What is the origin of the term 'difficult' in the high school graduation English exam?

Greenwashing is the topic of a reading passage considered difficult in this year's high school graduation English exam and also carries a meaningful message in the context of the increasingly widespread green lifestyle.

Candidates discuss elective exam questions after leaving school

PHOTO: NGOC LONG

Speaking to Thanh Nien outside the high school graduation exam gate, many candidates confided that they had to spend most of their time completing the reading passages in the English exam. Among them was a reading passage on the topic of greenwashing, a negative term associated with the current green consumption trend. "I had never heard of this term before, so I struggled to do the test because I didn't fully understand its meaning," said VL, a student at a high school in Ho Chi Minh City.

On the social network Threads, many candidates expressed their agreement. "I read from beginning to end and still don't know what greenwashing is trying to wash (because washing means to clean - PV)", one account shared. "I won the first prize in provincial English and I commented that the English exam was super difficult, the greenwashing question was super tricky, you have to read hard to understand but even if you understand, you may not be able to do it...", another user complained.

Meanwhile, Le Duc Quoc Bao, a student at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, who achieved an IELTS score of 8.0 and an SAT score of 1,510, said that the test was quite suitable, although some parts were a bit difficult. "When reading the passages, I found them quite interesting and engaging because they had new and useful topics. Honestly, I didn't understand 100% of the words in the passages, but I felt that the test avoided asking about words that were too difficult," the male student shared.

Bao added that he was quite impressed with the reading on the topic of greenwashing, because "it is practical and useful". "I read the article to learn about this term, and the article also explains quite clearly the reasons why corporations, companies... apply greenwashing and its harmful effects and impacts on society and the living environment. Overall, I find it quite relevant to the current economic and environmental situation", Bao said.

Sharing more about the concept of greenwashing, the Green Compass handbook published by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) informs that this is the practice of making unfounded or exaggerated claims about sustainability or environmental friendliness to appease public concerns and reduce the guilt of the businesses involved in polluting the environment.

An article published in 1991 in the US mentioned the concept of "greenwashing"

PHOTO: NVCC

Master Do Nguyen Dang Khoa, founder of the People of TESOL forum for English teachers and a 2021 Hornby scholar, said greenwashing was said to have started with environmentalist Jay Westerveld in the 1980s, when he visited an island and discovered that, on the one hand, hotels on the island were urging people to reuse towels to "protect the environment", but on the other hand, they were having negative impacts on native coral reefs.

"Similar to whitewashing, greenwashing also implies concealing the truth about a company's environment through false advertising, making consumers feel that the company is very concerned about the environment," shared Master Khoa.

According to Mr. Khoa, one of the first traces of this word being used in the American press was in the 1990s. In which an article titled "Greenwash!" was published in Mother Jones magazine (USA) in 1991. On the other hand, the first trace of this word in the dictionary is said to be from the Concise Oxford Dictionary (tentatively translated: Concise Oxford Dictionary) version 10, published in 2002. That dictionary defines the noun "greenwash" as follows:

Disinformation disseminated by an organisation so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.

In addition to greenwashing, Master Khoa said there are also other words ending in "-washing" such as bluewashing (false advertising that makes people feel that the company is socially responsible, in which blue represents the blue color of the United Nations), pinkwashing or rainbow-washing (advertising that takes advantage of the LGBTQ+ community).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thuat-ngu-kho-trong-de-thi-tieng-anh-tot-nghiep-thpt-co-nguon-goc-ra-sao-185250630101924716.htm