“Yeah, nah!”: University entrance exam from 1895 has people scratching their heads
<p>A 124-year-old entrance exam for a prestigious English college has gone viral online, with many arguing that it is “proof we are being dumbed down to a frightening extent”.</p>
<p>Oxford history professor William Whyte shared the photo of the 1895 entrance exam for Cambrige’s Trinity College on Twitter yesterday, with 12 questions focusing on English history from 1485 to 1815.</p>
<p>Applicants were advised that “not more than eight questions are to be attempted by any candidate”.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb">
<p dir="ltr">Entrance examination for Trinity College Cambridge 1895: history of England <a href="https://t.co/JfNZbbMU4O">pic.twitter.com/JfNZbbMU4O</a></p>
— William Whyte (@william_whyte) <a href="https://twitter.com/william_whyte/status/1189268763532779522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">29 October 2019</a></blockquote>
<p>The questions are as follows:</p>
<p><strong>1.</strong><span> </span>Give your estimate of the foreign policy of Henry the Eighth before 1520.</p>
<p><strong>2.</strong><span> </span>How did the doings of the reforming party under Edward the Sixth facilitate a return to Catholicism under Queen Mary?</p>
<p><strong>3.</strong><span> </span>Did the execution of Mary Queen of Scots increase or diminish the difficulties of Elizabeth’s position?</p>
<p><strong>4.</strong><span> </span>How did the policy of James the First change for the worse after the death of Robert Cecil?</p>
<p><strong>5.</strong><span> </span>How did the acceptance by the English Parliament of the Solemn League and Covenant affect the subsequent progress of the war between the Parliament and the King?</p>
<p><strong>6.</strong> Discuss the good and the bad features of the government of England under the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell.</p>
<p><strong>7.</strong> Illustrate the political importance of the Protestant Dissenters in the reigns of Charles the Second and James the Second.</p>
<p><strong>8.</strong> On what matters of practical policy did the Whigs and the Tories differ most markedly in the later years of William the Third?</p>
<p><strong>9.</strong> Was there any utility to England in Walpole’s jealousy of rivals?</p>
<p><strong>10. </strong>How did the elder Pitt differ in political opinions from Newcastle or Rockingham and their followers?</p>
<p><strong>11.</strong> How did the general election of 1784 make the House of Commons a less unpopular institution than it had been?</p>
<p><strong>12. </strong>In what respects was the Spanish Peninsula more advantageous ground for an attack by Great Britain on Napoleon’s power than any other part of Europe?</p>
<p>Many were quick to respond to the tweet, saying that they doubt they’d be able to answer any of the questions.</p>
<p>“Note that this is not the final exam for a college course in English history. It’s part of the entrance examination,” one person wrote, with another adding, “It looks like you’d already need a degree in history to answer it.”</p>
<p>One person said, “Proof that we are being dumbed down to a frightening extent. Our high-school grads don’t know who’s the Vice President of the US and who Jean Chretien was, now look at the entrance exam for Cambridge in 1895.”</p>
<p>Psychology professor Geoffrey Miller noted a stark difference between the admissions for college.</p>
<p>“College admissions, 1895: tell us about your nation’s history. College admissions, 2019: tell us about your personal struggles.”</p>
