Historical trends have shown that abstract and critical reasoning (what could be termed IQ) has improved over time. [0] Also, remember the context. This exam

Historical trends have shown that abstract and critical reasoning (what could be termed IQ) has improved over time. [0] Also, remember the context. This exam was for a very small portion of the wealthiest and highest educated elite. That small subset could learn the historical antiquity if they wanted. (And perhaps they still do at Boston Latin) What's amazing is how far the exam's math has been surpassed by broad subsets of today's society. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flynn_effect