Comparing the Gaokao and the SAT

         Did you think that the SAT was hard? Well think again, because this test is a breeze compared 

to The Gaokao, Chinas elite test that secures a position into a prestigious college. It is extremely hard 

to pass this test, considering that nearly nine million students take yearly. This test is very different 

from the SAT.

  
       One difference they have is that the test requires large periods and consistency of studying. In 

the article "Chinas Cram Schools" by Brook Larmer from the New York Times says "When the 

government banned tuition-­based courses from public schools in 2004, the local administrators 

turned the entire public-school curriculum into an intensive cram course." As well, on the 

website sat.collegeboard.org, they say that With more than three months until the SAT, you’re in a 

great position to get familiar with the test format and take a few practice tests." This is a very big 

difference, because students study so hard for the Gaokao that they sometimes even have IV drips 

for more energy. 

         Another difference is the test length in days. For the Gaokao, it can take up to 3 whole days, or 

just 2 based on which province the test is taken on. In the US, the SAT only takes 3 hours and 45 

minutes, much shorter than the gaokao. On the website Collegestats.org, the author says that the test 

is more than two times the length of the SAT. 

       The last difference is that the SAT is focused on critical thinking, and logic, as well as subjects 

taught in regular classrooms. In the Gaokao, the test questions are based on general facts with no 

reasoning. A startling fact from Collegestats.org was that "only .2% of the test takers get into top 5 

colleges."

        All in all, the Gaokao have many differences, and the US has the luxury of retaking the SAT if 

they feel it is necessary, but for the Chinese children, they have one shot at a better future.

Banned books

Dear Ms. Berner,                                      

In recent years, realistic fiction aimed towards teens- or otherwise known as young adult fiction has started to become very dark and the main characters often do very bad things. These topics include sex, drugs, violence, and many more subjects that some parents feel comfortable letting their children read. All or most of these types of books have been banned for these reasons. Banning books is a pointless idea, because it is inevitable that a kid will learn about these topics in their life. As well, this area of realistic fiction emphasizes a teenagers life and it makes the teen reader feel like they are not alone.

Many young adult books soothe and relax children who may be stressed because they can relate to the characters. In the article “A teenage guide to stress” by Nicola Morgan talks about how any form of happiness or pleasure of any kind can distract your mind and relax it from stress. An example of this that she says is that “People who read books for pleasure report that it relaxes them and allows them to switch off their worries.” This shows the reader that by reading, it relaxes your mind, and if you are under a circumstance where you have a paper due the next day, reading can relieve you of the stress. By banning a book that a teenager may relate to, they may feel pressured and isolated. As well, reading a book for fun can calm you and help you relax for a test  that you do not feel you will do so well on.

Many teens sometimes feel alone and depressed, so they go to books for help because they relate to their emotions. An example of this is in the article “ Yes, teen fiction can be dark- but it shows teenagers they aren’t alone” by Maureen Johnson. In this article, the author talks about how everything you do will impact your life, even if you don't realize it immediately. The author says that “there is sometimes no message more critical than: you are not alone. This has happened before.” To prove her point. In this quote, the author is telling the reader that having a book that they can relate to can show them not to do stupid things that will be very detrimental to their life, such as drugs. Kids feel more comfortable reading a book about their problems then compared to confronting them one on one with an adult.

Many parents and critics point out that children at age thirteen should not be reading books with so much sex, drugs, and abuse. when truthfully looking at this point of view, these parents are hiding their children from the real worlds dilemmas and issues. one example of a school banning a very powerful book called The Fault in our Stars by John green has been published in Vanity Fair. This book was banned because the two main characters both have cancer and are on the brink of death, and many parents think that this topic is not suitable for teenagers. John Green reacts very strongly by saying , “I guess I am both happy and sad. I am happy because apparently young people in Riverside, California will never witness or experience mortality since they won’t be reading my book, which is great for them. But I am also sad because I was really hoping I would be able to introduce the idea that human beings die to the children of Riversdale, California and thereby crush their dreams of immortality.” I thought that this was a very powerful thing to say because he really wanted to show these kids reality and that they can't live forever. I agree with John Green because a child cannot be sheltered from the harsh reality of life forever.

in conclusion, realistic fiction aimed toward teens is getting progressively darker, but it helps guide kids through their teenage life of problems. Without this genre of books, many more teens would not be confronting their problems, perhaps holding in life impacting secrets, and possibly even drugs and sex. With this alternative to talking to someone, teens use these types of books to help themselves and to learn and fix mistakes that they have done.  

I hope you can take this into consideration,

Jasper Townsend class 808