新西蘭學生因不認識trivial這個詞而發起請願

High School students in New Zealand who didn't know what the word "trivial" meant in an exam question have demanded not to be marked down as a result.

近日，不清楚考試題目中“trivial（微不足道）”這個詞的含義的新西蘭高中生，正呼籲學校不要因此而扣分。

More than 2,600 people signed an online petition over the "unfamiliar" word.

共有超過2600名學生簽署了一份關於這個“陌生”詞彙的在線請願書。

The students were asked to write an essay based on the Julius Caesar quote: "In war, events of importance are the result of trivial causes."

這些學生需要在考試中根據朱利葉斯·凱撒的一句話寫一篇文章：“在戰爭中，重要事件都是由於微不足道的原因造成的。”

Examiners said the language used was expected to be within the range of the year 13 students' vocabulary.

考官表示，該題中的語言文字屬於13年級學生的詞彙範圍。

However, in a statement, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority added: "If candidates have addressed the quote and integrated their ideas with it, then they will be given credit for the strength of their argument and analysis and will not be penalised for misinterpreting the word 'trivial'."

不過新西蘭學歷認證局（NZQA）在一份聲明中補充道：“如果考生回答了試卷中的這一問題，並將他們的想法與之相結合，那麼就會憑藉自己論證和分析的水平得到分數。而即使錯誤理解了‘trivial（微不足道）’這個詞也不會被扣分。”

It added: "There have been no changes as a consequence of the petition."

新西蘭學歷認證局還表示：“學生請願不會對此造成任何變化。”