Quizzes & Puzzles Could You Have Gotten into Cornell in the 19th Century? Try your hand at our (very much abbreviated) version of a University entrance examination! And check out our story on Cornell entrance exams of yesteryear! DIFFICULTY LEVEL: VERY HARD With the aim of letting modern readers experience what it was like to take Cornell entrance exams in the late 1800s, we’ve approximated 10 questions—albeit in much-simplified form—with this multiple-choice quiz. (If you don’t do well, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone.) 1) Ancient history: What seminal event occurred on Christmas Day in the year 800? The Plague of Justinian struck the Byzantine Empire Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor Vikings invaded Britain for the first time The Magna Carta was signed None 2) U.S. history: Whom did Grover Cleveland defeat in the presidential election of 1892? Benjamin Harrison Theodore Roosevelt William Henry Harrison Rutherford B. Hayes None 3) Agriculture: Which of the following is NOT part of a flower? Stamen Anther Pistil Sacrum None 4) Geography: What is the world’s second-largest island? Greenland New Guinea Madagascar Honshu None 5) Biology: Which bone is located in the leg? Humerus Malleus Patella Maxilla None 6) Chemistry: Which of these gases is the lightest? Hydrogen Helium Nitrogen Methane None 7) Math: 27 people can complete a project in 15 days. How many workers must be added for the job to be finished in three-fifths of the time? 9 12 18 23 None 8) Grammar: What verb tense describes the all-caps portion of this sentence? “By the time Touchdown skates at the hockey game, WE WILL HAVE BEEN BEATING B.U. for nearly an hour!” Past Future Present Perfect Simple Future Future Perfect Continuous None 9) English literature: Which of these lines is spoken by Hamlet? “If you poison us, do we not die? If you wrong us, shall we not revenge?” “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” “O, that this too solid flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!” “But screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail.” None 10) Latin: Translate the following: “This test is so hard! I fear I might fail!” “Quam difficile est hoc periculum! Timeo ne improber!” “Hoc testum est tam hardum! Ego fero me fallare!” “Tam difficilis est haec testa! Ego timeo ne deficiam!” “Hoc tentamen est tam durum! Timeo ne fallar!” None Time’s up Published November 9, 2022 Comments Pat Evans, Class of 1968 17 Aug, 2025 100% for the class of ‘68! Reply Nancy Harvey, Class of 1968 17 Aug, 2025 Is 70 passing ? Reply Mario Villanueva, Class of 1998 17 Aug, 2025 6 out of 10…my usual percentage of Engineering prelim scores while at Cornell. Reply Jon Poe (representing), Class of 1982 17 Aug, 2025 Classis anni 1982 congruit cum anno 1968. Gratias tibi ago quod in spectaculo fuisti! Reply Steve Sauter, Class of 1975 17 Aug, 2025 I deficit. Reply Perry Jacobs, Class of 1974 17 Aug, 2025 Need a safety school. Reply Donna, Class of 1974 17 Aug, 2025 Me, too. 5/10 Reply Robert Meller, Class of 1973 17 Aug, 2025 9/10, credited to a good science education, good luck, and a decent BS detector. Reply Athena, Class of 2001 17 Aug, 2025 Hmmm…equally shocked and impressed 6 out of 10…ahh the memories. Cornell will always keep you on your toes. Reply Rose, Class of 1985 21 Aug, 2025 8/10. Go CALS! Reply Mitchell, Class of 1977 27 Aug, 2025 6/10 is this test curved? how much does it count for our final grade? Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Bear Hugs Alum’s Books Show It’s Never Too Early to Teach Kids about Money Campus & Beyond Big Red Berries (and Grapes and Apples and Tomatoes and Cukes …) Bear Hugs Designing Clothes for Kids with Sensory Issues