Secondary 6 Chinese Language Practice Paper: Classical Function Words, Sentence Translation, Comprehension Of A Vernacular Passage, Rhetorical Devices, Structure And Comparison, Extended Response (100 Marks)

Secondary 6 Chinese Language Practice Paper: classical function words, sentence translation, comprehension of a vernacular passage, rhetorical devices, structure and comparison, extended response (100 marks)

2026-11-14

Chinese Language – S6

S6 Chinese Language practice paper: 24 questions with full mark schemes on classical particles, translation, comprehension, rhetoric, structure and extended response.

Paper details　S6 Chinese Language practice paper with 24 questions and full worked answers: classical content words and particles, translation, comprehension questions, rhetorical analysis, structure and comparison, and extended response.

Section A Classical content words and function words

Materials 1 to 3 are excerpts from the Xunzi, Wang Anshi and Han Yu. Answer from context.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
1	Material 1. Explain the meaning of “bian” and the grammatical function of “hu”. (4 marks)	Answer: “bian” means advantageous or most beneficial, so nothing helps learning more than staying close to a good teacher (2 marks); “hu” is a preposition introducing the object of comparison, equal to “than” (2 marks).
2	Material 2. Explain “yi” (flat) and the conjunction between the two adjectives. (4 marks)	Answer: the first word means flat and easy to travel (2 marks); the conjunction links two parallel adjectives, flat and near, and is close to “and” (2 marks).
3	Compare the uses of the connective “er” in Materials 1 and 2, and state how many times it appears in the three classical excerpts. (4 marks)	Answer: the three occurrences in Material 1 all mark contrast (1 mark); in Material 2 the first adds a further point and the second turns to a contrast (1 mark); the character appears 5 times in all (1 mark); the difference lies in contrast versus addition (1 mark).
4	Material 1. Explain “zhou” and put the whole sentence into modern Chinese. (4 marks)	Answer: “zhou” means complete or all-embracing (2 marks); the sentence says that once the teachings of the noble man are mastered, one is honoured and able to deal with all affairs in the world (2 marks).

Section B Classical sentence patterns and translation

Keep the original tone in translation and show how each key word is handled.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
5	Translate: “gu fei you zhi zhe bu neng zhi ye”. (4 marks)	Answer: therefore no one without resolve can reach it (2 marks for the translation); the initial particle means therefore (1 mark); the double negative must keep its sense of necessity (1 mark).
6	Translate: “ren fei sheng er zhi zhi zhe, shu neng wu huo”. (4 marks)	Answer: people are not born understanding the way, so who can be free of doubt (2 marks); the verb means to understand (1 mark); the rhetorical question must remain a question (1 mark).
7	Material 3. Identify what “qi” refers to and translate the sentence. (4 marks)	Answer: it refers to those who have doubts but will not seek a teacher (2 marks); the sentence means their doubts will never be resolved (2 marks).
8	Material 3. Name the sentence pattern and explain how the phrase “suo yi” differs between classical and modern Chinese. (4 marks)	Answer: it is a judgement sentence marked by the frame “zhe … ye” (2 marks); classically the phrase means the means by which something is done, while in modern Chinese it marks a result (2 marks).

Section C Comprehension and inference

Questions 9 to 12 are based on Material 4, a vernacular passage of 3 sentences.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
9	Summarise the reasons behind the two attitudes to urban renewal. (4 marks)	Answer: those who favour demolition point to tidy new blocks and wider roads, that is, living conditions and traffic efficiency (2 marks); those who favour keeping the old district treat the traces as evidence of collective memory and a clue to where residents come from (2 marks).
10	The writer says renewal is never merely an engineering question. Infer the implied meaning. (4 marks)	Answer: renewal involves choosing between values and deciding who holds power (2 marks); residents should share the right to determine the face of their district (2 marks).
11	What needs of residents do the words evidence and clue point to? (4 marks)	Answer: evidence points to a material basis that makes the past verifiable (2 marks); clue points to self-recognition and the continuity of identity (2 marks).
12	If one argument supporting demolition were added, where would you place it and why? (4 marks)	Answer: place it directly after the sentence stating the case for demolition (2 marks), so that it supports that position at once and sets up a contrast with the case for keeping (2 marks). Other defensible placements earn marks if the reason is sound.

Section D Writing techniques and rhetoric

Each analysis needs the name of the device, textual evidence and its effect.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
13	Material 2 uses three near-synonyms before the noun scenery. Discuss the effect. (4 marks)	Answer: the piling of near-synonyms forms a climax (2 marks), stressing how rare and perilous the scenery is and so reinforcing the claim that only the resolute arrive (2 marks).
14	Material 3 uses two rhetorical questions. Analyse their function in the argument. (4 marks)	Answer: questions replace plain statements (2 marks), presenting universal doubt and unresolved doubt as beyond dispute and forcing readers to accept the need for a teacher (2 marks).
15	Material 4 compares the old district to a book. Discuss the strength and the limit of the metaphor. (4 marks)	Answer: strength: it turns layered traces into a readable text, so memory becomes interpretable (2 marks); limit: a book can be reprinted but a district cannot be duplicated, and the metaphor says nothing about cost or rehousing (2 marks).
16	The last sentence asks who has the right to decide instead of stating it. What is the effect? (4 marks)	Answer: the question turns description into challenge (2 marks), bringing the ownership of power to the centre and leaving room for reflection (2 marks).

Section E Structure, theme and comparison

Long answers: organise in full sentences and number your points.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
17	Material 1 opens and closes with the same sentence. Explain the structural effect. (4 marks)	Answer: the repetition forms a closed frame (2 marks); the middle cites the ritual, the odes and the annals as evidence, and the closing line restates the thesis so that the conclusion about a good teacher appears inevitable (2 marks).
18	Both texts discuss resolve. How do their argumentative focuses differ? (4 marks)	Answer: the former centres on institutions and custom, attacking scholars who were ashamed to learn from a teacher (2 marks); the latter uses a cave visit as a figure and centres on the relation between resolve, strength and external help (2 marks).
19	From the three classical excerpts, state the shared assumption about learning and give one example. (5 marks)	Answer: the shared assumption is that learning needs external support and natural ability alone is not enough (3 marks); examples are the call to stay near a good teacher, to seek a teacher, and to hold to resolve (2 marks).
20	Compare the attitudes to the distant perilous path and to the old district, and state how their frames of thought differ. (5 marks)	Answer: both begin from a constraint (1 mark); Material 2 treats it as an obstacle that resolve can overcome, a personal frame (2 marks); Material 4 treats it as a public decision to be negotiated (2 marks).

Section F Extended response

Answers may be open, but the position must be consistent and supported from the materials; question 18 requires at least 150 words.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
21	From the four materials, summarise two positions on constraint and achievement. (4 marks)	Answer: one holds that constraint yields to resolve and practice (2 marks); the other holds that constraint must be adjusted through institutions and negotiation (2 marks).
22	Explain why recording traces and renewing the environment come into conflict. (4 marks)	Answer: resources and time are limited, so keeping costs money while renewal removes part of the traces (2 marks); the two sides measure value differently, one in memory and one in efficiency (2 marks).
23	Comment on the claim that keeping memory must come first in old districts, citing the materials, in at least 150 words. (5 marks)	Answer: a clear position (1 mark); citation from the materials, such as evidence, clue or the line on resolve (2 marks); a concession or rebuttal, for instance that safety and cost must also count (1 mark); accurate organisation and wording (1 mark). Views without citation earn at most 2 marks.
24	Name one technique from the materials that you would imitate and explain how to use it in an argumentative essay. (5 marks)	Answer: an accurately named device such as climax, rhetorical question or metaphor (1 mark); textual evidence (2 marks); a concrete plan for where to use it in an argument and what effect is expected (2 marks).

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