Chaching:

icnif77, That's funny. Because you gave a Chinese answer and completely missed the point of the question. But thank you for demonstrating the differences in logical reasoning. Obviously, you read the question completely different than how I asked it. Really, the question was what do you think of the driving test in China? Did you have difficulties with the translation? What did you think of the deductive reasoning behind the driving principles they test you on? Perhaps I did not make myself clear the first time. Sometimes I have troubles with Chinese co-workers, my Chinese wife and others in China because of how they answer a question. Here's an example, "when do you want to go to your mother's house?" The answer I'm told is, "later." My follow-up question, "Of course we will go later, but what does later mean? This afternoon? Tomorrow? Next week?" You see, not only is there a translation filter but also a cultural filter. I know my wife well, so when she answers by saying "later," what she really means is, "oh I don't know, maybe tomorrow, you decide." Here's the cultural part. In Western culture, we like definitive answers because we want to plan ahead. I was trying to figure out my schedule for the next week and wanted to know specifically when we were going to go to her mother's house. However, I used the term "want to" in my question. Therefore, my wife translated the meaning as asking her opinion. What she was really telling me with her ambiguous answer is that she didn't have an opinion. She was being easy-going. You see icnif77, you sort of did the same thing. Here is your real answer without the filters, "I don't have an opinion about the Chinese driving test because I have not taken the test in China. I did take the test in the EU and it was harder than the test in the USA." However, you felt the need to include a little bit of European snobbery and anti-American sentiment as well. In response to your comment about USA tests, I would like to give a logical theory behind the testing methodology. Number 1, you can drive at age 16 in the USA (15 with an adult). So driving principles have to apply to a younger age group. Number 2, driving permits working. Working promotes the economy. Number 3, (and just a theory) what if the USA is just better at simplifying the process and test taking. The US gov't doesn't leave any room for errors of obtaining a drivers license? That's pretty efficient don't you think? A famous jazz artist once said, "to make the simple things in life more complicated is commonplace, but to make the complicated things in life more simple is genius." So, the US government has designed driving principles and a test that actually makes logical sense? You mean, the test is more rational in the USA? Instead of trying to convolute the process. Hmmm. Then good! I guess that's kind of my point! It's more efficient and it gets the job done. Obvioously, the correlation is, the harder the test, then the worse the drivers are. Hmm. Because Chinese drivers suck! Maybe, just maybe Chinese drivers don't really fully grasp the concepts of the road yet. Maybe they just memorized the answers, just like in school. Hmmm. That sounds very familiar! Maybe, US citizens tend to over analyze stuff naturally, and the DMV pre-emptively compensated for this by making the test very precise and clear. Just saying this stuff. I'm also saying that just because tests are designed to be harder in some countries than others, does not constitute the intelligence of its citizens. You would have to be an idiot to assume otherwise. China is the gleaming example. Therefore, presumptions that the USA is "dumbing-down" its tests is erroneous! Actually, I would say it is more efficient, because they actually compensate for even the less intelligent drivers. Everyone has their own learning curve. If it were a test for brain sergery, then I would agree with you. But this is a driving test, which is a privilege given to everyone living in the USA.

icnif77:

I get to the part of your tittle 'Americans beware.', and I didn't try to answer your question.

It looks to me, you are warning Americans about illogical and difficult Chinese driving traffic exam!?

Is Chinese DL exam any easier and more understandable to other nationals? No, it isn't!

I compared EU and USA DL exam, and in my opinion DL exam must be difficult for Americans anywhere else in the World, because for exam in Motherland you only need $20. 

I don't agree with you on the part, where USA Government found a splendid solution, and make driving accessible to anyone with $20 in the pocket. You can hurt and kill others with reckless driving. O, don't worry for that, Motherland said! We'll just put strong Insurance Companies behind personal injuries.

Let me answer that with example of English teaching:

Teacher wants to improve English level of 20 students with 200 minutes class a day, for 30 days.

Every day, class is the same: first 10 minutes of the class 'grammar lecture', then turn on the TV and let them watch English broadcasting for the rest of the class. 

Students English level probably won't improve much with that kind of teaching, but let's check that in the end of the Course with the most difficult exam possible.

Back to 'Motheroads':

USA traffic enforcement is one of the most sophisticated in the World.

Out of 10 Police cars in EU, one is equipped with speedometer. Car with speedometer differentiate from other Police cars. It looks like a civilian car without outside Police signs. EU Police sets up an ambush sites, where they check in up speed on the certain part of the road. Speedometer car is innocently parked by the road, and Police car is 300 m down the road stopping and fining cars which pass speedometer car with excessive speed.

In Motherland, every (regular) Police car has speedometer. When cop in USA is driving behind you, you will get the ticket.

When cop in Motherland gets out on the road, he will bring revenue back to the hive at the end of his shift.

That's the part, I don't like. I always thought, Police is there to help others.

In USA, cop is money maker of 'the students, who heard something short about English grammar, but mostly watch movies during the English (driving) Course.'

USA personal part:

I went to pick-up my tax return at IRS building in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl, one nice, sunny day in May. When I was leaving parking lot with $300 of the tax return in my pocket, I get stopped by a cop working on the IRS Parking lot. He said, I didn't stop at the parking lot red traffic light. He gave me ticket with $25 fine, but 'moving violation', which add 3 points to my driving record.

Points at my driving record were over the limit with this one. I had to go to Court, and fight the ticket, or I would lose my DL.

Lawyer to fight DUI case in Florida cost aprox. $60 at that time. I visited same Layer for my driving points. I paid $60, and he accepted my case. Next day, he called me, and said he cannot fight my ticket, because he is not authorized to work in Federal Court. He told me, IRS is Federal building, and I must hire different Lawyer, who can fight my case in Federal Court.

Before I said 'Good morning' to a Federal lawyer, I had to pay $300 lawyer's fee (my tax return). You cannot say, Police is not organized in Motherland, can't you?

Happy Sunday!

Chaching:

icnif77, Are you Russian or Ukrainian? 'Motherland" that seems Russian or former USSR talk to me. I'm sorry about your IRS experience. Yes, you are correct, a federal building and its parking lot is considered federal property and falls under the jurisdiction of the federal gov't. I don't think it was a scam though. Being from the USA, if you try to pay-off the police, they will not accept your bribe. However, there are corrupt police officers in any country. Which brings me to a legitimate point. The USA is considered a "nation of laws." Which means that most people obey the laws. I would say at least 95%. So, if you break the law, then you will be punished. There is no getting around it. However, the rich and the skillful often times do. But for ordinary folks, we abide. There is order. Attornies have definitely capitalized on this. What I really wanted to say is that I think you are getting to the root of the difference in culture and driving here. People in China do not obey the law. They don't!! No one does! I also feel they could probably bribe the police if necessary. Therefore, the central government has compensated for the problem by (ignorantly) making the test harder than it should be. I could see some gov't official telling his subordinate to increase the difficulty level of the exam because of the traffic problems. This sounds like a reasonable Chinese solution. Yet, it fails to solve the problems. It actually "jia you" adds fuel to the fire. It makes more people cheat or bribe the instructor because the test is damn near impossible to pass. Really, they just need to make the test more logically sound. Not so convoluted and obscure. I mean, what is the purpose of testing people to begin with? The purpose is to demonstrate that the people have the ability to understand the concepts of the road. The test is not to try and trick people. Here's a great example, What should a person do if his car is submerged in water? Open the door? Call emergency? Wait for the car to fill up with water, then open the door? Break the glass window after the car has filled up with water? We have the same question in the USA. Ok, everyone is aware that two of the answers are similar, and we can logically deduce that two of the answers are false. We also know that water pressure is greater than air pressure. Therefore, the correct answer has to be one of the two answers that states that waiting for the car to fill up with water is correct. Right? You should wait for the pressure inside the car to equal the pressure outside the car. Ok. We got it. Then the remaining options ask whether you should break the glass or open the door. First of all, I would like to say that you should do whatever the conditions permit you to do to leave the vehicle. Secondly, have you ever tried to punch out a window while under water? It's damn near impossible to break glass. Any paramedic in the USA will tell you to use a key instead because force equals mass times acceleration. Pressure deals primarily with surface area. A woman's highheel exerts more pressure on a wood floor than an elephants foot. This is highschool physics. It would be easier and safer to open the door using the mechanical lever designed to escape than it would be to break the glass of the window. Therefore, the correct answer would be to allow the car to fill up with water, then open the door. If the door is not able to be opened due to an underwater obstacle, then the driver should resort to breaking the glass. But no, in China the answer is to break the glass! Ok then, you can all drown because the test tells you to break the glass. Next time you are underwater, try punching or kicking through a car glass window. How's that for you?!!