An Actual 8th Grade Exam in 1895

8th Grade Final Exam: Salina, KS -1895
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> Grammar
> (Time, one hour)
>
> 1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.
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> 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."
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> 5. Define case; Illustrate each case.
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> 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.
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> 5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
>
> 6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
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> 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.' (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 FIVE 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... and, NO! I don't have the
answers.
>
> If I had to do this exam, I would STILL be in the eighth grade!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>
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