Level: Intermediate and above
Brief description:
This is a story about a clever student and how he passed a difficult exam.
Instructions: Read the joke and answer the question.
HOW TO PASS A DIFFICULT EXAM
One day a clever student was taking a very difficult literature exam. At the end of the test, the professor asked all the students to put their pencils down and immediately hand in their tests. The students handed in their tests and left, but the clever student remained and continued writing.
The young man kept writing furiously, although he was warned that if he did not stop immediately he would be disqualified. He ignored the warning, finished the test 10 minutes later, and went to hand the test to his professor. The professor told him he would not take the test.
The student asked, "Do you know who I am?"
The professor said, "No and I don't care."
The student asked again, "Are you sure you don't know who I am?"
The professor again said no. So the student walked over to the pile of tests, placed his in the middle, and then threw the papers in the air.
"Good" the student said, and walked out. He passed.
Question:
Why did the student throw the papers in the air?
Answer:
The student threw the papers in the air so the professor would not know which paper was his essay. The professor didn’t know his name, so he wouldn’t know which paper was his.
Further practice:
The student was taking a literature exam. What are your favorite / least favorite school subjects? Do the crossword here to test your vocabulary of school subjects.
Glossary:
• Clever (adj): showing intelligence, but not sincere, polite or serious (Lém lỉnh, lanh lợi)
• Hand in (phrasal verb): to return or submit something, like an exam (Nộp bài)
• Furiously (adv): energetically or rapidly (Một cách miệt mài)
• Disqualify (v): to stop someone from being in a competition or doing something because they are unsuitable or they have done something wrong (Đuổi)
• Ignore (v): to refuse to pay attention to (Lờ đi)
• Pile (noun): objects positioned one on top of another (Chồng, xấp)
This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).
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