Zambia School Certificate / GCE — Chinese Language (3017)

In Hanyu Pinyin, which marking correctly shows the first (high-level) tone on the syllable ma?

• Amā
• Bmá
• Cmǎ
• Dmà

In the word 妈妈 (māma), what is special about the second syllable?

• AIt is a neutral tone (轻声), lighter and shorter than a full tone.
• BIt must be read as a first tone, the same as the first syllable.
• CIt is a fourth-tone sandhi change required before every noun.
• DIt is written with an apostrophe because two vowels meet.

Which pinyin spelling correctly marks the third (falling-rising) tone on hao?

• Ahǎo
• Bhāo
• Cháo
• Dhào

In the pinyin syllable bā, which part is the initial (声母)?

• Ab
• Bā
• Cba as a single undivided unit with no initial
• Dthe tone mark alone

In connected speech, how is 不 usually pronounced in 不是?

• Abú (second tone), because 不 changes before a fourth-tone syllable
• Bbù (fourth tone) in every position, including before 是
• Cbū (first tone), matching the citation tone of 一
• Dbo with a neutral vowel and no tone

How is 一 usually pronounced in 一个?

• Ayí (second tone), because 一 becomes second tone before a fourth-tone syllable
• Byī (first tone) in every position, including before 个
• Cyì (fourth tone), the form used before first-, second- and third-tone syllables
• Dyi with no tone, because measure words force a neutral 一

In everyday speech, how is the greeting 你好 usually pronounced?

• Aní hǎo — the first third tone becomes a second tone before another third tone
• Bnǐ hǎo — both syllables keep a full third-tone dip
• Cnì hào — both syllables change to fourth tone
• Dnī hāo — both syllables change to first tone for politeness

Why is the city 西安 written Xī'ān, with an apostrophe?

• AThe 隔音符号 marks the syllable break so the word is not read as xian.
• BEvery capital city in China must take an apostrophe in pinyin.
• CThe apostrophe shows that 安 is a neutral tone.
• DThe mark replaces the ü that cannot be typed after i.

What does 儿化 describe in classroom Chinese?

• AA retroflex -r ending added to a syllable, as in 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr)
• BAny word that contains the character 儿 meaning 'son'
• CA rule that deletes the fourth tone at the end of a question
• DThe written apostrophe used in Xī'ān

Which description matches the second tone in pinyin?

• AA rising pitch, marked á
• BA high level pitch, marked ā
• CA falling-rising pitch, marked ǎ
• DA sharp falling pitch, marked à

Which pair is an initial + final combination the Form 1 phonetics unit expects you to identify?

• Azh + ang, as in zhāng
• Bng + b, with the nasal written first
• Cq + k, two initials and no final
• Dü + zh, a final placed before a retroflex initial

Which reading correctly applies 一 sandhi in 一天?

• Ayì tiān — 一 becomes fourth tone before a first-tone syllable
• Byí tiān — 一 becomes second tone before every time word
• Cyī tiān — 一 stays first tone because 天 is not a measure word
• Dyi tiān — 一 is always neutral before 天

The Form 1 character unit gives 山 as an example of a pictograph (象形字). What does 山 represent?

• AA mountain, from a drawing of peaks
• BWater flowing in a river
• CThe moon in the night sky
• DThe abstract idea of 'three'

When writing 人, which stroke comes first?

• AThe left-falling stroke 撇 (piě)
• BThe right-falling stroke 捺 (nà)
• CA horizontal 横 across the top
• DA vertical 竖 down the middle

The three-drop radical 氵 (as in 河, 汉) most often signals a meaning linked to

• Awater or liquid
• Bpeople or the human body
• Cspeech or language
• Dmetal or money

The syllabus lists 上 and 下 as ideographs (指事字). What idea do they mark?

• AUp / above and down / below
• BSun and moon
• CPerson and mouth
• DOne and two only, with no spatial meaning

What is the standard stroke order for 十?

• AHorizontal 横 first, then vertical 竖
• BVertical 竖 first, then horizontal 横
• CLeft-falling 撇 first, then a dot
• DA box 口 first, then a cross inside

Why is 你 classified as a compound character (合体字) rather than a single-component character?

• AIt combines the person radical 亻 with another component.
• BIt is written with only one stroke.
• CIt cannot be broken into a radical plus another part.
• DAll greetings must be single-component characters.

In 听 (tīng, to listen), the left component 口 is best described as

• Athe mouth radical, a meaning clue that also exists as the independent character 口
• Ba pinyin initial written in Chinese
• Ca tone mark placed beside the character
• Dthe water radical 氵 written in a square form

Which character in the Form 1 list is a pictograph of water?

• A水
• B三
• C上
• D下

According to the Form 3 character split, which pairing is correct?

• A来 is a single-component character (独体字); 学 is a compound (合体字)
• B学 is a single-component character; 来 is a compound
• CBoth 来 and 学 are single-component because each is one spoken syllable
• DBoth 来 and 学 are compounds because both appear in verbs

Which statement about Chinese stroke direction is accurate at Ordinary Level?

• A横 is written left to right; 竖 is written top to bottom.
• B横 is written right to left; 竖 is written bottom to top.
• CAll strokes may start from either end if the finished shape looks similar.
• DStroke direction matters only in calligraphy contests, not in school characters.

Which expression is the everyday informal 'hello' taught in Form 1 greetings?

• A你好
• B您好
• C对不起
• D没关系

A learner greets the head teacher. Which form matches the syllabus contrast of formal versus informal greeting?

• A您好
• B你好吗老师 without 您
• C晚安 used as a daytime hello
• D谢谢 used as a greeting

Which greeting is used when leaving someone at night, not when first meeting them in the evening?

• A晚安
• B晚上好
• C下午好
• D早上好

Which phrase correctly greets someone in the morning?

• A下午好
• B早上好
• C晚上好
• D对不起

A classmate arrives at a 19:00 study group. Which greeting fits?

• A早上好
• B晚上好
• C晚安
• D下午好 used for any time after noon

Which sentence correctly gives the speaker's name, following the Form 1 model 我叫李月?

• A我是叫玛丽吗。
• B我叫玛丽。
• C叫我是玛丽的。
• D我玛丽叫。

How does Form 1 express 'I can speak Chinese' with the modal 会?

• A我说会汉语。
• B我会说汉语。
• C汉语会我说。
• D我是汉语会。

Form 1 lists both 你几岁了？ and 你多大了？ Which classroom distinction is safest at this level?

• AThe two questions are exact synonyms and must never be swapped.
• B你几岁了？ is the usual question for a child's age; 你多大了？ is broader and more suitable for old…
• C你几岁了？ is only used to ask a teacher's age.
• D你多大了？ can only ask the size of an object, never a person's age.

What number is 三?

• A2
• B3
• C4
• D10

What number is 十?

• A4
• B10
• C7
• D11

Which day is 星期一?

• ASunday
• BMonday
• CTuesday
• DFriday

What number is 二十?

• A12
• B20
• C21
• D2

Which phrase correctly says 'two people' before a measure word?

• A二个人
• B两个人
• C两口 without 人 when counting any group
• D二十人 to mean exactly two

How do you answer 现在几点？ if the time is 10:00?

• A现在十月。
• B现在十点。
• C现在星期一。
• D现在十岁。

The syllabus writes dates in year–month–day order. Which sentence matches 6 May 2025?

• A今天六日五月二零二五年。
• B今天二零二五年五月六日。
• C今天五月二零二五年六号。
• D今天六号的五月二零二五。

How is 'the twelfth' written as an ordinal in the Form 1 pattern 第一, 第二?

• A十二第
• B第十二
• C二十第
• D两第十二年

Which measure-word phrase correctly orders a cup of tea?

• A一茶杯 meaning 'one tea' as a drink order
• B一杯茶
• C茶一杯 without a verb of wanting, as the only grammatical order
• D一个茶水杯茶 stacking every classifier at once

Which phrase correctly says 'one book'?

• A一书本 as the only correct order
• B一本书
• C一个书本本 repeating 本 for emphasis
• D一杯书 using the drink measure for paper things

Which classifier is used with 裤子 (trousers) in the Form 2 clothes unit?

• A件 — 一件裤子 as the usual pair
• B条 — 一条裤子
• C口 — 一口裤子
• D碗 — 一碗裤子

A shopper wants one shirt or jacket. Which measure word fits 衣服 in 我喜欢这件红色的?

• A条
• B件
• C口
• D瓶

Which question uses the correct classifier for people in a household?

• A你家有几本书人？
• B你家有几口人？
• C你家有几杯人？
• D你家有几件人？

Which phrase orders one bowl of rice, using a Form 1 food measure word?

• A一杯米饭 as the usual restaurant order
• B一碗米饭
• C一瓶米饭
• D一口米饭 meaning one serving of rice

At a market stall you hear 大米多少钱一公斤? What quantity is being priced?

• AOne Chinese 斤 only, always 500 grams, never a kilogram
• BOne kilogram of rice
• COne bottle of rice
• DOne family of rice farmers

Which sentence uses the classroom classifier found in the Form 1 model 我去买一支笔?

• A我想买一条笔。
• B我想买一支笔。
• C我想买一口笔。
• D我想买一碗笔。

Which sentence uses standard Mandarin SVO (subject–verb–object) order?

• A吃饭我。
• B我吃饭。
• C饭吃我。
• D吃我饭 as the only polite order

Which sentence uses 的 to show possession of a classroom object?

• A这是我书的。
• B这是我的书。
• C这书是的我。
• D的这是我书。