For those in need of a little humility

[Ad Orientem]

The entrance examinations for Cornell University 1889-1908...

https://archive.org/details/questionpaper8908corn

I am guessing they weren't fans of political correctness, grading on curves or making accommodations in the name of diversity. They also don't appear to have been very big on multiple choice.

For my own part; after looking at a few of the exams I have come to the conclusion that I am functionally illiterate and fortunate to be able to spell my own name or count my change at the store. In the 1890's I would have been lucky to get a job lighting street lamps.

[Greg]

Certainly difficult, although I wonder how used to things the students were then. For instance, have they been tested with this type of information all of their lives before this? If so, then they'd probably be used to it as we would be if we grew up in it. That Greek/Roman history would be pretty difficult, also the translation stuff with no multiple choice.

I always still like thinking about if we ever reached the dark ages again and lost all of our knowledge of history, how long would it take me to build a functioning can opener? It's stuff we don't think about anymore because it's been built for years.

[MachineGhost]

Yes, this just reflects upper class elitism and upbringing.  The vast supermajority of the public would never have gone to college at the turn of the 20th century.  People like Edison were truly exceptions to the rule of the intellengtsia.  Recall, college was an elite thing until the GI Bill opened the floodgates.

I'm relatively illiterate too.  The question is, does what I don't know really matter in this day and age?  Do I really need to know what Hillary lied about compared to not being a money moron?  I'll worry about reading the great literature classics when I'm much older and have the time to fully appreciate it.

I am also pretty illiterate by those old standards. the usefulness of having knowledge of ancient history and the classic literature depends on the person that has it. Memorizing the who, what, where, and when of events and books is useless information.... being able to understand and think about those events in ways that can give insight into current events (critical thinking) or help shape future events (avoid repeating history) is invaluable... and no longer taught...