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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