[MayflowerMadam]

One of the rooms in our family homestead has shelves full of McGuffey, math, social studies, etc. books from when my aunt was a “normal school” teacher in the 1920s.

Hubby is a PhD in Physics and he was blown away by the difficulty level in the 6th grade math books.

[ProgressingAmerica]

People have these things but I don’t always know enough to know what I don’t know in order to ask a valid question in a search or ai.

What are some of the social studies authors there from the 1920s or earlier if you’re willing to share?

[Elsie]

...the difficulty level in the 6th grade math books.

Take the test.

ACTUAL 1912 EXAM — SALINA, KANSAS (FULL TEXT)

(This is the real historical document — public domain.)

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GRAMMAR

1. Define noun, verb, adjective, adverb.

2. What are the principal parts of a verb?

3. Define:

   • sentence

   • paragraph

   • letter

4. Write a composition of about 150 words and show your letter‑writing form.

5. Name the parts of speech.

6. Define case; illustrate each case.

7. Define and diagram: “The boy who won the prize is my cousin.”

ARITHMETIC

1. Name and define the fundamental rules of arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 ft. long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3,942 lbs., what is it worth at 50¢ per bushel?

4. Find cost of 6720 lbs. of coal at $6 per ton.

5. Find interest on $512.60 for 8 months at 7%.

6. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 in. wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per thousand feet?

U.S. HISTORY

1. Name the causes of the Civil War.

2. Give an account of the discovery of America.

3. Relate the principal events of the War of 1812.

4. Who were the Pilgrims?

5. Name the 13 original colonies.

6. Who was the first President of the United States?

GEOGRAPHY

1. Name the continents and oceans.

2. What is climate?

3. Describe the movements of the earth.

4. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.

5. Name the countries bordering the Atlantic.

6. Describe the Mississippi River system.

CIVICS

1. Name the three branches of government.

2. Define:

   • naturalization

   • suffrage

   • citizenship

3. How is the President elected?

4. What are the duties of the governor?

5. What is the Constitution?

ORTHOGRAPHY (SPELLING)

Spell and use in a sentence: parallel, privilege, separate, arithmetic, government, accommodate, recommend, necessary, occurred, embarrass

READING

Explain the meaning of:

• “A rolling stone gathers no moss.”

• “A stitch in time saves nine.”

• “Honesty is the best policy.”