I found an article online written by Joel Belz from World Magazine.  In A REAL TEST,  he tells about when he, his wife and an aunt spent a week cleaning out the home of a 99 year old woman who had passed.  They found a little booklet called Stephenson's Iowa State Eight Grade Examination Question Book published in 1924.    As I read the questions, I wondered could most students in 8th grade public school answer these today?   (Probably not.)  Then I wondered, can my students answers these questions?  (I don't know but we'll see.  That's going to be our fun for today)

The full article is an enjoyable read, but here are just a few of the questions found in the test book: 

Geography. What waters would a ship pass through in going from Duluth to Buffalo? With what would the boat be apt to be loaded? What, probably, would it be loaded with on a return trip?

History. (a) What colonies were founded in America because of religious reasons? By whom was each founded? (b) Give the cause, time, and result of each of the wars in which the United States has been involved.

Physiology. (a) Beginning with food in the mouth, trace the course of digestion, naming the juices with which the food is mixed and the results. (b) What is the reason that spitting on the street is dangerous to the health of a community?