GA Russell Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 I got 26/30. When I clicked on Lindbergh, I immediately changed my mind, but it was too late. http://vyped.com/2014/10/can-you-pass-8th-grade-history/?s1=1300 Quote
russes01 Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 28/30 but I am married to a history professor so it rubs off a bit... Quote
GA Russell Posted January 3, 2015 Author Report Posted January 3, 2015 The one I would argue about was Jamestown. I would not call Jamestown successful. Quote
Larry Kart Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 29/30 ... missed the "sudden and violent thunderstorm" one. Quote
Brad Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 Ridiculously easy. 30 out of 30. Then again, when I was in the 8th grade in the mid 60s, I got a 100 in History. Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 24/30 And they let me teach American history! Clueless about all those internal explorers. I've also never seen 'Pearl Harbor'. Picked up a tip for making tests more popular though - surround the page with pictures of scantily clad girls and celebrities. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 29/30; guess I need to bone up on my railroad history... The one I would argue about was Jamestown. I would not call Jamestown successful. I would, and said so, but I expected to get it wrong. Quote
ejp626 Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 28/30. A couple were guesses, and I had the tip about Jamestown. But I feel good knowing that I could still pass 8th grade. It actually won't be that long before I have to help my son study for social studies/history. Quote
Larry Kart Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 Don't remember the other choices on the "Jamestown" one, but IIRC none of them was even possible, a la "Who was the first African-American president: Barack Obama, John Nance Garner, Florence Nightingale, or Rosoce Conkling?" Quote
Niko Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 Choices were Jamestown, Queen Anne, Charleston, Plymouth, three of which looked reasonable to me - but if you know a little more about the US than I do, you can, of course, exclude more... (a little googling made Queen Anne more reasonable than I thought btw) what I found most irritating as an exchange student in the US was that exams in history and related subjects really took the form of these quizzes instead of essays and the like... (in particular, you can perform extremely well with a little effort and common sense but without really "getting a feeling" for the topic) Quote
Brad Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 If this test is what passes for the state of knowledge with 8th graders, then the teaching of history in the US is trouble. There were a couple that were of a little more than average difficulty -- such as the date with greatest loss of life in US history; you had to know that the 1862 date was the Battle of Antietam -- but otherwise not challenging. Antietam is probably one of the most significant battles in US history: the Union needed a win badly. At that point in the War there was real concern that the English and the French might recognize the South as a separate country. As a result of the battle, they did not. In addition, Lincoln wanted to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation but on the advice of his Secretary of State, William Seward, he waited until he had a victory. Anything else would have reeked of panicking. Antietam, although not a great victory, was the victory that allowed the preliminary Proclamation to be announced shortly thereafter. Yes, I'm a history buff. Quote
Scott Dolan Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 If this test is what passes for the state of knowledge with 8th graders, then the teaching of history in the US is trouble. There were a couple that were of a little more than average difficulty -- such as the date with greatest loss of life in US history; you had to know that the 1862 date was the Battle of Antietam -- but otherwise not challenging. Antietam is probably one of the most significant battles in US history: the Union needed a win badly. At that point in the War there was real concern that the English and the French might recognize the South as a separate country. As a result of the battle, they did not. In addition, Lincoln wanted to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation but on the advice of his Secretary of State, William Seward, he waited until he had a victory. Anything else would have reeked of panicking. Antietam, although not a great victory, was the victory that allowed the preliminary Proclamation to be announced shortly thereafter. Yes, I'm a history buff. Just because it's a specific subject you specialize in doesn't mean the test was "ridiculously easy", or that it somehow underscores some sad state of history education. Reel it in and show a little humility instead of continuing on with your "if people can't ace this then they are stupid" victory lap. Quote
erwbol Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 24/30. Some guesswork, but having read two books on America's first two centuries in the past decade helped. Quote
Leeway Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 28/30. I too got that Jamestown question "wrong," although I think the test is questionable on that one. Jamestown was the first, but the settlement wasn't really successful in the long term. If 8th graders are acing this test, then we are in good shape. Quote
Ed S Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 29. Got the July 4, 1828 question wrong. Quote
johnblitweiler Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 I got 30 of 30. I'm glad it was multiple choice because I couldn't have guessed a lot of answers otherwise. Quote
Brad Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) If this test is what passes for the state of knowledge with 8th graders, then the teaching of history in the US is trouble. There were a couple that were of a little more than average difficulty -- such as the date with greatest loss of life in US history; you had to know that the 1862 date was the Battle of Antietam -- but otherwise not challenging. Antietam is probably one of the most significant battles in US history: the Union needed a win badly. At that point in the War there was real concern that the English and the French might recognize the South as a separate country. As a result of the battle, they did not. In addition, Lincoln wanted to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation but on the advice of his Secretary of State, William Seward, he waited until he had a victory. Anything else would have reeked of panicking. Antietam, although not a great victory, was the victory that allowed the preliminary Proclamation to be announced shortly thereafter. Yes, I'm a history buff.Just because it's a specific subject you specialize in doesn't mean the test was "ridiculously easy", or that it somehow underscores some sad state of history education. Reel it in and show a little humility instead of continuing on with your "if people can't ace this then they are stupid" victory lap. I'm not a specialist but do read a lot of history for pleasure. However, these are basic questions for which you don't need any special knowledge. By process of elimination you could have figured out the answers. As a matter of fact, 8th graders, at least in my district, have to know a lot more, a lot more than I did in 8th grade. Edited January 3, 2015 by Brad Quote
A Lark Ascending Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) I'm not familiar with the US education system so this is a serious question. Do 8th graders (13-14 year olds?) have to pass a history test? What happens if they fail? And are the tests multiple choice like this? Or is this just a web thing based on the standard curriculum? (we get similar things regularly cropping up on British websites bearing no resemblance to how students are assessed in school). Edited January 3, 2015 by A Lark Ascending Quote
Clunky Posted January 3, 2015 Report Posted January 3, 2015 19 only. I guessed a fair number. I've never studied history and given it's not my country 19/30 isn't too shabby. Quote
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