The Listening Task With Two Speakers
You are completing a listening task based on a recorded conversation between two Indonesian speakers: a student, Dewi, and her teacher, Pak Hasan. The recording is played twice. In the first listening, you note that Dewi says she wants to study overseas and that Pak Hasan mentions 'beasiswa' (scholarship) several times. In the second listening, you catch that Pak Hasan says 'Kalau nilaimu belum cukup, jangan langsung menyerah' (if your marks aren't enough yet, don't give up immediately) and Dewi replies 'Tapi biayanya...' before the recording moves on. One question asks you to infer Pak Hasan's attitude toward Dewi's plan.
1. How should you use the two listenings differently, and what evidence from the recording supports an inference about Pak Hasan's attitude?
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The two listenings serve different purposes, and treating them the same wastes the second one. On the first listening, focus on gist and structure: who is speaking, what the main topic is, and where the key information falls. Your first-listening notes (Dewi wants to study overseas; Pak Hasan mentions beasiswa repeatedly) are a map, not an answer.
On the second listening, listen for attitude and hedging - the words that reveal how a speaker feels, not just what they say. The key evidence is 'Kalau nilaimu belum cukup, jangan langsung menyerah.' Three features matter here. First, the conditional 'kalau... belum cukup' acknowledges a real obstacle (her marks may not yet be sufficient) rather than denying it. Second, 'jangan langsung menyerah' (don't give up immediately) is encouraging but realistic: it treats the obstacle as temporary, not fatal. Third, the repeated mention of beasiswa signals that Pak Hasan is pointing her toward a practical path, not dismissing the plan.
The inference is therefore that Pak Hasan is supportive but cautious - he does not tell Dewi her plan is unrealistic, and he does not promise it will succeed. He recognises the gap in her marks and responds with encouragement plus a concrete route (scholarships). Dewi's reply 'Tapi biayanya...' shows she is worried about cost, which suggests the conversation involves negotiation, not a simple yes or no.
A weak answer would say only 'Pak Hasan supports her' or 'Pak Hasan thinks she can't do it'. Both overstate. The evidence supports a middle position, and the task rewards naming the specific phrases that justify the inference. When you write the answer, quote or paraphrase the key phrase and explain what it implies - do not just state the conclusion.
2. Dewi's line 'Tapi biayanya...' is cut off. How should you handle an incomplete utterance when answering a comprehension question?
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An incomplete utterance is still evidence, but it must be handled carefully. 'Tapi biayanya...' tells you that Dewi is raising cost as an objection or concern. It does not tell you what she says next, so you must not invent her conclusion (for example, that she decides not to apply, or that she asks for money). The safe inference is limited: cost is a concern for Dewi, and the conversation likely involves weighing cost against the scholarship route Pak Hasan raised.
In your answer, state what the fragment shows and explicitly mark the limit of the inference. A good formulation: 'Dewi's unfinished sentence beginning with "Tapi biayanya" indicates that cost is her main worry, though the recording does not show how the conversation resolves it.' That is accurate and shows the examiner you understand the difference between what was said and what you are inferring.
This matters because listening tasks often test whether you overreach. If a question asks 'What does Dewi decide?' and the recording never shows a decision, the correct move is to say the decision is not stated, and to describe the concern she raises instead. Inventing an ending to fit a plausible story is the most common error in inference questions. Use the discourse marker 'tapi' (but) as your anchor: it signals contrast or objection, which is enough to establish that cost is a sticking point, but not enough to establish an outcome.