Vietnam: What are the 2nd mid-semester question papers and answers for 8th-grade Literature in 2025?

Department of Education and Training .....

2nd mid-semester question papers for 8th-grade Literature

Subject: 8th-grade Literature

Duration: ... minutes

(Question paper No. 1)

Part I. Reading Comprehension (6.0 points)

Read the following text and answer the questions below:

His eyes were staring into my face as his hand held me back against the chair. My skin felt thicker. I closed my eyes, then opened them. Each time I opened my eyes, I could see nothing but his eyes. God, have I been sitting in this barbershop chair for half a century? Shortly, soon, what is he going to do to me?

- You liar, look, my mother cried until her eyes went blind! Now my picture is displayed in art magazines worldwide. They have respectfully written your name below, next to the words: "Portrait of a Liberation Soldier". Such fame!

- I'm an artist, not just a portrait painter. An artist's job is to serve many, not just one person! You are just an individual with your personal stories, let me forget it to serve a greater purpose. As you see, the "portrait of a liberation soldier" contributed somewhat to making the world understand more about our resistance!

"A ha! For the sake of serving the many, the artist can forget me... Is it your right to deceive? Fine, get out of my sight. Leave!”

Once, for two days, I did not see my barber working. The barbershop was vacant for two days. On the third morning, it was the same. But then a woman came to tidy up, not the usual old blind woman. I ran over. The barber chair was gone. Only the mirror and some bottles were left. The woman asked me:

- Are you here for a haircut?

- Yes.

- My husband is setting up a new place on the street nearby. It will be ready tomorrow. Please come by.

His wife appeared to be nearly thirty. A gentle woman's face. As she spoke, she unrolled my painting. I made conversation.

- The painting is beautiful, isn't it?

The woman blushed slightly and carefully rolled up the painting. Only much later did she reply:

- My husband said that the soldier in this painting is who they drew him to be when he was still in the army in the B region. So we bought it to display.

- Did he tell you that?

- Yes.

- When I last came for a haircut, wasn't there an old woman...

- She's my husband's mother. You're a regular customer?

- Yes. Has she been disabled long?

- It's been a long time. Nine years now.

- Why?

- She went blind because of my husband. Back then, suddenly news came that he was presumed dead. She got sick. He is her only child. She missed him, wandering even at midnight, always crying...

- Since which year did she go blind, do you know?

- Since '69.

- Which month?

- I don't remember exactly, probably mid-year.

I arrived in Hanoi in early March that year. Had I been a decent person, perhaps she wouldn’t have gone blind, and I might have even helped her get better! Did I cause his mother to become blind?

[…] I decided I had to return to that shop. I decided to face it, not avoid it. I would not allow myself to run away. She looked up at me again like before, with a dazed and joyful face:

- Sir, are you here for a haircut?

- Yes!

The barber only turned around when he heard his mother speak. I barely recognized from his youthful eyes directed at me, the initial scrutinizing, surprised look, then a slight sternness. But the reactions on his face happened as quick as a blink. Immediately thereafter, he returned to his poised and earnest manner, like a serious, passionate barber.

My skin thickened naturally.

- Please take a seat!

I steadied myself to keep from trembling, stepping forward to sit on the wooden chair like an electric chair.

- The same as before?

- Yes.

…

"Will you treat me the same as before this time?"

"Yes."

"You will not reprimand or point fingers at me?"

"No! Rest assured. I still see you as a talented artist who has contributed greatly to society."

"Now, say something to me, advise me something!"

"No."

"Do I need to leave here?"

"No. You can come here. I'll give you a thorough haircut, you know that well!"

For nearly half a year, I had put all my efforts and thoughts into the lacquer painting, and during that time, occasionally broaching the past, but the barber always acted as if he had never known me. Returning as just a barber, like when he was in the army, he quietly lived that way, letting those around judge his work themselves. His modest proposal: Let everyone pause the busyness and crowdedness to reflect on themselves.

Now my new work is complete. I am facing myself, writing these lines as an interpretation of a painting depicting a very large human face: bright beams of thousands of candles casting straight down on half a head of thick hair like a mysterious black forest, and a half head of cut hair resembling a portion of a gray brain freshly dissected. Below, the face seems hidden under a mask: beneath the chin and beside the lips covered with soap foam.

Unable to see the mouth clearly, only a faint black streak floating over soap foam. And standing out on that face are wide open eyes, restless, anxious, full of sternness, looking inward.

(Excerpt from the short story "The Painting", Nguyen Minh Chau,

collection "The Woman on the Express Train", 1983)

Question 1. From which point of view is the excerpt narrated?

A. First person

B. Second person

C. Third person

D. Second and Third person

Question 2. What is the main expressive method of the text above?

A. Description

B. Expression

C. Narrative

D. Argumentative

Question 3. How many characters appear in the above excerpt?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 4

Question 4. What is the name of the artist's painting?

A. “Portrait of a Soldier”

B. “Portrait of Uncle Ho's Soldier”

C. “Portrait of the Brave Soldier”

D. “Portrait of a Liberation Soldier"

Question 5. What type of sentence is classified according to the purpose of the statement?

“You liar, look, my mother cried until her eyes went blind!”

A. Simple sentence

B. Compound sentence

C. Exclamatory sentence

D. Imperative sentence

Question 6. Why did the mother (old woman) become blind in both eyes?

A. She was seriously ill and then went blind.

B. She cried until she went blind after hearing the news of her son's death.

C. She was born blind in both eyes.

D. She had an accident that caused her blindness.

Question 7. In the role of an artist, what kind of person is the character "I"?

A. A talented artist, serious about art and work.

B. A famous artist, aspiring to create the perfect painting.

C. A lesser-known artist, relying on painting for a living.

D. A brilliant artist, educated in many schools by famous artists.

Question 8. After learning the reason why the barber's mother went blind, how does the character "I" feel?

A. Realizes his mistakes and feels remorse, restless.

B. Hasn't realized his mistakes but feels sorrow.

C. Feels anxious and fearful.

D. Feels panic and nervousness.

Question 9 (1.0 point) What do you understand about the humble proposal of the barber in the past recalled from the recollection of the character "I": Let everyone pause a minute from their busy, crowded lives to reflect on themselves.

Question 10 (1.0 point) Present your thoughts on the barber in the excerpt “The Painting” by Nguyen Minh Chau.

Part II. Writing (4.0 points)

The short story “The Painting” is a significant turning point in Nguyen Minh Chau's writing, as he shifts his compositional style to focus on ideological characters. Based on the excerpt above, write an essay analyzing and evaluating the characters in the short story “The Painting” by Nguyen Minh Chau.