8th Grade Final Examination - Salina, Kansas - 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 hour 15 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 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1,050 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 6,720 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)

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, sub-vocals, diphthong, cognate letters, lingual
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u.'
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. 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.

Gives new meaning to “Only an 8th Grade Education.”

WARNING: Revisionism Ahead

A modern 8th grade test is available from ACT. It is voluminous, and multiple choice, with a total duration of 2 hours. Here's a sample:

http://www.actstudent.org/explore/tests/index.html

Previous generations were expected to be fully ready for life at the end of 8th grade, and their final exam illustrates this well. They were taught things of which many 8th graders today have no concept.

8th graders today, in "modern" nations, are expected to be ready for four more years of getting ready for life.

EDIT: This replaces a much longer post, that included the ACT sample test in-line.

My point in posting that example was to point out that many people believe that an 8th grade education is not much of an education at all - especially the sort that our grand- or great-grandparents received. I realize that girls are no longer expected to make Samplers today, too. Such things are hardly necessary. And, of course, students today have access to technology (often) while taking tests. I certainly do not think that todays children receive a lesser education than in the past. Some may think so, but I do not.

Your post has also shown that there is more to an 8th grade education today (in a sort of reversal of perspectives) than previous generations may believe. It works both ways.

Your lengthy post does provide perspective, but I don't think it speaks to the message of my post.