6 Questions usually revolves around an article or articles, and then English students have to answer some general questions about what they have read. On occasion, however, 6 Questions uses a video clip as input.
The subway shuffle was published in The New York Times in July, and it shows us in a two-minute video clip the hectic everyday life lots of New Yorkers face on their way to work.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the nine (not 6!) questions taken from The New York Times. The order and wording of the questions has been taken from The Learning Network.
1 WHAT is the “subway shuffle”?
2 WHAT does the conductor sometimes do that makes deciding between two trains on one platform easy for New York City commuters?
3 WHAT are some of the consequences that New Yorkers face when they lose a few seconds during their commute because they picked the wrong train?
4 WHEN does the shuffle most often occur?
5 WHERE in New York City is the shuffle especially problematic for commuters?
6 WHY do some New Yorkers run from one car to another car on the same train when their train is waiting on a platform?
7 HOW do New York City commuters cope with the stress of two trains waiting to depart from the same platform?
8 In the captured situation in which one woman ran “at an impressive speed” and barely made it onto a departing train, HOW long did the less fortunate commuters have to wait for the following train to depart?
9 WHOM do you know who has a challenging commute to work or school?
To gain more insight into the topic, you can read the transcript below and read the original article from The City Room, In Commuters’ Daily Gamble, Dashing to Victory, or Despair.
TRANSCRIPT
For New Yorkers in the morning every second counts. So if two trains pull up to a station, they try to guess which one will leave first. The first to arrive is not necessarily the first to depart. That’s the commandeering facing subway riders at the uptown 34 St Station Q, N and R platform. They wait at subway doors, listening for a clue. Sometimes the conductor tells them which train will go first, sometimes not. Sometimes the subway riders guess it right, sometimes not. And while the train idles another trick common to New Yorkers is to run to the car that they know are closer to their exit, gaining back a few precious seconds. Maybe these two conductors are discussing it.
“You go first, I insist.”
“But my riders, they’re patient, don’t worry about it.”
This guessing game happens again and again. Take a look at this woman running at an impressive speed. This footage was not sped up. Now let’s watch it again in slow motion. Her timing is to be commended. The others who followed were not so lucky. Now they must wait another minute and thirty-six seconds before their train leaves. This is a life time for a New Yorker. It means there’s no time to get coffee before the morning meeting. It means using the excuse “Sorry, my train was late”.
Key:
1 Having to change trains to get to a destination (has to be inferred from the video) 2 Tell passengers which train will go first 3 They have to wait for another train and will be more pressed for time the rest of the day 4 We infer that it is in the mornings 5 34 St Station Q, N and R platform 6 To run to the car that is closer to their exit, so that they can gain a few seconds later on 7 They wait at the doors for a clue or simply guess 8 one minute thirty-six seconds 9 Your own answer
