Email from my 84 year old aunt.

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, 65 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 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,
and 1865.

Orthography (Time, one ho ur) (Do we even know what this is???)

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography,
etymology, and syllabication.
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, sub vocal,
diphthong, cognate letters, and lingual.
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-, and 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 mispron ounced 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 mountai ns 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? This also
shows you how poor our education system has become... and, NO! I don't have
the answers

"Calif Bill" wrote in message
...
Email from my 84 year old aunt.

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, 65 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 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,
and 1865.

Orthography (Time, one ho ur) (Do we even know what this is???)

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography,
etymology, and syllabication.
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, sub vocal,
diphthong, cognate letters, and lingual.
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-, and 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 mispron ounced 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 mountai ns 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? This
also shows you how poor our education system has become... and, NO! I
don't have the answers


Your 84 year old aunt, eh? Next time tell her to check with snopes. :-)

http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.asp

On Feb 5, 1:39�pm, "Calif Bill" wrote:


Well that test may or may not be bogus, but here are some sections of
a test that 12-year-old 6th Graders were expected to pass in British
Columbia just over 100 years ago. Those who failed to pass the test
were not permitted to advance to "higher education"


Based on the BC material, it is very believable that Kansas students
may have been expected to pass a test similar to that posted by Calif
Bill.


Source: http://www.mala.bc.ca/homeroom/Conte...ns/summary.htm

and:

http://www.mala.bc.ca/homeroom/Content/Lessons/geog.htm


*********

High School Entrance Exam - Midsummer, 1890

GEOGRAPHY

1. Distinguish between the following:

(a) Latitude and longitude
(b) Equator and ecliptic
(c) Rotation and revolution

2. Why are the days and nights always equal at the equator?


3. Account for the succession of the seasons.


4. Describe the largest river flowing in an easterly direction in each
of the Grand Divisions of land.


5. Name five lakes of Switzerland and five capes of South America.


6. What city is near the mouth of each of the following rivers:

a. Ottawa d. Elbe
b. St. Maurice e. Liffey
c. Columbia ...

7. Locate and define:

a. Bras d'Or d. Niphon
b. Maracaybo e. Biafra
c. Messina f. Hercules

8. What four cities are situated on Puget Sound?


9. Name five islands in the Gulf of Georgia


10. Draw an outline map of Europe or Asia, indicating the principal
mountain chains and rivers


*************

High School Entrance Exam - Midsummer, 1890


WRITTEN ARITHMETIC

1. Define concrete number, aliquot part, finite decimal, present
worth and ratio.

2. Simplify: (6/7 of 1 1/4 of 14/15 + 3 1/2 of 2 10/21 - 2 2/3) x 3
6/7

3. Three men, A, B, and C, start together from the same place to walk
around an island 60 miles in circumference; they walk in the same
direction, A at the rate of 5 miles per hour, B at 4, and C at 3. In
what time will all be together for the first time after starting, and
how many miles will each have travelled?

4. If 5 tons of coal are equal to 9 cords of wood for fuel, and a
family burns 31. 5 cords of wood in a year, how much will be saved by
changing from wood to coal, when wood is worth $4.25 per cord and coal
$6.80 per ton?

5. If a family of 9 people can live comfortably in England for
$7,862.40 per year, what will it cost a family of 8 to live in Canada
in the same style for 7 months, prices being supposed to be 3/5 of
what they would be in England?

6. Find the compound interest on $500 for 1 year 6 months at 8% per
annum, interest payable semi-annually.

7. What is the present worth of $600 due 8 mos. 18 days hence @ 9% per
annum.

MENTAL ARITHMETIC

1. What will 3 1/2 cwt. of hay cost @ $25 per ton?

2. If 5 1/2 yards cost $.77, what will 4 2/7 yards cost?

3. Write a decimal equal in value to a unit.

4. What is the first prime number below 100?

5. What will 225 hats cost @ $.66 2/3 each?

6. If 3/8 of a ton cost $13.50, what will 5/9 of a ton cost?

7. What is the simple interest on $1, 250 for 2 years 8 months @ 2/3%
per month?

8. What part of 2/3 of 3 1/2 is 5/9 of 4 1/2?

9. What is the brokerage on half a million dollars @ 1/8% ?

10. What is the true discount on $620, due 2 years 8 months hence at
9% per annum?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

High School Entrance Exam - Midsummer, 1890


COMPOSITION

1. Write interrogative sentences as follows:
(a.) That cannot be answered by yes or no.
(b.) That does not require an answer.
(c.) That is not introduced by a pronoun.


2. What is tautology?


3. Give synonyms for safe, brave, and diligent.


4. When should we use the abbreviations inst., ult., and prox.?


5. Distinguish between the following:


cruel crewel
stake steak
signet cygnet
cession session
pomace pumice


6. Write a composition on one of the following subjects:


(a.) Truth
(b.) Time-pieces
(c.) Industry
(d.) Our School
(e.) Summer Sports

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:28:04 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould
wrote:

3. Give synonyms for safe, brave, and diligent

Well, goes without saying...

Me, me and me. :)

On Feb 5, 5:32�pm, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:28:04 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould

wrote:
3. Give synonyms for safe, brave, and diligent

Well, goes without saying...

Me, me and me. �:)

Nobody asked for the antonym of "modest". :-)

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:36:55 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould
wrote:

On Feb 5, 5:32?pm, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:28:04 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould

wrote:
3. Give synonyms for safe, brave, and diligent

Well, goes without saying...

Me, me and me. ?:)

Nobody asked for the antonym of "modest". :-)

That would also be me.

And while I'm at it, I might as well add trustworthy, loyal, helpful,
friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, thrifty, clean, and reverent.

That just about covers it. :)

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:36:55 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould
wrote:

On Feb 5, 5:32?pm, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:28:04 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould

wrote:
3. Give synonyms for safe, brave, and diligent

Well, goes without saying...

Me, me and me. ?:)

Nobody asked for the antonym of "modest". :-)

That would also be me.

And while I'm at it, I might as well add trustworthy, loyal, helpful,
friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, thrifty, clean, and reverent.

That just about covers it. :)

Us Eagle Scouts recognize that you left out obedient and brave. :-)

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:36:55 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould
wrote:

On Feb 5, 5:32?pm, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:28:04 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould

wrote:
3. Give synonyms for safe, brave, and diligent

Well, goes without saying...

Me, me and me. ?:)

Nobody asked for the antonym of "modest". :-)

That would also be me.

And while I'm at it, I might as well add trustworthy, loyal, helpful,
friendly, courteous, kind, cheerful, thrifty, clean, and reverent.

That just about covers it. :)



Might be wise to get a 2nd opinion on that...say..from Mrs. Wave.... ;-)

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:28:04 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould
wrote:

3. Give synonyms for safe, brave, and diligent

Well, goes without saying...

Me, me and me. :)

In your case I do not think Me and Safe are synonyms.

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 20:48:22 -0800, "CalifBill"
wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:28:04 -0800 (PST), Chuck Gould
wrote:

3. Give synonyms for safe, brave, and diligent

Well, goes without saying...

Me, me and me. :)

In your case I do not think Me and Safe are synonyms.

I am extremely safety minded.

Dangerously safety minded, but still safety minded.