The Decline of Education

My secret boyfriend Coffeypot posted questions from an 8th grade final exam, Kansas, 1895.

Here's the link:

http://johnjudyc.blogspot.com/2012/07/final-exam-1895-kansas-school.html

And here is a teaser:

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.

                                     ******

Arithmetic (Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 15ft long at $20 per meter?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

                                     *******

U.S. History (Time,: 45 Minutes)

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

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, and 1865.

                                    *******

Orthography (Time: One Hour)

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)

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Suddenly I feel stupid.