8th Grade Final Exam 1895, could you pass it?
Dave**Gay for Girls**
2012/06/28 11:58:48
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 Societyand
Library in Salina , 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 paragraph4. 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 hour 15 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 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting
1,050 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 6,720 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 divided2. 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) [Do we even know what this is??]1. What is meant by the following: alphabet,
phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication2. 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 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. 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.
Gives the saying 'he
only had an 8th grade education' a whole new meaning, doesn't it?!
No wonder they dropped
out after 8th grade. They already knew more than they needed to know!
No, I don't have the
answers!
I have to say it looks a lot harder and more practical than today's GED!
I could not pass!!!