1.

Embrassing moment
Sample notes #2
 Concert
o Audience laugh
o Lost talent

 Text Explanation
 The most common problem that students have on a question like this is
remembering good examples from their lives. It can be hard to think of a single,
specific embarrassment with only a few seconds to prepare. Don’t think about it
too hard—speak about the first appropriate thing you think of. It might not even
have happened to you, personally; it can be a complete lie. Nobody is checking
the truth of your answers.
 Then, focus your attention on the second part of the question: why it was
embarrassing. If you have that in your notes before you start to speak, you’ll
have much more to say and be more fluent, speaking at a more natural pace.
 Transcript of Lucas's response:
 One really embarrassing experience for me was when I was in middle school; I
helped my friend cheat on his test.
 He had told me that he didn’t, he hadn’t prepared for the test, and I wanted to
help him, so I let him look at my test. But after the teacher caught us and my
friend got in a lot of trouble because he hadn’t studied, and he needed my test,
he needed to cheat, and he, he cheated. So he was in a lot of trouble and I was
sad for my friend; I was embarrassed and upset that I had help him, that I had
helped him. And my teacher was also angry with me and that was really
uncomfortable for me. I didn’t want to —
o

Sample Answer #2
When I was a little boy, I was a member of this special choir at my school. We got
chosen because we all had strong voices. Actually, uhh…my voice was the most
beautiful in the entire class. I was given a solo… but… but when the time came to sing it
during the Christmas concert, my voice cracked on the high notes. I mean, I sounded
terrible. The audience began to laugh at me, and I felt ashamed because I could no
longer sing very well at all. I felt sad for a long time after that, because singing was like
the one thing in the world that made me feel special, and now it was gone forever.

2. Describe a time that you learned a lesson after overcoming

difficulty. Be sure to include specific examples in your response.

Ans: Text Explanation

This is a great question because it’s so general! Start with the specifics: think of
anything difficult in your life that ended okay—anything.
Then, quickly imagine how it might have helped you. This doesn’t need to be very
interesting or insightful. Just a simple lesson learned is good enough.
As you speak, be careful about your tenses. You’re telling a story about something that
happened to you in the past, so you will need the three tenses for telling stories:

 Past simple: “I crashed my parents’ car.”

 Past continuous: “I was driving through snow.”
 Past perfect: “My parents had allowed me to borrow the car for just an hour.”

Of course, you might not need all of them—it’s possible to give a great response using
only the past simple. But be careful to use the other tenses if you need them, and
definitely don’t use the present tense for that story about the past!

Sample notes #2
 Chem tests
o give up
o hard work
 tutor

Sample response
When I was in ninth grade, I had a really hard time in my Chemistry class. I mean,
uhh… I had totally failed two tests, so I was worried that I would ruin my perfect record
on my report card. But I learned from these problems to… stay focused and do my best
to succeed, no matter what. Like, I started studying really hard for three hours a night. I
worked with a tutor. In the end, I improved my grade and got a B. My failure taught me
the importance of hard work, and I will never forget that important lesson I learned.
 3 speak 1
Describe a teacher who was important to you and why he or she was important. Be sure to
include specific examples in your response

Text Explanation
It’s easiest to just choose a favorite teacher, then think about the reasons why you liked
them. Don’t get stuck thinking about the details before you make the choice.

When speaking, it’s easy to make the mistake of giving only abstract adjectives like
“nice” and “smart” to compliment the teacher. Do more than that! The question asks for
specific examples, so try to include that as much as possible. Mention an event that you
still remember, or something specific that you learned from the teacher.

Sample notes #2
 Charest
o ed. games
o care

Sample response #2
My favorite teacher was Ms. Charest. She… uhh, I had her in third grade. She was
basically a great teacher for two reasons. First, she played games with us in class that
were actually very educational. For example, we played this game that taught us our
multiplication tables using rhymes. It made learning fun. And the second reason she
was great was that she took a personal interest in her students. She really cared about
us. When I visited her last year, she even remembered my name, even though I, like,
hadn’t seen her in ages.

4.speak 1
Describe a time you learned something new about someone you know well. Be sure to include
specific examples in your response.

Text Explanation
It can be hard to think of an example of something so broad. To make the brainstorming
faster, first pick a person who you have known for a long time. Then pick anything you
have learned about that person in your life. As long as you can describe the event well,
then it’s good enough. This isn’t a test of how interesting your story is, but rather a test
of how well you tell it. Remember to use appropriate past tenses, as always for
speaking task 1, and be descriptive.

Sample notes #2
 Dad
o crafts
o design (!)

Sample response #2
I always thought my dad was kind of, uhh, an uncreative guy. But one time, my mother
brought the whole family on this trip to a traditional crafts center. They, like, they made
traditional works of art there, like troll dolls and cuckoo clocks. There was a work station
there where we could paint our own dolls. And my dad, well, he painted these amazing
patterns that looked… uhh, the word is psychedelic, I think. Like, he used really cool
bright colors and interesting wavy patterns. It was a huge surprise for me, ‘cause I
hadn’t seen that side of my dad before.

5What is a good activity that people can do every day to stay

healthy? Describe the activity, and explain how it helps people to
be healthy.
There are many things you could do every day to stay healthy, but I think one of the easiest is
probably taking the stairs.

We spend so much time going up and down buildings, and it's better to just take the stairs, instead of
taking the elevator as many people do. It's good for your legs. It helps build the muscle in your legs
and keep your legs healthy and used. And besides that, it's also just good for like your lungs and
your heart, so that you're always moving and getting a small workout.

Standing still in a elevator isn't as healthy as moving up and down the stairs. So it's better to take the
stairs. And that is time. And I added a little bit of filler at the end, just summarizing my opinion. And
notice that I contrasted with the elevator. That helps give some extra time, fill some extra time.

Because if I talked only about the stairs I might run out of things to say, because they were very
simple. It helps my legs, and it helps my heart. So it was good to then say, well, on the other hand, in
the elevator you stand still. And that comparison, that contrast, helps to explain my point even more.

3.speaking task 6

Text Explanation
This is a difficult lecture! The trick is to realize that you don’t need to understand all of
the science behind it. You only need to understand the basic ideas, because you’re
going to speak for a shorter time than the professor did: just one minute.
Listen for the intro-detail-detail structure. The professor talks about the experiment and
its purpose, first, and then he talks about the results. When he talks about those results,
he mentions two important details:

 The scientists expected the film to show two narrow lines if the electrons were
particles.
 The film actually showed a wave-like pattern.

He explains why the scientists expected that and how the experiment was set up, but
it’s most important to hear the difference between the expectations and the results.

Sample notes
 elect. particles? something else?
o think small particles
 2 slit exprmnt: shoot elect @ screen
 expect: particles, make lines
o BUT other: random, wavelike
 rethink elect.—both particles and waves
o still today

Sample response #2
The double slit experiment involves shooting electrons through two narrow holes… like,
slits… shooting them at a piece of film. When the film is developed, it’s possible to see
where each electron landed. The professor thinks that the double slit experiment is
significant… uhh… because it shows that electrons have the properties of both waves
and particles. Waves create one specific pattern on the screen. But particles…they
make two lines. If the electrons behaved totally like particles, then they should have
created two narrow bands on the film. It’s important because that’s not what happened,
so ideas had to be rethought, and people even talk about the experiment nowadays.

Script
Narrator
Now listen to part of a lecture in a physical science class.

Male Professor
So, in the early twentieth century, there was this big debate going on in the scientific
community. Did very small stuff like electrons behave like particles? Or did electrons,
these negatively charged things that whirled around the nucleus of the atom…did these
electrons actually behave like SOMETHING ELSE? For a long time, it was assumed
that because electrons were DISCRETE… I mean, because electrons seemed to be
individual objects with specific energy levels…for a long time, it was assumed that
electrons were simply small particles.
But then the double slit experiment happened. In the double slit experiment, electrons
are shot at a screen containing two long, vertical holes. The positions of the electrons
after they go through the screen are captured on film. Experimenters expected that the
results of the experiment would be simple. Because they thought that electrons were
like small particles… uhh, they guessed that the electrons that went through the two
slits would create a pattern of two narrow bands, or lines, on the film.
However, this is not at all what the experimenters saw. Instead, they were shocked that
the electrons formed an INTERFERENCE PATTERN, one by one, on the film. In other
words, the electrons randomly scattered all over the film in a wave-like pattern instead
of collecting in two narrow bands and creating the pattern that PARTICLES would
make.
So, the double slit experiment was significant because it forced scientists to RETHINK
the nature of electrons. They realized that electrons, like light, have characteristics of
both particles and waves. Like particles, they collected one by one on the film. But like
waves, they formed a complex INTERFERENCE PATTERN on the film instead of
forming two neat lines. The results of the experiment…they’re discussed, debated, and
reproduced to this day.

TASK 5

Text Explanation
As you take notes, you should listen for three things:

 the student’s problem

 the first solution
 the second solution

Keep in mind that you will have to choose the better solution, so it helps to note details
about those possibilities: what is good (or bad!) about each solution. You can then use
those reasons that the students gives to support your opinion.

Sample notes
 Woman

fail class
Man summ. school
BUT summ. intern, too

Both? Too much—hard intern

Intern next summ?

Maybe not
Will need job

Sample response #2
The woman’s problem is she failed calculus and will need to go to summer school.
Because of this, she’s unsure what to do about her plans for a summer internship with
the Elm City Newspaper. On the one hand, uhh…she can try to juggle her
responsibilities to the internship with her schoolwork. On the other hand, she can wait a
year and apply again to the internship next summer. I think that she should just juggle
her class and the internship. Next year, there’s no guarantee the internship will still be
available. The newspaper position is her dream job, so she has to fight for it. Also, she
has nothing to do professionally for a whole year.

Script
Narrator
Now listen to a conversation between two students.

Male Student
Hey, Marcia. You seem worried. Is something wrong?

Female Student
Hi, Lance. Yeah, I actually just found out some really frustrating news.

Male Student
What’s the problem?
Female Student
Well, please don’t tell anyone, but it turns out that I FAILED calculus this semester, and
I won’t be able to get my diploma unless I go to summer school.

Male Student
Oh no!

Female Student
I guess have no choice but to go to summer school, because I NEED to graduate… but
it’s a major problem.

Male Student
I’ll bet.

Female Student
You see, I was going to work as an intern at the Elm City Newspaper this summer. If I
have to skip that internship… like, it will be a major problem for me. I mean, I’ve always
wanted to work full-time at the Elm City Newspaper, and that internship could have
been the ticket that I needed to land my dream job.

Male Student
Well, why don’t you just take a summer school class and complete your internship at the
same time?

Female Student
I’m afraid that it would be hard for me to JUGGLE so many responsibilities. The Elm
City Newspaper is notorious for its demanding internships. Umm… in fact, they usually
choose new employees from among former interns… because being able to fulfill all of
the obligations of the internship PROVES that you’re a dedicated worker. I really need
to do my best this summer, and I don’t want to spread myself too thin.

Male Student
That’s definitely a problem. I guess the other solution is to REJECT the internship and
try again for it next summer, when you’ll have your diploma and be less busy. I mean, if
you reject the internship for now, you can finish up your degree in peace this summer,
right?

Female Student
But I mean, if I reject the Elm City Newspaper’s offer of an internship this summer,
there’s no guarantee that they’ll extend the offer for next summer. I might lose a once in
a lifetime chance. And also, once summer ends, I don’t know what I’ll do professionally
for a year while I wait for a chance to reapply. So I’m really confused about what I
should do next.

Task 5(dif)

Text Explanation
Using your time wisely is key for tasks like this (speaking question #5). Don’t spend too
long describing the problem: be sure to mention the problem, the solutions, and your
preference (there’s no right or wrong answer—just pick what sounds best to you!).
Of course, you’ll have to explain why you chose that option, so the details and reasons
the students say during the conversation are extremely helpful. Be careful to take note
of not just the problem and solutions, but also the benefits or disadvantages of the
possible solutions.
Also, don’t spend too much time worrying about which choice is better. You only have
about 20 seconds to give that opinion, so you just need a couple of sentences.

Sample notes

Woman
Man  Go Brazil? No job
 Stay NY⇒ internship

 hard, little pay

o waste time
 Braz: BF’s house, but too long

Sample response #2
The woman isn’t sure whether she should spend the summer in Rio de Janeiro with her
boyfriend and his family or whether she should stay in New York and work as a
research assistant for Professor Miranda. If she went to Rio, uhh… In Rio, she could
work on her research project and spend time with her boyfriend and his family. Like,
maybe she could stay with Mateo’s parents because they have a big house. If she stays
in New York, though, she could have something specific to put on her résumé and make
her own money. I think that she should stay in New York. Like, if she went to Rio, she
would be too reliant on the boyfriend and his family. She should save up money and live
like an independent woman.

Script
Narrator
Now listen to a conversation between two students.

Male Student
Hey, Michaela. Have you figured out your summer plans yet?

Female Student
Hi, Ferdinand. No, I’m really struggling to decide what to do. I’m at my wits’ end.

Male Student
What do you mean?

Female Student
You know my boyfriend Mateo, right? He’s Brazilian. He’ll be studying for law school
entrance exams in Rio de Janeiro this summer. Part of me really wants to join him
there. After all, my thesis is about how the Brazilian government is fighting poverty in
Rio… and like, this trip could be a great opportunity to do some more research. Also, I
would get a chance to spend time with Mateo and his family, which would definitely be a
plus.

Male Student
All of that sounds great. What’s the issue, then?

Female Student
The problem is I don’t actually have anything official to DO in Rio. I haven’t been offered
any kind of job or internship opportunities or ANYTHING there. I wouldn’t be making any
money, and I’d essentially be doing all of my research informally.

Male Student
I see. That IS a problem.

Female Student
That’s why I’m thinking about staying here in New York this summer. There’s a job
offering as a research assistant for Professor Miranda. At least I’ll have something
concrete on my résumé.
Male Student
But Professor Miranda is notorious for asking so much from her research assistants…
and, uhh… the university doesn’t pay too much to its research assistants, anyway.

Female Student
Tell me about it. Also, I’d hate to waste time helping Professor Miranda research HER
projects when my own thesis needs so much work.

Male Student
Do you think you might be able to find a formal job offering for the summer in Rio?

Female Student
At this point, it looks pretty difficult. Mateo says that I could always stay with his parents
there because they have a big house, but I’d hate to impose on them all summer long…

6 Many people prefer watching music videos on television or the

Internet rather than listening to the songs on their own. Which

way of experiencing music do you think is preferable and why?

Text Explanation
There is no right or wrong answer, here: just go with your first thought. Which one is an
easier answer? You might not listen to music while watching videos often, but it might
be easier for you to answer that way, so it might be your first idea even if you disagree
with it in practice.
Whatever seems like it’s the easiest response—whatever you think of first as an easy
way to answer—is the best answer for you. Just be sure that you give those reasons.
You need to explain the preference, not just say it.
For most people, it will be easier to argue that watching music videos is preferable
(even if you don’t watch videos often), because you can quickly think of reasons that the
videos are enjoyable. It’s a bit more difficult to think of why the music is better without a
video.
Be sure to structure your answer. Give your opinion, then a reason for that opinion, and
be sure to explain that reason, possibly with an example. Then move on to a second
reason (if you have time), and again, be sure to explain it.

Sample notes #2
  Vids
o story
o dance

Sample response #2
I definitely prefer watching music videos to listening to songs on their own. Music videos
let talented directors and camera people … uhh, cinematographers… videos let them
tell interesting stories. I mean, instead of just listening to lyrics, it’s possible to see the
entire narrative unfolding before your eyes, with talented actors and musicians doing
entertaining stuff on screen. At the same time, I love dancing and think that… err, that
dancing is one of the greatest art forms. Music videos let me enjoy choreography… I
mean, they let me enjoy the work of talented choreographers in a way that just listening
to music never can.

7. ome parents educate their own children at home. Others insist

that their children should be sent to school. Which way of learning
do you think is preferable and why?

Text Explanation
It always helps to have specific, real-world examples to talk about—it helps to
communicate more clearly, and it gives you more things to say.
In this case, you can more easily think of examples if you choose the side of how you
were educated. If you were educated at a school, not at home, then that will probably be
the best choice, because you can think about the good things of that school experience.
Of course, it’s possible that you went to a school and hated it. In that case, you should
take the side of studying at home and explain with the negative experiences of a school.
In either case, look for the side that’s easier to argue based on your experience. Then
take that side (even if you don’t believe it’s right).

Sample notes #2
 School
o Parents X teach?
o Diversity

Sample response #2
I am absolutely against teaching kids at home. They need to go to school. I mean,
there’s no guarantee that parents will be good teachers. Instead of just…relying…
trusting the two parents to do a good job, uhh…kids should have an opportunity to learn
from many teachers, and expand their horizons, too. I learned so much, for example,
from my high-school teacher Dr. Qureshi, who was Muslim—my family is not very
religious, so it was a unique perspective for me. Staying at home all the time will rob
students of important chances for getting to know other points of view, and leave them
with teachers who might not actually be very skilled or experiences… I mean their
parents.

8 Text Explanation
There are two things you should be ready for: a definition or explanation of a general
idea and examples of that idea.
In this case, the general idea is the definition of a classic tragedy. The professor lists a
few important parts of a tragedy: a search for happiness, a flaw, responsibility, and the
audience’s reaction (catharsis). Then, when he starts speaking about the play Oedipus
Rex, it is unsurprising that those features of a tragedy are repeated.
In fact, this lecture is very structured, so it’s great practice for hearing organization of
lectures and taking notes that show the organization.
When you speak about it, be sure to talk about the specific parts of Oedipus Rex that
match the professor’s definition of a tragedy. You have to connect the example to the
general idea.

L2 - Sample notes
 Tragedy: person flaw, happy. BUT respons.
 Oedipus Rex (don’t worry about the spelling!)
o flaw: pride. Kills man⇒king, marries
o plague—caused.
 woman=mom, man=dad
 blinds self, mom dies
 apologizes⇒catharsis

Sample response #2
The professor says that a classic tragedy is more than a sad story. It has these specific
qualities… like, three specific qualities. The first is that a hero tries to find happiness but
has a tragic flaw. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus tries to find happiness. But his pride causes
some major problems. He accidentally, err, murders his father and, uhh, marries his
mother. The second thing about a tragedy…uhh…the next thing is that the hero accepts
responsibility for everything. Oedipus does this before he blinds himself. Then the third
part of tragedy is a feeling of release for the audience. After Oedipus accepts blame for
the plague and everything he has done, the audience has a sense of relief. They see
how brave he is… umm...

Script
Male Professor
Since the time of Aristotle, thinkers have struggled to define the nature of TRAGEDY.
You see, in classic literature… uhh, I mean, a classic tragedy is more than simply a
story about an unfortunate occurrence. No, it’s much more than that—a classic tragedy
is a story about how a heroic person struggles to find happiness, but how they
somehow have a terrible FLAW… a terrible flaw that negates the possibility of their
happiness ever coming about. Nevertheless, tragic heroes will often ACCEPT
RESPONSIBILITY for their downfall, admitting where they have been at fault. The
audience experiences a sense of release, or CATHARSIS, when they see the
transformation of the characters and the nobility of their decision to accept responsibility
in even the darkest circumstances.
Aristotle believed that Oedipus Rex by the playwright Sophocles was one of the
greatest tragedies ever written. It contains all the elements of a classic tragedy: an
unsuccessful search for happiness, a tragic flaw, an acceptance of responsibility for
one’s faults, and catharsis.
Oedipus is a heroic man who is quick witted, strong, and ambitious. He sets out in the
world to find happiness. However, his tragic flaw is PRIDE. His pride leads him to kill a
total stranger on the road. It also leads him to successfully answer the riddle of the
Sphinx, a legendary monster. In gratitude for his achievement, the people of Thebes
make Oedipus the king, and he marries the widowed queen of the city.
However, a PLAGUE soon comes to Thebes, brought on by the anger of the gods.
Oedipus eventually finds out that HE is the reason for the plague. The stranger that he
killed on the road was his father, and the woman that he married was his own mother.
The play ends in sadness and disaster as Oedipus blinds himself and his mother
commits suicide. However, before this happens, Oedipus apologizes for his pride and
takes responsibility for all that happened, leading the audience to experience
CATHARSIS… a sense of release… thanks to his heroism in the face of suffering. No
wonder Aristotle praised the play so highly.

9 Text Explanation
The announcement that you read has some hints about what the student will talk about.
First, we see the change: the school will not have complementary (free) buses. Instead,
they will give students $50 every semester. After that, there are some details. The
student will argue against those details in the conversation.
  “This pass can be used on all public subways and buses.”

 “It is hoped that students will take the opportunity to immerse themselves more
closely in the local community.”

The second one is more noticeable. Probably, the student in the conversation will say
that students won’t immerse themselves in the local community. Definitely listen for a
reason why not.
Besides that, you might expect something about the “all public subways and buses”
detail. The student might say something negative about those.
Then, after listening, you’ll focus your response on those two details and why the
student disagrees with them.

Sample notes
Reading:
Listening:
 Free bus
o $50 / semester  Sci center far—thru bad area
 Sub. & bus  Little $ ⇒ Interact
o Students ⇒ community

Sample response #2
The female student disagrees with the decision to cut funding to the university’s official
buses. The school wants a new system—a voucher system for public transport. But it’s
bad. Some university buildings are far away from the subway and public bus
routes...specifically the science building...students will need to walk through the
dangerous part of town to get there. She is also suspicious of the idea that taking local
transportation will mix students in the local community, because the fifty dollar vouchers
are not worth enough money to consistently let the students take public transport.
Students will need to walk to most places after that money is used up, and…umm, they
probably will not interact much more than they do right now with people in the city.

Script
Narrator
Now listen to two students discussing the announcement.

Female Student
So, did you hear that the university is cutting its transportation budget and ending all
bus service?

Male Student
I did hear that. But it’s no big deal, right? I mean, the university is also compensating all
students with fifty dollar vouchers for public transportation. The vouchers can be used
on, like, the subway and public buses. So, it sounds like there won’t be a big problem.

Female Student
Are you kidding me? This is going to be horribly inconvenient. First of all, there’s no
public transportation to the DeWolfe Science Center. It’s far away from any subway and
bus station. Getting there will require a twenty minute walk through some of the WORST
neighborhoods in the city.

Male Student
I guess that will be a problem for some people. But try to look at it this way. There’s too
much DIVISION in this country between university students and the people who live in
the cities around them. Won’t this encourage a spirit of togetherness…like, when we’re
all using the same public transportation?

Female Student
But actually, I think that this policy… that it won’t help create much new interaction
between students and city dwellers at all.

Male Student
Why not?

Female Student
Because FIFTY DOLLARS is not very much money. It will probably only cover about a
month’s worth of subway or bus passes. Most students won’t be able to AFFORD to
take public transportation. So, with students forced to WALK everywhere, I don’t
understand where all of this great new interaction is going to be happening.
10. The university is pleased to offer an exciting new opportunity for
students in the Romance Languages department. The prestigious
Buonocore Scholarship allows students to study tuition-free for two
semesters in Rome. Students must submit an essay exploring a specific
aspect of Italian culture to the selection committee. They must also
submit a detailed plan explaining how a year in Italy would provide the
opportunity to further research and improve the essay. Please note that
students in departments other than Romance Languages are ineligible
for this opportunity.3

Text Explanation
This text offers notable detail that you can definitely expect the student to disagree with:
the scholarship is only for specific people. Other students aren’t allowed. That is very
likely a problem for some students, so listen for a reaction to that in the conversation.
And when you do hear the student speak, both of the reasons she’s unhappy are
related to the restriction of the scholarship to one department. She thinks other students
can benefit from the scholarship (she says this: “It’s a matter of principle. First of all,
there are students in other departments, like History and Classics and Renaissance
studies, all of whom… all of whom would definitely benefit from a year in Italy. Why
shouldn’t THEY get a chance to submit their work to the committee?”).
And she also thinks that winning the scholarship feels less important if few people
compete. She wants the winner to be honored because of talent, not because of
exclusion—she says this at the end, very quickly. It’s good to note that, because on the
TOEFL, the two student’s reasons for disagreeing don’t always take an equal length of
time. Sometimes they spend more time talking about one reason, then talk quickly
about the second reason.

Sample notes

Reading: Listening:

 Buonocore Scholarship  Others students? Not fair

o Essay + plan=>study in Rome o Hist., Class., Renaissance
o Only Rom. Lang. Dept.  Wants compete w/ all
Sample response #2
The female student thinks that it’s unfair that the… Buono…uhh, that the scholarship to
study in Rome is only being offered to students in the Romance Languages department.
Instead of that, she thinks that the application should be open to all students. She
mentions students in the History, Classics, and Renaissance Studies departments,
especially. Uhh…the male points out… he says the lesser… the fewer people apply for
the scholarship, the easier it will be to get it. But the female says that the scholarship
will lose meaning to her unless she competes against the very best that the school has
to offer. She also believes it is wrong for a very small department to monopolize the
money. It should benefit everybody at the—

Script
Narrator
Now listen to two students discussing the announcement.

Female Student
I think it’s totally unfair that the Buonocore Scholarship is only being offered to students
in the Romance Languages department. Like, it’s an amazing opportunity, and it’s SAD
to see it monopolized in this way.

Male Student
Is it really such a bad thing to limit the scholarship to one department, though? I mean,
uhh… the fewer students compete for the prize, err… the easier it will be for students
like US to win it. After all, there are only seven other students in the whole Romance
Languages department besides us.

Female Student
That doesn’t change the fact that it’s wrong for the scholarship to be limited to our single
department. It’s a matter of principle. First of all, there are students in other
departments, like History and Classics and Renaissance studies, all of whom… all of
whom would definitely benefit from a year in Italy. Why shouldn’t THEY get a chance to
submit their work to the committee?

Male Student
But if they also submitted their essays, it would be harder for US to get the prize.

Female student
Look, just because something benefits me personally doesn’t make me think that it’s
right. I mean, I have a lot of FRIENDS in History and Classics and Renaissance
Studies, and I totally agree with them that it’s wrong for them to be…ineligible to
compete for the scholarship. After all, Romance Languages is a very SMALL
department, and it seems abusive for us to keep this resource all to ourselves.

Male Student
I guess I see where you’re coming from.

Female Student
Also, I think that it TAKES SOMETHING AWAY from the honor of winning a scholarship
if the competition isn’t very strong. I’d rather know that I earned the opportunity to study
in Rome by competing against the very best students… instead of thinking that I was
only honored because other talented people were unnecessarily EXCLUDED from the
process.