E-S02 — A School Podcast with Captions
Module E · version 0.6.0 · original fictional reading practice

1. At Cedar School, a fictional school, a student podcast is available in two forms. Listeners can play the sound recording or watch a video showing the same words as captions. A caption is a line of text that appears while someone is speaking. The podcast includes short interviews about school activities, rather than lessons or homework instructions. Its editor, Dana, wanted students to be able to follow an interview even when they could not listen to it. Both forms contain the same interview, and neither is described as the better choice.
2. The captioned version was first requested by a student who had difficulty hearing. Later, other students found it useful on noisy buses. These students could read the interview without turning up the sound. Dana initially thought a computer could produce the final captions without help. However, the program sometimes confused a person's name with an ordinary word. Two students now check the text against the recording before the video is released. They correct mistakes in the captions; they do not rewrite the speaker's ideas.
3. Preparing captions takes time, so the team publishes one interview every two weeks instead of every week. It has also reduced the number of background sounds. A door closing during an interview may seem unimportant to a listener, but it can make a word difficult to hear clearly. Interviews are therefore recorded in a small room away from the busy hall. The team still leaves natural pauses in the recording. These give readers time to finish one caption before the next one appears, without changing the meaning of the interview.
4. Students have suggested adding pictures to explain unfamiliar activities. Dana likes the idea but wants to keep the screen easy to follow. A picture should help explain the interview, not cover the captions. For now, the team is trying one simple picture in each video. Some listeners continue to choose sound alone because they enjoy podcasts while walking. Dana sees their choice as reasonable. The project is about offering different ways to use the same material, not persuading everybody to watch a screen.

E-S02-Q01 | E-S02-P1
Circle ONE correct answer.
Why did Dana want a captioned version? (Paragraph I)
A. To improve students' examination marks.
B. To make interviews accessible without listening.
C. To teach students how to conduct an interview.
D. To replace every school lesson.

E-S02-Q02 | E-S02-P1
Give ONE answer from paragraph 1.
What is the podcast about?

E-S02-Q03 | E-S02-P2
Circle ONE correct answer.
Who does "These students" refer to in paragraph II?
A. Students using captions on noisy buses.
B. All students at the school.
C. The people interviewed on the podcast.
D. The two students checking the text.

E-S02-Q04 | E-S02-P2
Complete the sentence using paragraph 2.
COMPLETE THE SENTENCE. The team checks computer captions because the program sometimes _____.

E-S02-Q05 | E-S02-P3
Circle ONE correct answer.
What was one result of preparing captions? (Paragraph III)
A. Interviews are published less often.
B. Interviews were published every two weeks before captions were added.
C. Preparing captions began because the team was publishing less often.
D. More pictures were added to every interview.

E-S02-Q06 | E-S02-P4
Give ONE answer from paragraph 4.
Why do some students still choose sound alone?

E-S02-Q07 | whole_text
Circle ONE correct answer.
What is the main purpose of the whole text?
A. To prove that watching is better than listening.
B. To describe how a podcast offers different ways to follow the same interviews.
C. To explain only how doors affect recordings.
D. To praise the most inspiring school in the country.