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Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 84.djvu/80

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76
THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY

chair. Then shut the door. After that bring me the box that is on the chair. Remember, first the key on the chair, then close the door, then bring the box. Do you understand? Well, then go ahead. (4) Show me your right hand. Show me your left ear. (5) Which is the prettier? (Six drawings of heads of women, three pretty and three ugly or even deformed ones, arranged so that the pretty one is now at the left and now at the right are shown the child.)

Seven Years: (1) Child must count thirteen pennies placed in a row, touching each piece with the finger as it counts. (2) Pictures representing a man and a boy drawing a cart loaded with furniture; a woman and an old man sitting on a bench in a park in winter; a man in prison looking out of the window, a couch, chair and tables are shown the child, and it is required to describe them.

(3) Three unfinished drawings of a woman's head, and one of a woman with the arms missing are shown and the child is asked, What is lacking in that picture?

(4) Copy with pen a diamond about three or four centimeters. (5) What is this color? (touching with the finger pieces of red, blue, green and yellow papers).

Eight Years: (1) What is the difference between a butterfly and a fly? Wood and glass? Paper and cloth? (2) Count backwards from 20 to 1. (Should be done within 20 seconds.) (3) Name the days of the week. (Must be given in order without omission within 10 seconds.) (4) Arrange in order three 1 and three 2 cent stamps. Child is asked to find by counting how much money it will take to buy them. (5) The figures 4-7-3-9-5 are repeated slowly and distinctly. The child is required to repeat them.

Nine Years: (1) Play store, using real money. Child is storekeeper, and is given some pennies, nickels and dimes with which to make change. A four-cent purchase is made, and a quarter presented. Child is required to give change. (2) Child asked to define common objects, same as in 6-year test. Definition must be better than by "use." (3) Name the day of the week, the month, the day of the month and the year. (4) Name the months of the year. (15 seconds allowed.) (5) Arranging in proper order five cubes of same size and appearance but loaded so as to weigh 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 grams.

Ten Years: (1) Naming nine pieces of money, e.g., cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, dollar, two dollars, five dollars, ten dollars. (2) Draw two geometrical designs from memory. (Designs exposed 10 seconds.) (3) Repeat six figures: 854726, 274681, 941738. (4) Questions of comprehension: (a) What ought one to do when he is detained so that he will be late for school? (b) What ought one to do before taking part in an important affair? (c) Why does one excuse a wrong act committed in anger more easily than a wrong act committed without anger? (d) What should one do when asked his opinion of some one whom he knows only a little? (e) Why ought one to judge a person more by his acts than by his words? (5) Make a sentence containing the words, Columbia, money, river.

Eleven Years: (1) Find the nonsense or absurdity in the following sentences: An unfortunate cyclist had his head broken and is dead from the fall; they have taken him to the hospital and they do not think that he will recover. (b) I have three brothers, Paul, Ernest and myself, (c) The police found yesterday the body of a young girl cut into eighteen pieces. They believe that she killed herself, (d) Yesterday there was an accident on the railroad. But it was not serious: the number of deaths is only 48. (e) Some one said "If in a moment of despair I should commit suicide, I should not choose Friday, because Friday is an unlucky day and it would bring me ill luck." (2) Use three words in a sentence (same as in age ten). (3) Say as many words as you can in three minutes. (At least 60 words should be given.) (4) Give as many words as you can think of that rhyme with "day." (5) Make sentences out of these words: