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General Category => Off the Record => Topic started by: Syt on March 02, 2015, 02:24:45 AM

Title: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Syt on March 02, 2015, 02:24:45 AM
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/11/public-education-100-year_n_2456991.html

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If you're a dirty rotten cheater, you can loo up the answers here: http://bullittcountyhistory.org/bullitthistory/bchistory/schoolexam1912ans.html
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Monoriu on March 02, 2015, 03:32:21 AM
Spelling - I should get most of the words right except antecedent, rhinoceros, eneeavor.  I'll write "diagramme" instead of "diagram".

Arithmatic - 1 is ok.  2, I don't understand the question.  Plus 5.14-59.112?  What does that hyphen mean?  Minus? 3. No, don't know the relationship between yard and feet. 4: ok.  5. What does a/c mean? 6 is ok, given time.  7 is ok if I am not required to list the equations that I use.  I don't solve these questions with equations; I do trial and error only.  8: I'll add 30 to 40, but I am quite sure that that is wrong.  9: nope, can't do mile feet conversion.  10: Don't know what cord means.

Grammar: I'll get zero in all of these, except 5. James is struck by William.

Geography: I know the answers to 5 (assuming Servia is Serbia), 7, 8 (partial.  California is largest, followed by Texas?  Alaska isn't formally part of the union in 1912, right?), 9 (only know Andes, Alps and Himalaya), and 10. I'll get zero for all the rest.

Physiology: 1. Liver is the second largest organ, after the lungs.  It is located on the right hand side of the Abdomen under the lungs. It secretes...stuff.  2. [white flag] 3. The heart has four parts and it pumps blood throughout the body 4. Blood is purified in the kidneys.  5. The Brain. 6. [white flag] 7. It connects the brain and the nervous system of the rest of the body and is responsible for reflex action and stuff like breathing. 8. So that we can pass this bullshit exam So that I can get rich by becoming a doctor So that we can maintain good health  :bowler: 9. Eat whatever the hell I want to keep myself in a good mood Sufficient sleep, 8 glasses of water a day, balanced diet, exercise 3 times a week, 30 minutes each session, go see a doctor if something is wrong.

Civil government: 1, should be able to write some crap to get some partial points. 2. Local, state, federal and Borg 3. Sheriff for policing, treasurer to collecting taxes, education officer for, well, education, fire officers for fire, trash collector for collecting trash (I made this up), 4. BS through to get partial points 5. President: sign law and lead executive government, act as commander in Chief. Veto power is the power to veto laws passed by Congress, Congress can overule veto power by 2/3 supermajority 6. tax, make laws, regulate interstate commerce, pass budgets, declare war, repeal laws.  Denied: regulate speech, grab money 7: [write random number instead of white flag.] 8: natural born US citizen, 40 years old for president.  US citizen for vice president and governor 9: BS through to get 1 or 2 sympathy marks 10: ditto

History: 1. I bet that St. Lawrance River is discovered by a dude named St. Lawrence.  2. [sketch of white flag] 3. The English settled all these except Florida which was settled by the Spanish 4. Antietam (civil war).  5. The British won and the French lost 6. The US invaded Canada, and the British burned down the White House. 7. Lincoln was assassinated and he died in office.  8. I know this is wrong but I'll write Battle of Appomattox anyway (commanders: Lee and Grant).  9: Bill Clinton, just for the heck of it.  10: Edison for all. 
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Eddie Teach on March 02, 2015, 04:17:28 AM
Fun fact: Grumbler was on the committee that adopted that exam.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Grey Fox on March 02, 2015, 06:43:59 AM
No, I cannot. I can't do math(s) in english.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: grumbler on March 02, 2015, 06:47:49 AM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 02, 2015, 04:17:28 AM
Fun fact: Grumbler was on the committee that adopted that exam.

False.  I was, in fact, still in my third year of eighth grade when that exam was adopted.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 07:59:41 AM
Who discovered the Pacific?  Some Chinese guy who looked out of his window.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: alfred russel on March 02, 2015, 08:04:00 AM
Quote from: grumbler on March 02, 2015, 06:47:49 AM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on March 02, 2015, 04:17:28 AM
Fun fact: Grumbler was on the committee that adopted that exam.

False.  I was, in fact, still in my third year of eighth grade when that exam was adopted.
:lol:
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: DGuller on March 02, 2015, 09:56:40 AM
I highly doubt that this is indeed an 8th grade exam, this has all the makings of an urban legend.  And even if it is an 8th grade exam, then the only point to be made here is to highlight the uselessness of the rote memorization teaching style.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Admiral Yi on March 02, 2015, 10:02:12 AM
It looks very much like an 8th grade test to me. 
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: CountDeMoney on March 02, 2015, 10:02:47 AM
Quote from: DGuller on March 02, 2015, 09:56:40 AM
I highly doubt that this is indeed an 8th grade exam, this has all the makings of an urban legend.  And even if it is an 8th grade exam, then the only point to be made here is to highlight the uselessness of the rote memorization teaching style.

Yes, DG....not only is it a forgery, but a poor forgery at that, what with rote memorization as a teaching method so widespread during the Victorian era.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Syt on March 02, 2015, 10:28:42 AM
Quote from: DGuller on March 02, 2015, 09:56:40 AM
I highly doubt that this is indeed an 8th grade exam, this has all the makings of an urban legend.  And even if it is an 8th grade exam, then the only point to be made here is to highlight the uselessness of the rote memorization teaching style.

Which is why they went to the whole trouble of creating a rather elaborate Bullitt County Museum website. :hmm:

http://bullittcountyhistory.org/bullitthistory/contents.html
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Ed Anger on March 02, 2015, 10:30:03 AM
 :lol:
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Admiral Yi on March 02, 2015, 10:30:38 AM
:face:
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 10:34:21 AM
Quote from: DGuller on March 02, 2015, 09:56:40 AM
I highly doubt that this is indeed an 8th grade exam, this has all the makings of an urban legend.  And even if it is an 8th grade exam, then the only point to be made here is to highlight the uselessness of the rote memorization teaching style.

Yeah, I'm sure the county genealogical society is big into forgeries.  This doesn't look out of place in an 8th grade exam.  Some things are different from when I was in school, for instance we didn't learn physiology but were taught cell structure.  Sketching Sir Walter Raleigh is a new one on me though.  There are many questions that aren't rote memorization for instance "what are the causes of the war of 1812" or "why do we study physiology".
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: celedhring on March 02, 2015, 10:40:20 AM
I would probably fail most of the US history and US geography questions, bar the easiest ones (I'd too say that the Civil War finished with the Battle of Appomattox, just because). I'd probably fail the grammar question because I forgot most of the grammar theory since my school days. I'm confident I'd pass the other sections.

Would I be wrong if I answered with FDR, Kennedy and Clinton in the president-related questions?  :lol:

Question 7 in Government - did they make pupils memorize the EVs of each state? Wow.



Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: lustindarkness on March 02, 2015, 10:44:14 AM
Failed it. TLDR. :(
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: CountDeMoney on March 02, 2015, 10:45:21 AM
Quote from: celedhring on March 02, 2015, 10:40:20 AM
Question 7 in Government - did they make pupils memorize the EVs of each state? Wow.

Back in the day, good citizenship wasn't just an expectation, it was a requirement.  Things have been...watered down a bit since then.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: crazy canuck on March 02, 2015, 11:19:06 AM
It is interesting to note how peaceful the world would have seemed in 1912.  The war of 1812 has some prominence on the test although 100 years in the past (because of the 100 year anniversary?).  The Balkan wars are just getting started.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 11:37:50 AM
Quote from: celedhring on March 02, 2015, 10:40:20 AM


Question 7 in Government - did they make pupils memorize the EVs of each state? Wow.

No, they phrased the question oddly.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Admiral Yi on March 02, 2015, 11:41:43 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 11:37:50 AM
No, they phrased the question oddly.

How did you interpret the question?
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: alfred russel on March 02, 2015, 12:27:16 PM
Some of those questions are really easy. "Tell what you know of the gulf stream"--apparently you don't need to know anything in particular.

However, I wasn't aware private business aviation companies were forming by 1912. Perhaps conclusive evidence this is a forgery?
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Valmy on March 02, 2015, 12:34:37 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 07:59:41 AM
Who discovered the Pacific?  Some Chinese guy who looked out of his window.

Did they have a flag?  No flag no discovery.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Neil on March 02, 2015, 12:44:14 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 10:34:21 AMThere are many questions that aren't rote memorization for instance "what are the causes of the war of 1812" or "why do we study physiology".
Those are actually bad examples, since those would be answered by rote memorization.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 12:57:16 PM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 02, 2015, 11:41:43 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 11:37:50 AM
No, they phrased the question oddly.

How did you interpret the question?

"How are the electoral college votes distributed?"
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: grumbler on March 02, 2015, 12:57:21 PM
Quote from: Admiral Yi on March 02, 2015, 11:41:43 AM
How did you interpret the question?

The answer is presumably "one per senator plus one per representative."  It's not asking you to name all the states and the EV each has.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: grumbler on March 02, 2015, 12:58:24 PM
Quote from: Neil on March 02, 2015, 12:44:14 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 10:34:21 AMThere are many questions that aren't rote memorization for instance "what are the causes of the war of 1812" or "why do we study physiology".
Those are actually bad examples, since those would be answered by rote memorization.

Or by mind reading.  Yeah, this is an example of a badly-written test. 
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 01:01:32 PM
Quote from: Valmy on March 02, 2015, 12:34:37 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 07:59:41 AM
Who discovered the Pacific?  Some Chinese guy who looked out of his window.

Did they have a flag?  No flag no discovery.

I think China had a flag.
Title: Re: Can you pass an 8th grade exam from 1912?
Post by: Razgovory on March 02, 2015, 01:04:47 PM
I feel sorry for the kid who spelled "endeavor", correctly.