Listening: The Bus That Isn't There on Saturday
You are a third-year junior high student in Yamaguchi City practicing for the listening section. The audio is played once. In the conversation, Mei and her teacher are planning a Saturday visit to the Yamaguchi Prefectural Science Museum. You have written these notes while listening:
- Bus stop: Miyano Station, north exit.
- Buses: 8:20, 8:40, 9:00 (weekday schedule).
- Ride: 25 minutes.
- Museum opens: 9:30.
- Lobby opens: 9:00; arriving earlier means waiting outside.
- Check-in: 15 minutes before our slot.
- Mei: 'Let's take the 8:40.'
- Teacher: 'On Saturday the schedule is different: 8:35 and 8:55.'
You must now answer: Which bus should they take? The answer choices are 8:20, 8:35, 8:40, and 8:55. You remember that the teacher corrected Mei, but you are not sure whether the correction changes the best choice or only the time. You also know that arriving too early is allowed but waiting outside is cold.
1. Which bus should Mei and her teacher take? Show the time arithmetic and explain why each of the other three choices fails or is not the best.
Read the worked answer
They should take the 8:35 bus. Check-in is 15 minutes before the 9:30 opening, so they must arrive by 9:15. The ride is 25 minutes.
- 8:35 + 25 min = 9:00: this meets the 9:15 deadline and arrives exactly when the lobby opens.
- 8:20 + 25 = 8:45: this meets the check-in deadline, but the lobby opens at 9:00, so they would wait outside for 15 minutes. It is possible, but not the best choice.
- 8:40: this is a weekday time. It does not run on Saturday at all.
- 8:55 + 25 = 9:20: this is only 10 minutes before opening, so it misses the 15-minute check-in.
The teacher's correction is not just a time change. It removes 8:40 and makes 8:55 too late, so 8:35 is the latest valid bus that also avoids waiting in the cold.
2. Why is 8:55 tempting, and what single condition would make it correct?
Read the worked answer
8:55 is tempting because it is the later of the two Saturday buses and matches Mei's original wish not to go too early. It is also a real Saturday time, unlike 8:40. But it arrives at 9:20, which is only 10 minutes before opening.
It would become correct if check-in were 10 minutes before opening (arrive by 9:20), or if the ride were 20 minutes instead of 25 (8:55 + 20 = 9:15). The exam tests whether you apply the check-in constraint, not just whether you remember the corrected bus times.
3. What note would you change if you had to explain your answer to a classmate in one sentence?
Read the worked answer
I would change 'Mei: Let's take the 8:40' to '8:40 is weekday only; Saturday is 8:35 or 8:55.' The original note is not false, but it is dangerous because it records a suggestion that cannot be used.
A one-sentence explanation: 'The 8:40 bus does not run on Saturday, and 8:55 arrives at 9:20, too late for the 9:15 check-in, so take 8:35.' This shows the reasoning without repeating the whole conversation.