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QUESTION PAPER 1
Department of Education and Training Ninh Binh
Illustrative Literature question paper in the 10th-grade entrance exam according to the 2018 General Education Program
Exam subject: Literature
Time: 120 minutes
I. READING COMPREHENSION SECTION (4.0 points)
Read the following text:
THE LIFE PURPOSE OF YOUTH AND STUDENTS
(1) Tall peaks are not for the cowardly and lazy, just as the peak of knowledge leaves no room for mere wanderers. Without diligence, inquiry, discovery, and dedication to passions, how can there be a great Edison and the light bulb that illuminates today? Reaching the end of passion is not easy, as youth hastily desires quick success, hastily skipping steps leading to unfinished plans. Keeping the fire of enthusiasm in the soul and persistence in right thinking is very important. If it flares up then suddenly dies out, it's just a brief shooting star amidst the infinite galaxy.
(2) Don't be afraid! Fear will kill every seed of bold thinking, and fear will be the prison of the mind. When the mind is still confined within limits, thoughts, if any, will just stop at what already exists. Freedom is only attained by understanding and predicting laws, good ideas must sprout from legitimate aspirations, any vagueness is at most barren moonlight. If only one stuck to land worried about storms, winds then how could Christopher Columbus embark on the adventure to discover the vast America?
(3) The land will always be land, the forest will always be forest, the vast sea continues its waves every year, streets still familiar with every step home. What do we think and do on land, to keep forests ever green, to bring not just fish but verses that soothe the soul from the sea? Still the land, still the forest, still the vast sea, still the old streets but full and abundant? How to do? Spend more time thinking about it and act because time does not wait, youth passes quickly.
(Excerpt from 'Shared Words', Nguyen Van Minh, University of Education Publishing House, 2023, pp.239-240)
Fulfill the following requirements:
Question 1. (0.75 points) According to the author, what is the harm of fear?
Question 2. (1.0 points) What examples has the author given to enhance the persuasive power of the argument?
Question 3. (1.0 points) What is the effect of the rhetorical questions used in paragraph (3)?
Question 4. (1.25 points) In your opinion, what should the younger generation do to create an abundant life for themselves and contribute to the community's development?
II. WRITING SECTION (6.0 points)
Question 1. (2.0 points) Write an argumentative paragraph (approximately 200 words) expressing your thoughts on the necessity of positive thinking for young people in today's life.
Question 2. (4.0 points). Write an argumentative essay (approximately 500 words), analyzing the theme and artistic features of the following poem:
MY HOUSE ON THE HILLSIDE
(Le Tu Minh)
My house on the hillside
Where forest birds sing sweet melodies
The sky is soothing, sweet and blue
The wind spreads vast and wide.
My house amid golden sunlight
The stream overflows the rocky bank
The forest scent of summer fragrance
The winding path of the evening.
My house at that place
Following father to trap wild chickens
Going to school with friends
A green boundless childhood
My house on the hillside
Mother smiling by the corn fields
Joyous in a bountiful harvest year
Following the flute's melody to town.
My house at that place
Flowers bloom white in the forest
The bees follow the scent
To the other side of the mountain gorge...
My house there
Fleeting dreams
Where emotions rise
I return to the hillside...
(Excerpt from 'Return', Le Tu Minh, Information and Communication Publishing House, 2019, pp.12-13)
Note:
- Author: Poet Le Tu Minh, born in 1959 in Nghe An, hometown in Thua Thien Hue. He once lived and studied in Russia. Currently, he lives and works in Ho Chi Minh City. Le Tu Minh writes poetry and translates lyrics for foreign music. He is recognized not only for his musically-rich poems but also for his songs filled with poetry. His works are heartfelt, containing emotions for family, friends, comrades, and, more broadly, love for Vietnam and Russia.
- The poem 'My House on the Hillside' was written in 1980, later set to music by musician Duc Trinh into a song of the same name.
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QUESTION PAPER 2
Department of Education and Training Ninh Binh
Illustrative Literature question paper in the 10th-grade entrance exam according to the 2018 General Education Program
Exam subject: Literature
Time: 120 minutes
I. READING COMPREHENSION (3.0 points)
Read the following text:
GRANDPA AND Granddad
(A section is abridged: Minh lives with his parents and grandpa in Hanoi. Minh is very close and loves his grandpa, knowing nothing about his Granddad because Granddad left when Minh's mother was very young. He moved to the South to work, and then the country was divided, Granddad never returned. For many years there was no news, only until Saigon was liberated, someone from the South came with a letter from Granddad to Minh’s mother, making her realize he was still in Saigon. Minh and his mother prepared to visit Granddad in Saigon. Upon arrival, Minh saw that Granddad was old, weak, and lived in poverty. He dearly loved Minh, but Minh felt distant from him).
And then there was Granddad’s toy gift! It was a jeep made of iron, with two machine guns attached with flint on top, when wound up and let go, the guns fired small sparks. Minh liked the toy, but would've liked it much better if it was new.
But as it was, the toy was too old, many parts had lost their white plating and began to rust.
- Why does Granddad say he loves me yet gives me such an old toy? - Minh once asked his mother this, with a tone of reproach towards Granddad.
- Now, don't say that, if Granddad didn’t love you, would he always give you meat and fish to eat?
- But Granddad said he likes to eat eggplant. And he said he likes to eat the fish heads because all the salt soaks into them.
- You don't understand Granddad at all.
(A section is abridged: When seeing his mother scold him and her eyes redden, Minh gradually comprehends and dares not argue further)
At night, Granddad told Minh to sleep with him for company. His bed was wide, but the foam mat was narrow and thin, barely enough for one person. Granddad used a bundle of torn clothes as a pillow. His blanket and sheets were yellow and smelly. Minh lay on the mat, while Granddad lay outside on the straw, next to the wall.
- Why don't you lie on the mat? - Minh timidly asked.
- Ah, because I like lying on the straw for coolness. It’s hot in this climate. Sleep well, my boy.
He said that, and then both fell silent. It seemed Granddad couldn't sleep either...
Nearly a month had passed since Minh and his mother arrived to visit Granddad. Mother said their leave was about to end, so they had to return, Minh started to miss Granddad.
Granddad walked them to the bus stop, before they boarded the bus, he pulled out a fountain pen from his shirt pocket and gave it to Minh, saying:
- This is my most precious pen, I give it to you, keep it to write letters to me. I'm old, who knows when I'll die, using this pen would be a waste!
It was a Pilot pen with a gold-plated cap, very old, with a tarnished and scratched cap.
- The jeep I gave you, I bought it a long time ago when I heard your mom had a son, but had no one to send it through. So I waited until you came.
Now Minh understood why the jeep was old. He also realized that Granddad was very poor. Once, he worked as a bookkeeper in the Saigon library but then caught tuberculosis and spent three years in a charity hospital without any care. Now he was too old and frail, selling household items slowly to make a living. He lived alone, as his step-grandmother had left when he was ill...
When the bus was about to depart, both mother and Granddad were teary-eyed. Mother said:
- Go back now, Granddad, it's about to rain. I'll bring him back to visit next year. But Granddad remained standing there. The bus started to move, and it began to rain. Minh saw him raise a black umbrella. He stood mixed among many people and vehicles. The bus moved further away and then turned at a street corner. Minh only saw the black umbrella raised high and then it was gone. Minh turned to his mother. She was silent, tears streaming. Minh felt choked up, wanting to cry. He pitied Granddad so much! Now he would return alone to his narrow room, with old blankets and sheets.
Minh even pitied the black umbrella lost behind the street corner.
- Mom, so who takes care of Granddad now?
- Your uncle, your uncle is relocating to this area to take care of Granddad.
- When I grow up, I will also take care of Granddad. - Minh said this, then buried his head in his mother's lap, quietly sobbing.
("The Best Stories Written for Children", Xuan Quynh, Kim Dong Publishing House, 2023, pp.35-45)
Note: Xuan Quynh (1942 - 1988), full name Nguyen Thi Xuan Quynh, was not only a famous lyrical poet of modern Vietnamese poetry, but also a talented writer in short stories for children. Her children’s stories are simple, close to life, yet profound, filled with humanity, wonderfully pure and rich in humanism.
The short story “Grandpa and Granddad” is one of Xuan Quynh's remarkable short stories written for children.
Answer the following questions:
Question 1. What actions did the character of Granddad take in the text that shows his love and affection for Minh?
Question 2. In the following sentences, which is the reduced sentence?
Minh turned to his mother. Mother was silent, tears streaming. Minh too felt choked up, wanting to cry. Pitied Granddad so much!
Question 3. Why did Minh's mother say to him: You don't understand Granddad at all?
Question 4. In life, sometimes you will receive gifts from others that you do not truly desire, similar to Minh receiving the jeep and the Pilot pen with a gold cap from Granddad. How would you respond in those situations? Why?
II. WRITING SECTION (6.0 points)
Question 1. (2.0 points) Write an argumentative paragraph (about 200 words) analyzing Minh's emotions towards Granddad in the story "Grandpa and Granddad" (Xuan Quynh).
Question 2. (4.0 points)
The above image shows the burgeoning phenomenon of social media platforms today. How can we use these social networks effectively? Write an argumentative essay (approximately 500 words) sharing your thoughts on this issue.
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