Difficult Korean English exam question.

ireland.man · 06-11-2013 2:11am #1

As part of their final exam in English language Korean high school students were asked the following question:

26. So far as you are wholly concentrated on bringing about a certain result, clearly the quicker and easier it is brought about the better. Your resolve to secure a sufficiency of food for yourself and your family will induce you to spend weary days in tilling the ground and tending livestock; but if Nature provided food and meat in abundance ready for the table, you would thank Nature for sparing you much labor and consider yourself so much the better off. An executed purpose, in short, is a transaction in which the time and energy spent on the execution are balanced against the resulting assets, and the ideal case is one in which (??). Purpose, then, justifies the efforts it exacts only conditionally, by their fruits.

① demand exceeds supply, resulting in greater returns

② life becomes fruitful with our endless pursuit of dreams

③ the time and energy are limitless and assets are abundant

④ Nature does not reward those who do not exert efforts

⑤ the former approximates to zero and the latter to infinity

Never mind 18 year old Korean students, would most of our leaving cert English students be able to answer this???

The Backwards Man · 06-11-2013 2:13am

6. Make life as handy as you can for yourself.

That is the correct answer.

Mickey H · 06-11-2013 2:13am

What exactly is the question?

Cookie_Monster · 06-11-2013 2:15am

5 obviously. no work and all play and free stuff

pharmaton · 06-11-2013 2:16am

cleverly devised subliminal programming. I'm going with 3 op

The Backwards Man · 06-11-2013 2:17am

Mickey H wrote: »

What exactly is the question?

They are trying to say that it you have a better sense of fulfillment when you when you exert yourself to the utmost to achieve your fundamental goals.

I say it's balls.

PhlegmyMoses · 06-11-2013 2:18am

"Make your point" is a mantra that so many people in academia could do with heeding.

KungPao · 06-11-2013 2:19am

Interesting...

ireland.man · 06-11-2013 2:20am

Oh thank god I'm not dumb, or I am dumb but not the only one...

The question to me sounds like one of those postmodernist jargon generators- random buzzwords arranged into a seemingly meaningful sentence and paragraph but taken as a whole it's meaningless!

Orion · 06-11-2013 2:26am

The question itself contains so many grammatical and punctuation errors that it renders itself meaningless. Good luck with that.

Pushtrak · 06-11-2013 2:31am

ireland.man wrote: »

26. So far as you are wholly concentrated on bringing about a certain result, clearly the quicker and easier it is brought about the better.

Your resolve to secure a sufficiency of food for yourself and your family will induce you to spend weary days in tilling the ground and tending livestock; but if Nature provided food and meat in abundance ready for the table, you would thank Nature for sparing you much labor and consider yourself so much the better off.

An executed purpose, in short, is a transaction in which the time and energy spent on the execution are balanced against the resulting assets, and the ideal case is one in which (??). Purpose, then, justifies the efforts it exacts only conditionally, by their fruits.

Paragraph 1 and 2 there are fine. The third I had to read a few times. It's talking about return on investment. The correct answer is 4.

④ Nature does not reward those who do not exert efforts

Can't really get a proper read on that purpose line though, tbh.

Karl Stein · 06-11-2013 3:06am

6. Get all 'Carrie McFirestarter' and burn the exam hall to the ground with everyone in it.

Nailz · 06-11-2013 3:15am

There is nothing really wrong with the English that is being used in the first and second paragraphs, but it is just a totally ineffective way of speaking English.

The point of language as a form of communication is to convey information in a set way which can be understood relatively easy by another person with roughly the same level of linguistic understanding as you have.
Of course there are artistic and poetic means for which language can also be put across, but I bet in Korea that isn't the main function for it being taught in schools.

Friend Computer · 06-11-2013 3:15am

ireland.man wrote: »

As part of their final exam in English language Korean high school students were asked the following question

The lack of a question mark denoting any kind of actual question confuses me. Also the fact that it reads like it's been put through a software translator.

osarusan · 06-11-2013 4:45am

That test question is about 3 years old and the answer is option 5.

The text itself is from an essay written by British philosopher John Leofric Stocks (1882-1937) called The Limits of Purpose.

http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=RPwrj1rEwCIC&pg=PT77&lpg=PT77&dq=Purpose,+then,+justifies+the+efforts+it+exacts+only+conditionally,+by+their+fruits.&source=bl&ots=kXlkBziM30&sig=WS6DUWSEDnpfdfT0D7J03azJNXE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Rrx5UqiuDom8kAXLi4GIAQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Purpose%2C%20then%2C%20justifies%20the%20efforts%20it%20exacts%20only%20conditionally%2C%20by%20their%20fruits.&f=false

Cookie_Monster · 06-11-2013 6:58am

Pushtrak wrote: »

Paragraph 1 and 2 there are fine. The third I had to read a few times. It's talking about return on investment. The correct answer is 4.

how? 'Nature' doesn't reward reward anyone for doing anything.

jamesbondings · 06-11-2013 7:08am

Add a poll.

Would be great to see what we all think

Driveby Dogboy · 06-11-2013 7:14am

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

how? 'Nature' doesn't reward reward anyone for doing anything.

You're going to reap, reap, reap,, just what you sow...

clairefontaine · 06-11-2013 7:14am

Philosophers can't write.

Except for Nietzsche.

Why do they torture ESL students with it?

snubbleste · 06-11-2013 7:53am

Coorect answer: All hail Kim Il Sung

SeantheMan · 06-11-2013 8:10am

The expectation on these High school students is ridiculous, some can barely even speak English.
But this is what is expected of them to gain entrance to the best colleges in Korea.

They have books, similar to dictionaries, of useless words that they are required to learn. I've pointed out to many of them that 50% of these are not used in real-life situations and that some of them I have never used in my life.
However, they told me that for certain exams etc, they are required to know this vocabulary

(obviously I teach English in a Korean high school)

pickarooney · 06-11-2013 8:24am

SeantheMan wrote: »

The expectation on these High school students is ridiculous, some can barely even speak English.
But this is what is expected of them to gain entrance to the best colleges in Korea.

(obviously I teach English in a Korean high school)

Not wholly unlike Irish in Ireland

SeantheMan · 06-11-2013 8:41am

pickarooney wrote: »

Not wholly unlike Irish in Ireland

Ahhh our English exams were nothing like these.
Answer and waffle you way through poetry questions and some drama if you bothered to remember it.
I HATED English in secondary school....learning about Sylvia Plath and Shakespeare

Seedy Arling · 06-11-2013 9:04am

Answer that question?

Unpossible!

06-11-2013 11:13am

eschew obfuscation

Duckworth_Luas · 06-11-2013 11:22am

Why not do what every student does in English exam and answer the essay question you hoped they'd ask, not the one on the paper!

Hande hoche! · 06-11-2013 11:24am

snubbleste wrote: »

Coorect answer: All hail Kim Il Sung

Most progressive of you comrade.

suicide_circus · 06-11-2013 12:07pm

PhlegmyMoses wrote: »

"Make your point" is a mantra that so many people in academia could do with heeding.

cannot thank this comment enough. I was helping the gf with college work and read an academic paper she had to review. this thing was so chock full of unnessersary flowery language, industry speak and smug linguistic pirouetting it was laughable. this manner of academic wankology added nothing to the text and in fact only served to conceal anything of value or substance held within.

gobnaitolunacy · 06-11-2013 12:14pm

I have brought great shame to myself and my family if I cannot answer this question correctly.

suicide_circus · 06-11-2013 12:18pm

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

I have brought great shame to myself and my family if I cannot answer this question correctly.

http://assets.diylol.com/hfs/eb6/b8d/2d2/resized/high-expectations-asian-father-meme-generator-you-get-hepatitis-c-why-it-no-hepatitis-a-478e50.jpg

06-11-2013 12:35pm

Ugh, this reminds me of those verbal reasoning tests they make you do for job applications.

"The ideal case of the executed purpose is that by which assets are infinitely distributed by nature, requiring minimum input and exertion from the individual"

A: True
B: False
C: Cannot say

>_<

ireland.man · 06-11-2013 12:38pm

The suicide rate and mental health problems among Korean students is one of the worst, if not the worst in the world and I'm starting to see why.

Apparently only 13% of students answered this question correctly. I think that shows almost nobody intentionally chose the correct answer.

Btw, the correct answer is

no. 5: "the former approximates to zero and the latter to infinity"

gramar · 06-11-2013 12:45pm

This question is the equivalent of blindfolding them and then spinning them around in a round room before being told to find the corner.

I Heart Internet · 06-11-2013 1:03pm

Orion wrote: »

The question itself contains so many grammatical and punctuation errors that it renders itself meaningless. Good luck with that.

True. Parts of it make sense...but the person who set the exam never really brought it all together in the end with a recognisable question.

If the punctuation and grammer had been correct I'm sure most Irish students would find it easy.

Cool Mo D · 06-11-2013 1:23pm

ireland.man wrote: »

The suicide rate and mental health problems among Korean students is one of the worst, if not the worst in the world and I'm starting to see why.

Apparently only 13% of students answered this question correctly. I think that shows almost nobody intentionally chose the correct answer.

Btw, the correct answer is
no. 5: "the former approximates to zero and the latter to infinity"

A multiple choice question with 5 answers, and only 13% picked the right one? That's quite a lot worse than you would expect from just guessing!

It is a pretty awful paragraph though.

wretcheddomain · 06-11-2013 1:28pm

You'd know it was written by a Korean that's all I'll say.

Fox_In_Socks · 06-11-2013 1:29pm

Mixtures of interpretation can resolve themselves like cherry blossoms on the crusted snow. Walk like a penitant between these two gates of uncertainty to find the truthful answer within. The fire of certainty coalesces like a horse in a field of hyacinths.

wretcheddomain · 06-11-2013 1:31pm

Fox_In_Socks wrote: »

Mixtures of interpretation can resolve themselves like cherry blossoms on the crusted snow. Walk like a penitant between these two gates of uncertainty to find the truthful answer within. The fire of certainty coalesces like a horse in a field of hyacinths.

You're a Korean English teacher I take it?

munchkin_utd · 06-11-2013 1:35pm

Nailz wrote: »

There is nothing really wrong with the English that is being used in the first and second paragraphs, but it is just a totally ineffective way of speaking English.

The point of language as a form of communication is to convey information in a set way which can be understood relatively easy by another person with roughly the same level of linguistic understanding as you have.
Of course there are artistic and poetic means for which language can also be put across, but I bet in Korea that isn't the main function for it being taught in schools.

I was sharing student accommodation with a Chinese girl, doing a degree in english no less, and she definitely couldn't do English as a means of communication.

Lots of words, some seriously Shakespearean grammar, and no clue what she was saying, ever.

zuutroy · 06-11-2013 1:49pm

Looks like something Russel Brand might utter, while actually saying nothing at all.

ardinn · 06-11-2013 1:53pm

I had an offal lot of drink last night and cant figure out if im bleary eyed still or what but I nearly got sick reading that either way!

humbert · 06-11-2013 1:55pm

wretcheddomain wrote: »

You'd know it was written by a Korean that's all I'll say.

Yeah?

Mr. CooL ICE · 06-11-2013 1:56pm

Seedy Arling wrote: »

Answer that question?

Unpossible!

Impossibru

osarusan · 06-11-2013 1:59pm

Criticising the suitability of the text for an exam, fair enough.

But I don't really understand the criticisms of the grammar, punctuation, or lack of a question. Selecting the correct option is the question - it's a comprehension question.

Herb Powell · 06-11-2013 2:30pm

ireland.man wrote: »

As part of their final exam in English language Korean high school students were asked the following question:

26. So far as you are wholly concentrated on bringing about a certain result, clearly the quicker and easier it is brought about the better. Your resolve to secure a sufficiency of food for yourself and your family will induce you to spend weary days in tilling the ground and tending livestock; but if Nature provided food and meat in abundance ready for the table, you would thank Nature for sparing you much labor and consider yourself so much the better off. An executed purpose, in short, is a transaction in which the time and energy spent on the execution are balanced against the resulting assets, and the ideal case is one in which (??). Purpose, then, justifies the efforts it exacts only conditionally, by their fruits.

① demand exceeds supply, resulting in greater returns

② life becomes fruitful with our endless pursuit of dreams

③ the time and energy are limitless and assets are abundant

④ Nature does not reward those who do not exert efforts

⑤ the former approximates to zero and the latter to infinity

Never mind 18 year old Korean students, would most of our leaving cert English students be able to answer this???

No, though it would be no fault of their own. It's utter nonsense.

suicide_circus wrote: »

cannot thank this comment enough. I was helping the gf with college work and read an academic paper she had to review. this thing was so chock full of unnessersary flowery language, industry speak and smug linguistic pirouetting it was laughable. this manner of academic wankology added nothing to the text and in fact only served to conceal anything of value or substance held within.

It's actually bad enough that it puts me off trying to pursue anything academic, or trying to learn from journals. 90% of it is utter ****.

No, I'm not stupid, I understand it, it's just such complete self-congratulatory bolloccks. The writing contributes nothing-ironically becoming shiit, rather than "good" or "clever".

jimgoose · 06-11-2013 3:07pm

That's a load of meballacks.

biko · 06-11-2013 3:18pm

ressem · 06-11-2013 5:42pm

Herb Powell wrote: »

No, though it would be no fault of their own. It's utter nonsense.

It's actually bad enough that it puts me off trying to pursue anything academic, or trying to learn from journals. 90% of it is utter ****.

No, I'm not stupid, I understand it, it's just such complete self-congratulatory bolloccks. The writing contributes nothing-ironically becoming shiit, rather than "good" or "clever".

It's not nonsense. It's an overwrought statement that work is not it's own reward (AH Rant: govt, jobsbridge etc).
As a "fill in the blank" exam question it tests whether the student understands the gist of the text.
Inserting the 4 wrong phrases would make a nonsense of the sentence.

It's more straightforward than the poetry interpretations and memory work that we were asked to carry out.

If you wrote something similar, you should be forced to redo it. But as a reading comprehension test, we do encounter worse examples at work, in the newspapers and from politicians and are forced to interpret them.

Difficult Korean English exam question.

Comments