Test topics reflect writing problems

"Have you given any thought to 'Invisible Wings'?" my father asked on Saturday evening, shortly after 7.5 million college applicants finished the first day of their college entrance examinations.

He was referring to the essay topic for that morning's Chinese language test in Beijing. Although all of his grandchildren are either in college or have already graduated, he was as interested as if he were sitting for the exams himself.

He is not alone. A colleague of mine asked me the same question when we sat down for lunch at the office canteen on Monday. More than 7,000 sites on the Internet carry articles and comments about this year's essay topics.