by care staff but they have more wisdom and humour than anyone would believe. Im afraid the elderly with their (frequent) awe of God, their slower way of doing things and profound opinions on unexpected things - are too easily pushed in the background by our increasingly hard hearted world. Im climbin' off my soapbox now 
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1/2/2008 4:00 pm |
Wow!! This is fascinating.....brings back memories...Hehehe!! Nooooooo, I ain't that old!!! I do find trouble with the History and Geography....I'd have to study up before trying to attack those areas again!!! They've always been my weakest areas. The rest are much easier....hint the advantages are knowing grammar well and mathematics. Hmmmmmmm.......so you think this test is really tough.....and yet you said the same thing about the ones I present in my blogs.......hmmmmmm....that says something very interesting about you, Michael!!!! 
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1/2/2008 4:22 pm |
Hi Michael, See Ya, Going back to school......Hahaha!!!! I was great in grammer but no more...... Thanks for sharing......GBY.......Rosie
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Quoting ELI: Ohhh I love you, little ms radical !!!!! The voice of reason and wisdom in the midst of panic attacks lol Sweetie, I am certainly glad to hear that somebody does!!!!! Just kidding, I know that many folks here love me, they just don't enjoy reading me!!!! Ephesians 6:13 . . .and having done all, to stand
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1/2/2008 10:57 pm |
I think I will go and dye my hair blonde so I have an excuse  ..... jumps in the car and drives to Eli's house........  Netty  Lying in bed would be a truely supreme experience if only I had a coloured pencil long enough to draw on the ceiling
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What comes to mind here Michael is how many have judged their grandparents for ONLY getting an 8th grade education not really knowing that it was superior to our 12th grade education or even college degrees. No, I would have flunked this test too. Great food for thought on judgements which as we know we should not do. Blessings, Sheri (¯`•♥•´¯) ¤`•.♥.•´ ¤ (¯`•♥•´¯)
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