Ninth graders were asked to define “trolling” on this year’s standardized exam, reflecting efforts to make the test better reflect real-life situations.
Adjustments to this year’s Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students were revealed on Sunday, after the last cohort of students completed the test over the weekend.
The Ministry of Education solicited feedback about the test from teachers, who approved of the new question in the English portion.
Photo: CNA
Not only was question No. 20 “very much in line with real-life situations,” but it also used a new style in which students were asked to ascertain the correct dictionary definition based on a given passage, Sinjhuang Junior High teacher Lina Tseng (曾麗娜) said.
The passage quoted a man named Josh as saying: “Why are they trolling me like this?” while providing context clues suggesting he was criticized online for sharing his opinions about a television show.
The dictionary has many definitions for “troll,” although students who play video games are likely familiar with its usage as a mythological cave-dwelling creature, Tseng said.
Yet it can also refer to fishing, pulling or — as it is commonly used these days — as the verb for antagonizing others online, she said.
All four possible answers on the exam were real definitions for “troll,” making it necessary to read the passage, she said, adding that there were enough clues such as the word “screen” suggesting a computer to make it easy for students to answer.
Overall, teachers said the most difficult questions on this year’s English portion concerned an article on current events in Cameroon — with students being asked to ascertain the author’s attitude and select the definition of “resentful” — and a full-page infographic on sugar consumption.
However, they said they were still confident that “students’ hard work would pay off.”
Test designers responded to concerns that the test was too abstract and asked more basic questions that pertain to students’ lives, Tseng said.
The listening portion was also more grounded in daily life, giving context to conversations and public announcements through sound effects, she said.
For example, recordings included the sound of a customer entering a store, someone tapping a microphone before making an announcement, Christmas music and a motorbike, she said.
Actors also spoke slower than in previous editions and each recording was played twice, she added.
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