Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and a university employee.
Student: Hi! I’m wondering if you could help me. I was told I just needed to swipe my student ID to enter the library, but the card reader seems not to be working.
Employee: Is this your first time here?
Student: Yeah. I just started classes a few days ago. My name is Irene Miller.
Employee: Ah, well that explains it. We’ll have to set you up in the system. It’ll just take a moment.
Student: Oh, good! I’m so excited to finally be able to see all the collections of printing and paintings! I just transferred here from Beckett University, and we didn’t have anything like this there.
Employee: Oh, I know. It’s a treasure trove of art history. The collection has been a long time in the making, I can tell you that.
Student: I bet! Most schools don’t have a fraction of what you guys have here.
Employee: Hmm… I can’t seem to find you in our system. You are a student in the Art College, right?
Student: Um… No. I’m actually in the School of Arts & Sciences.
Employee: Oh, no. I’m afraid your student ID doesn’t automatically give you access to this library.
Student: What? Really? But… but I’ve been looking forward to this ever since I got accepted to transfer! And I thought library fees were part of the tuition payment each semester.
Employee: Yes, but the fee you paid just entitles you to use the main university libraries—there are quite a few: Robst Library right in the center of campus, Bammel Library, and the Business Library.
Student: But how can I get into this library, too?
Employee: You’ll have to register as a “visiting student,” and pay a small fee each semester.
Student: Another fee! But the art students don’t have to pay extra to use the Arts & Sciences libraries, do they?
Employee: Well, no, but—
Student: Then it seems unfair that I need to pay an extra fee to use this one, doesn’t it?
Employee: I see what you’re saying, but it’s not the same. Everyone can use the main libraries, but the Art Library is highly specialized, with extra staff on hand to assist with all the materials available. And the art students have a totally different set of fees they pay already.
Student: So, to be able to study here…
Employee: We’ll need to get you registered and paid. Did you say you were a graduate student or an undergraduate?
Student: Undergraduate.
Employee: Okay, so this is the form you’ll need to fill out, then there’s the $50 fee.
Student: I still don’t think the libraries should be separate like this, but, if this is the only way… Can I fill it out right now and give it back to you?
Employee: First, you’ll need an Art College professor to approve your request. If you’re taking an art class, just ask that professor. If not, you’ll need to arrange to see Professor Alma—she’ll want to know what your art experience is.
Student: You mean she’s going to test me on my knowledge of art?
Employee: No, not really—she’ll mostly want to know what you’re interested in, why you’d like to visit this library, if you’re planning to take art classes in the future, that kind of thing.
Student: So, where do I find Professor Alma?
Employee: Do you know where Kimmer Hall is?
Student: Yeah.
Employee: Professor Alma’s office is on the third floor. If she’s not there when you stop by, you should be able to make an appointment with the student services staff outside her office.
Student: Okay.
Employee: Then, after she’s approved it and signed it, bring it back here with your fee. Once you do, we can change your Student ID to reflect your access to this library.
Student: Thanks a lot.
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What are the speakers mainly discussing? |
Gist-content. The student asks for help accessing the art library. The resulting conversation covers how to gain access and the fee involved. |
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| ✗ | A How to become an Art College student |
The student wants to access the Art Library, but does not indicate that she wishes to become an art student. |
| ✗ | B The artists featured in the library’s collection |
The student is interested in the library’s collection, but she and the employee never discuss the artists represented there. |
| ✓ | C What is required for a student to be able to access the Art Library |
Correct. The student assumes she has already done everything required for access, but the employee informs her that there is more she has to do: pay a fee and get a form approved. |
| ✗ | D The library’s book borrowing policies |
The borrowing policies of the library are never discussed. |
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Why does the student become frustrated partway through the conversation? |
Speaker’s Attitude. The student starts the conversation believing she has access to the library, but that her card is malfunctioning. She becomes frustrated when the she realizes that’s not the case. |
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| ✓ | A She is told that she needs to pay a fee in order to access the library. |
Correct. The student thought that she already had access to the library. When she finds out she must pay a fee, she is unhappy. |
| ✗ | B She discovers that the art collections are no longer at this library. |
There is no discussion of any of the collections having been removed from the library. |
| ✗ | C She learns that there are no art classes she can take. |
The student and the employee never discuss the possibility of her taking an art class. |
| ✗ | D She finds out that art students are not allowed to visit the main libraries. |
On the contrary, the art students are allowed to access these libraries. That is part of what the student thinks is unfair. |
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What does the employee imply about the art students? |
Inference. The employee does not think that it would be fair to require the art students to pay additional fees to use the main libraries on campus. |
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| ✓ | A They have already paid for access to the Art Library in their school fees. |
Correct. The employee says the art students have “a totally different set of fees they pay already” to contradict the student’s claim that the situation is unfair. The fees make the situation fair, as everyone must pay for access to the library—the two groups of students simply pay for it differently. |
| ✗ | B They are not allowed to visit the main libraries. |
Everyone, including the art students, is allowed to visit the main libraries. |
| ✗ | C They spend most of their time off campus. |
There is no discussion of where the art students spend their time. |
| ✗ | D They don’t usually use the Art Library. |
There is no mention of how often the art students use the Art Library. |
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Why does the student need to go to see the art professor? |
Detail. The student wants to fill out the form right away. The employee tells her there is something she needs to do first. |
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| ✗ | A To be interviewed for a project on art criticism |
While Professor Alma will want to question the student about her art experience, this is not for a project. It is simply to be approved to use the library. |
| ✓ | B To get approved as a “visiting student” |
Correct. The student needs an art professor to approve the request and sign the form. The employee suggests that if the student is not in an art class, she should ask Professor Alma for this approval. |
| ✗ | C To ask to join her art class |
The employee suggests that if the student is already taking an art class, she could ask that art professor to approve her form. Professor Alma is offered as an alternative to sign the form, not as a way to take an art class. |
| ✗ | D To complain that art students are coming to the main libraries |
While the student complains to the employee that the art students can come to the main library without paying extra fees, she does so in order to argue that she should not have to pay a fee for the Art Library. There is no indication that she will further argue the policy with Professor Alma. |
Narrator: Listen again to part of the conversation. Then answer the question.
Student: So, where do I find Professor Alma?
Employee: Do you know where Kimmer Hall is?
Narrator: Why does the employee ask the student if she knows where Kimmer Hall is?
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Function of What Is Said. This segment takes place after the student has accepted that she must complete the form to gain access to the library. After the employee asks “Do you know where Kimmer Hall is?”, she goes on to explain how the student should go about seeing the professor once inside Kimmer Hall. |
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| ✗ | A He needs the student to tell him where Kimmer Hall is. |
While often people ask where something is when they themselves need to know, that’s not what’s happening here. The employee is trying to explain where the professor is, not ask for information himself. |
| ✗ | B He is trying to point out how far away Kimmer Hall is. |
The context surrounding the quote does not indicate that there is any sort of information being conveyed about how far away the hall is, just whether the student is aware of its location. |
| ✓ | C He wants to know if he needs to explain where Kimmer Hall is. |
Correct. The employee is explaining where and how to find the professor at Kimmer Hall. Once the student indicates that she does know where the hall is, the employee simply continues with the instructions. |
| ✗ | D He is suggesting that the student should have been to Kimmer Hall already. |
The employee is not indicating that the student has done anything wrong. There was no reason that the student would have known prior to coming to the library that she needed to go to Kimmer Hall. |