Taiwanese students struggle with exam questions on tariffs, electric vehicles

Students in Taiwan have expressed frustration over the difficulty of the Civics and Society section of the college entrance examination, particularly citing questions related to tariffs and electric vehicles. The exam, held on July 14, covered a wide range of contemporary issues, including US-China trade relations, electric car policies, trade agreements, gender diversity, online shopping, and immigration.

Candidates from Kaohsiung Girls' Senior High School described the questions as challenging, noting the similarity of the answer choices and the length of the question prompts. "The descriptions of the questions were long and numerous, making it difficult to answer quickly; it required more thinking time," said one student. Another student found the essay questions, which required outlining two elements of copyright infringement, particularly time-consuming.

While some students found the exam manageable, with one noting that answers could be found within the questions for multiple-choice sections, the overall sentiment among many was that the test was harder than previous years and mock exams. The exam's high degree of discrimination was noted, with questions designed to differentiate students' understanding, including topics like recent congressional elections and gender identity in sports.