Fax With Questions: Explanation

Fax With Questions

• Details

Name of Item	Fax With Questions
Activity Type	Reading Comprehension / Business Fax
Student Level	Intermediate
Time Allowance	15 minutes
Preparation Required	Preteach vocabulary / preparing to explain answers
Other Items Needed	nothing special
Vocabulary	confirmation / polymer / shipment / I would appreciate.. / requirements
Grammar	Awareness of business correspondence protocols

• Instructions

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.

D - the fax is signed G Singh - Sales division
B - the writer hopes to visit him in Osaka
B - 249 is the product code of a polymer, not a quantity. The position after the word "polymer" and the comma tell you this
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
C - the writer says he hopes to be in Tokyo from the 9th