Scene to read · Motivation, Communication
My soup is a bicycle
You are learning your grandmother's first language.
For six months you have taken Korean classes two evenings a week, evenings you used to spend visiting your grandmother Kyung, 83, so that you can talk with her in her own language. In her sitting room you have just told her, by mistake, that her soup is a bicycle. She is laughing hard. Your father, Bilal, her son-in-law, is on the sofa.
The scene
Kyung: A bicycle! My soup is a bicycle. Oh, say it again, say it again.
Bilal: You used to be here Tuesdays and Thursdays. Now you're in a classroom.
Kyung: Your mother never learned. English was better for her, I always said.
Bilal: We talk fine in English, all of us. Is another year really worth those evenings?
The two questions
- 1What would you say to your grandmother and your father, and would you keep going?
- 2Describe a time you kept working at something that others thought was unnecessary. What kept you going?
What raters look for
- Motivation
- Shows genuine, sustained drive and a clear reason for choices, including when work is unglamorous.
- Communication
- Listens first, speaks clearly and respectfully, and adapts the message to the listener.
Answer scenarios like this on the real timers
Answer both questions on the clock, and get each one scored 1–9 the way raters score. Your first set is free, no card.
Practice free
