Could you pass the Gaokao? Check out these past questions

See how you would score on China's tough university entrance exam

From June 7 to 8, over nine million high school seniors across China will sit the standardised university entrance examinations known as the gaokao (highschool exam). Fiercely competitive, the test is infamous for heaping pressure on the country's youth and its relevance has been doubted in recent years.

During the exams, cities make various gestures to ease that pressure, such as free taxi rides to school and free bottled water on your commute for test takers. Often, parents stand outside the school and wait for hours until the exams finish. Wealthier families have, in the past, also forked out for limo service to gaokao exam centres, presumably to psych out the competition.

Taken over two days, students are required to sit three compulsory subjects – Chinese, Mathematics and English – as well as a comprehensive exam for their chosen area, either humanities (politics, history and geography), or sciences (physics, chemistry and biology). Different areas of the country offer up different versions of the gaokao – major metropolitan cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have their own (harder) exams and some of the more developed provinces also use their own, while less developed regions share four national exams.

We've gathered together a list of gaokao questions from previous years for you to pit your wits against. Take our test and see if you could be on your way to one of the China's top universities or heading for a lingyadan (big fat zero).

Answers to the multiple choice questions are at the bottom of the page.

No cheating now!

1 Politics question from humanities exam

In October 2016, President Xi Jinping said that while art is based on imagination, it should still be down-to-earth. There may be hundreds of ways to create art; the best way, however, is to trace back to the people's daily lives and create something based off of that. From a materialism point of view, this is because:

1. Art originates from the daily lives of people
2. Art depends on innovation
3. The way art reflects on society and its style is unified
4. Art is a form of ideology that reflects people's lives while at the same time serving the people

A) 1 and 2;

B) 1 and 4;

C) 2 and 3;

D) 3 and 4

Taken from the 2015 New Curriculum Reform (II) gaokao

2 History question from humanities exam

What happened in Soviet Russia in the 1920s?

A) Private enterprises began to emerge
B) State-run businesses had more autonomy
C) The government prohibited the sale of food
D) Peasants were active in collective farming

Taken from the 2015 Guangdong gaokao

3 Maths question for humanities students

Given f (x) = sinx - (2sqrt(3))(sin^2(pi/2)):

A) Find f(x)’s smallest positive revolution;

B) Find f(x)’s smallest value, given that the period is [0,2pi/3].

Taken from the 2015 Beijing gaokao

4 Maths question for science students

Given:

Find:

Taken from the 2015 Shandong gaokao

5 From the Chinese language exam

The below pictures are from Beijing's recent smoking ban campaign. They show two gestures that you can use to object to anyone who's smoking, indicating 'I mind that you're smoking' and 'You can't do that' respectively. Write a paragraph analysing the effects of the two gestures.

Taken from the 2015 Guangdong gaokao

6 Essay question from Chinese language exam

Because her father always uses his cellphone while driving on the highway no matter how many times other family members have told him not to, college student Xiao Chen was fed up. Concerned for her father's safety, Xiao Chen contacted the police through a private social media channel. After the police investigated, her father was sentenced to education and punishment. Later the whole matter was published on the police's social media outlets and netizens debated the issues from different perspectives.

What is your view on this? In no less than 800 words, please write a letter to the daughter, her father, or other relevant parties expressing your thoughts and opinions on the issue.

Taken from the 2015 new curriculum reform (I) gaokao

7 Essay question from Chinese language exam

Look at the illustration below, and write an essay of at least 800 words. The essay should focus on both content and use of vocabulary. Choose a good angle, write in a clear style and propose your own title.

Taken from the 2016 Henan gaokao

Answers

1. B
2. C
3. A) 2pi; B) -sqrt(3)
4. 4^(n-1)

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