"Difficult" PSLE Chinese oral examination sends parents into a tizzy |
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 Do you know what is the exact Chinese term for a crowbar? Well, this cropped right up on the first day of the PSLE Chinese oral examination for many students, evidently stumping more than, well, a handful. Hence the ensuing parental furore over the internet. After all, most adults probably don't even know how to say crowbar in Chinese, let alone 12-year-old kids, opined a certain Steven Lam, whose impassioned yet hilarious tirade on X went viral (see below). During the video conversation segment (worth 30 marks out of an overall 50 possibly awarded), a short video clip which played prior to the candidate-examiner interaction showed a boy getting into the lift with a suspicious-looking man. The man, decked in shades and gloves, was carrying a bag containing a crowbar. Boy later sees him sussing out residential units, before proceeding to break into one. For the uninitiated, crowbar = "撬棍" (qiào gùn). Daddies and mummies with children currently in Primary 5, consider yourselves duly warned. If there's anything to expect for next year's PSLE, it's the unexpected.  Editor's Note: The presiding Chief Oral Examiner has since clarified alternative descriptions alluding to the crowbar shall be accepted, such as "金属棒" (jīnshǔ bàng) - metal rod, "木棍" (mù gùn) - wooden club, "武器" (Wǔqì) - weapon, etc. |
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