articles (article in the same group could have the same theme, and occasionally students were required to compare and contrast them), Type (3): four articles of the same theme, which again required candidates to make comparisons. In 2005, the 3-piece reading of which all articles are written in Vernacular Chinese was formularised. The change, however, stirred up much controversy among candidates. The new format also demanded candidates to have a high proficiency in comprehension and understanding of rhetoric or euphemism words and phrases. Paper 2 – Cultural issues The test lasted for 1 hour and 30 minutes and was allocated 25% of the total subject mark. The HKEAA recommended 6 articles as reading materials for reference. In fact, the authority never recommended candidates to memorise all the contents of the suggested materials. Furthermore, a wide-ranging reading habit was always appreciated: A Conversation with the Youth about Chinese Culture (Excerpt) (與青年談中國文化), Tang Junyi (唐君毅) Passion and Chinese Culture (Excerpt) (情與中國文化), Wu Sen (吳森) Traditional Science: Past, Present and Future (With Appendices) (傳統科學的過去、現在與未來), Liu chun-ts'an (劉君燦) The Fundamental Essence of Chinese Arts (中國藝術的基本精神), Zhao Yongxin (趙永新) Traditional Chinese Society (Excerpt) (中國的傳統社會), Ambrose Yeo-Chi King (金耀基) The Raison d'etre (人生的意義), Yin Hai-kuang (殷海光) Paper 3 – Listening The test lasted approximately 45 minutes and was allocated 15% of the total subject mark. Like the UE listening test, the exam material was broadcast on Radio 2. Like for the English test, Fantasia on Greensleeves was played before and during the intermissions of the examinations. The broadcast version was in Cantonese. The Putonghua students were assigned to designated examination venues, which provided CD tapes separately, with contents the same as those of Cantonese. Candidates were required to answer questions as they listened to the material. Samples of questions were provided on the first two pages of the paper. Before 2003, candidates wrote sentences for answering questions. From 2003, multiple-choice involved ticking the correct answer and the "Fatal Four". "Fatal Four" (奪命四式) was difficult for many candidates: they had to indicate the correctness of the given statements on the listening material. Possible answers are "true", "false", "partially correct" and "cannot be determined". Answers were not often given clearly or literally. Candidates were often required to analyse the implied meaning of a given speech during the course of listening, like the attitude of a speaker. Moreover, marks were deducted for a wrong answer, which could cause a