Interactive Listening

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

1. Question 1

   3 marks

   Identify three verbal signals a listener can use to show that they are following a speaker during a group discussion.

   (3 marks)

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2. Question 2

   3 marks

   Describe three courteous ways of disagreeing with a classmate's view during a discussion on whether boarding schools should allow mobile phones.

   (3 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any 3 x 1 mark: (i) Acknowledge the merit in the other view before stating your own — 'I see your point about safety, however...'. (ii) Use softening/hedging language — 'I am not entirely convinced that...', 'Perhaps another way of looking at it is...'. (iii) Attack the idea and not the person — comment on the argument, never on the speaker's character or ability. (iv) Wait for the speaker to finish their turn before responding. (v) Support the disagreement with a reason or evidence rather than a flat contradiction. (vi) Keep a calm tone of voice and a polite facial expression.

3. Question 3

   1 mark

   In a class discussion on plastic waste in Kisumu, Amani says, "So if I have understood you, your worry is the cost of collection, not the law itself?" This response is an example of:

   A. Summarising the whole discussion for the class

   B. Changing the topic to avoid disagreement

   C. Interrupting to take over the floor

   D. Paraphrasing to confirm understanding

   (1 mark)

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4. Question 4

   3 marks

   Account for the breakdown in communication that occurs when a listener begins planning their own reply while the speaker is still talking.

   (3 marks)

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5. Question 5

   1 mark

   A learner nods, maintains comfortable eye contact and says "mm-hm" while a classmate explains a point. These signals are best described as:

   A. Turn-taking cues that demand the floor immediately

   B. Backchannelling that encourages the speaker to continue

   C. Non-verbal disagreement with the speaker's point

   D. Verbal fillers that weaken the speaker's message

   (1 mark)

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6. Question 6

   1 mark

   Which question shows a listener seeking clarification rather than challenging the speaker?

   A. "Are you sure you did not make that figure up?"

   B. "Why do you always argue against the group's view?"

   C. "Could you explain what you mean by 'peak season' in this case?"

   D. "Does anyone else here actually agree with that point?"

   (1 mark)

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7. Question 7

   1 mark

   During a group talk about a school tree-planting day, one member keeps finishing other people's sentences. The most appropriate way for the chair to handle this is to:

   A. Ignore it, since enthusiasm shows the member is listening well

   B. Allow all members to speak at once so that nobody feels singled out

   C. Politely remind the group that each speaker completes a turn before the next begins

   D. Ask the member to leave the group until the discussion ends

   (1 mark)

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8. Question 8

   4 marks

   Explain four ways in which interactive listening differs from simply hearing a speaker.

   (4 marks)

   Marking scheme

   Any 4 x 1 mark: (i) Interactive listening is deliberate and purposeful, while hearing is a passive physical process. (ii) The interactive listener responds — by questioning, paraphrasing or commenting — whereas hearing requires no response. (iii) Interactive listening involves interpreting meaning, tone and intention, not merely receiving sound. (iv) The interactive listener gives feedback signals (verbal and non-verbal) that shape what the speaker says next. (v) Interactive listening involves turn-taking: the roles of speaker and listener alternate. (vi) Interactive listening requires attention to the context and to the relationship between the participants.

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