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  1. #1
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    blackgang's Avatar
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    Before you rag on me for an 8th grade edu.

    Now figure this out and it was less than 40 years before I was born so not to much had changed.
    and you who thing that we never had any education in the USA try the test.

    8th Grade Exam from 1895



    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 , 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 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 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.'
    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 diacriticall y 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?
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  2. #2
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    Mostly regurgitation of 'facts' learned.

    little evidence of higher order thinking.

  3. #3
    Have you got any cheese Thetyim's Avatar
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    I would not be able to pass that exam but apart from the maths section there ain't much in there that will help you make a living.
    Knowing that the earth's axial tilt is 23.45 degrees has not made much impact on my life

  4. #4
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    Did the exam have to be passed before they could leave school?

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by kingwilly View Post
    Mostly regurgitation of 'facts' learned.

    little evidence of higher order thinking.
    So, you couldn't answer any of the questions then?
    Actually, there are many thinking on your own Qs in there, including several essay-type questions.
    It is a basic grounding in fundamental education, all of which would help a kid handle basic life issues.
    I doubt many kids could pass that exam today.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon
    It is a basic grounding in fundamental education,
    right.

    and your background in educational theory is....?

  7. #7
    The Dentist English Noodles's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon
    I doubt many kids could pass that exam today.
    Maybe not in the US or Canada, but I bet plenty could in India and China.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackgang View Post
    Before you rag on me for an 8th grade education
    I would never do that, as education is largely a product of circumstance.

    Naivity however is a different matter:

    Kansas-1895 eighth grade examination-Unproven!

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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg
    Naivity however is a different matter: Kansas-1895 eighth grade examination-Unproven!

  10. #10
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    snopes has a good writeup on this latest viral email forward of blackgangs

    snopes.com: 1895 Exam

    Consider: To pass this test, no knowledge of the arts is necessary (not even a nodding familiarity with a few of the greatest works of English literature), no demonstration of mathematical learning other than plain arithmetic is required (forget algebra, geometry, or trigonometry), nothing beyond a familiarity with the highlights of American history is needed (never mind the fundamentals of world history, as this exam scarcely acknowledges that any country other than the USA even exists), no questions about the history, structure, or function of the United States government are asked (not even the standard "Name the three branches of our federal government"), science is given a pass except for a few questions about geography and the rudiments of human anatomy, and no competence in any foreign language (living or dead) is necessary. An exam for today's high school graduates that omitted even one of these subjects would be loudly condemned by parents and educators alike, subjects about which the Salina, Kansas, students of 1895 needed know nothing at all. Would it be fair to say that the average Salina student was woefully undereducated because he failed to learn many of the things that we consider important today, but which were of little importance in his time and place? If not, then why do people keep asserting that the reverse is true? Why do journalists continue to base their gleeful articles about how much more was expected of the students of yesteryear on flawed assumptions? Perhaps some people are too intent upon making a point to bother considering the proper questions.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by kingwilly View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon
    It is a basic grounding in fundamental education,
    right.

    and your background in educational theory is....?
    Quote Originally Posted by English Noodles View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon
    I doubt many kids could pass that exam today.
    Maybe not in the US or Canada, but I bet plenty could in India and China.
    So, you two couldn't answer any of the questions then. Proven to be a real test or not.
    Nope, no background in edu theory, KW. I wondered why so many kids did BAs in an Arts prog when I was at uni. Fek. Can you get a job spouting Shakespeare or Proust these days? The point is, going to uni and learning how to THINK is the whole issue. Oh, and don't forget, the Asian study model is memorization. The Chinks and Japs aren't doing too bad by that model, are they?

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    Great point, Baldrick.

    I could pass that exam in less than an hour..

    Back in the olden days, education looked more focused on facts, and skimming the surface. The education doesn't seem as well-rounded, and doesn't look at critical thinking skills. To compare today's education to yesteryears, isn't really fair either.

    The test surely wouldn't fly nowadays. Just because they know more facts, it doesn't mean they were smarter.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon
    So, you two couldn't answer any of the questions then.
    irrelevant.

    about as difficult as the Are you smarter than a 5th grader show

    Quote Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon
    Nope, no background in edu theory, KW.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon
    It is a basic grounding in fundamental education,
    so, let me tell you, it is NOT a basic grounding in anything other than learning a bunch of facts.

    period.

  14. #14
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    ^ As I noted, the Asians learn by rote and they ain't doing too badly. We learned ABCs and multiplication tables and history by memory, too.
    Still can't answer any of those Qs, huh?

  15. #15
    Excommunicated baldrick's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by some made up rubbish
    per metre?

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by kingwilly View Post
    Mostly regurgitation of 'facts' learned.

    little evidence of higher order thinking.
    So, you couldn't answer any of the questions then?
    Actually, there are many thinking on your own Qs in there, including several essay-type questions.
    It is a basic grounding in fundamental education, all of which would help a kid handle basic life issues.
    I doubt many kids could pass that exam today.
    Don't be silly. You seem to think of education as some "gold standard" in which knowledge of certain "facts" equals "education". Education is actually a moving target, and the core of what a child needs to know to function in that society changes with time.

    My children certainly have no need to know how many bushels of wheat a box can hold, but they bloody well will need to know how to use a computer at some level of expertise. Even the 7 year old!

    One hundred years ago, an "educated" person needed to know latin, and possibly some greek. Nowadays they are more likely to need to know cobal and fortran. Go look at the science questions in that exam quiz. Well, you can't because there are not any. But a 10 year old nowadays will be able to give you some idea of what photosynthesis is, or what a carbon footprint is, what materials are biodegradable, and which are not.

    You cite tehe advantages of rote learning, but as KW points out, those days are LONG gone. Modern education at most levels (and certainly at the higher levels) focuses on how to obtain information, rather than learning it. While you cite china and japan, you fail to mention that bastion of rote learning - Thailand, whose education system is turning the country into a basket case.

    One hundred years ago the information you needed to function in society was relatively trivial. Nowadays the information you need is horrendous. Education HAS to reflect that, and with some handwaving, generally does.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackgang
    Now figure this out and it was less than 40 years before I was born so not to much had changed. and you who thing that we never had any education in the USA try the test.
    That was then

    how about now?

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    7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per metre?

    That's fecking expensive timber for 1895.
    When I started work in sawmills boards were measured by the super foot.

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    Quote Originally Posted by withnallstoke
    Did the exam have to be passed before they could leave school?
    Thats right, they learned or they came back, none of this graduating kids that could barely read or get into collage because of the color of their skin.

    Quote Originally Posted by phuketbound
    The test surely wouldn't fly nowadays. Just because they know more facts, it doesn't mean they were smarter
    No but it damn sure meant that they could read and was capable of retaining what they had learned.

    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg
    But a 10 year old nowadays will be able to give you some idea of what photosynthesis is, or what a carbon footprint is, what materials are biodegradable, and which are not.
    I doubt that very much unless you have taught them personally.

    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg
    Modern education at most levels (and certainly at the higher levels) focuses on how to obtain information, rather than learning it. While you cite china and japan, you fail to mention that bastion of rote learning - Thailand, whose education system is turning the country into a basket case.
    They have to be taught to expand their imagination and learn how to think for themselves, Which is not taught here in Thailand infact they are discouraged from any such activity here.
    But computers are here now so learning and problem solving is easy, damn sure wasn't when I went to school.
    You younger people grew up with advantages we never has when I was young and going to school, but it seems that with all the advantages, most of you are basically stupid and they graduate from high schools people that can not read a news paper or figure out if you fucked them on their pay check..

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    I don't know barbaro's Avatar
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    OP,

    That test seems difficult. I'd have trouble answering it.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackgang View Post
    You younger people grew up with advantages we never has when I was young and going to school, but it seems that with all the advantages, most of you are basically stupid and they graduate from high schools people that can not read a news paper or figure out if you fucked them on their pay check..
    Blackgang, I am 50 next year, and so hardly come under "you younger people", and certainly disagree with your contention that I am "basically stupid". Indeed, it shows YOUR ignorance to make that remark.

    I am however, much more likely to be conversant with what kids are being taught today, as I have three children under the age of 15. Kids today start science EARLY. My 7 year old has already had a couple of years of science lessons at school, and indeed, I would hazard a fair guess that you would have difficulty with some of HIS school work, and I would bet point blank that you could not do the 14 year olds science homework.

    Nowadays education is a life long committment. I still learn (every day) and still apply myself. When was the last time you could say the same?

  22. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by DrAndy
    how about now?
    Not now no, the feds have taken over states right to set their own educational standards and so the darker complected can pass tests they have beed made easier and if you pass or fail,, Remember, No Child Left Behind.

    Quote Originally Posted by phuketbound
    I could pass that exam in less than an hour..
    No shit, and you are only a collage educated Girl with some years as a teacher and you could do it in an HOUR.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg
    most of you are basically stupid and they graduate from high schools people that can not read a news paper or figure out if you fucked them on their pay check..
    I did say that and how do you rate out of the 6 billion on earth that you took it personally?
    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg
    Blackgang, I am 50 next year, and so hardly come under "you younger people", and certainly disagree with your contention that I am "basically stupid". Indeed, it shows YOUR ignorance to make that remark.
    I am 76 next year and I also have a child under 14 going to school and I bought her her first PC when she was 3 years old and educational software so I do know how important they are and I also learn new stuff every day.
    And I had 3 in school I think when you were born, so I am some ahead of you and sorry that you thought I was pointing my finger at you..

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackgang View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg
    most of you are basically stupid and they graduate from high schools people that can not read a news paper or figure out if you fucked them on their pay check..
    I did say that and how do you rate out of the 6 billion on earth that you took it personally?
    Well, thats what happens when you use the word "you".

  25. #25
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    Ask a Yank to find any other country on a world map and see how smart they are. Oh yea, they might get Canada and Mexico right.

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