CHUYÊN ĐỀ THI THPT QG


PREPARING FOR THE GCSE EXAM: THE MULTIPLE CHOICE READING TEXTS

I. Introduction

With the recently introduced GCSE for all high school leavers, there come considerable obstacles for the teachers and students in many parts of Vietnam. Those difficulties primarily involve the teaching, learning and finally revising for this new type of national exam. The MOET released figures on students’ performance in all the six papers have further cemented this observation of the apparent lack of a suitable approach to the exam. Accordingly, the failure ratio among test-takers of each of the eight papers, namely Mathematics, Literature, English, History, Geography, Physics, Biology and Chemistry is astoundingly high, and the most conspicuous feature can be found in English, with the most popular score being around 2 out of a ten-point scale.
Being a teacher of English- the subject with the lowest average score recorded in the exam last year, I have combined my teaching experiences with the skills and knowledge gained from several professional development workshop and propose a solution to a small part of the problem. In particular, I suggest familiarizing students with the types of questions commonly found what are often much dreaded- the most difficult part of the papers: the multiple choice reading texts (MCQ texts).
II. Aims and objectives
- To provide fellow teachers with the types of questions commonly found in the English papers of the national GCSE exam.
- To suggest the necessary strategies for successfully completing the tasks of reading and answering questions effectively.
- To encourage discussion about and evaluation of the most effective teaching tips and techniques for dealing with MCQ texts.
III. Multiple choice reading texts: An overview

For the sake of brevity, the specifics of MCQ texts are presented in the table below:
Number of texts
2

Length of texts
250 words per text

Number of questions
10 questions per text

Length of time
N/ A, but possibly 12-15 minute/ text

Level of difficulty
Different: 1 text intermediate, 1 text upper-intermediate


An example of the MCQ text (upper-intermediate), with its questions is given hereby: Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions.
The WinterthurMuseum is a collection and a house. There are many museums devoted to the decorative arts and many house museums, but rarely in the United States is a great collection displayed in a great country house. Passing through successive generations of a single family, Winterthur has been a private estate for more than a century. Even after the extensive renovations made to it between 1929 and 1931, the house remained a family residence. This fact is of importance to the atmosphere and effect of the museum. The impression of a lived-in house is apparent to the visitor: the rooms look as if they were vacated only a short while ago whether by the original owners of the furniture or the most recent residents of the house can be a matter of personal interpretation. Winterthur remains, then, a house in which a collection of furniture and architectural elements has been assembled. Like an English country house, it is an organic structure; the house, as well as the collection and manner of displaying it to the visitor, has changed over the years. The changes have coincided with developing concepts of the American arts, increased knowledge on the part of collectors and students, and a progression toward the achievement of a historical effect in period-room displays. The rooms at Winterthur have followed this current, yet still retained the character of a private house.
The concept of a period room as a display technique has developed gradually over the years in an effort to present works of art in a context that would show them to greater effect and would give them more meaning for the viewer. Comparable to the habitat group in a natural history museum, the period room represents the decorative arts in a lively and interesting manner and provides an opportunity to assemble objects related by style, date, or place of manufacture.
Question01: What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. Historical furniture contained in Winterthur
B. How Winterthur compares to English country houses
C. Elements that make Winterthur an unusual museum
D. The reason that Winterthur was redesigned
Question02: The phrase "devoted to" in line 1 is closest in meaning to
A. specializing in B. sentimental about C. surrounded by D. successful in
Question03: What happened at Winterthur between 1929 and 1931?
A. The old furniture was replaced B. The estate became a museum
C. The owners moved out D. The house was repaired
Question04: What does the author mean by stating "the impression of a lived-in house is apparent to the visitor"?
A. Few people visit Winterthur
B. The furniture at Winterthur looks comfortable
C. Winterthur does not look like a typical museum
D. Winterthur is very old
Question05: The word "assembled" in line 9 is closest in meaning to
A. summoned B