This year's Literature exam for Group C has many new features, but…

This year's Literature exam for Group C has received mixed reviews from both exam candidates and experts in the field. Lecturer Tran Hinh (Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi) - who has many years of experience in grading Literature exams - shares his opinion on this matter.

ButSir, what are your comments on this year's Literature exam for Group C?

Lecturer Tran HinhBefore answering the question, I'd like to clarify something. I just glanced through a series of headlines in both print and online newspapers today, and I noticed that most praised this year's literature exam, with most emphasizing the social commentary question about honesty in exams. Only Dat Viet newspaper had a slightly different headline:Independent candidates complain bitterly about the Literature exam for Group C…In the Tuoi Tre newspaper, Mr. Vuong Tri Nhan also had a key article with a very impressive title:The exam questions were well-received…"In my opinion, this year's exam is an improvement over some previous years, but it doesn't deserve such 'generous' praise."

ButMany people believe that the second question in the exam was a good one and helped to differentiate between candidates. What are your thoughts?

Lecturer Tran HinhThis year's exam is different from those of previous years. It's actually just a social commentary essay question, but the question strikes a chord with many people: honesty in exams. For a long time, our society has been deeply troubled by this issue, so now that it's being discussed, many people are pleased. Perhaps that's all there is to it; there's nothing particularly special about it. Try looking back at some previous exams; I remember that university entrance exams were also very diverse and innovative. For example, one year the exam only asked one word like this:Country?"There were also five exam questions asking for commentary on Marx's statement to his daughter: "Happiness is a struggle."The year I took the exam, the question required me to explain and prove the statement "Live, fight, work, and study following the example of the great President Ho Chi Minh."...students are allowed to write freely. Of course, I strongly support this approach to exam questions; in fact, I believe that a single question like this on the university entrance exam for literature would be sufficient. This way, students have enough opportunity to express their thoughts, and they can't write too long, allowing for more accurate grading by teachers. Literature in high school should only require students to concisely express their thoughts in clear and concise Vietnamese."

- So Do you have any suggestions for the solution to the second question?

Lecturer Tran HinhI don't think it's necessary to suggest an answer to this question because the Ministry already has the answer. I'm afraid that offering my own opinion might affect the grading process. Let's just follow the regulations.

ButWhat are your observations regarding the difficulty and quality of each question in the exam, as well as the candidates' ability to answer each question?

Lecturer Tran HinhOf the three questions in the Literature exam for Group C, in my opinion, the most difficult is the 5-point question. Before explaining why, let me briefly summarize each question as follows:

Question 1In my opinion, this is just a 2-point question, but the demands are too high. I think students cannot answer thoroughly and clearly both of the actually very important issues of the work—humanity and artistic style—and only get 2 points. Teacher Tran Huu Ta also mentioned this point in yesterday's Tuoi Tre newspaper. Of course, the question setters may have a point in thinking that an intelligent student should know how to balance time and content for each type of question to deserve to pass. However, it would be better if they chose a more appropriate issue for each type of question.

Question 2It's not difficult for students who have been studying continuously under the new curriculum; it's only difficult for independent candidates, as reported by Dat Viet newspaper. However, I still worry that while the question is posed, whether students will honestly express their thoughts in their writing is another matter. I fear they might write in a slogan-based style, simply to answer the question, similar to what we often see in some current sociological surveys, which would be counterproductive.

Third sentenceRegarding the "hidden beauty" of the two characters, the wife in the story and the fisherman's wife, in the two works.The Picked-Up WifeandThe boat in the distanceThe exam is only "good" because it tests students' genuine learning ability. It's true that with this question, if students only rely on classroom lessons and passively attend exam preparation classes without thinking, they will find it difficult to answer well. However, I think it's perhaps because they are trying too hard to find the answer.newThe question setter deviated from the main point of the lesson in the textbook. Of course, in both works.The Picked-Up WifeandThe boat in the distanceNeither author Kim Lân nor Nguyễn Minh Châu harbored any "malice" towards the two female characters, as they are working people who deserve respect in society. However, I am certain that this is not the fundamental issue of either work. The fundamental aspect of these two works lies in the situational context, withThe Picked-Up WifeThrough the ironic situation of an ugly, elderly, and dirt-poor migrant worker unexpectedly finding a wife in the midst of the famine, Kim Lân wanted to affirm the right to happiness for all people. As for the beauty of the "picked-up wife" character, even if it's obscured, I still find it forced. I'll give a few examples: when the "picked-up wife" follows Tràng home, and is teased by the children at the edge of the village,She seemed very annoyed. She furrowed her brows…"; when he arrived at Mr. Trang's house, "The island's inhabitants looked around."Seeing the scene of poverty, "She suppressed a sigh.When Trang intentionally tried to cheer her up, he jokingly asked, "She smirked faintly."...I don't think a woman in such circumstances could immediately become 'beautiful.' But even after some changes, after being treated warmly and kindly by Mrs. Tu, Trang's mother, when her mother-in-law brought up a pot of rice porridge (rice bran porridge) for everyone to eat to relieve hunger (many people around them had nothing to eat),Both of her eyes went dark."...Some suggested exam questions in the press even claimed that this woman possessed the potential to be a wife. Of course, what woman doesn't possess the potential to be a wife, not just this woman who was picked up from somewhere?... Don't think I'm being nitpicky; I'm not demanding anything from a woman in such a miserable situation, but to ask me to prove her hidden beauty is truly difficult. A good person, no matter the circumstances, must know how to overcome them to maintain their good qualities..."

The second character, the fisherman's wife, seems even more forced to me, if students are forced to try to find her hidden beauty. Actually, it's similar.The Picked-Up WifeNguyen Minh Chau wanted to "play with situations" in this short story. Clearly, through what he wrote, we can see that, besides...the boat in the distance, there is also onethe boat nearbyFrom afar, it's beautiful, but up close, it's not quite the same. Any writer can understand this. Just like the magical moonlight and the dilapidated house and the miserable life of the writer Dien in the short story.Bright moonThat's all there is to Nam Cao's work. Every literary work by a talented writer aims for something greater than that. I don't think a woman would endure such subservience, even in front of strangers, allowing her husband to beat her at any time, and absolutely refusing to divorce, simply because of the reason "There must be a man on the boat.", butPrettyEven if it's hidden, I glanced at the answers and some exam hints, and inside that ugly, crude exterior was a kind, selfless, and generous heart (answer); and because this woman wholeheartedly loved her child (exam hints in most newspapers yesterday)... That's understandable, but is that all? If that's all, then what about the wife of Therandié in...The wretchedWhat about Victor Hugo, who also loved his child wholeheartedly? I fear that being forced to search for the beauty of such a female character is tantamount to encouraging a life of resignation and slavery (?). Surely Nguyen Minh Chau did not want to say that inThe boat in the distanceWhat about them? The evidence is that in both works, the study guide questions don't reveal any hint of this issue, proving that the textbook authors didn't entirely consider this a central problem. That's why I say the question setters deviated from the core of the lesson…

Regarding the question about poetry, what are your feelings about the two stanzas?Longingby Nguyen Binh andViet BacRegarding To Huu's poem, I also feel that the question setters tried to innovate the exam, but it still isn't considered particularly good. The two poems used for comparison also feel forced, lacking convincing connections that would help students discover anything truly interesting in the essay… In short, I think this year's Literature exam for Group C has many new elements, but to say it's "too good" or "too pleasing to the eye," as some newspapers have praised, I think we're being too generous…

ButBased on your years of experience grading university entrance exams, do you think it will be easy for candidates to get high scores on this year's Literature exam for Group C?

Lecturer Tran HinhI don't think this year's exam will help candidates get high scores; even achieving the same score level as last year will be difficult. Furthermore, because this year's exam includes a social commentary question that generally requires an open-ended answer, even that makes it difficult to reach a consensus among all the grading teachers. We'll just have to wait. It probably won't be long before we have a more accurate answer to this question.

Thank you, teacher, for sharing your opinion with our readers.