(5) Could you correct or confirm these questions?

[learning54]

Hi teachers,
This is for a listening comprehension exercise. The text is from a CD.
Alex Dinon has escaped from prison a day ago. Felix and Adam are the detectives that have to look for him.

If this is what the students will hear:
‘We questioned all his friends early this morning,’ Adam said. ‘They said nothing.’ He looked at Felix. ‘Can we bring some of themin here? With their wives. Then we can ask more … difficult questions.Somebody usually talks then.’ ‘No,’ Felix said coldly. ‘That’s not right, and you know it.

Are these suitable questions to ask?
1. How many of Alex’s friends were interrogated by the police? All of them.
2. How much information were the police able to get after they interrogated Alex’s friends? None. / No information at all.
3. Why did Adam want to bring a few of Alex’s friends with their wives there? Because they could ask more difficult questions.
4. Why did Felix reject Adam's suggestion?
a) Because he didn't think that Adam's suggestion was right.
b) Because it wasn’t right.

Thanks in advance.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi teachers,
This is for a listening comprehension exercise. The text is from a CD.
Alex Dinon has escaped from prison a day ago. Felix and Adam are the detectives that have to look for him.

If this is what the students will hear:
‘We questioned all his friends early this morning,’ Adam said. ‘They said nothing.’ He looked at Felix. ‘Can we bring some of themin here? With their wives. Then we can ask more … difficult questions.Somebody usually talks then.’ ‘No,’ Felix said coldly. ‘That’s not right, and you know it.

Are these suitable questions to ask?
1. How many of Alex’s friends were interrogated by the police? All of them.
2. How much information were the police able to get after they interrogated Alex’s friends? None. / No information at all.
3. Why did Adam want to bring a few of Alex’s friends with their wives there? Because they could ask more difficult questions.
4. Why did Felix reject Adam's suggestion?
a) Because he didn't think that Adam's suggestion was right.
b) Because it wasn’t right.

Thanks in advance.

Question 1 - you could use a different word instead of "friends" to give them more vocabulary - pals, chums, mates.
Question 2 - I would prefer "How much information did the police get by interrogating/when they interrogated Alex's friends?" We don't expect to get information after interrogating someone.
Question 3 - Change "there" to "in" and it's OK. I'm having trouble understanding why the police would be able to ask more difficult questions just because the friends' wives were in the room.
Question 4 - It's hard to say whether it was because it wasn't right, or because Felix thought it wasn't right. To be more challenging though, you could ask a trick question - "Why did Felix accept Adam's suggestion?" Then your students have to say "He didn't. He rejected it because it was wrong" or similar.

 

[learning54]

Hi,
Thank you so much for your time and suggestions.

I'm having trouble understanding why the police would be able to ask more difficult questions just because the friends' wives were in the room.

It could be because if the wives were there, that detective assumed that he could torture them.

TS

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi,
Thank you so much for your time and suggestions.


It could be because if the wives were there, that detective assumed that he could torture them.

TS

Sorry, I still don't get it. Surely if the police are going to torture someone, they don't want any witnesses. Why on earth would they torture a man in front of his wife?

Ahhhhh, perhaps the detective meant that he could threaten to hurt the wife unless the man gave up some information. Hmmmm.

 

[learning54]

Ahhhhh, perhaps the detective meant that he could threaten to hurt the wife unless the man gave up some information. Hmmmm.

That's what I thought too.

TS

 

[emsr2d2]

I don't think that's terribly clear from the text though.

 

[learning54]

I don't think that's terribly clear from the text though.

I agree. That's just an assumption.

TS