[Winona Online Democracy]
It will be a sad state of affairs if schools turn into factories trying to
pump out workers as fast as they can.
Sarah Dixen
>From: "Jerome Christenson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "Winona Online Democracy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Re: [Winona] 8th Grade Test from 1895
>Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2001 11:30:57 -0600
>
>[Winona Online Democracy]
>
>Looking at the questions on this test it is apparent that it was intended
>that the young people taking this test would be prepared to take their
>place
>in the community as adults. They would be able to double check the elevator
>manager when they sold their grain, know if the banker was trying to cheat
>them on a loan, and be able to figure how much lumber they'd be needing
>when
>it was time to build a new barn. These were adult situations and entirely
>appropriate, since, upon completing eighth grade most people were done with
>school and expected to go to work in the adult world.
> We don't have such high expectations for our youngsters any more. We
>refer
>to people in their mid-twenties as "college kids" and make excuses for them
>our great-great grandparents wouldn't have made for eight-year-olds. More
>than anything else this test shows how far we've infantalized our young
>people and our culture.
> Perhaps we should consider the likelihood that our school day, school
>year, and expected period of formal education are all too long. Is our
>education system structured to give young people the skills and information
>they need to be productive adults or to provide secure and remunerative
>employment for teachers, administrators and professors of education?
> Enquiring minds want to know...
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Craig Brooks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: onlinedemocracy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Date: Sunday, February 18, 2001 10:57 AM
>Subject: [Winona] 8th Grade Test from 1895
>
>
> >[Winona Online Democracy]
> >
> >The following has been going around the Internet.
> >My first thought was--
> >This can't be for real??
> >I didn't think it could possibly be true and checked with the Salina
> >paper and then found
> >this site which confirmed it is for real - (in fact - children took it
> >in the 7th grade)--
> >http://skyways.lib.ks.us/kansas/genweb/ottawa/exam.html
> >With all the debate over public education, funding, grad standards,
> >etc. this 19th Century test gave me cause to wonder---
> >*************************
> >8th GRADE TEST
> >We have all heard of someone who became successful with
> >"only an 8th grade education". Well take a look at this: a copy of
> >the actual test used in 1895 by one school system in Kansas. It
> >certainly puts new meaning into the phrase - "only an 8th grade
> >education."
> >
> >------------ Could You Have Passed the 8th Grade in 1895?
> >...Take a Look:
> >
> >
> >This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 from Salina, KS. USA.
> >
> >
> >It was taken from the original document on file at the Smoky 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
> >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 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 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 per m?
> >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.
> >2. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
> >3. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
> >4. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
> >5. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
> >6. 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 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: 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 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.
> >
> >
> >-------------------------- Imagine a college student trying to pass
> >this test, even if the few outdated questions were modernized.
> >------------------------- Gives the saying of an early 20th century
> >person that "she/he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new
> >meaning!
> >
> >
> >���
> > \0/
> >
> >
> >
> >----------------
> >This message was posted to the Winona Online Democracy Project.
> >Please visit http://onlinedemocracy.winona.org to subscribe or
>unsubscribe.
> >Please sign all messages posted to this list with your actual name.
> >Posting of commercial solicitations is not allowed on this list.
> >Report problems to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>----------------
>This message was posted to the Winona Online Democracy Project.
>Please visit http://onlinedemocracy.winona.org to subscribe or unsubscribe.
>Please sign all messages posted to this list with your actual name.
>Posting of commercial solicitations is not allowed on this list.
>Report problems to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
----------------
This message was posted to the Winona Online Democracy Project.
Please visit http://onlinedemocracy.winona.org to subscribe or unsubscribe.
Please sign all messages posted to this list with your actual name.
Posting of commercial solicitations is not allowed on this list.
Report problems to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
