HSC Korean and Literature (NSW) cheat sheet

HSC Korean listening tasks are played a set number of times (usually twice); first hearing: identify text type, speakers, setting and topic; second hearing: confirm specific details and numbers.

Discriminate the three Korean sibilants by articulation: ㅅ is lax, ㅆ is tense (fortis, no aspiration), and ㅆ vs ㅅ changes meaning (살다 'live' vs 쌀 'rice'); tense consonants are unaspirated.

Distinguish plain, tense and aspirated stops: ㄱ/ㄲ/ㅋ, ㄷ/ㄸ/ㅌ, ㅂ/ㅃ/ㅍ, ㅈ/ㅉ/ㅊ; aspiration is audible as a puff of air, tensing as glottal constriction.

Korean has no lexical stress; a rise in pitch at the end of a clause marks a question (e.g., 가요? rising) while a fall marks a statement (가요. falling); use final intonation to infer the speaker's intent.

Resyllabification across word boundaries changes what you hear: 한국어 is pronounced [한구거], 같이 is [가치], 십육 is [시뷱]; transcribe meaning, not spelling.

Common nasalisation rules to decode fast speech: ㄱ/ㄷ/ㅂ + ㄴ/ㅁ → ㅇ/ㄴ/ㅁ (국물 [궁물], 닫는 [단는], 밥물 [밤물]).

Numbers: native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋…) are used for counting items and ages; Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼…) for dates, money, phone numbers and minutes - note the counter determines which system is used.

Register cues signal the relationship: 습니다/ㅂ니다 (formal polite), 해요체 (informal polite), 해체/반말 (intimate), 하오체/하게체 (archaic or literary) - match the register to the speaker pair.

Identify the text type from layout and formulaic markers before reading for detail: 기사 (headline + dateline), 광고 (imperatives, prices, ％), 안내문 (numbered instructions), 편지/이메일 (greeting and closing), 블로그 (first-person narration).

Scan for the writer's purpose verb: 알리다 (inform), 권하다 (recommend), 주장하다 (argue), 비판하다 (criticise), 묘사하다 (describe), 설득하다 (persuade) - the purpose question is answered by this verb, not by topic.

Connective endings carry logical relations: -지만 (contrast), -아서/어서 (cause or sequence), -(으)므로 (cause, formal), -는데 (background or contrast), -(으)면서 (simultaneous), -도록 (purpose or extent).

Grammatical forms that mark inference and hearsay must be distinguished: -ㄴ/는다고 하다 (reported statement), -(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다 (conjecture), -나 보다 (inference from evidence), -겠- (intention or supposition).

Honorific infix -시- and humble verbs (드리다, 뵙다, 모시다) indicate the relative status of subject and object; a missing -시- with a senior subject signals deliberate impoliteness or intimacy.

Cause-and-effect questions: locate the clause containing -아서/어서, -기 때문에, -(으)므로 or -로 인해; the effect clause follows the cause clause in Korean word order (S-O-V, verb final).

Vocabulary in context: hanja-derived nouns (e.g., 환경 環境, 경제 經濟) often carry the passage's abstract theme; Sino-Korean compounds can be decoded from their component characters.

Inference versus literal meaning: an answer choice that merely repeats a sentence is usually a distractor; the correct option paraphrases or synthesises across two or more sentences.

Korean sentence order is Subject–Object–Verb; the predicate is final, so the main verb or adjective must agree in tense, aspect and politeness level with the whole clause.

Politeness level must be consistent throughout a piece: -ㅂ니다/습니다 for formal writing (reports, letters to strangers), -아요/어요 for informal polite; mixing levels within one text is an error unless intentionally marking quoted speech.

Particles: 은/는 marks topic or contrast, 이/가 marks the grammatical subject (new information), 을/를 object, 에 location/time/recipient, 에서 location of action or source, (으)로 direction or means, 와/과 and 하고 conjunction.

Irregular conjugation: ㅂ-irregular (춥다→추워요, but 돕다→도와요), ㄷ-irregular (듣다→들어요), ㅅ-irregular (낫다→나아요), 르-irregular (모르다→몰라요), 으-irregular (쓰다→써요), ㄹ-irregular (살다→사세요).

Spacing (띄어쓰기): write particles attached to the preceding word (학교에서), but auxiliary verbs and nouns mostly separated (공부를 할 수 있다, 먹고 싶다); 한글 맞춤법 governs standard spacing.

Formal essay/letter structure: 서론 (topic and thesis) – 본론 (evidence, examples, counterargument) – 결론 (restatement and closing); a 편지 adds 인사말, body, and 맺음말 with the writer's name and date.

Cohesion devices: 그런데/그러나 (contrast), 따라서/그러므로 (conclusion), 예를 들어 (example), 또한/게다가 (addition), 반면에 (contrast); vary these rather than repeating 그래서.

Text-type conventions: a diary uses 반말 and past tense; a letter uses greetings (안녕하세요?) and closing (감사합니다/안녕히 계세요); a notice uses imperative -(으)십시오 and concise noun phrases.

Hyangga (향가) are Silla-era songs written in idu (이두) using hanja for sound and meaning; the extant 25 songs survive mainly in the Samguk Yusa (삼국유사); 제망매가 by 월명사 mourns a dead sister.

Goryeo gayo (고려 가요) are anonymous vernacular songs such as 청산별곡, 서경별곡, and 가시리; they use refrains (여음) and often express separation or longing.

Sijo (시조) is a three-line fixed form: 초장 (3 or 4 feet), 중장 (3 or 4 feet), 종장 (3 feet with a fixed first foot of three syllables and a fixed second foot of four); 총 45 syllables is the standard count.

Gasa (가사) is a longer, unconstrained-line form from Joseon, often didactic or travel narrative, e.g., 관동별곡 by 정철 and 사미인곡 by 정철.

Pansori (판소리) is a narrative sung form with a singer (소리꾼) and drummer (고수); the five extant madang are 춘향가, 심청가, 흥보가, 수궁가, 적벽가; 판소리 was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List in 2003.

The modern short story in Korea begins with 이광수's 무정 (1917, first modern novel) and the 1920s realism of 현진건 (운수 좋은 날) and 염상섭 (만세전); 김동인's 감자 (1925) is often cited for naturalist character depiction.

Post-war and divided-nation literature: 손창섭 and 황순원 (소나기, 1953) explore war and loss; 산업화 criticism appears in 박경리's 토지 (a multi-volume saga) and 조세희's 난장이가 쏘아 올린 작은 공 (1978).

Cultural concepts to apply in analysis: 한 (han, accumulated grief and resentment), 정 (jeong, affective attachment), 효 (filial piety), 눈치 (social attunement), and the Confucian ordering of ruler–subject, parent–child, husband–wife, elder–younger, and friend relations.

HSC Korean listening tasks are played a set number of times (usually twice); first hearing: identify text type, speakers, setting and topic; second hearing: confirm specific details and numbers.

Discriminate the three Korean sibilants by articulation: ㅅ is lax, ㅆ is tense (fortis, no aspiration), and ㅆ vs ㅅ changes meaning (살다 'live' vs 쌀 'rice'); tense consonants are unaspirated.

Distinguish plain, tense and aspirated stops: ㄱ/ㄲ/ㅋ, ㄷ/ㄸ/ㅌ, ㅂ/ㅃ/ㅍ, ㅈ/ㅉ/ㅊ; aspiration is audible as a puff of air, tensing as glottal constriction.

Korean has no lexical stress; a rise in pitch at the end of a clause marks a question (e.g., 가요? rising) while a fall marks a statement (가요. falling); use final intonation to infer the speaker's intent.

Resyllabification across word boundaries changes what you hear: 한국어 is pronounced [한구거], 같이 is [가치], 십육 is [시뷱]; transcribe meaning, not spelling.

Common nasalisation rules to decode fast speech: ㄱ/ㄷ/ㅂ + ㄴ/ㅁ → ㅇ/ㄴ/ㅁ (국물 [궁물], 닫는 [단는], 밥물 [밤물]).

Numbers: native Korean numbers (하나, 둘, 셋…) are used for counting items and ages; Sino-Korean numbers (일, 이, 삼…) for dates, money, phone numbers and minutes - note the counter determines which system is used.

Register cues signal the relationship: 습니다/ㅂ니다 (formal polite), 해요체 (informal polite), 해체/반말 (intimate), 하오체/하게체 (archaic or literary) - match the register to the speaker pair.

Identify the text type from layout and formulaic markers before reading for detail: 기사 (headline + dateline), 광고 (imperatives, prices, ％), 안내문 (numbered instructions), 편지/이메일 (greeting and closing), 블로그 (first-person narration).

Scan for the writer's purpose verb: 알리다 (inform), 권하다 (recommend), 주장하다 (argue), 비판하다 (criticise), 묘사하다 (describe), 설득하다 (persuade) - the purpose question is answered by this verb, not by topic.

Connective endings carry logical relations: -지만 (contrast), -아서/어서 (cause or sequence), -(으)므로 (cause, formal), -는데 (background or contrast), -(으)면서 (simultaneous), -도록 (purpose or extent).

Grammatical forms that mark inference and hearsay must be distinguished: -ㄴ/는다고 하다 (reported statement), -(으)ㄴ/는 것 같다 (conjecture), -나 보다 (inference from evidence), -겠- (intention or supposition).

Honorific infix -시- and humble verbs (드리다, 뵙다, 모시다) indicate the relative status of subject and object; a missing -시- with a senior subject signals deliberate impoliteness or intimacy.

Cause-and-effect questions: locate the clause containing -아서/어서, -기 때문에, -(으)므로 or -로 인해; the effect clause follows the cause clause in Korean word order (S-O-V, verb final).

Vocabulary in context: hanja-derived nouns (e.g., 환경 環境, 경제 經濟) often carry the passage's abstract theme; Sino-Korean compounds can be decoded from their component characters.

Inference versus literal meaning: an answer choice that merely repeats a sentence is usually a distractor; the correct option paraphrases or synthesises across two or more sentences.

Korean sentence order is Subject–Object–Verb; the predicate is final, so the main verb or adjective must agree in tense, aspect and politeness level with the whole clause.

Politeness level must be consistent throughout a piece: -ㅂ니다/습니다 for formal writing (reports, letters to strangers), -아요/어요 for informal polite; mixing levels within one text is an error unless intentionally marking quoted speech.

Particles: 은/는 marks topic or contrast, 이/가 marks the grammatical subject (new information), 을/를 object, 에 location/time/recipient, 에서 location of action or source, (으)로 direction or means, 와/과 and 하고 conjunction.

Irregular conjugation: ㅂ-irregular (춥다→추워요, but 돕다→도와요), ㄷ-irregular (듣다→들어요), ㅅ-irregular (낫다→나아요), 르-irregular (모르다→몰라요), 으-irregular (쓰다→써요), ㄹ-irregular (살다→사세요).

Spacing (띄어쓰기): write particles attached to the preceding word (학교에서), but auxiliary verbs and nouns mostly separated (공부를 할 수 있다, 먹고 싶다); 한글 맞춤법 governs standard spacing.

Formal essay/letter structure: 서론 (topic and thesis) – 본론 (evidence, examples, counterargument) – 결론 (restatement and closing); a 편지 adds 인사말, body, and 맺음말 with the writer's name and date.

Cohesion devices: 그런데/그러나 (contrast), 따라서/그러므로 (conclusion), 예를 들어 (example), 또한/게다가 (addition), 반면에 (contrast); vary these rather than repeating 그래서.

Text-type conventions: a diary uses 반말 and past tense; a letter uses greetings (안녕하세요?) and closing (감사합니다/안녕히 계세요); a notice uses imperative -(으)십시오 and concise noun phrases.

Hyangga (향가) are Silla-era songs written in idu (이두) using hanja for sound and meaning; the extant 25 songs survive mainly in the Samguk Yusa (삼국유사); 제망매가 by 월명사 mourns a dead sister.

Goryeo gayo (고려 가요) are anonymous vernacular songs such as 청산별곡, 서경별곡, and 가시리; they use refrains (여음) and often express separation or longing.

Sijo (시조) is a three-line fixed form: 초장 (3 or 4 feet), 중장 (3 or 4 feet), 종장 (3 feet with a fixed first foot of three syllables and a fixed second foot of four); 총 45 syllables is the standard count.

Gasa (가사) is a longer, unconstrained-line form from Joseon, often didactic or travel narrative, e.g., 관동별곡 by 정철 and 사미인곡 by 정철.

Pansori (판소리) is a narrative sung form with a singer (소리꾼) and drummer (고수); the five extant madang are 춘향가, 심청가, 흥보가, 수궁가, 적벽가; 판소리 was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List in 2003.

The modern short story in Korea begins with 이광수's 무정 (1917, first modern novel) and the 1920s realism of 현진건 (운수 좋은 날) and 염상섭 (만세전); 김동인's 감자 (1925) is often cited for naturalist character depiction.

Post-war and divided-nation literature: 손창섭 and 황순원 (소나기, 1953) explore war and loss; 산업화 criticism appears in 박경리's 토지 (a multi-volume saga) and 조세희's 난장이가 쏘아 올린 작은 공 (1978).

Cultural concepts to apply in analysis: 한 (han, accumulated grief and resentment), 정 (jeong, affective attachment), 효 (filial piety), 눈치 (social attunement), and the Confucian ordering of ruler–subject, parent–child, husband–wife, elder–younger, and friend relations.