Identifying the place from conversation - activities to improve English

Task 1: Four friends have each spent the previous day at a
museum, a theatre, a concert and a library respectively.
Identify each one’s place of visit from their
conversation.

Pradeep : It was a comedy. The actors were in eighteenth century
costume and dialogues were partly dubbed. The plot
moved smoothly till the interval but after the break it
got into a muddle. Dialogues were forgotten and sets
were not appropriate for the scene. The casts were good
but the direction was weak. However as it was a
comedy we had no dearth of laughter and the main
performers’ histrionics was professional!

Kumar : The place was not crowded, so I could spend leisure
time viewing each exhibit and studying it thoroughly.
The abstract paintings with splashes of colour were in
sharp contrast to the black sculptures placed near the
masterpieces of landscape and collage. The oils and
watercolours were so realistic! The miniatures were
mostly pastorals but the murals were all cityscapes.

Suresh : You seem to have spent quality time. Mine was initially
a lazy afternoon as I spent most of it browsing through
titles, editions, authors, till finally, I settled for a 21st
century science fiction thriller. I chose a comfortable
cushioned sofa, curled up in it and allowed myself to
get absorbed. And when I finished it I found myself at
the edge of my seat! If the climax had been a little
longer I would have surely been on the floor!!

Arvind : I accompanied my grandmother as she had two tickets for
the show. I didn’t realise I could enjoy classical as
much I could Heavy metal and Rap! The acoustics in
the hall was perfect and every item presented - whether
it was solo, vocal, orchestra, choir or percussion -
showed well-trained modulations and techniques as the
criteria for good performance.

Task 2: Which branch of art do you think is referred to in the
following lines? Clues are provided below:

1. Her graceful movements match the rhythm.
2. It has too many chapters and a lengthy plot.
3. It’s made of bronze and stands in the main market place. It’s
called the ‘warrior’.
4. She rendered his composition mellifluously.
5. He has been miscast as the hero. He looked too old for the
heroine.
6. The props looked realistic especially when the limelight was
directly on them.
7. Just fourteen lines? Do they rhyme?
8. You can see his masterpiece at the gallery in this city.
9. The lyrics are good but you can’t sit through that noise for
long.
10. They are the originals from Russia. ‘The Swan’s song’ is their
finale in the programme.