Could You Pass This Fifth Grade Exam From 1885?

Printed questions for the Public School of Washington’s fifth grade annual examinations (MS 0094)

Are you smarter than a fifth grader? How about a fifth grader from the 1800s? You can test your knowledge with questions pulled from the Public Schools of Washington Annual Examination, 1885 for fifth grade (MS 0094).

This artifact contains questions that were cut and pasted from the 1885 fifth grade annual examination. The tests were held on two consecutive days in which teachers from other schools were brought in to lead the exam.

Questions looked like:

• • Define Pronunciation.
  • Name the mark that shows the stress of syllables.
  • Place the macron, breve, diaeresis where they are needed to indicate the pronunciation of the following words: calmness, idea, abdomen, horizon.

If you failed the test, you may not be promoted to the next grade. It is noted that, “These annual ordeals brought out such persistent protests against the nervous breakdown of numerous pupils.”

The Board of Education eventually discontinued the annual examination.