Comprehensive Study Guide: Grade 10 English Entrance Exam (General Education Program 2018)

General Information and Authorship

• Book Title: LÀM QUEN ĐỀ THI VÀO 10 MÔN TIẾNG ANH (Getting Familiar with the Grade 10 Entrance Exam - English Subject).
• Educational Standard: Following the General Education Program 2018 (Chương trình Giáo dục Phổ thông 2018).
• Authorship Team:
  • TS. Phạm Ngọc Tuấn.
  • ThS. Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Lan.
  • ThS. Lưu Tú Oanh.
  • ThS. Nguyễn Ngọc Anh.
  • ThS. Lê Thị Ánh Hồng.
• Publisher: Nhà Xuất Bản Dân Trí.
• Development Agency: Smartschool (Website: Smartschool.edu.vn).

Purpose and Methodology

• Target Audience: The resource is designed primarily for teachers as a powerful companion tool for teaching and preparing students for the Grade 10 high school entrance exam.
• Book Versions:
  • Student Version: Contains 20 mock tests without answers.
  • Teacher Version: Includes full answer keys and an integrated electronic version.
  • Electronic Features: The digital version (accessible via Smartschool.edu.vn) includes detailed video explanations for the answers, assisting teachers in the grading and correction process.
• Educational Goal: To help students master fundamental and focus knowledge according to the 2018 curriculum and familiarize them with the structure of official entrance examinations.

Standard Exam Structure (Mock Tests 1-20)

Every mock test in the document consists of 06 pages and follows a consistent administrative and academic format:

• Duration: $60$ minutes (excluding distribution time).
• Question Types:
  • Phonology: Four-choice questions identifying words with different pronunciation of underlined parts or different primary stress positions.
  • Lexico-Grammar: Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) covering verb tenses, articles ($a$, $an$, $the$, zero article), prepositions, conjunctions, and vocabulary.
  • Announcement/Sign Completion: Gap-filling tasks based on specific school or public rule announcements.
  • Paragraph Logic: Ordering three sentences into a logical paragraph and identifying appropriate topic or concluding sentences.
  • Cloze Test: 6-question gap-fill passages based on cultural, environmental, or social texts.
  • Sign/Notice Interpretation: Interpreting the specific meaning of public warnings or information signs.
  • Reading Comprehension: 6-question detailed reading analysis.
  • Sentence Building/Transformation: Identifying the sentence closest in meaning or building a sentence from provided cues.
  • Text Removal: Slotting four phrases/sentences back into a longer passage.

Comprehensive List of Themes and Reading Passages

The 20 tests cover a diverse range of encyclopedic topics. Notable passages include:

• Cultural Studies:
  • Brazilian Social Customs: Discusses arrival etiquette (being late to gatherings) and long dining hours (usually around $9:00\,pm$).
  • Japanese Ceramics: Focuses on "Raku ware" (unique glazes/shapes) and "Imari ware" (vibrant colors), and the role of pottery in tea ceremonies.
  • Traditional Vietnamese Crafts: Detailed history of Vietnamese silk weaving from the $15^{th}$ to the $18^{th}$ centuries, specifically mentioning Van Phuc ($Ha\,Noi$), Nha Xa ($Ha\,Nam$), and Bao Loc ($Lam\,Dong$).
  • Paris (The City of Light): Highlights the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, and the Seine River.
  • Inuit People in the Arctic: Discusses the impact of melting permafrost and methane release on their traditional way of life.
• Environmental and Geographical Science:
  • Isle Royale National Park: A remote island in Lake Superior accessible only by boat or floatplane, home to moose and wolves.
  • The Amazon Rainforest: Often called the "lungs of the planet," it is crucial for absorbing carbon dioxide and housing millions of species.
  • Victoria Falls: Located on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe; known locally as "Mosi-oa-Tunya" (The Smoke That Thunders), measuring approximately $1,708\,m$ wide and $108\,m$ high.
  • The Sahara Desert: Covering $9.2\,million\,sq\,km$ (roughly the size of the USA). Features temperatures above $50^{\circ}C$ and rainfall less than $25\,mm$ per year.
• Technology and Innovation:
  • History of Aviation: Credits the Wright brothers (Orville and Wilbur) with the first flight in $1903$ at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
  • Space Exploration: Mentions the first moon landing in $1969$ and current missions to Mars.
  • Smart Houses: The use of smart thermostats, security systems, and high-tech appliances for comfort and security.
  • Smartphones: Versatility in communication, photography, and social media, noting battery life and fast-charging tech.
• Self-Development and Education:
  • Time Management: Strategies including goal setting, prioritization, and avoiding multitasking.
  • Studying in Europe: The European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).
  • Communication Skills: Why industries need workers to talk about ideas quickly and clearly due to rapid technological changes.

Specific Regulations and Public Safety Warnings

The document includes verbatim rules and signs used for test questions:

• School Library Rules: "Keep quiet and respect others," "Do not eat or drink," "Return books on time."
• Swimming Pool Rules: "Walk slowly to prevent accidents," "Dive only in designated deep areas," "Leave the pool if there is thunder or lightning."
• Public Signs:
  • "No access beyond this point."
  • "No food or drink allowed."
  • "Protect Wild Dolphins: View from at least $50\,yards$ away. Fines up to $100,000 for feeding or harassing."
  • "Private Property: No trespassing. Violators will be prosecuted."
  • "Notice: No entry unless authorized."
  • "Library hours: Mon-Fri $8:00\,AM$ to $6:00\,PM$. Closed on weekends."

Key Grammar and Vocabulary Focus

Specific linguistic structures emphasized across the 20 exams include:

• Comparison Structures: The double comparative ($The\,more...\,the\,better...$).
• Reporting Speech: Converting direct statements and questions into reported form.
• Conditionals: Zero, Type 1, and Type 2 conditionals ($If + S + V..., S + will/would + V...$).
• Verb Patterns: Suggest + $V-ing$ / that clause; Look forward to + $V-ing$; Prefer + $V-ing$ + to + $V-ing$.
• Relative Clauses: Using $who$, $whom$, $which$, $that$, and $whose$ for people and objects.
• Passive Voice: Both present and past simple passive forms.
• Modal Verbs: Regulations using $must$, $mustn't$, $should$, and $needn't$.

Full Numerical Answer Key Synthesis

The document provides a comprehensive answer key at the end (Pages 123-132) for all 40 questions per test across 20 tests. Examples of common question positions from the keys include:

• Pronunciation/Stress: Always questions 1-4.
• Lexico-Grammar MCQ: Questions 5-12.
• Cloze Test/Gap Fill: Typically questions 19-24.
• Reading Passages: Typically questions 31-36.
• Sentence Removal/Placement: Questions 37-40.