Australian college quiz question courts controversy: ‘Chinese officials speak the truth only when...’
Monash University suspends lecturer for writing quiz that Chinese students say presented a biased and outdated picture of the mainland
One of Australia’s leading universities has suspended a teacher after a quiz he designed sparked criticism that some questions were prejudiced against China, the website of state-run newspaper reported.
One of the most controversial questions asked students at Monash University in Melbourne about “a common saying in China”: when do government officials speak the truth? The correct answer: when they are drunk or careless.
The university responded last week that the opinion contained in the quiz do not reflect its beliefs and would investigate into more teaching materials possibly involving similar views, Huanqiu.com, the website of the Global Times, reported.
Half of the questions in the quiz, published on the university website for students majoring in human resources management, including Australians, Chinese, and Indians, are related to China, and a few have aroused controversy among Chinese students.