Question

Enrico's mother was in a serious car accident and is in a coma in the hospital. Enrico visits her every day, waiting for her to wake up. On his way home from visiting her one day, he runs into his friend Terrance, who knows about his mother's condition. They have the following exchange:
Terrance: What's new, Enrico?
Enrico: Nothing at all.
Terrance: Sorry to hear that, man.
Passersby may be confused by the exchange because they lack an understanding of the __________ that makes the conversation intelligible.

Answer 1

Answer:    Social context

Explanation:  The social context is what influences someone to notice something or not. So one's perceives depends on the immediate environment, i.e one's perceives depends on what is happening in the environment. In a broad sense, it means a culture of living in a particular environment that affects individuals who will perceive something or not based on an established pattern of life, established ways of communications etc.  In concrete terms, passers-by have a lack of social context (specific information about events and how they develop) and do not fully understand the conversation between Enrico and Terrance. That's why when passers-by hear that there's nothing new at all and when Terrance says she's sorry about it, they're confused about why Terrance is sorry.