1912 Eighth Grade Exam Paper Surfaces, Baffles 21st Century Adults

A museum in Kentucky has found an eighth-grade exam question paper, which is more than a century old.

According to a report in ABC News, the 1912 test paper was unearthed by Bullitt County History Museum, and it required the students to answer eight subjects: spelling, reading, arithmetic, grammar, geography, physiology, civil government and history.

The report further says that students, aged 13-14 years old, from Bullitt County schools had to appear for the "Common Exam" once or twice an year and those who did well on the exam were given scholarships to high school. This made the exam particularly important.

"For us, this is just fascinating. It puts us in the mindset of 1912. Some people say that the questions are trivial, but the questions relate to what the children at the time would have been familiar with", volunteer David Lee Strange told ABC News.

For example, if the students today are asked a question related to geography, it may not be too difficult for them to answer, given the endless amount of information available online for them to read and understand our planet.

However, a hundred years ago, even to answer a question about a neighbouring country, "the students back then would have to be familiar with that part of the world," Strange added.

The Bullit County History website clearly asks readers not to use the test "to compare student knowledge then and now." However, that hasn't stopped people from world over to take the test and share their results on Twitter.

Check out some of the questions from the paper here, while the full question paper can be seen here.

Arithmetic

1. Write in words the following: .5764; .000003; .123416; 653.0965; 43.37.

2. Find cost at 12 ½ cents per sq. yd. of kalsomining the walls of a room 20 ft. long, 16 ft. wide and 9 ft. high, deducting 1 door 8 ft. by 4 ft. 6 in. and 2 windows 5 ft. by 3 ft. 6 in. each.

3. A man bought a farm for $2400 and sold it for $2700. What per cent did he gain?

Grammar

1. How many parts of speech are there? Define each.

2. Diagram: The Lord loveth a cheerful giver.

3. Parse all the words in the following sentence: John ran over the bridge. Helen's parents love her.

Geography

1. Name and give the capital of States touching the Ohio River.

2. Name in the order of their size the three largest States in the United States.

3. Locate the following countries and which border each other: Turkey, Greece, Servia, Montenegro, Roumania.

Physiology

1. How does the liver compare in size with other glands in the human body? Where is it located? What does it secrete?

2. What are the functions (or uses) of the spinal column?

3. Describe the heart.

Civil Government

1. Name three rights given to Congress by the Constitution and two rights denied to Congress.

2. Describe the manner in which the president and vice-president of the United States are elected.

3. What is a copyright? Patent right?

History

1. Who first discovered the following places: Florida, Pacific Ocean, Mississippi River, St. Lawrence River?

2. Who invented the following: Magnetic, Telegraph, Cotton Gin, Sewing Machine, Telephone, Phonograph.

3. Give the cause of the War of 1812 and name an important battle fought during that war.