Critical Listening

8 Grade 10 English questions on Critical Listening, with worked marking schemes. 8 questions are available on this topic in full.

1. Question 1

   1 mark

   A radio advertisement claims, 'Nine out of ten farmers prefer our seed.' Which question best demonstrates critical listening?

   A. How many times is the brand name repeated in the advertisement?

   B. How long has the advertisement been running on radio?

   C. How many farmers were asked, and who paid for the survey?

   D. How pleasant is the presenter's voice in the advertisement?

   (1 mark)

   Marking scheme for this question

   Create a free account to see it

2. Question 2

   4 marks

   A sales representative from a fertiliser company gives a talk at your school about the benefits of her company's product. State four signs of bias a critical listener should watch for in such a talk.

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Award 1 mark per sign, maximum 4: - Only the advantages of the product are given, with nothing said about its cost or limitations. (1) - Rival products are dismissed or left unmentioned rather than compared fairly. (1) - Claims are made without naming a source, trial or independent study. (1) - Exaggerated or emotive language is used, for example 'the only fertiliser that ever works'. (1) - The speaker has a financial interest in the audience accepting the claim. (1) - Questions or contrary views from the audience are brushed aside instead of answered. (1) Mark any four.

3. Question 3

   1 mark

   A speaker campaigning for the post of school captain says, 'My opponent comes from a poor family, so he cannot lead this school.' A critical listener would object mainly because the speaker:

   A. spoke for too long on one point

   B. used vocabulary that was too difficult for the audience

   C. failed to use gestures while speaking

   D. attacked the person instead of addressing his ideas or ability

   (1 mark)

   Marking scheme for this question

   Create a free account to see it

4. Question 4

   4 marks

   Distinguish between a fact and an opinion as a critical listener would, and give one example of each drawn from a talk on dairy farming.

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme for this question

   Create a free account to see it

5. Question 5

   1 mark

   Which of the following statements from a radio talk on coffee farming is a FACT rather than an opinion?

   A. Farmers who abandon coffee are being unwise

   B. The coffee sector is the pride of the nation

   C. Coffee is grown in the highland counties of central Kenya

   D. Coffee is the most rewarding crop a Kenyan farmer can grow

   (1 mark)

   Marking scheme for this question

   Create a free account to see it

6. Question 6

   1 mark

   A trader at a market in Nakuru tells buyers, 'Everyone in this town has already bought this fertiliser, so you should too.' A critical listener recognises this appeal as:

   A. a personal attack on rival traders

   B. a bandwagon appeal that substitutes popularity for proof

   C. a balanced comparison of two products

   D. a reasoned argument supported by evidence

   (1 mark)

   Marking scheme for this question

   Create a free account to see it

7. Question 7

   3 marks

   A politician addressing a rally in your county says: 'Any reasonable person can see that my plan will end unemployment here within a year.' Outline three questions a critical listener should ask about this claim.

   (3 marks)

   Marking scheme for this question

   Create a free account to see it

8. Question 8

   3 marks

   Explain three techniques a speaker may use to persuade an audience emotionally rather than through evidence.

   (3 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Award 1 mark per technique correctly explained, maximum 3: - Appeal to fear — warning of dire consequences to frighten the audience into agreement. (1) - Bandwagon appeal — claiming everyone else already agrees so the listener should too. (1) - Appeal to pity — describing suffering so that the audience agrees out of sympathy rather than reason. (1) - Testimonial or celebrity endorsement — using a famous person's name in place of evidence. (1) - Loaded or emotive language — words chosen to stir feeling rather than to inform. (1) - Ad hominem attack — discrediting the opponent's person instead of answering the argument. (1) Mark any three.

9. 6 more marking schemes are on this page. A free account opens all of them, and lets you build your own paper on the topics you have actually taught, laid out in KNEC format with its full marking scheme.

   Create a free account

More Grade 10 English topics