Exams Thursday

Thursday

L - Year 3.5

What was one of the things Paul wrote about to the Corinthians? - Paul was talking about how God promised eternal life and that he will keep you strong until he comes again and that was part of it. You shouldn't invite somebody over and then eat meat sacrificed to idols although you know he thinks its wrong, you should never do that. You should never eat food that the other person thinks is wrong to eat because you're encouraging him to do something he believes is not right. Part of the reason he's writing is because he's going to be coming to Corinth in a little while and so he's writing letters before he gets there.

Can you explain why the sun never seems to remain still in the same place? - Because the sun stays in one spot, actually, but all the other planets orbit around it and it looks like the sun is moving but it's actually the earth that's moving around the sun instead of the sun moving around the earth.

Tell what you know about the planets. - Saturn we can't land on it because it has poisonous gasses and clouds around it so we can't see what's underneath the clouds It also has a ring of like rocks and dust around it. Saturn has six moons. And Pluto, which is the smallest planet and farthest away from the sun, doesn't get much light or heat just because it's so far away friom the sun. Also, some of the planets get closer to the sun and further away from it during their orbit. I think that's why the temperatures go up and down. There's Jupiter, Jupiter also had clouds around it. Jupiter has four moons. On all the planets, there's no oxygen. Mars is very rocky and it's very cold and some scientists think that the valleys and everything in it might have had water in them at one time that all evaporated. And Mars has a solar ice cap which you might be able to get water from, but it's dry ice. And so we've sent like robots and everything up there just to look around. The names of some other planets are Uranus, Neptune, Earth.

Describe "The Milkmaid" by Vermeer - A lady is standing beside a table pouring milk from a pitcher. Up above her is a pretty big window and there's tile down on the wallinstead of baseboards and the tiles have designs on them and everything, and what the tile is for is that there are no water leaks. She has some sort of headband or something, like a shawl on her head, and a blue skirt, and on the table is like a cheese grater and like a bowl, I think. Theres a knife and it looks like she's just been cutting some bread because there's some bread on the table and there's a basket up on the wall and a foot warmer on the floor.

J - Year 6

What kind of body will we have? I Cor 15 - Paul said two things: one, that when we get to heaven they'll be glorified, and two, our bodies that are weak now will be strong.

Describe one of the Persian attacks ancient Greece OR the civil war in Rome - The Persian king wanted to conquer Greece so he raised an army of two million men and eight million squires and stuff. And they marched on Greece but there was one crossing where there was a bridge across a river, and there was a town on the other side, and it took them one month marching night and day to cross through the town. When they came to Greece they were expecting to have a quick and easy victory but the Greeks, with the help of the Spartans, the Athenians and a few others, raised an army of several thousand, and went to match against the enemy and succesfully defeated them in several battles, then the enemy tried a different tactic. They used a fleet to attack one of the ports but the Spartan fleet intercepted them and destroyed the whole fleet and so the Persian king had to go back completely defeated.

How did Demetrius come into power? - He was the son of Antigonus, one of Alexander's generals. His father sent him out pretty much as his commander and Demetrius was such a good general that most of the other kings were afraid of him and because of that he had a lot of enemies and he was in power several different times. Once he was king of the Macedonians, once he was befriended by the Athenians, and on several other occasions he was the king of some small city, but because he had so many enemies, he was overthrown and had to go to some other kingdom. He finally died in prison.

Tell about his death. - He tried to do a campaign against one of his enemies, but famine and sickness came against his men, so he went to another king for help but they wouldn't help him. So they went to war against each other. Demetrius was eventually taken captive and while a prisoner, he died.

T - Year 10

Explain how Lincoln's character influenced his actions during his term as President. - His patience and goodwill kept him from becoming overbearing or harsh with his critics and staff, and helped him bear with the Union generals who had bad luck (or bad strategy) in the field. His sense of humor kept him from despairing during the long war. Because of his humility he thought only of his country and how he could help her, even to the point of neglecting his personal safety. Because of his kindness he pardoned many condemned soldiers and was lenient with the South after the war. Because of his morality he emancipated the slaves when he had the chance—and did it legally through the war power vested in him.

Give an account of Cairo during the plague. - There were funerals every day. Doctors were scarce, and someone wanting a doctor was looked on suspiciously. The plague was thought to be transferred by contact, so many people quarantined themselves in their houses, and those who went out tried to avoid touching other people. Kinglake himself did not completely believe the disease was transferred by contact, and he made a game of seeing how far he could go in the street without touching anyone.

Explain a few flaws in the liberal movement. (Vision of the Anointed) - 1) It is cut off from feedback. Because it is a vision rather than a view built upon observation, facts and results cannot affect it. Opposing views are usually ignored or brushed off without argument. 2) It plays to the pride of the Anointed. Within the vision they are the Intelligentsia, the Ones Who really care (or really know), the Rescuers of the unfortunate victims of society—-in other words, they are special. Therefore, they are the ones who should make decisions. Any opposition must be less understanding or less caring (see 1).

Grammar: pick out the eight parts of speech of the italicized words from this poetry selection by Robert Browning:

Oh, to be in England
Now that April's there,
And whoever wakes in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the lowest boughs and the brush-wood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the chaffinch sings on the orchard bough
In England -- now!

to be: infinitive verb
England: proper noun
wakes: intransitive verb
lowest: superlative adjective
chaffinch: concrete noun

Exams Wednesday

L - Year 3.5

Where did the religion of Islam come from? - When Mohammed was a little boy, his parents died and so he went to live with his uncle, and his uncle was a caravan driver and what that meant was that Mohammed went with the caravans and he helped him with the supplies and I guess Mohammed stayed with him and everything. When Mohammed grew up he had a vision one night and in the vision the angel Gabriel told him to start preaching a religion and he woke up and then he went out and started preaching a new religion that had never been taught before and it ended up being called Islamic. One of the things Islamic people did everyday around the middle of the day a bell was rung from basically the church, and everybody kneeled down and started praying. No matter what what you were doing whether it was a big thing or just a minor thing, you had to stop whatever you were doing and kneel down and pray. And some people even got mats to put under their knees.

Tell your favorite part of Bambi. - That's easy. One day Bambi and his mother were walking in the meadow and Bambi played tag with his mother like the first time but all of a sudden he noticed that his mother was standing very still and so he went uip to her to see what she was doing and he saw two long ears sticking up from the grasss stems and his mother told told him to come over to where she was and she introduced him to their friend the hare, and Bambi was a little bit critical of the hare's long whiskers and they talked for awhile and the hare studied Bambi and finally he had to go home, and I guess Bambi's mother started to graze and Bambi went off a little ways to see what he could do and he noticed a ways off on the other side of the meadow that the grass was moving and everything, and he saw two backs with white spots on them and he bounded back like he wanted to run away, and his mother looked up to see what he was doing and she asked him, and he told her to look where he had seen the backs. So she looked over and she noticed that it was her sister and so she told Bambi to follow her, so he did and everything. They went and said hello and what Bambi had seen was actually Gobo and Faline, his aunt Ina's children. They started to play and then they romped in the grass and they stopped to take a breather and then they started talking, already good friends. Bambi asked Gobo if he knew what danger was. And Gobo answered and said that danger was something very bad and they all sort of stood there sort of scared and evertything, trying to figure out what danger was. But finally Faline bounded away saying, "I know what danger is, it's what you run away from!" and then they started to play again and totally forgot about the absorbing question. Finally they stopped again and looked over at their mothers but they were still grazing and then they started to talk again and Bambi told them how he had talked to the grasshopper and the butterfly and Friend Hare. And Faline asked if he had ever talked to the goldbug and Bambi said no. Faline said pertly that she had talked to him often and Gobo said that the hedge hog had struck him in the nose, but he only mentioned it in passing. Then the mothers looked up and said that it was time to go but they started to plead asking for more time and Aunt Ina told his mother about how she told her that they wouldn't want to separate. Suddenly they heard something that took their minds off everything else. It was like a crashing and everything in the bushes and they looked up and saw two stags, and the two stags ran out and ran right back into the thicket and then they came bursting out again and then they stopped about twenty feet away from each other and then they turned around and walked back to the thicket in opposite directions. And then Faline asked who they were and so did Gobo, and Aunt Ina said that they were their fathers. Then they said goodbye to each other and separated. After that Bambi and his mother started to walk home and on the way Bambi asked his mother why their fathers hadn't spoken to them and his mother said that they don't speak to them anymore, only when they wanted to. And he asked her why didn't they stay with them and she said they didn't stay with them anymore, only when they wanted to.

What is a diving bell? - Just like a square bell that sits on the surface of the water and a little bencj on the bottom of it where you can sit and there wasn't really a floor. (He drew a diagram.) You could dive and go down and look for stuff instead of using a boat you could use it.

Add 343 + 237 + 522 - 1102

Father to choose a poem, and a memory verse.

J - Year 6


Describe the city of ancient Rome OR Athens OR Sparta - Sparta was a very plain city and the people in it were rather plain, too They didn't go for finery, they just went for practical things. In the city they had schools where the boys went and schools where the girls went. The girls were taught to basically keep a house, and the boys were taught to go to war. They were trained as soldiers and prepared for battle.

Briefly explain the theory of relativity OR give an account of Archimides's contribution to science. - Archimides pretty much invented how to use math the right way He discovered that there was no end to numbers, that you can just keep going. He also invented several other things that help do things such as he invented a machine that could draw water from a stream just by turning a handle. He used his science not so much to do things for himself, but to help other scientists and to improve the science that they had.

How many square feet of wall are in a room 12x13 feet, 8 feet high? 1248
Minus a door 3x7 feet? 1227

Describe "The Milkmaid" by Vermeer - She's standing in a rather plain room with a table underneath a window. She has a basket of bread, a pitcher of milk and it looks like some peices of cloth on the table as well. There is a foot warmer on the floor and on the baseboard there are little paintings.

T - Year 10

Explain how Abraham's children with Hagar and Sarah illustrate the two agreements between God and man. (Galatians) - Ishmael is illustrative of the first agreement, the Law. Abraham tried to fulfill the requirements by his own works, and his child Ishmael by Hagar was the result. Isaac is illustrative of the second agreement: promised and accomplished by God and received by man through faith.

Describe one of the generals of the Civil War. - Robert E. Lee was described by Churchill as the military genius of the Civil War. He was also a wise and honorable man. He had wished that the war would not have to happen, but when his state, Virginia, joined the Confederacy he went with her (despite being offered command of the Union army). During the first years of the war he won many battles, even though he was usually outnumbered. When the Confederacy was at last overpowered and he was asked to surrender, one of his subordinates suggested that they shouldn't give up, but go into hiding and fight a guerrilla war against the Union; but General Lee said no, because this would help neither the Confederacy nor the Union. (And he did sign General Grant's terms of surrender, at Appomattox Courthouse in April 1865.)

Describe the scene where Dr. Frankenstein stops working on a second monster. - Frankenstein had been working on the creature for some time. But one day he decided he could not go on with it. He had seen the evil that one such creature could cause, and he could not create a second. So he went to destroy what he had done so far—-and was met by his first monster. The monster argued and pleaded with him to finish his work, but Frankenstein was unmoved. The monster left in a rage, telling Frankenstein that he would be with him on his wedding night. Frankenstein then took all the pieces from his work on a second creature, went out to sea in a small boat, and sunk them.

Describe Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" - A lady stands pouring milk from a pitcher into a vessel on a table. She wears a blue skirt, yellow blouse, and white head-covering. The room she is in has plain walls but there is a row of decorated tiles around the base. Light comes in from a window towards the upper left of the painting. There are loaves on the table; baskets hang behind the lady on the side wall; and there is a small wooden box (a foot-warmer, if I remember correctly) on the floor.

Exams Tuesday

Tuesday

L - Year 3.5

What was the golden age of Greece like, OR tell about the gods the Greeks believed - They had the god of the sea which might have been Neptune, they had the god of peace, the god of war, the goddess of love, and her son went down and shot arrows at people in their hearts supposedly to make them love each other, I guess, and then they had the god of the sun, and the god of the moon and the stars, and they might have had a god over all of them. And some of the names were Neptune and Pluto. This is how the daughter of one of the gods was born. One day one of the gods had a headache. It kept getting worse so he called a blacksmith to come and hit him on the head with a hammer, and as strange as the request sounded, the blacksmith did it anyway without question. And then--out popped his daughter.

Describe a compass. What does it tell us? - A compass is basically almost like a clock. But instead of having numbers, it has N for north, S for south, W for west and E for east. It has a little red arrow that always points north. And since it's always pointing north, we can tell the other directions from north.

What do you know about light? - Well, for one, if you take a piece of cardboard and you put a pinhole in it, and you shine the flashlight beam through it, then the image of the lightbulb in the flashlight will show a picture of it on the wall. You can't see around a corner because light goes in straight lines. There are two things that can bend light - water and glass.

3X + 4 = 13 - x = 3

J - Year 6

Dictation (prepared, from School of the Woods) - "Now cut ahead of the dogs to the runway and watch for the fox. Here is the hunted creature." (done perfectly)

Explain how and why Octavius became Augustus - After he conquered Antony, the priests and all the higher people wanted to honor him, but because they wanted to gain his favor they wanted to think of something new and so they called him Augustus.

What are some things that cloth is made of? OR describe what Norway looks like. - Cloth is made out of cotton and from sheep's wool.

Describe your favorite episode in The Hobbit - The Battle of the Five Armies: The dwarves' army started to attack the elven army but Gandalf, as soon as the attack began, shouted that he could see orcs. Immediately Dain went to talk to the elven king and Bard. They decided to do combat together against the orcs, and the elves took one arm of the mountain to defend, and the dwarves and men took the other part. The orc host came and attacked from the front to begin with, but when the elves charged, they fell back. Then slowly by weight of numbers they started carrying the elves back towards the mountains. Then the dwarves and men attacked and sent the orcs back again but then some orcs who had climbed over the mountain attacked behind them. So the elves and the men and the dwarves were fighting in a circle Then the eagles arrvived to bring help as well as Beorn, and soon he sent the orcs packing.

What is two-thirds of 48? - 32

T - Year 10

What were some of the blessings and curses that Moses described to the Israelites based on their obedience or disobedience? (Deuteronomy) - If they obeyed they would be given a large and bounteous land, their labor would be fruitful, and the Lord would be with them. If they disobeyed, their enemies would overcome them; other people would reap the fruit of their labors, and they would be driven out of their land.

Give some account of one of the battles of the civil war. - At the taking of Richmond in the last period of the war, General Grant first assaulted the heavy fortifications to the north of the city. He received heavy losses, changed plans, and circled around the city (as McClellan had attempted) so that he could take it from the back. 1-0 (Union-Confederacy).

Trace the ups and downs of Demetrius's life. - Demetrius was the son of Antigonus, one of Alexander's four generals. After Alexander died the generals quarreled and Demetrius led part of his father's army. He and his father made a campaign into Greece and liberated Athens from a previous conqueror. The Athenians loaded the two with honors, even to the point of deifying them. Demetrius and his father made several more campaigns, but they were in the end defeated, Antigonus was killed, and Demetrius fled back to Athens. But the Athenians spurned him and he had to flee again.
In his final campaign he started well, but there was a famine and he ran out of supplies. He had to surrender and was placed under a sort of house arrest. He spent the rest of his life hunting, dicing, and drinking.

Solve 4.59 + 8.125 - 7.68 - .981 - 1.406 = 2.648

Exams Monday

L and J are dictating their answers and I'm typing them, T is typing his own.

L - Year 3.5

Tell about the fall of Jericho: One time God told Joshua to take the agreement of the Lord to the city of Jericho and to march around the city 1 time a day for 7 days. And then on the 8th day, march around the city 7 times and then blow your trumpets and shout. So they marched around the city 7 times a day and then they blew their trumpets and they shouted and the walls just collapsed. They went in and they took everything and sacrificed it all to the Lord. But the house of the lady who helped the two spies, her house was still left standing. But one guy took some stuff that was supposed to be sacrificed to the Lord and he kept it for himself and buried it. But Joshua found out and he put they guy to death and all his household and all his belongings.

Writing
I'd like to be a lighthouse
All scrubbed and painted white.
(We tried this as a prepared dictation first, and he got all the words correct except painted; then we tried it as copywork, which is what I had originally intended to do.)

Tell about how Jasper found Phronsie. One time Phronsie was lost and Ben went out to look for her down in badgertown and he met a boy on the way and a big black dog, and next to the boy and sleeping was Phronsie and Ben jumped down and asked how he found her. And he said that he saw an organ man and he had a monkey and a little girl was following him crying and prince ran at the guy and chased him off and then he just took the little girl and the little girl kept saying that she wanted Polly. And then she cried herself to sleep.

If you have $52 and you buy lunch for $6 and a Playmobil castle for $38, how much money do you have left? $8

J - Year 6

What were the blessings for obeying and curses for not obeying that Moses spoke to the Israelites? (Deut) - if they obeyed then they would prosper, they world destroy all their enemies, they'd live good lives and they'd be able to just do what they needed to do without too much trouble. But if they disobeyed they would be scattered to the ends of the earth, they would be imprisoned and taken captive, their lands would be ruined their cattle and sheep would be taken bu other nations and everything would go *bad.*

Tell about Mark Antony's death, and the events that surrounded it. After Julius Caesar's death Mark Antony took control and he was keeping the will of Julius Caesar and he was doing whatever he wanted because nobody else had the will, so he was able to do whatever he liked. So when Octavian came, he was kind of surprised when he was trying to claim the throne, but they made an alliance against Brutus. They went with an army to do battle against him because, evidently, he had raised an army himself. They defeated Brutus and then they split the Roman Empire, but Octavian got wind that Antony was trying to take conrtrol of his half of the Roman Empire. And while all this was going on, Antony had fallen in love with Cleopatra. And then of course he went to Egypt with her. While he was gone, Octavian came down with an army and started taking some of the cities away from Antony, so Antony raised his own army and went to fight Octavian but Octavian defeated him in the first battle and then the second which was near to Egypt, Antony, while looking at the enemy forces, saw his entire fleet and cavalry join the enemy army. And so he went down to the palace 'cause he thought Cleopatra had arranged it so he'd be defeated. Cleopatra was scared because she thought he'd kill her so she fled to her unfinished tomb and she sent word to Antony that she would kill herself if he didn't calm down. But the messenger was a little confused and said that she had already killed herself, and so Mark Antony stabbed himself and died, leaving the Roman Empire for Octavian.

How do animals die? OR tell as much as you about an animal that lives in the sea. We always picture animals dying a cruel death at the hand of some other animal or at the hand of man but really ost of them die a peaceful death by going deep into the heart of the woods and going to sleep thinking that they're just overly tired and just not waking up.

If you buy a table for $37 and 8 chairs at $11.95 each, how much will that cost? $132.60

T - Year 10

Briefly sketch the change in attitudes towards slavery that led to the Civil War.

The moral difficulty with slavery was recognized at the framing of the Constitution. Abolitionist feelings were there all along, and Congress received anti-slavery petitions in its earliest days. But although many people saw slavery as an evil, the practical problems of economics and diplomacy (if it may be so called) with the South for a long time outweighed their moral feelings. Also, few people wanted freed black slaves mingling with the white population. There were a couple of plans for deporting freed slaves back to Africa, or to a newly-made black colony or nation. But such plans depended on slave owners giving up their slaves freely—which few did. There were also ideas of the government buying slaves from their owners and freeing them—which was accomplished in one of the Northern states with a small slave population and willing owners, but this idea was not practical in the South. All such plans depended on gradual abolition. There was, however, another group which called for immediate abolition. This was at first a very small portion even of abolitionists. But this portion—and the whole abolitionist movement—grew. They published pamphlets (viewed as “incendiary” in the South) and flooded Congress with thousands of petitions about slavery.

Politically, slavery was mostly discussed in connection with the new western states. Should slavery be allowed in them? Different parties took different sides: some said yes, some said no, some said to let the people of the new states decide when they were annexed. Lincoln and Douglas debated on this subject. And it was when Lincoln—an openly anti-slavery candidate—became President that the Southern states, starting with South Carolina, left the Union.

Briefly trace or sketch Kinglake's journey (so far) on a map. (No text to post here)

Compare Dr. Jekyll with Dr. Frankenstein OR compare Mr. Hyde with Frnkenstein's monster.

Both men grew up loved and respected. Both had a scientific curiosity which led them to make great discoveries. Both had weaknesses which are mentioned in their stories: the young Frankenstein was ambitious, and the respectable Jekyll had a taste for less respectable pleasures. They both tried to play God and failed. (Like many people, they did not understand that what one can do is not always what one should do. The ability to create life does not make it right, just as the ability to kill does not make murder right. Other things must decide the moral question.)

The two men had very different views of the world: when Frankenstein created his monster, he built him a physical body and gave no thought to the soul; but when Jekyll did his experiment, it was with the understanding that the physical body is only a mutable expression of the soul. Frankenstein made his monster in a fit of excitement, while Jekyll was careful and cool-headed. And when their monsters were finished, Frankenstein was overcome with horror, but Jekyll embraced his new creation—as he said, “this also was me.” Frankenstein tried to ignore what he had done, but Jekyll accepted it and continued to become Hyde fairly often; and when the two men came to their second trial, Jekyll gave in and turned Hyde, but Frankenstein destroyed the beginnings of his second monster.

Frankenstein was simply thoughtless, and learned from his mistake, but Jekyll deliberately sought to free his evil side and continued in his choice. And just look at the results: at the end of their stories, Frankenstein dies sad and miserable; but Henry Jekyll does not exist.

If a man made an 8% profit amounting to $800 from selling his house, what did he sell his house for? $10,000

Describe Walden Pond. Walden Pond is a large pond connected to several others in the area by means of some underground waterway. It is (or was) surrounded by the forest, which sometimes reaches right to the edge of the water. However, the water level fluctuates over many years, and when it is lower there is a large beach between it and the trees. The water itself is exceptionally clear, and in the shallower parts you can often see right to the bottom. The deepest parts may be a hundred feet below the surface.

The pond has good fishing. It has also other inhabitants: Thoreau told of one afternoon he spent in his boat chasing a loon, which was an excellent diver and stayed well away from him the whole time. The pond has its own oddities too: at one time, before someone dragged them out, there were several logs sticking up in the middle of the pond; and Thoreau also told of small piles of stones, of unknown origin, which could be seen at the bottom on clear days. Thoreau also said that for clearness of water and brightness of sand no other pond in the area could rival Walden. True? Certainly in the book.

Exam Week!

Yes, this is our exam week. I have a son in Year 10, a son in year 6, and a son who started in Year 4 but was having such trouble with it that I created a transition Year 3.5 for him. The rules: three sons, each will have 4 or 5 questions per day, and I'll be posting their responses here daily. Here's what they'll be doing this week:

Monday____________

L - Year 3.5
Tell about the fall of Jericho.
Writing - "I'd like to be a lighthouse/All scrubbed and painted white."
Tell about how Jasper found Phronsie.
If you have $52 and you buy lunch for $6 and a Playmobil castle for $38, how much money do you have left?

J - Year 6
What were the blessings for obeying and curses for not obeying that Moses spoke to the Israelites? Deut
Tell about Mark Antony's death, and the events that surrounded it.
How do animals die? OR tell as much as you about an animal that lives in the sea.
If you buy a table for $37 and 8 chairs at $11.95 each, how much will that cost?

T - Year 10
Briefly sketch the change in attitudes towards slavery that led to the Civil War
Briefly trace or sketch Kinglake's journey (so far) on a map.
Compare Dr. Jekyll with Dr. Frankenstein OR compare Mr. Hyde with Frnkenstein's monster.
If a man made an 8% profit amounting to $800 from selling his house, what did he sell his house for?
Describe Walden Pond.

Tuesday ____________

L - Year 3.5
What was the golden age of Greece like, OR tell about the gods the Greeks believed in.
Describe a compass. What does it tell us?
What do you know about light?
3X + 4 = 13

J - Year 6
Dictation (prepared, from School of the Woods) - "Now cut ahead of the dogs to the runway and watch for the fox. Here is the hunted creature."
Explain how and why Octavius became Augustus
What are some things that cloth is made of? OR describe what Norway looks like.
Describe your favorite episode in The Hobbit
What is two-thirds of 48?

T - Year 10
What were some of the blessings and curses that Moses described to the Israelites based on their obedience or disobedience? (Deuteronomy)
Give some account of one of the battles of the civil war.
Trace the ups and down of Demetrius's life.
Solve 4.59 + 8.125 - 7.68 - .981 - 1.406

Wednesday ____________

L - Year 3.5
Where did the religion of Islam come from?
Tell your favorite part of Bambi.
What is a diving bell?
Add 343 + 237 + 522
Father to choose a poem, and a memory verse.

J - Year 6
Describe the city of ancient Rome OR Athens OR Sparta
Briefly explain the theory of relativity OR give an account of Archimides's contribution to science.
How many square feet of wall are in a room 12x13 feet, 8 feet high? Minus a door 3x7 feet?
Describe "The Milkmaid" by Vermeer

T - Year 10
Explain how Abraham's children with Hagar and Sarah illustratehe two agreements between God and man. (Galatians)
Describe one of the generals of the Civil War.
Describe the scene where Dr. Frankenstein stops working on a second monster OR in Les Miserables the scene where Jean Valjean and Cosette enter the convent the second time by the door
Describe Vermeer's "The Milkmaid"

Thursday ____________

L - Year 3.5
What was one of the things Paul wrote about to the Corinthians?
Can you explain why the sun never seems to remain still in the same place?
Tell what you know about the planets.
Describe "The Milkmaid" by Vermeer

J - Year 6
What kind of body will we have? I Cor 15
Describe one of the Persian attacks ancient Greece OR the civil war in Rome
How did Demetrius come into power?
Tell about his death.

T - Year 10
Explain how Lincoln's character influenced his actions during his term as President.
Give an account of Cairo during the plague.
Explain a few flaws in the liberal movement. (Vision of the Anointed)
Grammar: pick out the eight parts of speech of the italicized words from this poetry selection by Robert Browning:
Oh, *to be* in *England*
Now that April's there,
And whoever *wakes* in England
Sees, some morning, unaware,
That the *lowest* boughs and the brush-wood sheaf
Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,
While the *chaffinch* sings on the orchard bough
In England -- now!

Friday ____________

L - Year 3.5
What do you know about William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings?
Men of Iron - How did Myles meet Lady Alice?
Draw the shape of the earth, and show where the hot countries are and where the cold ones are.
How many feet of ceiling trim will I need to buy for room that's 13x12 feet? If trim is 24 cents a foot, how much will that cost?

J - Year 6
Trace Alexander the Great's life.
What country is called The Land Below the Sea, and why? OR What country is called The Land in the Sky and why?
What is the first Law of Thermodynamics OR Explain how a refrigerator works.
Tell about your favorite character from Animal Farm and what qualities made him your favorite.

T - Year 10
Write about one of God's attributes (Pink's Attributes of God)
Describe Queen Victoria OR give some account of Europe's attitude towards slavery at the time of the Civil War.
Explain how racism is unbiblical OR talk about some forms of intemperance/immoderation.
Briefly summarize an essay you read this term.
Find the cost of papering the walls of a room 15 ft. by 13ft. and 9 ft high; paper 21 inches wide at $2.50 for 12 yards.

Friday's Responses

Our final day of exams.
The map questions are giving the younger two difficulties. I guess we'll have to focus more on that next year. (sigh)

Year 3 Student

What invention do you think most changed the world? What can you tell about how it came about?

The car. And the reaper. There were five reapers invented, but only one really worked. One would actually cut the grain and bind it, but when the men went to put it in the barn, they were getting cut because the little pieces of wire they used to bind them up were getting in the wheat and were cutting the men. But I guess one man succeeded in making a good reaper and I guess nowadays they have tractors instead of reapers. It used to be, all the families were going out and cutting the grain with something that looked like hooks but they had blades and I guess the women as well as the men were binding grain and the children were tying it up and it made a big difference in the world to make a reaper because people didn't have to do that anymore.

Trace Minn's journey on a map.

(Student traced route on a map with his finger, pointing out a few cities along the Mississippi River after going over the book again!)

Year 5 Student

Trace Lewis and Clark's route on a map.

(Student traced his route on a map with his finger after a short review)

From the Complete Book of Marvels - tell about your favorite place he visited.

I like them all, but the Rock of Gibraltar is the one whose name I remember. The Rock of Gibraltar is guarding a bay. The rock is hollow. It belongs to England, but it used to belong to someone else. The French and the English fought over it, but the English won. Ever since then, England's been guarding it. When you visit it, they show you the old guns but they don't show you the new guns. There are passages all the way around and it provides a great view all around of the sea.

Year 9 Student

Trace Richard Halliburton’s travels in Europe.

First he climbed the Matterhorn with almost no previous climbing experience. The guide helped. Then he went to France, visited Paris and the Eiffel Tower, visited a French cathedral and then traveled south to Carcassonne. From there he went south, over the mountains, through Andorra, to Spain. He spent a night on the Rock of Gibraltar and ended up in jail for it. But he got some pictures just the same.

What were some of George Washington’s strengths?

He had very strong emotions, but such complete self-control that he almost never expressed them. He was modest and humble but committed to his duty. He had an unimpeachable character and reputation. He was tall with a dignified bearing and majestic carriage equal to any king. But most of all he was a complete patriot who put his country’s good before his own and cared for its welfare in his generalship, presidency, and beyond.

Thursday's Exam Results

Year 3 Student

What is the Union Jack, and how did it come about?

It was two flags put together and it came about because Scotland and England had two parliaments and they had a union. They were already allies but they tried to be one nation, but they couldn't do that til they only had one parliament. The two flags they combined were St. George's and St. Andrew's. St. George's was a red cross on a white background and the St. Andrew's was a white "x" with a blue background. One general, the general of the army, signed his name as something like "Jack." His two flags were called "the Jacks" and when they were combined they were called "the Union Jack."

Tell about how otters live.

They make their homes in dens and all they really eat is fish. They go fishing like bears, they actually go under water and go fish hunting. When they have their babies, they make a different nest above the surface of the water and the otter cubs don't drown because they can't swim when they're first born. Every now and then the mother otter takes the cubs out so they can learn how to swim. She'll carry them on her back into the water and then she'll slide out from underneath them.

Year 5 Student

Why was the Civil War fought?

The south had slaves and the north didn't think it was right. As new states came in there would be almost fights about whether it would be a slave state or a free state. Eventually the south said that they wanted to create their own country. So they declared themselves free from the union. President Lincoln asked them not to and then declared war.

What attributes made Teddy Roosevelt heroic?

He always made time for his family even when there were a lot of important things to do. He did his best to do everything right; I don't think he ever made the same mistake twice. He thought of the people first. And he stood up for what was right.

Year 9 Student

What was important to the founding fathers in setting up their own government?

It depends a lot on who you asked. Hamilton would have answered differently than Jefferson. But in general:

It was important to them to establish a government that would accurately represent the people’s needs and desires and not ignore them as Britain had done. It was important that the government would preserve the people’s rights and not intrude on their personal business; but at the same time it was important that the government should promote and uphold both the moral and civil law. They wanted a government that would promote peace and security, both in itself and towards other nations.

A government is established to protect the rights and happiness, and therefore the safety, of the people. The difficulty is finding a balance between too much and too little government. Jefferson feared too much: he believed in the good of man and was afraid that a powerful government would encroach on the people’s rights and freedom. John Adams feared too little: he believed in the intrinsic evil of man and therefore felt that a strong government was necessary to preserve the nation’s law and safety. The struggle between those two viewpoints, the struggle to find a balance between too much and too little government, was what brought about our Constitution; and the result is a happy compromise that may well be called “a miracle”.

Briefly trace the events of Ben Franklin’s or Napoleon’s life.

Benjamin Franklin was born the youngest son of a candlemaker. He was apprenticed to his older brother James as a printer’s assistant in Boston, and published several articles under the false name of Mrs. Silence Dogood. He and his brother did not get along well, so he ran away to New York and thence to Philadelphia, where he worked for another printer. He made a business trip to England but found himself stranded there, having to work for several years before he could return. When he returned he was married, and set up his own printer’s shop, which became the most popular in town. He started a library and post office as well as continuing his scientific experiments. He was a member of the legislature for a time and led an expedition against the Indians in the French and Indian War.

He was several times sent to England to represent the American Colonies, and worked hard to make a peace between them, but finally decided it was impossible and was tried (in England) for treason. He was an important, if silent, member of the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention.

Wed Answers

Year 3 Student

Tell about a tall tale.

Joe Magarac - He was made out of metal and one time one girl's father had to decide who got her as a wife, and Joe Magarac got her but gave her to who really wanted her and they were married and lived happily. But the steel mill was going to be put out of business because of Joe Magarac, because he was steel. So he melted himself and they made a new steel mill with his metal. So they made one and that was it.

Tell why Timoleon was heroic, OR tell why Othello wasn't.

Othello wasn't heroic because he wasn't a good man. He was being told lies by Iago and killed Desdemona. And Cassio tried to be murdered by Iago and Roderigo, but Roderigo got murdered instead of Cassio, and Iago murdered Emilia his own wife. Othello was a good man, but he shouldn't have believed Iago and shouldn't have killed his wife. A good man wouldn't have stolen Desdemona to be his wife.

Year 5 Student

How did Lobo the wolf die?

They caught and killed his mate and then used her as bait to catch him. He was then killed, maybe strangled.

What led Othello to kill his own wife? OR What made Timoleon a successful leader?

Timoleon - what made him a good general, a good leader, is that he used tactics and not brute force, and that's all there was to it. He was a nice guy, so the troops followed him and obeyed him willingly. He didn't try to become powerful, he tried to bring peace back to the nation and get rid of the tyrants.

Year 9 Student

How did Othello end up killing his wife?

The obvious answer is through the deceptions of his supposed friend, Iago. But really Iago’s lies only exploited faults of Othello’s character that reveal themselves more as the play continues.

Othello was jealous and possessive of his wife, and therefore mistrusted her reasons for marrying him and her fidelity to him. He had very little self-control, so instead of putting away Iago’s lies, he encouraged them, and worked himself into a rage that blinded his reason and (as Desdemona saw) amounted to madness. He had strong emotions and a fiery temper, which when ignited he could not control. Finally, he had a skewed sense of right and wrong, which led him to an attempted assassination of Cassio and the actual murder of his wife--thinking all the while that he was doing right and satisfying justice.

This is an excellent depiction of the nature of evil. The devil tempts us and deceives us, but he is only exploiting faults that are already there. Evil is both an external and internal thing.

What are the four loves?

1. The love of pleasure. Under this love are sloth and idleness as well as the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes.
2. The love of money and possessions. Under this is all our love for material things.
3. The love of power. The desire to control others. Pride is a big factor in this.
4. The love of self. All three other loves center around this one and come from it.
(Apparently this is a joke, and I'm told that the real answer is forthcoming!)

The real answer:
1. The first is storge, or affection. Under this usually fall our love for pets and the love between parents and children.
2. The second is philia. This is “brotherhood,” comradeship or friendship.
3. The third is eros, or amorous love: the love between a man and a woman.
4. The fourth is agape, which Lewis calls charity. This is our love for all people—or rather, what should be our love for all people.
All four loves are from God and are good as long as they remain under God’s law. As Lewis put it, “love, when it becomes a god, becomes a demon”—any love, when given free reign to make itself our god, is a bad thing. All four loves are also models or representations of God’s love for us.

Tuesday's Answers

Year 3 Student

Why was Pocahontas friendly with the settlers?

Because Captain John Smith promised to take her to England, and because the white men needed food and help, and because she didn't want war between the Indians and the white men.

Tell about what life was like for a woodsman during the exile of Charles II.

They had to keep hidden because most of them were against the roundheads. They had to hunt, but hunting was forbidden, but they hunted deer. They couldn't hunt when roundheads were around.

Year 5 Student

Tell about one event in modern history (from the 20th Century book)

The Titanic: There was this one company that wanted to build a really big ship. I think it was 1903 or 1904 but it was built and the captain was trying to make a run from England to up past Greenland in record speed. There were thousands of passengers on board and they were going so fast that when they spotted the iceberg up ahead, they couldn't stop and they struck it. They closed the doors to the rooms that had been hit because the rooms were waterproof, but so many rooms had been opened that even with the doors closed the ship started sinking. They sent out a message to the nearby coast, but the guy who was at the lighthouse wasn't paying attention, or was sleeping or something. A nearby ship heard the signal and came to the rescue but, by the time they had gotten there, the ship was sunk and there weren't enough lifeboats for everybody. A little over half the people died.

Tell a little bit about the caste system of India's society OR child labor in Dickens' London

If their parents couldn't pay all their debts, then the children were forced to work at parish work houses sometimes all their lives and they also didn't get fed very well. They worked almost all day long every day.

Year 9 Student

Tell what you know about the doctrine of predestination.

Predestination is the belief that salvation is foreknown, predetermined, and unalterable. Looking at it timelessly, those who will be saved are saved already; those who will not be are not. The thought is that, if God knows all (which He does), then a person’s fate is already known, and therefore already determined.

This doctrine is in opposition to the idea of free will in that people cannot choose their own fate. It can also act against witnessing and spreading the Gospel, because if people’s fates are already determined, it will make no difference. If a person is destined to be saved, then nothing we can do will change that, and vice-versa.

What are some of the similarities and differences between the French and American revolutions?

Both happened in the 18th century; in both the people overthrew King and monarchy and instituted republics.

But the American revolution was about freedom from tyranny, in a way going back to the older and higher ideas of law. The French revolution was about freedom, not just from government but from law, doing away with the old thinking and basing itself on “enlightened” ideas. Because of this the French revolution followed no law, executing thousands of people, many of them guiltless, stealing lands from the Church, and leading to economic trouble and the country’s ruin and disrepair.

Both were about the people’s right to govern themselves. But the French led to a mob rule, a despotism of the people, whereas the American instituted a government that represented the people but also controlled it. The French revolution and republic were based on the idea of the inherent goodness of man, the American on his inherent evil.

The American revolution was carried out in the knowledge that their cause was right before God, fighting for the liberty of man under the law of God. The French revolution was based on human right and principles, fighting for “liberte et egalite” of men. The American revolution was essentially Christian; the French revolution essentially Humanist. The results are well known.

Monday's Answers

Year 3 Student

Tell about Queen Elizabeth's reign

She was good and kind. She thought about other people and not just herself. She was a good queen, her reign was a very good time in England. She was better than most kings and queens and she saved England in a sea war with Spain. Spain had a much bigger fleet than they did but England still won.

She was actually the younger daughter of Henry, and her older sister Mary threw her in the tower to execute he. She didn't get executed, she was set free by some friends.

How did Jason get the Golden Fleece?

A centaur had a school for heroes. Jason went to that school and made friends with the heroes.

He was helped by another one of the heroes who could charm any living thing with his music. He had to go through a few monsters. The heroes built a ship with a talking bough, a tree branch, actually. They rolled into the water on logs. The hero with magic harp had to charm it to sail.

Two of the heroes flew off, they went to catch two demons or something, and they didn't come back.

He was helped by a maiden. She was a witch and she gave him some herbs and helped him by protecting him. He killed a thousand soldiers with the help of the witch. The soldiers came up from out of the ground and he fought them all. He had such a good sword, that he was able to kill them. It was his sword. And then he stole the golden fleece.

Year 5 Student

Was Victoria a good queen? Give some examples.

Yes, she was a good queen--one, she was nice--I think she looked more at what the people wanted more than what she wanted. It was about the time of Abraham Lincoln which would have been about 18-something, about the time of the civil war. She didn't try to do anything that she shouldn't. There was not any war going on at the time so there wasn't a chance to do anything great. It was her husband who really ruled at the time. He got together a few of the countries and made a big exhibit in England and he had an outdoor/indoor museum for a few weeks and he basically let the different countries of the world come and look at this exhibit and I think what he was trying to do was to get the different nations closer together. I don't remember if the exhibit had a name. I can't remember his name.

How can water and ice sculpt in nature?

Water, when it hits the ground, carries away earth, and at the base of the Alps, ice forms and it slides, creating rivers sometimes and as they melt, the water runs to the nearest river. It sculpts by changing the earth, by bringing particles with it. As the river runs, it also takes part of the river bank with it, which in turn changes the earth, which is considered sculpting, I guess.

Year 9 Student

What were the Americans primarily fighting for in the Revolution?

Originally for the right to have a say in how they were governed. Parliament had little knowledge of the needs or feelings of the Americans, and treated them as subservient colonies. Britain taxed the colonies without their consent, hampered their trade, and quartered troops in their houses. The colonists’ wish to have their own legislature under the crown, in place of or equal (in the colonies) to the British Parliament, struck Parliament as rebellious. The position of Governor (the executive branch of government in the colonies) was a royal appointment, and while some governors sympathized with the Americans, they were basically mediators and had no power to change the instructions sent from Parliament.

Later, of course, the Americans fought for complete independence from Britain. Not from its law (John Adams felt that English Law, founded on the moral law, was the basis of American civilization); but from its government and its government’s mistreatment of the colonies. They fought for the right to govern themselves.

What is a Liberal, what is a Conservative, and what is a Libertarian?

Liberals in general think that the power of government should be used to control economics, and therefore promote higher taxes, equal distribution of money, and programs like Welfare. They think that vice is for the most part a personal matter that should not be controlled by the government, and therefore don’t believe in gun laws and promote “free speech” to a fault.

Conservatives in general are lenient (liberal in the common sense of the word) in economics, and therefore promote free trade, capitalism, and big business. They believe that government should control crime and even sin, and therefore promote things like Prohibition and laws against profanity and drugs.

Libertarians believe that, because government is in all forms an evil, it should be kept to a minimum: the less power the government has the better. Taxation, the government taking money from the people, should be kept to a minimum. Laws against torte may be necessary, but laws against sin are intrusive. The less the government meddles with economics the better.