Conversational Ballgames

In the essay, what happens when the author tries to participate in a conversation in Japanese?

• Everyone starts to argue.
• Everyone would smile at her.
• The conversation would come to a halt.
• Everyone would glare at her.

Why was it difficult for the author of the essay to converse in Japanese?

• She would make a lot of grammatical mistakes.
• She used a foreign conversation style.
• Women are not expected to talk while men are present.
• Her accent caused her speech to be misunderstood.

What sports is western-style conversation compared to in the essay?

• Tennis & Basketball
• Tennis & Bowling
• Hockey & Soccer
• Tennis & Volleyball

Why is Japanese-style conversation compared to bowling?

• People rush to talk like they rush to get into a bowling game.
• Each person speaks a turn, like people take turns in bowling.
• Each person tosses out ideas like they are in a bowling league.
• People speak softly as if they are watching a bowling match.

According to "Conversational Ballgames", why do Japanese students have trouble conversing in English?

• They continue to use the Japanese style of conversing while speaking English.
• They can't speak with an American accent.
• They have difficulty understanding our sentence structures.
• They don't have a large enough vocabulary to make themselves understood.

What is one way that Japanese-style dinner conversation differs from western-style dinner conversation?

• In Japan, people take turns talking, as they do at any other time.
• In Japan, people only talk to the person sitting beside them.
• In Japan, people do not engage in long conversations while eating.
• In Japan, people only talk during dessert.

According to "Conversational Ballgames", what do Japanese people and westerners agree on?

• It is rude to talk with your mouth full.
• It is important to discuss differences between cultures.
• It is mean to interrupt someone.
• It is important that everyone understands what you are saying.

Why does the author say westerners can speak and eat at the same time?

• They eat extremely slowly.
• They pause to let others respond.
• They interrupt each other.
• They talk with their mouths full.

Which statement best explains why "Conversational Ballgames" is an expository essay?

• It is a short work of nonfiction that exposes the strategies of conversational styles
• It is a short work of nonfiction that describes the author's experiences in Japan
• It is a short work of nonfiction that expresses the author's opinion of Japanese culture
• It is a short work of nonfiction that explains Japanese and western styles of conversation

Which title would be the best for "Conversational Ballgames"?

• "Playing New Games in a New Country"
• "How to Play Tennis"
• "Japanese Conversational Styles"
• "Styles of Conversation"