This is an exam-oriented reading comprehension exercise but I have used it also when covering business correspondence to check understanding of the standard phrases (confirm / I would appreciate / further) and familiarize students with the layout and writing style.

To make the activity slightly more "humane" I have tried introducing a discursive element by having students compare their answers in small groups and debate any differences in opinion that might arise. This way, they actually spend time discussing the reasons for their choices. "Correct answers" are as follows. If you disagree strongly, please write and tell me.

1. D - the fax is signed G Singh - Sales division
2. B - the writer hopes to visit him in Osaka
3. B - 249 is the product code of a polymer, not a quantity. The position after the word "polymer" and the comma tell you this
4. D - the second sentence (carrying the main message of the fax) says this clearly, "Re:" in the title refers to the fax that the writer received from Tanaka
5. C - the writer says he hopes to be in Tokyo from the 9th

You have a choice of two different methods of getting this handout to your printer. It all depends on whether your computer has "Adobe Acrobat Reader" installed. If it has, then this would be the recommended method for printing out the worksheet. Try selecting the "PDF (Adobe Acrobat)" link below. If all goes well, a new application window should appear including a print button, which when selected will print out one copy.

If, on the other hand you do not have "Adobe Acrobat" select the "HTML (web page)" link below. (Also, this method is recommended for users of Netscape Navigator, which seems to have trouble interacting with the Acrobat program like this.) If all goes well, a new browser window will open, from which you can either click the "print button" on the toolbar or open the "File" menu, select "Print" and then adjust the "Print Dialog Box" to your own preferences.

The final link below is to enable you to print this "instruction page" if you want to. Click on the link, and when the page appears on a new screen you will be able to print it using the browser's "print button" or "file menu". After printing, close the window again so that you can continue to navigate around the site.

For teacher training courses, English courses in Bristol UK and free interactive exercises, visit The Language Project Website.