Listening Skill 6: Understand the Organization
Overview
Organization questions come in two forms. One form is a question about the general nature of
a lecture. For example, a question may ask you if a particular passage were organized by
contrasting information, or by explaining steps in a process, or by explaining features of
characteristics, or by chronological order. In this way, it is somewhat related to a topic
question. These questions are worth 1 point.
The second form is a question, usually of two or more answers, that ask you to either choose
information that was talked about in the lecture, or to arrange information that was in a
lecture. For example, you might be asked to sequence a process or timeline of events, or to
arrange processes with details. In this way, this form is somewhat related to a detail question.
It is just asked in a different way.
It is my opinion that organization type questions are really a combination of gist and detail
questions in a slightly different answer format.
Example 1
Organization Question
Detail Question
Do the student’s discuss each of these cases?
Click yes or no
What is stated about the scene?
Click on two answers
a case involving a railroad strike
a case involving an accident in a coal mine
a case involving murder
a case involving evolution
a. It takes place before a wedding
b. It takes place during a wedding
c. George and Emily are getting married
d. George and Emily are wedding guests
Here you can see in both question types, they want you to decide what information was included
in the lecture. One asks you to choose specific items, the other simply to say yes or no.
Example 2
Organization question
Detail Question
Which of these kinds of tropism are
described in the passage?
Click on 3 answers.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
What is Iron Pyrite composed of?
Click on two answers
a.
b.
c.
d.
the way plants respond to water
the way plants respond to cold
the way plants respond to gravity
the way plants respond to height
the way plants respond to light
gold
sulfur
sparks
iron
Example 3
Organization Question
How is the information in the passage
organized?
Gist Question
What is the topic of this discussion?
a. the steps in a process are outlined
b. various types of fossils are classified
c. the history of a particular fossil is
described
d. the formation of plant and animal fossils
is contrasted
a.
b.
c.
d.
two contrasting theories on storms
the function of centripetal force in storms
the history of meterology
like theories by two different scientists
In both gist and organization questions about the topic, your task is the same, to determine the holistic
nature of a lecture. Therefore, to answer both of the questions you must see how all parts of a lecture
relate to each other as a whole.
Not all questions are as similar as the examples provided. For example, a question might ask
you to order the information in a passage in the order it was discussed as in the following:
In the talk the professor describes a series of events.
Summarize the sequence by putting the events in the
correct order.
He arbitrated a coal strike.
He defended the murderers of a teenager.
He took part in the Monkey Trial.
He defended the railway union president.
1.
2.
3.
4.
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
A final question type will ask you to match information that was presented in a lecture. Say in
the lecture, for instance, Mike was 6’, Sam was 5’8”, and Rich was 6’1”. The question will ask
you like this:
Drag the appropriate description of the height of the men to
the box below their names. This question is worth 2 points.
5’8”
6’1”
6’
Mike
Rich
Sam
Question types
How is the information in this lecture organized?
Form 1
Click/Drag to the correct column or box
Form 2
Strategies
Note in outline format or mind map
Organizing a lecture in an outline format helps to reveal how the lecture is organized and how the
different parts of a lecture are related to each other. It will also force you to keep a lecture in order.
This works especially well if they are asking chronological questions or if you have to place examples in a
box.
Think about the structure
Think of how the professor has organized the structure of the lecture. Is it in chronological
order? Is it described a process with different steps? Is it classified in categories? Is a
comparison or contrast being made? Is something being described by its characteristics? Is
something described as a cause or effect of another thing?
Definition
15 seconds
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Topic and Organizational Pattern
Think of the class and what organization pattern and graphic organizer it suggests
History
Science
Psychology
English
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
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Chronological
Steps|Types|Process
Characteristics | Types
Chronology