Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 1 to 5.

        The process of sorting through the various global trends on offer and determining which best aligns with Vietnamese identity is inevitably complex and individual personality traits will determine the eventual decision. Some youths undertake a process of extensive cultural evaluation, in which information is sought about a series of foreign lifestyles, (1) ____________. Other youngsters with no patience to explore a variety of cultural choices (2) ____________, for the sake of their convenience rather than trying to guarantee that they adopt the most suitable one. This is known as limited cultural processing.

        Many locals engage in routinised traditional behaviour, in which their daily customs change relatively little over time. (3) ____________. Also, some generations who have been content with a particular local festival or traditional craft in the past may opt for the exact same experience again.

        Finally, some youths will embrace foreign pop culture on impulse. (4) ____________. It is, in fact, a pattern of behaviour that is becoming increasingly prevalent – to the dismay of cultural educators, who then have less scope for forward planning and reduced opportunities to gain from promoting deep-rooted heritage in the short term. (5) ____________, particularly when “stagnant traditions” need to be revitalised at short notice through sudden viral global phenomena.

(Source: Synthesized and localized from consumer decision-making models in Holloway and Humphreys’

The Business of Tourism, with additional ideas from studies on Vietnamese youth identity

in the context of globalization and digital transformation)

Question 1.

A. some of which are adopted before any serious domestic comparison occurs

B. each of which is evaluated and compared with domestic equivalents

C. many of which are accepted primarily for their perceived global appeal

D. all of which are chosen for convenience rather than cultural compatibility

Question 2.

A. will impulsively embrace whatever global trend becomes instantly popular

B. will extensively evaluate unfamiliar customs before making cultural choices

C. will deliberately confine themselves to a small number of familiar habits

D. will carefully compare several foreign lifestyles with domestic equivalents

Question 3.

A. Such routines usually encourage people to replace familiar experiences

B. This is a common pattern among tradition-loyal locals, for example

C. This pattern, however, tends to weaken when customs are repeatedly renewed

D. Such behaviour is often interpreted as a break from inherited customs

Question 4.

A. While such behaviour may seem spontaneous, it is rarely found among young cultural adopters

B. This pattern usually appears only when cultural choices require careful long-term reflection

C. While this is more typical of trends requiring little effort, it is by no means unknown among cultural adopters

D. This tendency is often linked to easily accessible trends, though it rarely reflects deeper cultural exploration

Question 5.

A. Such adaptation may appear disruptive in highly stable cultural settings, however

B. Such impulse adoption may, however, prove valuable in certain contexts

C. Such behaviour becomes valuable only when all traditional values are abandoned

D. Such cultural flexibility is rarely useful when rapid updates are required

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best arrangement of utterances or sentences to make a meaningful exchange or text in each of the following questions from 6 to 10.

Question 6.

A. I had expected the charity fair to involve little more than assigning stalls and checking a timetable.

B. Two teams missed deadlines, and several posters gave the wrong donation location.

C. I spent the evening reallocating jobs, calling team leaders, and rewriting the announcement sheet.

D. The experience showed me that leadership depends on calm follow-up, not just enthusiasm.

e. Volunteering to lead the class charity fair had seemed like an exciting chance to prove myself.

A. e – b – a – c – d
B. e – a – b – c – d
C. e – a – c – b – d
D. e – a – b – d – c

Question 7.

A.  Staff: The robotics workshop was moved to the media room after the floor repair started this morning.

B.  Student: That explains the locked door in Room 204; I’ll head there now. Thank you.

C.  Student: Excuse me, I followed the notice to Room 204, but there is no one inside.

A. c – a – b
B. c – b – a
C. b – c – a
D. a – c – b

Question 8.

Dear Applicant,

A. This extension should give applicants time to check their entries after the system is restored.

B. The problem occurred after a payment-gateway update temporarily blocked confirmation emails.

C. If the receipt still does not appear, please send a screenshot to the support team by Friday.

D. We apologize for the difficulty many applicants experienced while finalizing their scholarship forms.

e. To address the disruption, the deadline has been extended to September 5.

Yours faithfully, Scholarship Office

A. d – e – b – a – c
B. b – d – e – c – a
C. d – b – e – a – c
D. d – b – a – e – c

Question 9.

A.  Mark: Record one rehearsal, then listen only for where your voice drops near the end.

B.  Alice: My science presentation is tomorrow, and I keep rushing whenever I practise.

C.  Alice: That sounds useful, but I might end up noticing every small mistake instead.

D.  Mark: Limit the replay to your pacing, not your pronunciation, so it does not become self-criticism.

e. Alice: Fair enough. I’ll try one short recording tonight and adjust the opening afterward.

A. a – b – c – d – e
B. b – a – c – d – e
C. b – a – c – e – d
D. b – c – a – d – e

Question 10.

A. This peer-led workshop later grew into a year-long digital citizenship programme across English and civic education lessons.

B. Riverdale High has received a provincial award for promoting responsible online communication.

C. Encouraged by the programme’s results, the school plans to train student ambassadors for younger classes.

D. This recognition grew out of a small peer-led workshop on checking sources before reposting news.

e. Teachers added weekly fact-checking tasks, and survey responses showed fewer online conflicts.

A. d – b – a – e – c
B. b – d – a – e – c
C. b – a – d – e – c
D. b – d – e – a – c

Read the following piece of news and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 11 to 16.

Vietnam’s Evolving University Admissions

        In recent years, to align with international education standards, Vietnam's higher education system has witnessed a growing (11) ____________ of prestigious universities shifting towards diverse enrollment methods. Instead of relying solely on high school graduation scores, independent competency assessments are now designed to measure candidates' critical thinking and problem-solving skills (12) ____________.

         (13) ____________ by Vietnam’s national universities and other leading institutions over the past few years, these standardized exams represent a significant shift away from rote memorization. Earning high scores in these specialized assessments is currently considered a (14) ____________ criterion for early admission.

        Across the country, there is a growing consensus (15) ____________ relying on multiple evaluation methods offers a fairer chance for all applicants. Ultimately, these innovative admission strategies help well-rounded Vietnamese students (16) ____________ from the crowd and confidently pursue global opportunities.

(Source: Synthesized from MOET, VNU and HUST official materials on Vietnam’s 2025 university admissions and competency-based assessment exams)

Question 11.
A. amount
B. range
C. number
D. level

Question 12.
A. accurate
B. accurately
C. accuracy
D. inaccurately

Question 13. 

A. Having been introducing
B. Being introduced

C. Having introduced
D. Having been introduced

Question 14.
A. supporting
B. supplementary
C. technical
D. key

Question 15.
A. which
B. that
C. whether
D. how

Question 16.
A. take after
B. bring about
C. put off
D. stand out

Read the following leaflet and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 25 to 30.

Navigating Cyberspace: A Security Guide for Students

Accessing the Internet offers a profound connection to global knowledge, but maintaining your online safety requires personal responsibility. Currently, the digital landscape provides immense learning opportunities and quick access to information. (25) ____________, navigating the virtual world without basic awareness can expose your accounts to hackers, compromise your privacy, and ultimately culminate (26) ____________ severe psychological distress caused by cyberbullying. To stay conscious of digital protection, students should remember to:

- Minimize sharing of sensitive information and question the safety of (27) ____________ unfamiliar links, rather than only the most obvious ones, before clicking.

- Adopt a (28) ____________ through consistent, careful adherence to cybersecurity guidelines.

- Use appropriate privacy settings to avoid (29) ____________ consequences during the exploration of social media platforms.

- Make consistent, informed choices to support account security, data privacy, and a positive long-term digital footprint.

By applying these principles regularly, students can keep cybercriminals and digital threats at (30) ____________ throughout their academic years and beyond. This will also strengthen personal privacy, educational focus, and overall long-term digital stability significantly.

(Source: Synthesized from CISA, UNICEF and eSafety Commissioner online safety guidelines for students and teens)

Question 25.
A. Therefore
B. However
C. For instance
D. Likewise

Question 26.
A. with
B. into
C. in
D. toward

Question 27.
A. several
B. many
C. both
D. all

Question 28. 

A. digital comprehensive security routine
B. comprehensive digital security routine

C. comprehensive routine digital security
D. digital security comprehensive routine

Question 29.
A. adverse
B. indirect
C. minor
D. lasting

Question 30.
A. check
B. distance
C. reach
D. bay

Read the passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 40.

        We are living through a boom in "shadow education" – the strategic proliferation of private tutoring paralleling mainstream schooling. Picture a classroom where profound literary analysis is replaced by rigid formulas for writing essays. True intellectual cultivation always necessitates profound reflection alongside acceptable failures. Far easier is it for the lucrative tutoring industry to standardize complex thought processes, reducing subjects into foolproof templates that guarantee high exam scores while systematically starving genuine curiosity.

        This algorithmic pedagogy meets adolescents everywhere. Language institutes promote vocabulary memorization devoid of cultural context, whilst science camps focus strictly on bypassing multiple-choice distractors. [I] Private supplementary tutoring is not historically novel, yet its current incarnation has mutated into a psychological arms race. It originally served as a safety net for struggling learners, but erupted as the middle class equated relentless drilling with guaranteed upward mobility. Faced with hyper-competitive university quotas, anxious teenagers internalize the belief that their worth is inextricably linked to standardized metrics. Such cognitive conditioning is so entrenched that progressive educators are struggling to reclaim holistic learning, yet pedagogical reform lags behind parental panic. [II] The phenomenon exemplifies a broader crisis. After years of subtly exploiting fear, tutoring conglomerates realized that explicitly promoting rote learning is pedagogically indefensible. They have therefore adopted a “critical thinking” camouflage, advertising pseudo-analytical worksheets while silently expanding their rigid, drill-based curriculums.

        Why does this matter? Shadow education and algorithmic learning share a detrimental outcome: they systematically dismantle the creative resilience urgently required to navigate unpredictable modern economies. [III] Whereas overt memorization invites academic criticism, standardized tutoring tricks students into believing that mastering exam hacks equates to profound brilliance. Under this collective illusion, the motivation to pursue authentic, unstructured exploration evaporates, and the paradigm shifts needed to foster true innovation are suppressed indefinitely. [IV] Shadow education thus functions as a cognitive straitjacket, marching youth toward intellectual conformity with a tune of comforting efficiency. Dismantling this parallel pedagogy is imperative if algorithmic test-taking is to be replaced by authentic, intellectually rigorous exploration.

(Source: Synthesized from UNESCO/IIEP materials by Mark Bray on shadow education and private supplementary tutoring, with additional ideas from research on rote learning and critical thinking in private tutoring)

Question 31. According to paragraph 1, the tutoring industry is criticized mainly because it ____________.

A. replaces serious literary study with commercially profitable science-based instructional programs

B. converts complex thinking into formulaic routines that reward performance more than reflection

C. encourages students to accept failure rather than pursue consistently high examination scores

D. refuses to adapt its methods to the procedural demands of standardized academic examinations

Question 32. Which of the following best summarises paragraph 1?

A. The rise of academic templates shows how efficiency shapes student expectations of success and classroom performance.

B. The tutoring market reflects concern that schools no longer prepare students for competitive examinations effectively.

C. The tutoring industry responds to exam pressure by simplifying instruction while rewarding efficient performance over deeper inquiry.

D. The tutoring industry standardizes thinking patterns, reducing reflection and weakening authentic intellectual growth.

Question 33. Which of the following is NOT stated as an example of algorithmic pedagogy or its manifestations?

A. fully authentic and deeply interpretive literary analysis sessions

B. entirely context-free vocabulary memorization training routines

C. extremely rigid and repetitive drill-based academic programs

D. highly specific instructional methods for bypassing exam distractors

Question 34. The word “camouflage” in paragraph 2 mostly means ____________.

A. a carefully polished outward identity

B. a selectively softened external image

C. a deliberately misleading outward appearance

D. a strategically appealing public presentation

Question 35. The word “They” in paragraph 2 refers to ____________.

A. ambitious progressive educators
B. anxious middle-class parents

C. highly competitive teenagers
D. massive tutoring conglomerates

Question 36. Which of the following best paraphrases the underlined sentence in paragraph 3?

A. Authentic intellectual exploration cannot replace algorithmic test-taking unless progressive educators are fully supported worldwide.

B. Authentic intellectual exploration cannot replace algorithmic test-taking unless drill-based instruction is more openly resisted worldwide.

C. Authentic intellectual exploration cannot replace algorithmic test-taking unless cognitive conditioning is thoroughly challenged worldwide.

D. Authentic intellectual exploration cannot successfully replace algorithmic test-taking unless this parallel pedagogy is thoroughly dismantled worldwide.

Question 37. According to the author, the adoption of a “critical thinking” camouflage by tutoring conglomerates is mentioned as ____________.

A. a visible sign that mainstream schools are absorbing the promotional logic of private tutoring

B. a concrete example of the industry's deceptive marketing strategy in contemporary tutoring

C. a calculated response to parental anxiety about academic pressure and competitive schooling

D. a strategic adjustment to criticism of narrow exam-focused instruction in private education

Question 38. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A. Algorithmic tutoring has already sparked the paradigm shifts needed to restore authentic intellectual exploration.

B. Profits from deceptive tutoring may gradually enable conglomerates to redefine the goals of mainstream schooling.

C. Tutoring conglomerates' adoption of analytical branding signals a genuine shift in their instructional priorities.

D. Increased anxiety over upward mobility and parental faith in drilling help drive the educational arms race.

Question 39. Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

Yet shadow education is arguably more insidious.

A. [I]
B. [IV]
C. [II]
D. [III]

Question 40. Which of the following best summarises the passage?

A. The passage argues that shadow education standardizes complex thought and rebrands drilling as analysis, suppressing intellectual curiosity.

B. The passage argues that tutoring conglomerates exploit competitive anxiety by camouflaging rote instruction as analytical learning.

C. The passage argues that shadow education disguises exam training as analysis, dismantling creativity and delaying reform.

D. The passage argues that shadow education thrives on anxiety and replaces reflection with routines that narrow curiosity.