Lesson 4. Answering Inference Questions about Dialogues . . . . .

SECTION 1: LISTENING



EXERCISE 4

Focus: Listening to dialogues that are followed by inference questions and identifying the best answers

Directions: Listen to the following dialogues.

Now start the listening program.

1. What can be inferred about the man?



7. What does the woman imply?



(A) He’s not related to Larry.

(B) He doesn’t think Larry won the

contest.

(C) He’s not a very good dancer.

(D) He has never believed Larry.



(A) She hasn’t been to the dentist for

years.

(B) She wasn’t able to see the dentist

yesterday.

(C) She had a long wait before she saw

the dentist.

(D) She was quite late for her dental

appointment.



2. What can be inferred from this conversation?

(A) The man doesn’t like the way the suit

looks.

(B) The suit costs a lot of money.

(C) The man dresses as if he were very

wealthy.

(D) The man already owns an expensive

suit.



8. What does the man imply about the experts

and the plan?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



9. What does the woman imply about Louis?



3. What does the man imply?



(A) His new boss shouldn’t have been

promoted.

(B) He and his old boss argued.

(C) He should get a better job.

(D) His boss has helped him a lot.



(A) There is just enough food.

(B) Many uninvited guests will come.

(C) The woman has prepared too much

food.

(D) The party will be moved to another

location.



10. What does the woman imply?



4. What can be inferred about the man?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



(A) There’s not enough snow to cause a

cancellation yet.

(B) It will probably snow all night.

(C) The university has already decided to

cancel classes.

(D) It has already stopped snowing.



He took a physics test tonight.

He has a class every evening.

He was studying by himself tonight.

He’s concerned about his grade.



5. What does the woman imply about Greg?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



11. What does the man imply?



He’s changed his major often.

He hasn’t really changed his major.

He won’t do well in his new major.

He was changed by his experience.



(A) He has been interested in folk dancing

for a long time.

(B) He’s interested in making new friends.

(C) He wants to form a new folk dancing

club.

(D) He’ll never learn how to dance.



6. What can be inferred from this conversation

about Professor Sutton?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



His lectures put his students to sleep.

He’s a middle-aged man.

He lectures about history.

His lectures are very difficult to follow.



www.petersons.com



They have agreed on it.

They have different opinions about it.

It depends on their cooperation.

It doesn’t require their attention.



36



LESSON 4: ANSWERING INFERENCE QUESTIONS ABOUT DIALOGUES

15. What can be inferred about the speakers?



12. What can be inferred from the woman’s

remark?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



She

She

She

She



(A) They can’t see the stars clearly.

(B) They’re not in the city tonight.

(C) They are looking at the lights of the

city.

(D) They’ve never seen each other before

tonight.



didn’t enjoy the music.

couldn’t see the concert very well.

had a good seat near the stage.

found her seat uncomfortable.



13. What does the man imply?



16. What does Mike imply?



(A) Last summer was even hotter.

(B) This is the hottest summer he can

remember.

(C) He didn’t live here last year.

(D) The weather is cooler than usual.



(A) He generally works on Saturday.

(B) He doesn’t know many people at

work.

(C) He isn’t allowed to get phone calls at

work.

(D) He wasn’t expecting a phone call.



14. What can be inferred from this conversation?

(A) Students must pay a fee to swim in the

pool.

(B) The public cannot use the pool on

campus.

(C) The swimming pool is temporarily closed.

(D) The pool can be used by students for

free.



REVIEW TEST A: DIALOGUES

Directions: Each item in this part consists of a brief dialogue involving two speakers.

After each dialogue, a third voice asks a question.

When you have heard each dialogue and question, read the four answer choices and select the

one that best answers the question based on what is directly stated or on what can be inferred.

Don’t look at the questions until they are read on the tape.

Now start the listening program.

1. What does the man imply about Wanda?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



3. What does the woman mean?



He met her during the winter.

He’s never liked her very much.

He warned her of a problem.

His impression of her has changed.



(A) The glasses are stacked on the shelf.

(B) The juice is no worse than the other

brands.

(C) The new glasses are quite attractive.

(D) She plans to stock up on this juice.



2. What does the woman imply about the

movie?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



4. What does Adam imply?



She’s never seen it.

She thinks it is very unusual.

She likes it a lot.

She hasn’t seen it for a long time.



(A) He hasn’t finished working on the

bookshelves.

(B) The tools have been misplaced.

(C) He hates working with tools.

(D) The tools have already been returned.



37



www.petersons.com



SECTION 1: LISTENING

5. What can be inferred from this conversation?



11. What can be inferred from this conversation?



(A) There is no charge for drinks here.

(B) The first woman wants some ice

water.

(C) The woman is not the woman’s

waitress.

(D) The iced tea isn’t very good here.



(A) The man would like to use Becky’s

computer.

(B) Becky will need the computer for a

long time.

(C) The computers in the library are

already in use.

(D) Becky wants the man to go to the library.



6. What does the man want to do?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



12. What do the speakers mean?



Review the last point

Go on to the next chapter

Leave the classroom

Point out the teacher’s mistake



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



7. What does the woman think the man

should do?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



13. What does the man imply by his remark?

(A) Professor Clayburn is going to speak

some other night.

(B) He’s never heard of Professor Clayburn.

(C) He didn’t realize Professor Clayburn

was speaking tonight.

(D) Professor Clayburn is giving his speech

in this room.



Meet a friend of hers

Keep a budget

Increase his income

Get some exercise



8. What can be inferred from the man’s

comment?

(A) The woman should clean out her

closet.

(B) The lamp will look better in a small

space.

(C) He doesn’t like the lamp very much.

(D) The living room is the best place for

the lamp.



14. What can be concluded from this

conversation?

(A) Joe has been making too much noise.

(B) Dogs are not allowed in the dorm.

(C) No one understands the parking

regulations.

(D) Joe is not allowed to leave his room.



9. What does the man mean?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



He certainly likes Ernie’s red car.

The man in the red car resembles Ernie.

Ernie has a car just like that red one.

He can’t see the man in the red car.



15. What can be inferred from this conversation?

(A) The woman didn’t realize Bill had to

work.

(B) Bill has not finished his work.

(C) The break has not lasted long enough.

(D) The work didn’t take long to complete.



10. What does the man say about John?

(A) He hurt his hand when he was scuba

diving.

(B) He hasn’t gone scuba diving in a long

time.

(C) He’s not too old to go scuba diving.

(D) He’s an experienced scuba diver.



www.petersons.com



The ring is quite attractive.

Laura got a bargain on the ring.

The ring was probably expensive.

Laura had to sell her ring.



16. What can be inferred from this conversation?

(A) The woman has just begun to collect

rocks.

(B) Paul is unwilling to help.

(C) The box is very heavy.

(D) There’s nothing in the box.



38



LESSON 5

Dialogues Involving Agreement

and Disagreement

To answer questions about some of the dialogues in Part A, it is necessary to understand if the second

speaker agrees or disagrees with the first speaker’s ideas or proposals.

There are many ways to express agreement and disagreement:

Agreement

So do I.

Me too.

Neither do I.*

I don’t either.*

Who wouldn’t?

Isn’t he/she/it though! (Didn’t he/

Wasn’t she/Hasn’t it though!)



I’ll second that.

I’ll say!

You can say that again.

Is/Has/Was it ever!

You bet!

I couldn’t agree with you more.

I feel the same way you do about it.



* These two expressions show agreement with a negative statement:

I don’t really like my schedule this term.

Neither do I. OR I don’t either.

Disagreement

I don’t think so.

That’s not what I think.

That’s not the way I see it.

I can’t say I agree.

I couldn’t agree with you less.

I’m afraid I don’t agree.



Probably not.

Not necessarily.

Not really.

I’m afraid not.

I’m not so sure.



There are, of course, other expressions that show agreement and disagreement. Some are practiced in the

following exercises.



39



SECTION 1: LISTENING



Sample Items

You will hear:*

M1: Howard certainly is a talented journalist.

F1: Isn’t he though!

M2: What does the woman mean?

You will read:

What does the woman mean?

(A) She doesn’t know if Howard is a journalist.

(B) She agrees that Howard is talented.

(C) She read Howard’s journal.

(D) She doesn’t think Howard is talented.

The correct answer is (B). Although the woman’s reply seems negative in form, it actually

signals agreement.

You will hear:*

F1: I thought Cheryl’s photographs were the best at the exhibit.

F2: I didn’t really see it that way.

M1: What does the second woman mean?

You will read:

What does the second woman mean?

(A) She thought Cheryl’s photos were the best.

(B) She didn’t look at Cheryl’s photos.

(C) She thought other photos were better than Cheryl’s.

(D) She didn’t go to the exhibit.

The correct answer is (C). The woman’s response, “I didn’t really see it that way,” means that

she disagreed with the first woman’s opinion that Cheryl’s photographs were the best.



EXERCISE 5.1

Focus: Determining if one speaker agrees or disagrees with the other speaker

Directions: Listen to the following dialogues. Decide if the second speaker agrees or disagrees with

the first speaker, and mark the appropriate blank.

Now start the listening program.

1. ______

______

2. ______

______



3. ______



(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees



______



(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees



(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees



* Note:

M1 = first male voice

F2 = second female voice



www.petersons.com



M2 = second male voice



40



M3 = third male voice



F1 = first female voice



LESSON 5: DIALOGUES INVOLVING AGREEMENT AND DISAGREEMENT

4. ______

______

5. ______

______

6. ______

______



7. ______



(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees



______

8. ______



(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees



______

9. ______



(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees



______



(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees

(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees

(A) Agrees

(B) Disagrees



EXERCISE 5.2

Focus: Listening to dialogues that involve agreement and disagreement and answering questions about

them

Directions: Listen to the following dialogues.

Now start the listening program.

1. What does the man mean?



5. What does the man mean?



(A) He prefers taking a final exam.

(B) He thinks an exam takes too much

time.

(C) He’d rather write a research paper.

(D) He has plenty of time to work.



(A) He has the perfect bicycle.

(B) He thinks it’s a good day for bike

riding, too.

(C) He doesn’t agree with the woman’s

opinion of the weather.

(D) He didn’t hear what the woman said.



2. How does the woman feel about the first

chapter?



6. What does the woman mean?



(A) It was difficult, but she understood it.

(B) She hasn’t had a chance to read it yet.

(C) She doesn’t think it is as useful as

some chapters.

(D) It’s probably easier than the other

chapters.



(A) She thinks Arthur wasn’t doing well in

the class.

(B) She’s not sure why Arthur dropped the

class either.

(C) She believes Arthur dropped the class

for no reason.

(D) She’s decided to drop the class too.



3. How does the man feel about the woman’s

idea?



7. What does the woman say about Tom’s plan?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



(A) He completely disagrees with it.

(B) He doesn’t believe the university will

accept it.

(C) He thinks it’s a good one.

(D) He wants more information about it.



8. What was the man’s initial reaction to the

editorial?



4. What was the woman’s opinion of Jack’s

story?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



She

She

She

She



It’s very impractical.

It’s never been tried before.

It’s unnecessary.

It might work.



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



doesn’t think that Jack wrote it.

thought it was quite funny.

thinks it had too many details.

found it well written.



41



He didn’t understand it.

It made him angry.

He agreed with it.

He thought it was depressing.



www.petersons.com



SECTION 1: LISTENING

9. What does the woman say about the library?



10. What does the man mean?



(A) She’s never been there during final

exam week.

(B) It’s not crowded now, but it soon will

be.

(C) It’s crowded because students will be

taking exams soon.

(D) It will be closed right after the final

exams.



www.petersons.com



(A) He likes the costumes Madeleine made.

(B) He’s not sure who designed the

costumes.

(C) He recommends the play.

(D) He doesn’t think the costumes are

attractive.



42



LESSON 6

Dialogues Involving Suggestions,

Invitations, Offers, and Requests

Several dialogues in Part A involve a speaker making and/or responding to suggestions, invitations,

offers, and requests. There are many ways to express these language functions. Some are listed in the

charts in this lesson, whereas others are practiced in the exercises.



SUGGESTIONS

These are pieces of advice that one speaker gives another. In most dialogues, the first speaker poses a

problem and the second speaker suggests a possible solution to that problem. In some dialogues, the first

speaker makes a suggestion, and the second speaker responds to that suggestion positively or negatively.

Making Suggestions

Why don’t you/we . . .

Why not . . .

Have you ever thought of . . .

You/We might want to . . .

You/We could always . . .

Maybe you/we could . . .

Try . . .



If I were you . . .

If I were in your shoes . . .

You/We should . . .

Shouldn’t you/we . . .

What about . . .

What if you/we . . .

How about . . .



Positive Responses



Negative Responses



Why not!

Good idea!

That’s an idea.

Sounds good to me.

By all means!

Why didn’t I think of that?

That’s worth a try.

Thanks, I’ll give that a try.



I don’t think so.

I don’t believe so.

I already thought of that.

I don’t think that will work.

Don’t look at me!

Can I take a rain check?*



* This means, “Could we do this some other time?”



43



SECTION 1: LISTENING



Sample Item

You will hear:*

M1: I’m doing so poorly in physics class, I think I’m going to have to drop it.

F1: You know, Frank, you should talk to Professor de Marco before you do anything. He’s given

special help to lots of students who were having trouble.

M2: What does the woman suggest Frank do?

You will read:

What does the woman suggest Frank do?

(A) Study with a group of students

(B) Drop his mathematics course

(C) Discuss the problem with the professor

(D) Take no action at this time

The correct answer is (C). The woman suggests that the man talk to Professor de Marco

because the professor has helped many students in the past.



INVITATIONS

These are requests for someone to come somewhere or to take part in some activity. The first speaker may

invite the second speaker to do something, and the second speaker responds or the second speaker may

invite the first speaker to do something.

Making Invitations

Shall we . . .

Would you like to . . .

Would you care to . . .

Would you be able to . . .

Want to . . .



Let’s . . .

Do you want to . . .

Could you . . .

Can you . . .



Positive Responses



Negative Responses



Yes, let’s.

Sure, thanks.

Sounds good.

All right, I’d love to.

I’d like that.

What a great idea!

Sure. Thanks for inviting me.

If you want me to.

Don’t mind if I do.



I’m sorry, but . . .

I’d like to, but . . .

I’d love to, but . . .

Thanks a lot, but . . .

That sounds nice, but . . .

I’ll pass.

Thanks for the invitation, but . . .

I don’t think I’ll be able to make it this time.



* Note:

M1 = first male voice

F2 = second female voice



www.petersons.com



M2 = second male voice



44



M3 = third male voice



F1 = first female voice