Listening: Listening for Specific Information A2 - Lesson 2: Answering Wh- Questions about Short Stories or Descriptions

A2 Listening for Specific Information: Answering 'Wh-' Questions

Welcome! In this lesson, we will practice answering "Wh-" questions¹ about short stories. This is a very important skill for understanding the details of a situation or a story².

1. Understanding 'Wh-' Questions

Before you listen, you must understand what each question word asks for. This helps you know what information to listen for.

Question Word	What It Asks For
Who?	A person or people
What?	A thing or an action
Where?	A place or location
When?	A time or a date

2. Practice Story 1

Listen to this short story about a man named Dara. Before you listen, read the questions below. Your targets are: Who?, Where?, and What?

"There is a man named Dara. He is a tuk-tuk driver. Every morning, he drives his tuk-tuk to the Old Market. He waits for tourists there. He likes his job."

1. Who is the story about?
2. Where does he go every morning?
3. What is his job?

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Answers: 1. A man named Dara. 2. To the Old Market. 3. A tuk-tuk driver.

3. Practice Story 2

Let's try a second story about a woman named Lina. Your targets are: Who?, When?, and What?

"Lina is a student at the university. Yesterday afternoon, she studied in the library for three hours. She studied for her English test."

1. Who is the story about?
2. When did she study?
3. What did she study for?

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Answers: 1. A student named Lina. 2. Yesterday afternoon. 3. Her English test.

Final Quiz: Answer the Questions

Listen to one more short story. Then, answer the 'Wh-' questions about it.

"A tourist named Maria visited Angkor Wat yesterday morning. She took many beautiful photos of the temple because the weather was sunny."

1. Who visited Angkor Wat?
2. Where did she go?
3. When did she visit?
4. What did she do there?

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Answers: 1. Maria. 2. Angkor Wat. 3. Yesterday morning. 4. She took photos.

Homework Task

1. Your Story: Think about your day yesterday. Answer these questions in full English sentences: Who did you see? Where did you go? What did you eat?

2. Listen to a Story: Find a short, simple story for English learners online (search for "A2 listening stories" on YouTube). Listen to the story one time. Try to write down the answers to: Who is the main character⁴? Where does the story happen?

Vocabulary Glossary

1. 'Wh-' Question (noun phrase) - Khmer: សំណួរ Wh - A question that starts with Wh- (or H) to ask for specific information (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How). ↩
2. Story (noun) - Khmer: រឿង - A description of people and events, either real or imaginary. ↩
3. Description (noun) - Khmer: ការពិពណ៌នា - A spoken or written representation of a person, object, or event. ↩
4. Character (noun) - Khmer: តួអង្គ - A person in a story, book, or movie. ↩