About political correctness

LISTENING COMPREHENSION. ADVANCED LEVEL

ABOUT POLITICAL CORRECTNESS You will hear three extracts, all of which have something to do with political correctness. For each of the questions, choose the best option.

EXTRACT ONE Katie Couric, from CBS News, gives her opinion about offensive language used by teenagers.

1. The student who insulted a classmate a. got away with it. b. had to give explanations for her behaviour. c. was sued by the other kid’s parents. d. was heavily punished by her parents.

2. On the whole, Katie claims that we should be ___ when it comes to people using offensive language. a. understanding. b. intolerant. c. sensitive. d. politically correct.

EXTRACT TWO Sesame Street’s early episodes have been released on DVD with warnings saying that they are meant for adults, not children. Below are some of the reasons which led to this decision.

3. Ernie a. b. c. d.

and Bert use inappropriate language. have a questionable relationship. live all alone despite being so young. live in an unsuitable place.

4. Cookie Monster a. uses bad language. b. actually smokes in one episode. c. doesn’t eat properly. d. eats inedible things.

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LISTENING COMPREHENSION. ADVANCED LEVEL

5. Oscar the Grouch a. is occasionally aggressive. b. suffers from a mental disorder. c. has sometimes shown a racist tendency. d. lives in an unacceptable environment.

EXTRACT THREE An aged man reflects about political correctness.

6. The speaker admits a. that his education was unusual. b. that sometimes he can be too affectionate. c. that he doesn’t understand the concept of political correctness. d. that he is rather old-fashioned.

7. When he met the Queen, the speaker a. made a serious mistake. b. was on the verge of making a serious mistake. c. fell in love with her. d. felt very embarrassed.

8. When he describes the Art School, the speaker’s attitude can be regarded as a. naïve. b. sarcastic. c. resentful. d. enthusiastic.

9. The young lady he mentions a. was downright rude. b. hurt her nose when he opened the door. c. probably misunderstood him. d. must have had a bad hair day.

10. a. b. c. d.

How does he feel about the young girl?

He wishes he could get his revenge.

He can understand her reaction now.

He wishes he could talk to her again.

He wishes she would apologise.

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