To begin this unit, lets start off with a fun activity. Take out a sheet of paper and number from 1-9 on it. There is a list of questions below. To complete this activity accurately, read each question ONLY ONCE and then write down your response on your paper. After you’ve completed the activity, scroll down to see the answers. (YOU DO NOT NEED TO SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS TO ME - THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU TURN IN - IT'S MORE A FUN EXERCISE TO GET YOU THINKING ABOUT YOUR OWN LISTENING SKILLS.)

1. Is there any federal law against a man marrying his widow’s sister?

2. Do they have a 4^th of July in England?

3. If you had only one match and entered a cold room that had a kerosene lamp, an oil heater, and a wood stove, which would you light first for maximum heat?

4. How many animals of each species did Moses take aboard the Ark with him during the great flood?

5. The Yankees and the Tigers play 5 baseball games. They each win 3 games. No ties or disputed games are involved. How come?

6. How many birthdays does the average person have?

7. According to International Law, if an airplane should crash on the exact border between two countries, would unidentified survivors be buried in the country they were traveling to, or the country they were traveling from?

8. An archeologist claims he has dug up a coin that is clearly dated 46 B.C. Why is he a liar?

9. A man builds an ordinary house with four sides, except that each side has a southern exposure. A bear comes to the door and rings the doorbell. What color is the bear?

Now scroll down to see the answers:

1. Is there any federal law against a man marrying his widow’s sister?

ANSWER: There’s no law against a man marrying his widow’s sister but it would be the neatest trick of the week! To have a widow, he’d have to be dead!

2. Do they have a 4^th of July in England?

ANSWER: Yes, they also have a 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, etc.

3. If you had only one match and entered a cold room that had a kerosene lamp, an oil heater, and a wood stove, which would you light first for maximum heat?

ANSWER: First of all, you’d light the match!

4. How many animals of each species did Moses take aboard the Ark with him during the great flood?

ANSWER: Moses didn’t take the animals on board – Noah took 2 of each!

5. The Yankees and the Tigers play 5 baseball games. They each win 3 games. No ties or disputed games are involved. How come?

ANSWER: Who said the Yankees and the Tigers were playing against each other?

6. How many birthdays does the average person have?

ANSWER: The average person has only one birthday – he/she may have numerous birthday anniversaries!

7. According to International Law, if an airplane should crash on the exact border between two countries, would unidentified survivors be buried in the country they were traveling to, or the country they were traveling from?

ANSWER: You can’t bury survivors!

8. An archeologist claims he has dug up a coin that is clearly dated 46 B.C. Why is he a liar?

ANSWER: The archeologist is a liar because B.C. stands for "Before Christ" and who could have guessed in advance when Christ would be born?

9. A man builds an ordinary house with four sides, except that each side has a southern exposure. A bear comes to the door and rings the doorbell. What color is the bear?

ANSWER: The bear is white – because to have 4 sides with southern exposure you’d have to be at the North Pole where every direction is South!

Hopefully this fun activity helps you realize that all of us can improve our listening abilities. Now, open the web page called, "Listening Unit Narrative" to continue with this unit…