Is Gaokao world's toughest exam? 10 questions from China's school test

Every year in the beginning of June, millions of students take the Gaokao, China’s National College Entrance Examination. This year, more than 10 million students took the exam across China, reports CNBC.

What is Gaokao?

Gaokao is a prerequisite for entrance to almost all higher education institutions at the undergraduate level in China. It is usually taken by students in their last year of senior high school. However, there has been no age restriction since 2001. The exams last about nine hours and are held over a period of two days, depending on the province. Chinese and mathematics are included in all tests. An English test was formerly required of all students, but now Japanese, Russian or French may be taken instead.
 

Why the Gaokao examination day is marked as a national holiday

Gaokao is termed as a national event on a par with a public holiday. However, people don’t have fun on the two days, as the future of their children depends on their performance in Gaokao. During the examination, construction work is halted near examination halls, so as not to disturb the students, and traffic is diverted. Ambulances are present outside the examination halls in case of nervous collapses, and police cars patrol to keep the streets quiet, according to the Guardian.

Here are 10 questions asked in Gaokao:

1. How would Thomas Edison react to the mobile phone?

2. The subtle philosophy of the round and square: The containers for milk are always square boxes; containers for mineral water are always round bottles; round wine bottles are usually placed in square boxes. Write a composition on the subtle philosophy of the round and square.

3. Write a poem on circle.

4. After a girl failed to dissuade her father from making phone calls while driving on a highway, she called the police. The police came and educated her father. A huge social outcry followed. Please write a letter based on the given information to the daughter, the father or the police officer, in no fewer than 800 words.

5. Everybody has tough and soft spots in his/her heart. Whether you can reach inner harmony depends on how you balance the toughness and softness. Please choose an angle and write an essay on this topic in 800 words or more.

6. You are free because you may choose how to cross the desert; you are not free because you must cross the desert either way. Write an 800-word essay on this.

7. President Xi Jinping has 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 go back to the people's daily lives and create something based on that. From a materialistic point of view, this is because:

a. Art originates from the daily lives of people

b. Art depends on innovation

c. The way art reflects on society and its style is unified

d. Art is a form of ideology that reflects people's lives while at the same time serving the people

Choose from the below:

A) a and b

B) a and d

C) b and c

D) c and d

8. Sand and pearl: A young man was depressed as his career was stagnating. He met an old man by the seashore. The old man grabbed a handful of sand and threw it on the seashore, then asked him, “Can you find it?” The young man said no. Then the old man threw a pearl on the seashore and asked him the same question again. The young man said yes. Then he had an epiphany: one should be something different before getting recognition. Write an essay on this.

9. Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say “Why not?”- George Bernard Shaw. Write an essay on what you think about the words of Bernard Shaw. The essay should be within 800 words. 

10. 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.