Lesson 8. Answering Questions about Plans, Topics, and Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

LESSON 8: ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT PLANS, TOPICS, AND PROBLEMS



QUESTIONS ABOUT TOPICS

The third speaker asks what the other two speakers are talking about. The topic is not usually mentioned

directly in the dialogue; it must be inferred from a general understanding of the dialogue. The topic can be

a person, a thing, or an activity.

Sample Item

You will hear:*

F1: Have you seen this letter from the bursar’s office?

F2: Oh, no! Not another increase! If you ask me, we’re already spending too much to go to school

here.

M2: What are these speakers talking about?

You will read:

What are these speakers talking about?

(A) Higher tuition costs

(B) A poor grade

(C) Higher postage rates

(D) A letter from a relative

The correct answer is (A). That the letter comes from the bursar’s office (the financial office of a

university) and that the second woman is upset about an increase and believes they are spending

too much to go to school makes it clear that they are talking about a tuition increase.



QUESTIONS ABOUT PROBLEMS

These questions follow dialogues in which the speakers are discussing some trouble one or both of them

are having. The third speaker asks what the problem is.

Sample Item

You will hear:*

M2: Gordon, what happened to your window?

M1: When I was painting the window last week, I hit it with the ladder.

F1: What problem does Gordon probably have?

You will read:

What problem does Gordon probably have?

(A) His house needs painting.

(B) He broke his ladder.

(C) He spilled some paint.

(D) His window is broken.

The correct answer is (D). Gordon, the second speaker, says that he hit the window with the

ladder when he was painting the house. The logical result—a broken window.



* Note:

M1 = first male voice

F2 = second female voice



M2 = second male voice



55



M3 = third male voice



F1 = first female voice



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SECTION 1: LISTENING



EXERCISE 8

Focus: Answering questions about plans, topics, and problems

Directions: Listen to the dialogues and the questions about them.

Now start the listening program.

1. What are they talking about?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



7. What are these people discussing?



Road conditions

A weather report

A motel reservation

Highway repairs



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



8. What is the man going to do next?



2. What are they probably going to do this

afternoon?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



Go to a party

Move Beth’s belongings

Get ready to have a party

Clean up Beth’s apartment



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



(A) The man’s car is not running.

(B) The man isn’t going to the party.

(C) No one knows where the party will

be.

(D) The car isn’t big enough for four

people.



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



A shopping center

A bridge

A street

An office



A

A

A

A



car

magazine

computer

piano



11. What will Shirley probably do right after

she finishes her undergraduate program?



5. What are the speakers probably planning to

do tomorrow?



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



Shop for groceries

Go on a camping trip

Go to a circus

Leave on a business trip



Go to business school

Look for a job with a big company

Start her own business

Take a trip around the world



12. What is Dave’s problem?

(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



6. What does Brian intend to do?

(A) Get some medicine for his headaches

(B) Buy some new frames for his eyeglasses

(C) Find another doctor

(D) Get different lenses for his glasses



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He lent it to someone else.

It was ruined in the rain.

He forgot where he left it.

One of the pages was torn.



10. What are the speakers probably discussing?



4. What are they probably talking about?



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



Take a trip

Watch television

Examine some documents

Go to sleep



9. What problem did the man have with the

book?



3. What is the problem?



(A)

(B)

(C)

(D)



Clothing

Hair styling

Painting

Cooking



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He

He

He

He



doesn’t have Phyllis’s address.

doesn’t like any of the postcards.

can’t find the post office.

doesn’t have a stamp.



LESSON 9

Dialogues with Special Verbs

CAUSATIVE VERBS

These verbs indicate that someone causes someone else to do something. When a dialogue contains a

causative verb, you must understand who performs the action. The verbs have, get, make, and let are the

most common causative verbs.

They are used in the following patterns:



Have

Dave had the mechanic fix his car.

Dave had his car fixed.



have someone do something

have something done



The causative verb have indicates that one person asks or pays another to do something. The subject of

this sentence, Dave, does not perform the action. In the first sentence, the mechanic does. In the second

sentence, an unnamed person does.



Get

Jerry got his cousin to cut his hair.

Jerry got his hair cut.



get someone to do something

get something done



The causative verb get usually means to persuade someone to do something. Again, note that the subject

Jerry does not perform the action.



Make

She made her son do his homework.



make someone do something



The causative verb make means to force someone or compel someone to do something.



Let

let someone do something



The boss let us go home.



The verb let means permit or allow.

Sample Item

You will hear:*

M1: Did you speak to the head of the department?

F1: No, she had her assistant meet with me.

M2: What does the woman mean?

You will read:

What does the woman mean?

(A) She spoke to the head of the department.

(B) The head of the department had a meeting with her assistant.

(C) She met with the assistant to the head of the department.

(D) The assistant will soon become head of the department.

The correct answer is (C). According to the dialogue, the head of the department directed her

assistant to meet with the woman.



* Note:

M1 = first male voice

F2 = second female voice



M2 = second male voice



57



M3 = third male voice



F1 = first female voice



SECTION 1: LISTENING



USED TO

The expression used to has two forms, each with a different meaning:

used to + simple form

means ➔



I once lived in New York

(but now I don’t).



I’m not used to driving on the

left side of the road.



means ➔



I’m not accustomed to driving

on the left side.



I’ve finally gotten used to

my new job.



means ➔



I’ve finally become accustomed

to my new job.



I used to live in New York.

+ gerund (-ing verb)

be/get + used to

+ noun phrase



The dialogues in Part A sometimes take advantage of these two functions of used to.

Sample Items

You will hear:*

F2: What does Hank’s father do for a living?

M1: He’s a salesman now, but he used to be a truck driver.

M2: What does the man say about Hank’s father?

You will read:

What does the man say about Hank’s father?

(A) He once drove trucks.

(B) He sells used trucks.

(C) His truck is still useful.

(D) He’s accustomed to his job.

The correct answer is (A). The man says that Hank’s father used to be a truck driver. In other

words, Hank’s father once drove trucks, but he no longer does so.

You will hear:*

F1: Nancy is working late again today?

M1: Yeah, she must be getting used to it by now.

M2: What does the man say about Nancy?

You will read:

What does the man say about Nancy?

(A) She probably has a more difficult job now.

(B) She once worked later than she does now.

(C) She seldom comes to work late.

(D) She is becoming accustomed to late hours at work.

The correct answer is (D). The second speaker indicates that Nancy has probably adjusted to

working late.



* Note:

M1 = first male voice

F2 = second female voice



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M2 = second male voice



58



M3 = third male voice



F1 = first female voice