Listen to the conversation and choose the right answer on the worksheet:
A: There’s an interesting quiz in this magazine. Want to try it?
B: Okay, go ahead.
A: Question one. What’s the world’s longest river?
B: I can think of many long rivers. There’s the Nagara, the Nile, and the Amazon. . . I think it’s the Amazon.
A: Really? I don’t think so. Do you want to hear the answers now? Or do you want to wait?
B: Tell me them now.
A: Okay. . . the Nile is more than 4,100 miles. That’s long! The Amazon is next. About 4,000 miles.
B. Don’t look at the next answer.
A: Are you ready for the second question? What’s the smallest Latin American country, in population?
B: I remember reading in the newspaper that Panama, Costa Rica, and Belize are very small countries and don’t have many people. I’ll take a wild guess. . . isn’t it Belize?
A: I think it’s Panama. . . No, you’re right. Panama has 3,000,000 people and Belize has 301,000 people.
B: Enough geography questions! Ask me something else.
A: Okay, Question 3, What’s the heaviest land animal?
B: That’s easy! Elephants are the heaviest.
A: I agree with you. . . elephants can weigh 8 tons. That’s 16,000 pounds! A hippopotamus can weigh 10,000 pounds. Not even close.
B: Are there any trivia questions about Japan?
A: Yes, the last question. What’s Japan’s tallest building?
B: It was the Metropolitan Tower in Tokyo. But I don’t think it is now. The Ikebukuro Office Tower?
A: I think the Landmark Tower in Yokohama, built in 1993 is taller. . . I’m right. The Ikebukuro Office Tower is 742 feet high, while the Landmark Tower is 971 feet.
B: Are there any more questions?
A: That’s it. There’ll be another quiz next month, though.
Comprehension Questions:
1. Which is the longest River?
A. The Nile River
B. The Amazon River
C. The Nagara River
2. Which country has the fewest people?
A. Costa Rica
B. Panama
C. Belize
3. Which animal is the heaviest?
A. Elephant
B. Hippopotamus
4. Which building is the tallest in Japan?
A. Ikebukuro Office Tower
B. Landmark Tower
C. Metropolitan Tower
(answers: 1A, 2C, 3A, 4B)
Note: This activity was originally produced for the 1995 edition of Communicative English: A Practical Guide.