"Wake the President"

Instructions:

Listen to the video carefully and answer the following questions. Choose the best answer for each question. Click “Submit Answers” when you’re done to see your results.

"Wake the President" – Listening Comprehension (Challenging)

"Wake the President" – Listening Comprehension (Challenging)

Instructions:

Listen carefully and choose the best answer for each question. Some answers require you to think about what is implied, not just stated.

1. How does the president say he is woken up each morning?
  • By a phone call next to his bed
  • By an alarm clock set by himself
  • By someone knocking on his door
  • By a Secret Service agent entering the room
2. What does the president say about people entering his bedroom?
  • They usually come in to wake him up
  • They only come in for official photos
  • He is woken by his staff every morning in person
  • Nobody comes in — he only gets calls
3. How many times does the president mention being woken up in the middle of the night?
  • Several times every month
  • Three or four times total
  • Once or twice per week
  • Almost never, not even once
4. What major event is given as an example of a night-time call?
  • A global financial crash
  • A terrorist threat in Europe
  • A large earthquake in California
  • The Fukushima disaster in Japan
5. Why was the Fukushima event so urgent?
  • It involved a potential nuclear disaster
  • It caused global fuel shortages
  • It destroyed U.S. military bases
  • It threatened American embassies
6. What did the U.S. do after receiving the call about Japan?
  • Waited for the morning to respond
  • Sent experts and military support
  • Evacuated all Americans immediately
  • Sent only financial aid
7. What does the president say about "serious problems"?
  • They are always a surprise
  • They are usually small and easy to fix
  • They can often be predicted before they happen
  • They are mostly political scandals
8. Why does the president say "knock on wood"?
  • He wants to end the conversation politely
  • He is joking about how little time he has left
  • He is asking Jimmy to wish him good luck
  • He hopes no new emergencies happen before his term ends
9. How much time does the president say he has left in office?
  • Two or three months
  • Less than a month
  • A year
  • Until the next election
10. What does the president say he avoids doing at 3 a.m.?
  • Drinking coffee
  • Tweeting about people who insulted him
  • Reading emails
  • Calling world leaders
11. What does his answer about tweeting suggest about his leadership style?
  • He likes to act impulsively
  • He avoids dealing with criticism
  • He prefers calm, measured responses
  • He delegates everything to his staff
12. What is the overall tone of this interview segment?
  • Very formal and serious
  • Angry and defensive
  • Sad and emotional
  • Light and humorous

Your Results

Wake the President – Vocabulary & Expression Quiz

Wake the President – Vocabulary & Expression Quiz (B1–B2 Level)

Instructions:

Choose the best answer for each question. There is only one correct answer per question.

1. What does the phrase "wake the president" mean in movies or TV shows?
  • to make a joke about politics
  • to prepare breakfast for the president
  • to start a meeting with the president
  • to call the president in the middle of the night
2. What does "by my bedside" mean?
  • inside a drawer
  • next to where someone sleeps
  • under the bed
  • behind the curtain
3. What does the expression "wake-up call" mean here?
  • a signal to begin a meeting
  • a scheduled phone call to wake someone up
  • a message to warn someone about danger
  • an invitation to breakfast
4. What does "poke his head in" mean?
  • to knock loudly on the door
  • to briefly look into a room
  • to walk straight into the room
  • to shout from far away
5. What does "in the middle of the night" mean?
  • before sunset
  • during lunch break
  • very late at night, while people are usually sleeping
  • early in the morning
6. What does "deploy our experts" mean?
  • to interview specialists
  • to send or organize professionals to work on a situation
  • to fire employees
  • to create new machines
7. What does "nuclear disaster was contained" mean?
  • discovered in a lab
  • completely ignored
  • controlled so it doesn't spread or cause more harm
  • started by accident
8. What does "for the most part" mean?
  • with great difficulty
  • exactly the opposite
  • generally, or in most situations
  • only in rare cases
9. What does "anticipated" mean when he says, "problems that we've anticipated"?
  • unexpected and surprising
  • completely ignored
  • expected or prepared for in advance
  • already solved
10. What does "knock on wood" mean?
  • a signal for silence
  • a request for someone to open the door
  • a superstitious phrase said to avoid bad luck
  • an expression of anger
11. What does "you have to be ready if something happens" mean?
  • you should relax and wait
  • you must avoid making plans
  • you should sleep more often
  • you must always be prepared for unexpected events
12. What does "I don't tweet at 3:00 a.m." mean?
  • he doesn't post messages on social media late at night
  • he doesn't read the news
  • he doesn't make phone calls at work
  • he doesn't send emails in the morning

Your Results

>> Jimmy: IN THE MOVIES WHEN

THE — OR TV WHEN THERE’S

SOMETHING GOING ON, SOME BIG

EVENT IN THE WORLD, SOMEBODY

ALWAYS SAYS, WAKE THE PRESIDENT.

>> YEAH.

>> Jimmy: THEN SOMEBODY HAS TO

WAKE THE PRESIDENT.

>> RIGHT.

>> Jimmy: DOES THAT HAPPEN?

FIRST OF ALL.

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I HAVE A

PHONE RIGHT BY MY BEDSIDE.

>> Jimmy: YES.

>> AND EVERY MORNING, SOMEBODY

CALLS AND SAYS, MR. PRESIDENT,

IT’S YOUR 7:00 A.M. WAKEUP CALL,

AND I PICK IT UP.

AND IT WORKS JUST LIKE A PHONE.

>> Jimmy: YEAH.

>> THAT’S IT.

>> Jimmy: NOBODY POKES HIS HEAD

IN?

>> NO.

>> Jimmy: HOPEFULLY YOU’RE

COVERED UP OR WHATEVER?

>> NO.

LOOK, THERE HAVE BEEN MAYBE

THREE OR FOUR INSTANCES WHERE

YOU DO GET A CALL IN THE MIDDLE

OF THE NIGHT.

FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE TYPHOON

HIT JAPAN.

FUKUSHIMA.

>> Jimmy: RIGHT.

>> YOU’RE NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT

IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING, IT’S

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD, SO

IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

WE HAD TO DEPLOY OUR EXPERTS AND

OUR MILITARY TO MAKE SURE THAT

ANY POTENTIAL NUCLEAR DISASTER

WAS CONTAINED AND WE HELPED THE

JAPANESE.

SO THINGS LIKE THAT WILL HAPPEN

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.

BUT FOR THE MOST PART —

>> Jimmy: THEY LET YOU SLEEP?

>> FOR THE MOST PART THEY LET ME

SLEEP.

USUALLY THE REAL SERIOUS

PROBLEMS THAT COME UP ARE ONES

THAT WE’VE ANTICIPATED.

WE CAN KIND OF SEE COMING.

>> Jimmy: DO YOU HATE —

>> KNOCK ON WOOD, I’VE ONLY GOT

TWO OR THREE MONTHS LEFT.

>> Jimmy: RIGHT.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

>> YOU HAVE TO BE READY IF

SOMETHING HAPPENS.

>> Jimmy: RIGHT, YOU HAVE TO BE

READY.

>> BUT AS I’VE MENTIONED BEFORE,

WHAT I DON’T DO IS LIKE A 3:00

A.M. — I DON’T TWEET.

>> Jimmy: YOU DON’T TWEET IN THE

MORNING?

>> ABOUT PEOPLE WHO INSULTED ME.

I TRY TO SLEEP SO THAT IN THE