Stereotyping

Two weeks ago, my students took quizzes and the results were, as we say here, "less than delicious". One thing they need work on is "fast reading"- basically a skimming and scanning exercise with yes/no/not given answers. At my level, they are expected to read 400-450 words and answer 5 questions in 5 minutes . They tend to just answer from what they expect to read rather than the content of the passage, so I decided to write something completely false to see what would happen. Here is the edited version (to make sure they are not offended).

Stereotyping China- Fast Reading

Despite what you might have heard to the contrary, the stereotypes are true: all Chinese people are the same. They all have black hair and eyes, they basically all wear glasses and they are all smaller than the average westerner. Wandering around a big city in China, it is often difficult to remember where you are and where you have been since you feel like you are seeing the same person over and over again.

While to ignorant people it might seem that similarities would only be skin-deep, Chinese people really do not differ as much as you would expect. They see rice as a basic part of their nation’s cultural fabric and as a result will eat it at least three times a day. Even at breakfast, Chinese people manage to get their fill of rice through porridge, or ‘zhou’. For everyone, from small children to the elderly, it is seen as ‘un-Chinese’ and disrespectful to refuse rice if it is offered. The nation-wide pastime of tai ch’i is just as common as movies would have you believe. It is impossible to walk past a park without seeing at least 20 or 30 old people in traditional white outfits gracefully moving their limbs in a tranquil way.

It is often said the Chinese nation is a one of proficient martial artists. Since the population of this country is so abundant and the resources can be very scarce, everyone must know to defend him or herself. After school is over (sometimes as late as 9 p.m.), children gather at wushu schools run by monks from such temples as Shaolin. There, they are put through long drills of kicks, punches and weapon handling, during which they can be seen jumping between posts, flying through courtyards or even easily balancing on one leg for hours at a time. Girls learn to handle small knives, light swords and long bamboo poles while boys become skilled in the use of spikes, numchucks and wide blades. As adults, Chinese people keep up their skills by taking part in yearly wushu competitions and occasionally fighting for their honor. Crimes such as murder and theft are much higher in China than anywhere in the West due to these skills, but rape statistics at almost at zero as no one would be foolish enough to attack a woman trained in these lethal skills.

The last national Chinese trait that should not be missed is an impressive ability to solve any mathematical problem available. Schools, of course, instruct children in Confucianism, Chinese calligraphy and music (all children play the guzheng or erhu) but without mathematics, a child’s education would not be complete, by Chinese standards. As soon as a child is able to count on his fingers, he is given math problems to solve every night. By the age of 13, most Chinese children can solve the ‘quantum simplex’, an arithmetic problem that confuses many Western scholars. (488 words)


Questions: (Y/ N/ NG)
1. There is a wide variety of typical Chinese facial features.
2. All Chinese people have rice as a necessary part of every meal.
3. Tai ch’i is a good way for old people to keep their bodies healthy and flexible.
4. If you are a woman, you are more likely to suffer from rape than murder in China.
5. A Chinese child who immigrates to Europe will always be better at math than his classmates.