Dialogue: The Bakery Is Closed, So Which Exit?
You are at Shin-Yamaguchi Station. A concert at the city hall starts in 20 minutes. You ask a station attendant for directions. She says: 'Go out the south exit, turn left at the bakery, and walk two blocks. The hall is on your right.' Then she adds: 'Oh, but the bakery is closed for renovation, so you can't see it. Use the east exit instead: turn right at the bank, go past the post office, and the hall is on your left. It takes about 12 minutes from the east exit.'
You have a printed note that says 'south exit → bakery → left.' You did not catch the word 'east' clearly. You are not sure whether to follow the first route or the second. You also do not want to be rude.
1. Which route should you take, and why is the first route unusable?
Read the worked answer
Take the east exit route: turn right at the bank, go past the post office, and the hall is on your left; it takes about 12 minutes.
The first route is unusable because its key landmark, the bakery, is closed for renovation and cannot be seen. The attendant corrected herself, so the 'south exit → bakery → left' note is out of date. Even if you went out the south exit, you would lose time looking for a bakery that is not there. With a 20-minute deadline and a 12-minute walk, the east exit leaves about 8 minutes of buffer.
2. Your printed note says 'south exit → bakery → left.' What is the error in following it literally?
Read the worked answer
The note records the first instruction but not the correction. Following it literally treats a closed bakery as a visible landmark, so you would reach the south exit and then have no reliable turn.
In situational reading, the last instruction often overrides the first when a speaker says 'but' or 'instead.' The note is not a lie; it is incomplete, and incomplete notes are a common trap.
3. You did not catch 'east.' Which reply is better: 'I'm fine, thanks' or 'Could you say that again more slowly?' Explain.
Read the worked answer
'Could you say that again more slowly?' is better. You need the missing direction, and asking for repetition is polite and practical. 'I'm fine, thanks' ends the conversation and hides the problem, so you may take the wrong exit.
In a dialogue task, the correct response is the one that solves the information gap without being rude. If you want to be more specific, you could say, 'Sorry, did you say east exit?' That checks the key word directly.