The Amateur Message Boards of the World Famous VoyeurWeb

Please note: this is a high school entrance exam.

http://www.justfacts.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

* Below are the arithmetic and algebra questions from the 1885 high school entrance exam in Jersey City, NJ. In order to enter high school, students had to score at least 75%. A copy of the full test and the names and scores of all passing students are shown in this footnote.[170]

Arithmetic

1. If a 60 days note of $840 is discounted at a bank at 4½% what are the proceeds?

2. Find the sum of √16.7281 and √.72¼.

3. The interest of $50 from March 1st to July 1st is $2.50. What is the rate?

4. What is the cost of 19 cwt. 83 lb. of sugar at $98.50 a ton? What is discount? A number?

5. Divide the difference between 37 hundredths and 95 thousandths by 25 hundred thousandths and express the result in words.

6. The mason work on a building can be finished by 16 men in 24 days, working 10 hours a day. How long will it take 22 men working 8 hours a day?

7. A merchant sold a quantity of goods for $18,775. He deducts 5% for cash and then finds that he has made 10%. What did he pay for the goods?

8. A requires 10 days and B 15 days to do a certain piece of work. How long will it take A and B working together to do the work?

9. By selling goods it 12½% profits, a man clears $800. What was the cost of the goods, and for what were they sold?

10. A merchant offered some goods for $1170.90 cash, or $1206 payable in 30 days. Which was the better offer for the customer, money being worth 10%?

Algebra

1. Define Algebra, an algebraic expression, a polynomial. Make a literal trinomial.

2. Write a homogeneous quadrinomial of the third degree. Express the cube root of 10ax in two ways.

3. Find the sum and difference of 3x−4xy+7cd−4xy+16, and 10ay−3x−8xy+7cd−13.

4. Express the following in its simplest form by removing the parentheses and combining: 1−(1−a)+(1−a+a2)−(1−a+a2−a3).

5. Find the product of 3+4x+5x2−6x3, and 4−5x−6x2.

6. Expand each of the following expressions and give the theorem for each: [a+4]2, [a2−10]2, [a+4] [a−4].

7. Divide 6a4+4a3x−9a2x2−3ax3+2x4 by 2a2+2ax−x2.

8. Find the prime factors of x4−b4 and x3−l.

9. Find the greatest common denominator of 6a2+11ax+3x2 and 6a2+7ax−3x2.

10. Divide [x2−2xy+y2]/ab by [x−y]/bc and give the answer in its lowest terms.

11. Change [2x2+5]/[x+3] to a mixed quantity.

* Between 1919 and 2011, the national average inflation-adjusted annual spending per public school student in daily attendance rose from $788 to $13,210.[171] This does not include state administration spending, unfunded pension liabilities, and post-employment benefits for government workers.[172]

When my mother finished the 8th grade, she had to take a county-wide standardized test like this in order to be allowed to finish high school by going to grades 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Today, most college students would have trouble with the questions given in the opening post.

OK, Clownmoid......you who knows all....

You are UP. Can't Google these answers....

Watch him squirm.

http://www.justfacts.com/education.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting read, the teachers unions claim the reason students aren't as smart as students in other countries is that other countries spend more money on education. But the facts show the United States spends far more per student than anyone, but the students still are far behind those spending half of what we are. We all know that our public education system is just a milk cow and all about indoctrination, not teaching kids math or English.

Well...a lot of money is spent for education here in the US....but I think the problem is...

the money is spent on behalf of the student, and not on the student.

Justme-Your post of Thurs. has some truth to it. But, I wonder if there is a deeper dynamic that we all ignore. Life and attitude has most certainly changed since 1885. Mothers usually stayed at home, workers were hired because they had the skills necessary to do the job, businesses were largely a local thing,, banks were largely run by local people and the shame of being fired meant that you had to move some place where no one knew you. The economic safety nets of today were largely non-existent and family took up the slack. To sum up, we have more things but I wonder if the average person is really less equipped to deal with life.

Isn't it true that students can now use calculators on cell phones to answer arithmetic questions?

On the one hand, that is realistic but modern students would be lost without technology.

Schools have security guards, teacher aides, and all sorts of staffers these days.

Mucho money is spent, but students graduate unable to speak a single sentence which doesn't contain "guys" or "amazing."

Guys, it is amazing. Check it out. Guys, amazing, check it out, guys, amazing, check it out, guys.

Yes, we were lucky back in the day.

johnforbes and I would have no trouble passing such a test today, right, johnny? :lol:

No trouble at all.

My scholastic aptitude tests would not have to be hidden (as Barry's are) were I to become a politician.