Question 89
MediumOriginal questionMs Dsouza: Rahul, your assignment was on Monday.
Rahul: Yes, ma'am. I know, ma'am. I was going to talk to you about that.
Ms Dsouza: It's Thursday.
Rahul: The thing is, ma'am, our internet was down. And then my cousin's wedding. And then the printer ran out of ink.
Ms Dsouza: That's three reasons.
Rahul: They all happened, ma'am.
Ms Dsouza: I don't it. I've been teaching for eighteen years, Rahul. In that time I have heard of more broken printers than there are printers in this city. Let me ask you something else. Have you started it?
Rahul: (pause) Not exactly started, ma'am.
Ms Dsouza: Thank you. That's the first thing you've told me that helps. If you'd said that on Monday, we could have worked something out.
Rahul: Can we still work something out?
Ms Dsouza: We can. Bring me one page by tomorrow, any page, and the rest by Tuesday. And Rahul? Next time, the true part.
Why does Ms Dsouza say "That's the first thing you've told me that helps"?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
His excuses could not be fixed, but knowing the truth, that he has not started, lets her make a plan.
She immediately offers one: one page by tomorrow, the rest by Tuesday.
Worth noting
She does not punish him; she gives him a way forward. So her words are not sarcastic.
- Concept
- Inferring the reason for a speaker's response
- Typical timeTypical
- 45 s
- Your timeYours
- —
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