Basic Listening Lesson #14

Step 1: Listen to Dialog

Do not view the questions until after you have listened to the audio file. Reading the questions first will not help you improve your English listening skills.

Step 2: Quiz - View Questions

1. What university class are they talking about?
Biology
Chemistry
History
Geography

2. How did the student describe the professor?
Smart and fun
Easy and boring
Demanding but an easy grader
Easy but a hard grader

3. How did one student get an A- grade but all his scores were lower than that?
The professor liked the student
The professor graded on a curve
The student did extra assignments
The student talked to the professor

4. How did one student feel after hearing about the professor from the other student?
The student felt worried
The student felt relieved
The student felt like crying
The student felt angry

View Answers

1. History
2. Demanding but an easy grader
3. The professor graded on a curve
4. The student felt relieved

If you are uncertain about the answers to the questions, listen to the audio file again after having read the questions. After you have made all your selections, you may view the answers to see how you did.

Step 3: Show Conversation Dialog

A: "Did you ever take History 231?"
B: "Yeah. Last semester."
A: "Who was the professor?"
B: "It was Professor Johnson."
A: "I have him this semester. What do you think about him?"
B: "He's a terrible instructor and demands a lot, but fortunately, he's an easy grader."
A: "What did you end up getting?"
B: "I got an A-. Sounds good, but none of my test scores were that high, so I don't know how I got a decent grade."
A: "That's probably because he grades on a curve."
B: "Are you enjoying the class so far?"
A: "I hate it and I was about to withdrawal. But after hearing your experience, I think I will tough it out."
B: "Yes. Definitely stay in the class. You will get a better grade than your test scores. He does that deliberately to make all the students study a lot."
A: "Thanks for letting me know. I feel relieved now."

You should read the Conversation Dialog to help you study after going through the listening lesson. Do not view the Conversation Dialog prior to listening to the audio, or prior to answering all the questions.

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