Listening 23–24 What the Man Is Doing + Matching Content (Set)

Listening · Medium

Item 23 is usually decided within the first two sentences.

You listen to a phone-call conversation. Item 23 asks what the man is doing right now — the act itself, such as inquiring, applying, booking, or changing something — and item 24 asks you to choose the option that matches the conversation. The setting is usually a call to an institution or store for information, so the first two sentences reveal right away what the call is about. While items 21–22 were a conversation exchanging opinions, items 23–24 differ in being a practical conversation about confirming information and going through a procedure. What matters is which actions actually take place, not the speakers' feelings, so the answer comes from listening for action verbs like apply, book, change, or inquire rather than emotional expressions. A phone conversation often proceeds through confirming the purpose of the call, explaining the conditions, the man's reaction, and the final decision — knowing this flow in advance means that even if you miss a detail or two along the way, you can double-check the answer to item 23 from the man's final reaction alone. As the conversation goes on, conditions such as what's needed, the cost, or the order of steps get added one by one, but what the man is doing is usually already settled early on. The clue to item 24's answer mostly lies within these detailed conditions mentioned later. So if you get in the habit of listening for the purpose in the first part and the conditions in the second part, you can handle both items at once. Since this is a practical conversation, the vocabulary itself isn't especially hard, so with just a bit of practice organizing information as you listen, this can actually be a more stable place to score than items 21–22. It also marks the last easy-to-secure practical-conversation section before moving into the talk-show and interview section that starts at item 27.

What the Man Is Doing + Matching Content (Set)

• -고 싶어서 전화했는데요 — The most basic opening expression stating the purpose of the call. The backbone of item 23's answer comes right after it.
• 아직 -할 수 있나요? — An expression asking whether applying or booking is still possible.
• 신청하다/예약하다/문의하다/변경하다/취소하다 — The key action verbs that determine the purpose of the phone call. This single verb filters out half of item 23's options on its own.
• 혹시 -이/가 있으신가요? — A question the representative (the woman) asks to check whether a condition is met. The man's answer to this question becomes the clue for item 24.
• 빌릴 수 있는 방법은 없을까요? — An expression requesting an alternative when a condition isn't met.
• 선착순/기간 안에/마감되기 전에 — Condition words that become clues for the matching-content item. They express order or a deadline.
• -아야 하는데, 혹시 -이신가요? — A pattern that states a required condition while checking the other person's situation.
• 그럼 지금 바로 -할게요 — A pattern used at the end of the conversation to state the action the man has finally decided on. It ties directly to the answer to item 23.
• 다만/그런데 -이라서 — A connector used to attach an exception or condition. The grounds for the item 24 matching-content answer are often hidden here.
• 일치 오답 패턴 — 이미 끝난 일로 바꾸기 — Matching-content wrong-answer pattern — turning it into something already over. An option that turns something still possible into "it's already over" or "it's not possible" is a classic wrong answer.

• The opening sentence stating the purpose of the call ("~하고 싶어서 전화했는데요").
• The conditions or method explained by the woman (the one giving information).
• Specific words that ground the matching-content item, such as first-come-first-served, the period, or the cost.

• Catch the purpose of the call — the backbone of item 23's answer — in the first two sentences of the conversation.
• Connect the conditions added along the way to the man's final reaction.
• Decide item 23 based on the action the man finally settles on.
• For item 24, choose the option that matches a specific condition sentence from the conversation.

• Listening only to the opening purpose and missing a later shift in the situation (not just signing up for the class but also renting equipment).
• In item 24, mixing up which speaker said what.

Item 23 is often decided just by accurately catching the first two sentences. It's a relatively easy item to secure within the set.