See how well you do with these sample questions taken from an 1895 eighth-grade exam given in Salina, Kansas.
Grammar
1. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.
2. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of lie, lay, and run.
3. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the
practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic
1. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?
2. 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?
3. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per metre?
U.S. History
1. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?
2. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
Orthography
1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?
2. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
3. Give two rules for spelling words with final "e." Name two exceptions under each rule.
4. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi-, dis-, mis-, pre-, semi-, post-, non-, inter-, mono-, and sub-.
Geography
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall and Orinoco.
3. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
4. Why is the Atlantic coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?