The exam on the morning of June 2nd included the following passage: "A magnificent building is constructed from sturdy pink bricks. But these bricks were originally just silent lumps of earth. Remarkably, they were created through the careful selection, kneading, refining, skill, and dedication of the craftsmen."
Therefore, the question asks candidates to draw a parallel between the work of a bricklayer and the creative process of a writer in producing a literary work. This question is worth 6 points.
The remaining question, worth 4 points, asks students to relate it to the process of personal growth and maturity in life, recognizing the similarities with the work of a brickmaker.
Many literature teachers believe that this exam is highly selective, helping to choose excellent students with logical thinking skills. Based on real-life phenomena, the exam poses two questions with clear direction, requiring candidates to demonstrate both practical understanding and literary knowledge.
Literature exam for admission to 10th grade at the High School for Social Sciences and Humanities in 2024. Photo: Binh Minh
According to Ms. Pham Thi Giang, a literature teacher at Cu Chinh Lan Secondary School in Thanh Hoa, question 1 essentially asks students to discuss the creative process of a writer. The work of a writer in particular, and artistic creation in general, is similar to that of a bricklayer. They must start with small things like immersing themselves in life, taking notes, refining, and using their ability to generalize to mold their works.
"If students don't understand the creative process a writer goes through, they won't be able to grasp the issues thoroughly enough to write correctly, let alone well," Ms. Giang observed.
Furthermore, using the image of a bricklayer to illustrate the writer's artistic labor will help students understand academic knowledge in the most accessible and understandable way.
"This is a highlight of the question setter's work," Ms. Giang added.
Dr. Nguyen Xuan Hao, a literature teacher at Le Quy Don High School in Hanoi, also highly praised the exam in this aspect. According to him, the question was not tricky, as it drew inspiration from a specific event, making it easy for students to visualize and relate to.
To answer question 1, students need to provide evidence of the artistic labor process of writers and poets, showing that they are like bricklayers in the art world. Mr. Hao suggested that students could use examples such as Pham Tien Duat's "The Squad of Vehicles Without Windshields" or Huu Thinh's "Entering Autumn".
In question 2, according to Mr. Hao, the maturity of each person is similar to the work of a bricklayer in that each individual must cultivate and refine both morality and knowledge from the smallest things, in order to become increasingly perfect.
"This is like building a house from the first brick. The finished house is as beautiful as a person growing up and maturing," Mr. Hao shared.
According to Ms. Giang, question two is a social commentary essay, but placed in relation to literary analysis, creating an intersection between literature and life. Only students with good comparative thinking skills can write a good and satisfactory answer.
"In this exam, if students aren't taught to explore literary theory, they can only score between 5 and 6," Ms. Giang predicted.
Another point that Ms. Nguyen Hoa from Nguyen Huy Tuong Secondary School, Hanoi, highly appreciated was the use of source material for the questions that was not found in textbooks or advanced books. Therefore, the exam accurately assessed the candidates' abilities.
"Within 150 minutes, students must truly possess aptitude, quick thinking, and linguistic flexibility to perform well on the exam," Ms. Hoa said.
Candidates discuss their answers after finishing the exam, morning of June 2nd. Photo: Binh Minh
This year, over 1,500 students are taking the entrance exam for 10th grade at the High School for Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Of these, nearly 1,000 students applied for the specialized Literature class alone. With 70 available spots, the competition ratio for this class is as high as 1 in 13.26.
The exam scores, which also serve as the admission scores, are calculated on a 10-point scale and rounded to two decimal places. Results will be announced before June 28th.
Last year, candidates had to take four exams (Mathematics, Literature, English, and a specialized subject), so the highest possible total score was 50. The Literature class had the highest entrance score with 34.6/50 points, while the other two classes had scores 4 points lower.
The press reported:
VNExpress:4,000 candidates flock to two specialized high schools in Hanoi.
VTV:Many candidates confidently finished their entrance exams for 10th grade at specialized high schools for natural sciences and social sciences and humanities.
VNExpress:The Grade 10 Literature exam asked about the work of a bricklayer.
Vietnamnet: Compilation of entrance exam questions for 10th grade at specialized high schools for Social Sciences and Humanities in 2024
VTCnews: Exam questions for the three subjects: Literature, History, and Geography, for admission to the 10th grade at the Specialized High School for Social Sciences and Humanities.
