Read the following message.
Michael Walker
21 South St., King Avenue, California
6 May 2017
Mr. Steven Robinson
Owner, Cloud Nine Restaurant
57 East St., Arcade Avenue, California
Dear Mr. Robinson,
I am writing to complain about the behaviour of Mr. Johnson, a waiter at your restaurant. I frequently visit with family and friends because we enjoy the food. However, several visits have been unpleasant when he has served our table.
Last night, my family placed an order and asked how long the food would take. His reply was so impolite that I do not wish to repeat his exact words in this letter. At the end of the meal, he also made an inappropriate remark about the tip. These comments made us feel unwelcome, despite the quality of the meal.
Please take this complaint seriously and look into what happened. I am bringing it directly to you because I would like the service to improve. Good food is important, but customers should also be treated respectfully when they ask a reasonable question about their order.
If this behaviour continues, my family and colleagues will stop visiting the restaurant. I hope that will not be necessary. Please let me know how you intend to address the matter so that we can feel comfortable returning.
Sincerely,
Michael Walker
Using the drop-down menu (▾), choose the best option according to the information given in the message.
2.He keeps choosing this restaurant because
3.About the waiter's exact words, Michael
4.The response that best meets his request is to
5.Michael's point in mentioning the tip remark is that
6.Future family visits will depend on
Here is a response to the message. Complete the response by filling in the blanks. Select the best choice for each blank from the drop-down menu (▾).
Thank you for contacting me about 7. I am sorry that your family felt unwelcome. I appreciate that you distinguish the service problem from 8.
I will speak with the staff who worked that evening. To help us identify the correct shift, please confirm 9. The date on the letter alone does not tell us exactly when you were at the table.
I will contact you after reviewing the accounts. At this stage, I can promise 10., but I cannot announce a disciplinary decision before hearing from everyone involved.
I understand that you may 11. if the behaviour continues. I hope our response will give you confidence to return.
Yours sincerely,
Steven Robinson
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Correct Answer: a waiter's disrespectful way of speaking
Why this is correct: Michael writes to complain about Mr. Johnson's impolite reply and his inappropriate remark about the tip. The waiter's disrespectful way of speaking is the reason for the letter.
Passage Reference: complain about the behaviour of Mr. Johnson, a waiter
Tips: Ask what all of Michael's examples have in common. Separate the rude reply from the ordinary question about timing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- how long the kitchen takes for every order: He asked about timing, but the complaint is the rude reply, not kitchen speed.
- an extra charge on the family bill: He never reports an extra charge. The only money point is the remark about the tip.
- the restaurant refusing family bookings: The family was seated and served.
Correct Answer: he and his companions enjoy the food
Passage Reference: I frequently visit with family and friends because we enjoy the food.
Why this is correct: He says they return because they enjoy the food.
Tips: Use the reason after because.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the waiter usually offers a discount: No discount is mentioned.
- the owner solved earlier complaints: He does not describe an earlier complaint the owner solved.
- meals are guaranteed to arrive quickly: No such guarantee is stated.
Correct Answer: chooses not to repeat them in the letter
Passage Reference: I do not wish to repeat his exact words in this letter
Why this is correct: He says he does not wish to repeat the exact words.
Tips: Ask whether Michael could not report the words or decided not to. Look for a verb that shows his own wish.
Why the other options are wrong:
- did not hear them clearly enough to report: He heard them well enough to call them impolite.
- asked the waiter to explain them in writing: He asks the owner to investigate, not the waiter to write.
- quotes them so the owner can judge the tone: He leaves the exact words out.
Correct Answer: investigate and explain how it will be addressed
Passage Reference: Please let me know how you intend to address the matter
Why this is correct: He asks the owner to look into what happened and say how the matter will be addressed.
Tips: Michael asks the owner for two things. Pick the option that covers both, not just one.
Why the other options are wrong:
- offer a different meal and skip the service issue: The food was good. A new meal would miss the point.
- dismiss the waiter before investigating: He wants an investigation first.
- suggest visiting at a quieter time: The problem is disrespectful service, not the time of day.
Correct Answer: it was further conduct that made them uncomfortable
Passage Reference: These comments made us feel unwelcome
Why this is correct: Michael lists the tip remark together with the impolite reply and says these comments made his family feel unwelcome. His point is that it was further conduct that made them uncomfortable.
Tips: Ask how the tip remark fits with the rude reply before it. Then read what Michael says those comments did to his family.
Why the other options are wrong:
- it proves a compulsory service charge was billed: He objects to the remark, not a listed service charge.
- it explains why they asked about timing: The tip remark came at the end, after the timing question.
- it shows an earlier complaint about prices: No earlier price complaint appears.
Correct Answer: whether the unacceptable behaviour stops
Passage Reference: If this behaviour continues, my family and colleagues will stop visiting the restaurant.
Why this is correct: He says they will stop visiting if the behaviour continues.
Tips: Follow the if-condition on future visits.
Why the other options are wrong:
- ending visits no matter how the owner replies: He hopes to return if service improves.
- whether the menu stays the same: Good food alone is not enough.
- receiving a refund for the meal: He never asks for a refund.
Correct Answer: the way the waiter addressed your family
Passage Reference: complain about the behaviour of Mr. Johnson
Why this is correct: The reply names the service problem: how the waiter spoke to the family.
Tips: Link felt unwelcome to staff behaviour.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the price charged for the meal: Price is not the complaint.
- the availability of a table for your booking: They obtained a table and ate.
- the quality of ingredients used that evening: He says the meal quality was good.
Correct Answer: the food you enjoyed
Passage Reference: despite the quality of the meal
Why this is correct: Michael separates food they enjoy from service that made visits unpleasant.
Tips: Michael praises one thing and complains about another. The blank names what he liked, not what went wrong.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the booking we could not accept: No rejected booking is described.
- the meal you did not receive: They received and enjoyed the meal.
- the incorrect bill you were given: No incorrect bill is reported.
Correct Answer: the date and approximate time of your visit
Passage Reference: To help us identify the correct shift, please confirm
Why this is correct: Steven needs visit date and time to identify the correct shift.
Tips: Think about what a manager needs to know to find who was working. The reply says the letter itself does not give this.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the time you finished writing your letter: Writing time does not identify the restaurant shift.
- the date of your next planned booking: A future booking cannot show who served that night.
- the date you first became a customer: The first visit is irrelevant to this evenings roster.
Correct Answer: a careful review of what happened
Passage Reference: I will speak with the staff who worked that evening.
Why this is correct: Steven will speak to staff and review accounts before any discipline. He can promise a careful review now.
Tips: The 'but' in this sentence rules out any final decision. Choose the promise that fits before everyone has been heard.
Why the other options are wrong:
- the waiter's immediate dismissal: He will not announce discipline before hearing everyone.
- a guarantee that no staff member was at fault: He has not yet spoken to staff.
- a final decision without further enquiries: That would contradict his plan to review accounts.
Correct Answer: choose not to visit us again
Passage Reference: my family and colleagues will stop visiting the restaurant
Why this is correct: Michael warns that the family and colleagues will stop visiting if the conduct continues.
Tips: Find Michael's 'if' sentence about the behaviour going on. The blank restates his warning in other words.
Why the other options are wrong:
- continue visiting regardless of our response: Visits depend on improved behaviour.
- ask us to change the menu instead: He praises the food and asks for better service.
- withdraw the complaint without an explanation: He wants to know how the matter will be addressed.
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