Lesson 6 Exercise Title: Advanced Listening for Subtlety and Detail Subtitle: Lesson 6 Exercise Presented by: Fatima Contact Information: blackboarder1@gmail.com
Practice Listening to Extended Dialogues
Clip 1: Understanding Nuances in Speech
Context: Two colleagues discussing a project at work.
Comprehension Question:
1. What is the difference in meaning between the two responses by Speaker 2?
Answer:
In the first response, Speaker 2 is genuinely interested in improving the report and sees it as an opportunity.
In the second response, Speaker 2 is being sarcastic, implying that they are overwhelmed and do not want the extra work.
Clip 2: Recognizing Sarcasm and Irony
Context: A person talking about their day.
Comprehension Questions:
1. Is the speaker being sincere or sarcastic?
2. What does the phrase "cherry on top of my day" imply?
Answer 1: The speaker is being sarcastic. They are not genuinely pleased about receiving more work; instead, they are expressing frustration.
Answer 2: The phrase "cherry on top of my day" is used sarcastically to indicate that the surprise project was an unwelcome addition to an already bad day.
Clip 3: Cultural References
Context: A discussion between two friends about a decision they made.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What does the reference to "Pandora’s box" mean in this context?
2. How does Speaker 2 respond to the situation described by Speaker 1?
Answer 1: The reference to "Pandora’s box" means that taking on the project has led to many unforeseen problems, similar to how opening Pandora’s box in Greek mythology released all the evils into the world.
Answer 2: Speaker 2 agrees with the analogy and acknowledges that the situation is spiraling out of control, implying that the project has become much more complicated than anticipated.
Clip 4: Extended Dialogue
Context: Two colleagues discussing the aftermath of a project decision.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the main topic of the conversation?
2. Identify any sarcasm used in the dialogue.
3. What cultural reference was made, and what did it imply in the context of the conversation?
Answer 1: The main topic of the conversation is the complications and difficulties that arose after deciding to go ahead with a proposal for a project.
Answer 2: Sarcasm is used when Speaker 1 says, "Oh, great! More changes. Because that’s exactly what this project was missing—unpredictable twists and turns." The speaker doesn’t actually think the changes are great; they are expressing frustration.
Answer 3: The cultural reference to "Pandora’s box" was made, implying that the decision to proceed with the proposal led to unexpected and uncontrollable problems, much like the consequences of opening Pandora’s box in Greek mythology.