Eighth Grade Education
======================

Remember when our grandparents, great-grandparents, and such
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 Salina, KS, 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.

Keep in mind the TV show, "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?"
Most can't win on that show. Well, this is 8th grade.

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 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, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 ft. 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 50
cts. a 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 feet long
at $20 per meter?
8. Find the 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 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.
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)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic,
orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How are they 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 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 inclination of the
earth.

*****Gives the saying of an early 20th century person that
"she/he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning!

Note: This is actually a teachers exam from 1895 from Salina,
Kansas USA. Since most teachers only had an 8th grade education,
it has been erroneously reported that it was an eighth-grade final
examination. 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.


Thank you for inviting MountainWings in your mailbox.
See you tomorrow.