The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-21
STRIKER is FOOLISH.
Has Asked a Lot of Absurd
"Catch" Questions
In His Examination Of Teachers
With the Result
That Nearly Half the Teachers in
Many Counties, Some of Them
the Best of Educators, Have
Been Shut Out

The failure of so teachers out of a to-
tai of 1875 who took the recent eXamina-
lions in Shawnee county, has caused
panic among the teachers. They lay
the blame at the door of State Superin-
tendent Stryker, who has a habit of
showing off, in the preparation of ex-
animation questions.
His questions TEEN with abstruse
propositions and catches" which are
anything but practical. Several old
teachers who have had first grade GER
tificateS will be compelled to be salts
fled with second grades, while many
holders of second grades barely secured
third grades.
State Superintendent Stryker prepar-
ed the questions in grammar. Here are
three of them:
Present examples of adjectives in
the following constructions: (a) Com
plement of a copulative verb CD Alb
sOlute by exclamation. Co In apposi-
ton with noun; with prOnoun; with
an adjective. Cd Factitive object of
verb.
Present examples of relative pro-
nouns used as follows: (a) Connecting
two coordinate sentences. OBJ Introduce
ing an adjective clause. (c) Introduce
ing adverbial clause. Present exam
| pies of conjunctive adverbs used in the
same way.
Present examples of complex SEN
fences in which subordinate sentences
are used as: (a) Subject of sentence.
! CD Object of transitive verb in the
active voice. Co Object of a preposi-
ton. cd Complement of a copulative
! verb. (e) Adjective element. (f) Ad-
| verbal element"
In commenting upon the above ques-
tons c. E. Prather, editor of the Meri-
den Ledger, and one of the first grade
| teachers, says:
Now, will you do the teachers the
kindness to inform them what common
| school grammar text books give each
Of ha .tF-1T1 ions 11aEl
above three questions. If they are all
| commonly given by standard authors,
! then we will admit that they are fair
| but hard There were eight other
| lengthy questions, all to be completed
within two hours, and to cap the climax
! was the following note in fine print at
the foot of the list: The paper
whole to be graded from to 10 for
neatness and accuracy, the examiners
standard being manuscript work
| perfect as the printed page
This is indeed fair, considering the
amount of work to be done in a given
| time. Still it is a most excellent way
! to cut out the list of teachers who are
not up to date on the common branch
eS' I"
Mr.. Prather also says:
I'VE maintain that his questions as a
whole were unfair, and our opinion is
cOncurred in by nine out of ten of our
| county superintendent and 80 Of every
| 100 teachers regardless of party. Meth
er is it just since his election, for his
methods were the same when he was
on the board under Lewelling. For in
stance, here are two or three of his
questions in arithmetic at that time,
which were officially answered by Prof.
| NJ. A. Bailey of the state normal, prOba-
| bly, the best mathenlatic in Kansas:
50 Extract the square root of to the
| second decimal place. Draw figure and
| explain in full.
Bailey says: Il cannot fully explain
| this in the two hours allotted to the
| whole examination.
"' IL is an expression not recognized
| in mathematics The great Olney says:
| 1t is as ridiculous to inquire what IA
| means as to inquire what pqrstx
| spells
. Find the third dimension of the
| longest plank 1 foot wide and 8 inches
| thick that can be placed in room Ia
| feet long, 10 feet wide and feet high.
IF anything more than to find the
! distance from lower corner to the OPP
posite upper corner is required in this
| example, 1 am unable to solve it with
| out the aid of the higher mathemat-
| les
County Superintendent Stout says
that the percentage of failures in
| Shawnee county is over 10 per cent
| more than ever before. Old teachers
| who started to take the examina ton to
| raise their grades, withdrew their pa
Following is a list of those who re-
| ceived certificates:
| First grades
A o. Beach, ]. ]. Burdge. John r.
| Carter VIM. H. Conrad, j. A Coulter
| Marie A. Green, F. E. Kutz, c. NJ. Nor
row, c. r. Moore, c. D. Mccullough,
| Charles E. Prather, ]. H. Stevens, VIM.
Van Orsdal.
May Albright, Mamie NJ. Bruner. Geo.