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From: Jonelle Ellis Russell <>
Subject: [SCGS-L] 1895 Eight Grade Test--How smart are we?
Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 06:55:15 -0700


Earlier this week this 1895 Eight grade test was posted on one of the
list. I receive. It was a heavy mail day so I looked at the test, and
decided I did not have enough time to attempt to answer the questions.

Today, it appeared again with this message.

Can anyone answer all the questions that was asked on this eighth grade
1895 test ? I can't but would like to know. If a lot you can only
answer part of the questions, maybe all of them can be answered and then
we can all pass the test. EIGHTH GRADE FINAL EXAM - 1895
Remember when old-timers tell us they only had an 8th grade education?
Could any of us have graduated in 1895?

I took more time to read the questions. I think the older you are the
more of the question you can answer. I attended college with my
youngest child, and took an English grammar class in the education
department. I found myself in the minority in the class because I knew
the parts of speech and could diagram a sentence. As I read the
Arithmetic section of this test, I cannot answer many of the questions,
but I know my mother who left school during the second grade could do
many of the calculations in her head. Her step-father was illiterate
would have given an immediate answer to questions 2, 5, & 7.

My son would use his calculator, my daughter would likely say as many of
my college classmates did "I can't do word problems". I suppose we
learn what we need to know for the era in which we live, but I am
recalling a conversation I had with my statistics instructor. He ask
why I was spending the time to work through a formula, when the
calculator would give me the answer in seconds. I replied, I would like
to be able to find the answer if the battery of my calculator is dead
and we have a massive power failure.

How well can you do on this test? I think I failed miserably. With out
doubt, any of my ancestors who took would have done better.

It will be interesting to watch for the responses to this mornings
message. Collectively, can we can all pass this test?

Jo Russell
--------------------

The following eighth-grade final exam from 1895 Salina, KS. USA 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.

Eighth 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
do,lie, lay 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 50
cts.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 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
around 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 Fermandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republics of Europe and give 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
inclination of the earth.



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