Them Good Old Days

Them good old days: Snopes (http://www.snopes.com/language/document/1895exam.htm) has a good response.

Quote:

Could You Have Passed the 8th Grade in 1895?

This is the 8th grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, Kansas. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, Kansas, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

Imagine a college student who went to public school trying to pass this test today, even if the few outdated questions were modernized. This gives the saying of an early 20th century person that "She/He only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning!

Indeed, what does the writer mean by "the few outdated questions were modernized"? The questions for "Grammar" and "Orthography" may be are relatively stable, though some of the usage and vocabulary are a bit archaic. But aside from being able to parrot these rules, is the basic issue of communication the ability to convey ideas rather than the ability to correctly spell nonsense?

In the case of Arithmetic, most of the questions relate the to daily life of an independent 19th century farmer. This raises the issue of the context of these questions and of the test generally. Given the time and place, it might be that most of the boys taking this test were probably expecting to continue working on the family farm. In this case, many of these questions are relevant to their daily lives and have practical and immediate applications.

Here is another point: these questions may have represented a great deal of what was known about these particular subject areas at that time. It is possible that this is all they had to know of these subjects in order to get by.

Finally, how important is it that one is able to answer these questions? Some of these facts might be useful, but simply knowing these facts does not mean that you know how to think. Note that other than the mathematics section, the test is primarily one of how well the student has memorized the material (even the math section is largely based on memorization). If a student kept good notes and got his hands on the test prior to its administration, he could probably finish it in an hour or so, since all he would have to do is regurgitate the answers based on his notes.

Also, what was a passing grade? If 25% is passing, then a lot of people today might be able to pass it.

GRAMMAR (Time, one hour) "Any fool can make a rule, and every fool will mind it." Thoreau

1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.

Shakespere didn't always spell his name the same way.

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, one hour)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

Whitehead and Russell wrote two big volumes about this.

Answer

• Arithmetic is the branch of mathematics that deals with real numbers.
• Addition: Combining numbers to obtain an equivalent quantity.
• Subtraction: Deducting one number from another.
• Division: Dividing one number by another. [Tautology]
• Multiplication: Adding an integer a specified number of times.

Also, if you tried to use these rules as a system, you'd get a lot of wrong answers; especially if you strictly followed them. In any case, the above aren't really "rules", they are more like definitions, except that they don't really say what is to be done.

2. A wagon box is 2 feet deep, 10 feet long, and 3 feet wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

This may be important for a farmer, now only about 2% of the population lives on farms, and most of agricultural production is of the factory type.

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 pounds, what is it worth at 50 cts. per bu., 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 cents per sq. foot?

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 are, 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.

There weren't even 48 states when this question was being asked.

Answer:

• The Colonial Era
• The Revolutionary Era
• The Critical Period
• The Early National Era
• The Jeffersonian Era
• The Antebellum Era
• The Civil War Era
• The Gilded Age
  Later periods of American History include:
• The Progressive Era
• World War I
• The Interwar Era
• World War II
• The Postwar Era

Note that there were 5 additional periods since the question was asked.

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.

Answer:

A correct answer would include the purchase of Louisiana Territory from France; the annexation of Texas; the acquisition of the Pacific Northwest as a result of negotiations with Britain; the Mexican War; the Gadsden Purchase; the purchase of Alaska from Russia; and the annexation of Hawaii.

That last, Hawaii annexation, happened only three years AFTER the test was created. A coup d'etat occured in 1893.

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.

Specific to Kansas.

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

"the Rebellion"? This is what Kansans called the Civil War!

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)

The orthography of a language is the set of symbols (glyphs and diacritics) used to write a language, as well as the set of rules describing how to write these glyphs correctly, including spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. The term is derived from Greek ορθο ortho- ("correct") and γραφος graphos ("that writes"). [from Wikipedia]

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, super.

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: Ball, mercy, sir, 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?

Somewhat specific to 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.