Bruce blather. Thank goodness my 8th grade (1970) gave attendance certificates instead of exams! My school didn't have time for such foolishness as "orthography." We were too busy practicing "duck and cover," hiding under our desks in order to survive a nuclear attack. Jefferson County MS tests would have been somewhat different from Kansas exams. Cotton bales (425lb/193kg) instead of wheat bushels, Andy Jackson instead of Abe Lincoln, the "War of Damyankee Agression" instead of the "Rebellion." - 1607 Jamestown VA - 1620 Plymouth Rock MA - 1800 Thomas Jefferson elected president. (His 1803 LA Purchase included KS.) - 1849 Gold rush CA - 1865 The Confederacy became the ONLY nation the United States conquered, that the US did not pour in money for rebuilding. (Cf. Mexico, Spain, Germany (twice), Italy, Japan, Afghanistan, Iraq et al.) "Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent." In MS 1895, the question would read, "Find a bank that has $300 to lend." The Jefferson County Bank was capitalized at $25,000. My ex-wife's car cost more than that. This one was laughable in MS 1895: "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?" In AL 2003, the answer is: 9% sales tax on groceries. "Give principal parts of 'lie.' " "Lies, damned lies, and statistics." - Mark Twain My final comment on knowledge from Salina KS: "Somewhere near Salina, I let her slip away." - Gordon Lightfoot, "Me and Bobby McGee" Bruce D. Liddell, BDLiddell@yahoo.com Birmingham AL --- Ann Allen Geoghegan <anniegms@bellsouth.net> wrote: > Hi folks, > A cousin passed this on to me. I thought it was very > thought-provoking! > > Ann Allen Geoghegan > > Could you have passed the 8th grade...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? (LOOK CLOSELY... > THAT'S EIGHTEEN NINETY FIVE!) > > 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) (WHAT IS THIS ANYHOW?) > 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 SIX HOURS to complete. > Gives the saying "he > only had an 8th grade education" a whole new > meaning, doesn't it?! > Also shows you how poor our education system has > become... > > > ==== MSJEFFER Mailing List ==== > "Don't Mess with Mississippi!" > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard http://antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree