I will not get into the matter of whether or not the 8th grade exam for
Salina, KS is authentic or a hoax, but I will note that Texas A&M
University (then the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas)
published sample entrance exam questions in the 1894-1895 catalog. In
1894 students had to pass exams in arithmetic and English and History.
At that time students entering at what we now call freshmen had to be
fourteen years of age. Students who wanted to enter at what we call
today sophomores had to pass tests in arithmetic, algebra, and English
and History. Those questions are very similar to those posted on this
list.
Based upon one letter in the Archives, students apparently occasionally
got second chances to pass. That student indicated that he failed the
math test on his first try, but the math professor gave him a textbook
to study and then take the exam a second time. He passed on the second
attempt.
Charles
>>> Chris Flynn <[log in to unmask]> 03/09 1:43 PM >>>
on the subject of teaching and learning
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 Howell?
8. Name events 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.' (HUH?)
5. Give two rules for spelling words with finale. 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? NO! I
don't
have the answers ., a friend sent me this. How well were you taught?
Chris Flynn
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
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In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
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Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>