The value of older education?

[EricBu12]

8th Grade Education





WE WONDER WHY OUR GRANDPARENTS WERE SO SMART WITH ONLY AN 8TH GRADE EDUCATION... .....



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

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, 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 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.

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?!

 

[nps]

Wow! I think that is harder than the final test for UNLV's school of casino management program!

 

[Digger-Bear]

Interesting read but...



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



Sorry!

 

[nps]

Interesting read but...



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



Sorry!

The link doesn't say anything other than the author's opinion is that he/she could pass the test if instructed in the material first. Probably true, but the spelling and grammar sections aren't too far off, and many of our modern high school grads today have trouble with basic english.



I still stand by my opinion on UNLV's school of casino management criteria. :-laf

 

[Digger-Bear]

Probably true, but the spelling and grammar sections aren't too far off, and many of our modern high school grads today have trouble with basic english.

Agreed! I teach at a university and am constantly appalled by the poor articulation skills and shallow thought that regularly walks into my classroom.

 

[loncray]

I got my Bachelors by going to night school, and most of my classes were full of bright, motivated students. But the one class I took during the day (only time it was available - used my lunch hour for it) was full of teenaged morons who had no business going beyond high school and I'm quite certain were destined by careers in the fast food industry - no offense to others thereby employed.

 

[metal tech]

I'm sure others have experienced things like this that make you wonder what is going on with yourger people these days. I sent a package at a UPS store and my total came to $17. 76. I mentioned that this was interesting to the cashier, she had no clue what 1776 meant in the context of U. S. History. Is it the school system or the kids in school.

 

[DHorton]

Parents not teaching the value of history and education at home, then not making the school system conform to these beliefs. You pay for the school, you have a voice in it. Just make sure you have enough parents behind you or you will be barred from the meetings like me. Home schooling may become an option someday, but I am trying to get my daughters to be self-motivated and to go beyond the simpleton crap they teach today. Wouldn't it be grand to bring back phonics to school. Having a child that does not use the word like more than once in a sentence and even then using it as a comparitive term and not a conjunction. Sorry. I have had a hard time getting used to all of these short cuts that are happening now. Guess ahead reading. Math redone to make someone look smart, but to remove common sense forms of working the problems. Oh well, I am not one to keep my opinions to myself, so we will see if this new school system we moved to will bar me from parent teacher conferences. I promise I do not embarrass my fellow oil burners. I use concise and articulate language when engaging the highly educated teachers. THIS IS BY NO MEANS AN ATTACK ON TEACHERS, just on the material that is elected to be presented. Some school systems vote on it, others have it shoved down to them.

 

[Digger-Bear]

From an insider’s point of view…



It’s called “assessment” and most often driven, not locally, but by the state & federal system. It is not the only problem, but, nonetheless a huge one. I teach higher ed but my wife teaches grade (deaf – special needs) school. They, the rank and file teachers, are evaluated on how their students perform on a set of questions when exiting their classes. The teachers know the topics ahead of time.



The teacher wants a good evaluation since their raise and rank is linked to it. The system wants students that show well during those tests since their capital funding is linked to student performance.



Guess what gets taught, to the expense of everything else in their classes.



Kids don’t know how to solve problems, have no concept of abstract reasoning, are functionally illiterate and have a heavily skewed, politically correct (good lord) take on history. The tests are written by administrators with a limited take on real educational outcomes coupled with the inability to reliably measure things like problem solving AND having lawyers driving the entire process. Throw in the inability to discipline children (without getting sued), spineless administrators who wont back judgment calls and parent not taking care of business at home and… It’s a pisser.



As I step down from my soapbox, here’s the kicker, my wife teaches deaf, mentally handicapped kids. They are at a level where she has a good day when they remember to wipe their backsides.



They have to take that same test and are assessed the same as kids in regular schools.



Go figure.



If you go to the school board meetings and raise hell –I say: good for you!

 

[DHorton]

I am glad you brought that to my attention. I for one like to know who I need to speak to about things like this. You did hit one of my same points too, PARENTS discipline your kids, since you won't let the teachers do it anymore. That is only directed to those that won't allow it. On the other hand, TEACHERS, when a parent signs the corporal punishment permission slip, BY ALL MEANS, blister my kids butt! This is another pet peave, and totally understand how that could be some lawyer driven issue from the teachers side, but why have the forms if we aren't going to use them.