NES
- 2010-06-13
I think the dialogue is unnatural, i.e not normal, everyday English as spoken by native English speakers.
Firstly, what kind of restaurant would offer cola as breakfast drink?
Secondly, who would ask for a mixture of fruit juice before being told what kinds of juice were available?
Thirdly, what restaurant adds sugar to tea (or coffee) before serving it to the customer? Milk, sure but sugar?
Obama city
- 2010-06-13
Thank you Turnoi and Justn,
OK, I am going to change 3) into " Orange juice."
In fact, over 4,000 students will take this listening comprehension test. I would like to change as small as I can, before they take the test.
Thank you both of you. The discussion helped me a lot.
Justin
- 2010-06-13
I like your idea of orange juice. He never asked for orange juice so if they picked it then they didn't understand the dialogue at all.
Alternatively, you could make it something obviously incorrect. Crocodiles, perhaps. That would surely make Turnoi delighted, your students laugh, and solve your problem.
Justin
Obama city
- 2010-06-13
Thank you, Justin,
I should have changed the Question as you suggested in order to avoid the double meaning. I just didn't know why two native speakers changed that way. Actually, they added 2) to "and sugar." on the spot. Originally, 2) was "Tea with milk." If 2) were "Tea with milk.," it would be completely wrong. So the answer would be 3).
Please allow me to ask you one more. I have only to change the multiple answers 3) on the hand-out, because the dialogue and the question have already recorded. I cannot change it by now. How can I change 3), being the correct answer 2)?
Alternative (1)
3) Orange juice.
Alternative (2)
3) Fruit juice (just cross out "A mixture of")
Thank you again in advance.
Justin
- 2010-06-12
If someone were to casually ask, "What did he want?", as if they were asking the waiter, the response would be "Tea with milk and sugar" but that's not quite the case. The correct question should be, "What did the customer order?". "Want" suggests what he desired which could cause some students to select 3. In the case of your test, the question using "want" could both be used as "what did he want" and "what did he order?" Therefore, it would be best to specify what the question's true query is, such as, "What was the customer's preferred beverage?" or "What did the customer order?" In this way, the ambiguity is avoided.
Hi, I made an English listening comprehension test as below.
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A: What would you like to drink with your meal?
B: What are the choices?
A: Fruit juice, cola, milk, coffee, or tea.
B: Can I have a mixture of fruit juice?
A: I'm afraid not. We have orange, grape fruit, and apple.
B: Then I'll have tea with milk and sugar.
Question: What did the customer want to have with his meal?
1) Milk with sugar.
2) Tea with milk and sugar.
3) A mixture of fruit juice.
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My question is whether both answers 2) and 3) can be a correct answer? I made this test with two native speakers. When we proofread this, they suggested that answer 2) should be as above so that 2) can be the correct answer. I would be appreciate if you could tell me why 3) cannot be an answer.