Chapter 294: College Examination
November 11th is the enrollment day of Guangya Academy, which is also the examination day.
Sun Shan, accompanied by his second cousin He Shuyu, came to Guangya Academy to take the exam.
As for Sun Boming, he returned to Sunjia Village three days ago.
Firstly, he was worried about the women and children being the only ones left at home.
Secondly, the New Year is approaching, and it’s time to sell the oranges and New Year flowers. I would feel uneasy if I don’t go home.
The bulk of his annual income depends on these two things, and Sun Boming is worried about them all day long.
Sun Shan also planned to wait for Sun Bomin to come down to sell oranges and New Year flowers before returning to Sunjia Village to celebrate the New Year.
During these days he stayed in Guangzhou Prefecture to take examinations at the Academy and give lectures everywhere.
He Shuyu stopped at the entrance of the academy and said encouragingly, "Shanzi, go in quickly and do well in the exam."
Sun Shan nodded, took the scholar's documents, reported his name, and was allowed to enter.
Every year, Guangya Academy recruits students for the "Juren Class", which is a class for students who want to pass the Juren exam. The enrollment scope is all the scholars in the province.
Sun Shan meets the requirements, so he just needs to register in advance and take the exam on the exam day.
Watching groups of scholars walking into the academy in an orderly manner, Sun Shan suddenly felt pressured.
I didn’t expect so many people to sign up. I wonder how many people will be admitted this year?
According to my cousin He Shujin, Guangya would recruit 20-30 scholars every year, with the top five being exempted from tuition and given a living allowance. The remaining students would pay 5 taels of silver for tuition and another 10 taels of silver for accommodation each year.
Sun Shan frowned, thinking that the number of enrollment places was too small. He suddenly lost confidence and became uneasy.
Since he had signed up for the exam, Sun Shan had no choice but to take it.
Anyway, there is no registration fee, so it might as well take a look at what the exam questions are like in the college.
Following the instructions, Sun Shan followed the flow of people, quickly found his seat, and waited for the teacher to distribute the papers.
Perhaps it was enrollment, not an imperial examination, and the examination location was not strict, but the locations were very far apart, so it was impossible to peek.
Besides, they are all strangers and no one would let anyone peek at them. It would not benefit them at all.
The Guangya Academy examination was held for two consecutive days.
The first test is about the meaning of the "Four Books" and the "Five Classics".
The second round tests a policy essay and a poem.
After waiting for a while, the teacher of the academy handed down the questions and explained some rules of the exam: no cheating, and if found, it would be reported to all the major academies in Guangzhou Prefecture. After the questions were handed out, no one was allowed to go in and out or go to the toilet, and they could hand in the paper early after finishing.
Of course, if you have any questions, you can ask the teacher. After all, it is not an imperial examination, so it is not that strict and perverted.
When the examinees heard that cheating had been reported to all the colleges in Guangzhou, their hearts skipped a beat. This was a very serious warning. Cheating meant social death and no future.
After a while, the teacher handed out the first test papers.
Sun Shan carefully read the title of the Four Books - "The smallness of Guan Zhong's talent - Chapter 1".
Sun Shan thought about it and realized that this question came from Chapter 22 of "The Analects of Confucius".
The "one chapter" in the title means the whole chapter.
This question requires candidates to not only read "The Analects" carefully, but also recite it word for word, and accurately find out which chapter the question refers to.
This question tests your ability to grasp the main points of the article and to filter and integrate the information in the article. To answer, you must first read the passage, grasp the key sentences, analyze and summarize them. You must not only understand them, but also express your own opinions.
After Sun Shan figured out the topic, he began to write the eight-part essay.
There are two tests per day. You can take a break in the middle, but you are not allowed to leave your seat.
That means you have to endure hunger and not go to the toilet. This not only tests your knowledge, but also your physical strength. It is actually quite difficult.
Sun Shan finished the test paper at 3 p.m. and handed it in. His stomach was already growling with hunger.
Alas, I never thought that finding a school to study in would be so torturous. It seems that those who can pass the imperial examination are truly the best among men and the chosen ones of heaven.
After handing in his paper, Sun Shan went to the toilet first.
The staff of the academy were already used to this scene. Before Sun Shan could ask where the toilet was, they pointed to a place not far away and said, "Scholar, the toilet is over there."
Sun Shan thanked him and ran over quickly to solve the physiological and hygiene problem.
As I walked out of the academy gate, I saw my second cousin He Shuyu waiting not far away.
As soon as he got on the carriage, He Shuyu asked with concern: "Are you hungry? Eat something first. Oh, I really admire you scholars. You have to take exams all day without drinking a drop of water. It must be so hard."
Sun Shan took a bite of the bun and said with a smile, "It's not hard. It's much easier than going on a scientific expedition."
He Shuyu agreed and said, "My elder brother took the provincial examination twice, and he stayed in there for nine days each time. When he came out, my handsome elder brother immediately turned into a slovenly beggar. Jiao'er and Ke'er didn't recognize him when they saw him. Hehe, my son-in-law even stayed away from him, saying that my uncle stinks."
Jiao'er and Ke'er are the eldest cousin's twin children, and Qiangzi is the boy from the second cousin's family.
After hearing this, Sun Shan smiled. Having spent nine days in the examination room, he knew how painful it was.
He Shuyu looked at Sun Shan deeply, tutted his lips and said, "Shanzi, you must exercise well. The provincial examination will last for nine days, not three."
Sun Shan nodded and said, "Second cousin, I understand."
Sun Shan admires his eldest cousin the most, is best with his second cousin, and has a less close relationship with his third and fourth cousins.
After the two returned to Hejia Village, Aunt Sun and Uncle He came to ask about the exam situation.
In fact, Sun Shan didn't know how he did in the exam. He felt good about himself and was able to write it down.
The next morning, my second cousin He Shuyu drove me to take the exam in a horse-drawn carriage. When I came back, it was already afternoon.
The admission results of Guangya Academy will be announced in 10 days.
If you are admitted, you will need to register and pay tuition in advance and wait to start school next year.
If you are not admitted, then you are not admitted, there is nothing to say.
On the third day, Sun Shan went to Yuexiu Academy to take an exam, which also involved two examinations. The questions were similar to those at Guangya Academy.
On the fifth day, Sun Shan went to Lianxi Academy to take the exam.
On the eighth day, I went to Yuehua Academy to take the exam.
Sun Shan took the entrance exams for the four famous private universities in Guangzhou. He was so confused by the questions that he could not help but leave the result to fate.
The examination questions of several academies are similar, all of which are the questions required for the provincial examination, but they are simplified versions. Perhaps the goal of the academy is very clear, which is to train candidates for the provincial examination, and everything is designed for the provincial examination.
While waiting for the result, Sun Shan also attended a lecture.
It was the first time that I felt such a warm, youthful and passionate teaching atmosphere.
The lecturer was well-educated and he cited many references and classics. He spoke eloquently, giving the students a feast for both the eyes and the mind. Sun Shan was so fascinated by what he heard that he wanted to get his mobile phone to take pictures of the passionate scene.
After the exams, the four major colleges will release all the results by the end of November, while the other colleges will start recruiting students in December. The exams are artificially separated to give candidates enough time to apply for the exams.
Sun Shan prayed to be admitted to one of the four major colleges and did not want to continue taking the exam.