SAVE FREEPER UPCHUCK!
BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR!
*
Boop His Cute Little Nose!
*FReeper Upchuck
Posted on 07/22/2011 10:18:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The following 1869 Harvard entrance exam was supposed to be a breeze, believe it or not (via GOOD).
In those days colleges had to go out of their way to attract students. Harvard pointed out in a newspaper ad that 185 of 210 candidates passed the entrance test and were accepted in the previous year.
But those candidates had the benefit of a focused prep school education.
You will find this exam, which ranges from geography to geometry to Latin, extremely difficult. Take a stab at the answers in the comment section.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
LATIN TEST FROM HARVARD IN 1869
Latin grammar: Give the principal parts of cado, cacdo, tono, reperio, curro, pasco, paciscor, marking the quantity of the penult.
Give all the Infinitives and participles of abeo, ulciscor; the Present Indicative of fio; the Future indicative Active and the Present Subjunctive Passive of munio, with the quantity of all penults
MATH ENTRANCE EXAM IN HARVARD IN 1869:
1) One metre=39.37 inches. Compute from this datum the value of 4 miles in kilometers
2) What is the logarithm of 1 in any system?
Of any number in a system of which that number is the base? In a system of which the bas is 4, what is the logarithm of 64? of 2? of 8? of 1/2?
3) Show how the area of a polygon circumscribed about a circle may be found; then how the area of a circle may be found; then prove that circles are to each other as the squares of their radii.
4) A man bought a watch, a chain, and a locket for $216.
The watch and locket together coast three times as much as the chain, and the chain and locket together cost half as much as the watch. What was the price of each?
5) Prove that the perpendicular from the centre of a circle upon a chord bisects the chord and they are subtended by the chord.
LANGUAGE ENTRANCE EXAM AT HARVARD 1869:
1) Translate into Latin:
Who more illustrious in Greece than Themistocles? who when he had been driven into exile did not do harm to his thankless country, but did the same that Coriolanus had done twenty years before.
2) Greek grammar: Give an example of Elision. In what words does the accent of the elided vowel disappear with the vowel?
HISTORY EXAM:
Describe Pericles: — the Man and his Policy.
In 1869, the vast majority of Harvard students were legacies, who didn’t have to take the exam.
Interesting that the writer took the opportunity to mock republican President George Bush, who has a Master’s from Harvard.
Well I can do the history and math, but I never studied latin and therefore would not have passed.
Harvard intentionally made the entrance exam so rigorous in order that they could keep “riff-raff” out.
It wasn’t till the mid 1920’s that middle class students started being a large percentage of the Harvard student body.
And it wasn’t until the GI Bill, that the Ivy League became more socially integrated.
Wow. I’m surprised they didn’t ask about a henway.
I bet you the freshmen of 1869 won’t be able to answer any questions on the history of the contributions of American gays and lesbians. :)
bump
Watch $144
Chain $54
Locket $18
PING
“I’m surprised they didn’t ask about a henway.”
LOL. How long have you had a weak back?
they didn’t ask about a henway.
_____________________________________
Whats a henway ???
about 2 pounds
:)
How long have you had a weak back?
__________________________________
for a week
:)
Latin. The Ebonics of the 19th century.
Strange. No questions about Social Justice, GLBT rights, or the banning of firearms.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.