Students
attended mostly one-room schools in the predominantly rural county, south of
Louisville. 8th graders took the “Common Exam” in the county
courthouse. Some students who earned high scores received scholarships to
attend high school. Many of the farm kids in the county didn’t get schooling
beyond the 8th grade.
In
case your 8th grader or a student you know is grousing about final
exams right about now, ask her to take a look at these sample questions from
the 1912 Common Exam in Bullitt County. The full test is listed here.
In
Mathematics:
“Find
cost at 12 ½ cents per sq. yd. of kalsomining [whitewashing] 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.”
In
Geography:
“Tell
what you know of the Gulf Stream.”
In
Civil Government:
“Describe
the manner in which the president and vice-president of the United States are
elected.”
In
History:
“Give
the cause of the war of 1812 and name an important battle fought during that
war.”
Copyright © Richard Carl Subber 2015 All rights reserved.
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