Question

Read the following scene from Trifles. MRS. HALE (stiffly). There’s a great deal of work to be done on a farm. COUNTY ATTORNEY. To be sure. And yet . . . (With a little bow to her.) . . . I know there are some Dickson county farmhouses which do not have such roller towels. (He gives it a pull to expose its full length again.) MRS. HALE. Those towels get dirty awful quick. Men’s hands aren’t always as clean as they might be. COUNTY ATTORNEY. Ah, loyal to your sex, I see. But you and Mrs. Wright were neighbors. I suppose you were friends, too. What is one possible disadvantage of hearing the characters’ voices as opposed to silently reading the scene?
It does not allow listeners to interpret each character through his or her tone.
It does not allow listeners to associate a voice with each of the characters.
It does not allow listeners to review or reread what each character has said.
It does not allow listeners to keep track of which character is speaking.

Answer 1

Answer: C) It does not allow listeners to review or reread what each character has said.

Explanation: In the given scene from "Trifles" we can see a conversation between Mrs. Hale and the County Attorney. If we could hear the character's voices as opposed to silently reading the scene, we could interpret the characters to their tone, associate a voice with each of the characters and we also could keep track of which character is speaking. The only disadvantage would be that we couldn't review or reread what each character has said, so the correct answer is option C.

Answer 2

It does not allow listeners to review or reread what each character has said.

To answer this question, one must think about the drawbacks of the spoken word as opposed to the written word. Dialogue that you hear allows you to understand the tone of the speaker's voices and allow you to associate a voice with a character which in turn helps the listener to keep track of which character is speaking. The major drawback when listening to dialogue versus reading it is that you can't go back to review what has been said - unless you have a recording and can rewind.