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:
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, 65 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 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?
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Interesting but don’t put any stock in this. This material and survey comes out of Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) who claims they are non-profit, non-partisan. Their first president was William F. Buckley.
So what other junk do they push. A recent book published by ISI Books is entitled
Darwin Day In America
How Our Politics and Culture have been Dehumanized in the Name of Science
By John G. West
What is this book about? Let’s quote from the jacket.
“Based on extensive research with primary sources and archival materials, John G. West’s captivating Darwin Day in America tells the story of how American public policy has been corrupted by scientistic ideology. Marshaling fascinating anecdotes and damning quotations, West’s narrative explores the far-reaching consequences for society when scientists and politicians deny the essential differences between human beings and the rest of nature. It also exposes the disastrous results that ensue when experts claiming to speak for science turn out to be wrong. West concludes with a powerful plea for the restoration of democratic accountability in an age of experts.”
Do you catch the conservative language. “Science” is now to be called “scientistic ideology”. I guess for them, “science” will be those theories supporting the truth of miracles, speaking in tongues, and a 5000 year old earth. And notice how their “scientific method” works — “marshalling fascinating anecdotes and damning quotations”.
Is there any organization serious about improving education and educational opportunities whose agenda aren’t run and promoted by ignoramuses?