📙 Part 2: Describe a competition (e.g. music, cooking, or sports competition) you took part in

This episode's vocabulary

Compete (verb) – to take part in a contest or game. → She loves to compete in spelling bees and science fairs.

Exception (noun) – something that does not follow a rule or pattern. → Everyone passed the test, with one exception.

Contest (noun) – a competition or event where people try to win. → He entered a cooking contest and won first prize.

General knowledge (noun) – information about many different subjects. → Quiz shows often test your general knowledge.

Association (noun) – a group of people organized for a shared purpose. → The Parent-Teacher Association meets monthly.

Charity (noun) – an organization that helps people in need. → They raised money for a children’s charity.

Fortunately (adverb) – luckily; by good fortune. → Fortunately, the rain stopped before the match started.

Schedule (noun) – a plan of activities and times. → I checked my schedule and saw I was free on Friday.

Demonstrate (verb) – to show something clearly. → He demonstrated his skills during the presentation.

Round (noun) – a stage or part of a competition. → We reached the final round of the tournament.

Trophy (noun) – a prize, often a cup or statue, awarded in competitions. → They proudly displayed their football trophy.

Prize (noun) – something given to the winner of a contest. → The top prize was a trip to Paris.

Ignorant (adjective) – lacking knowledge or awareness. → I was ignorant of the rule and broke it by mistake.

Be the wiser (phrase) – to be more informed or aware of something. → No one noticed the mistake, so no one was the wiser.

Questions and Answers

Rory: Well, hardly ever have I competed in anything, frankly. The only exception I can think of is the one time at primary school when we had something called the Rotary Club Quiz, or at least I think it was called that. We are talking about something that happened almost 30 years ago now, so my memory is not the best. So I apologise for that. However, as near as I can remember, this contest was between local school teams. The teams were of about four students and they had to answer general knowledge questions posed by the leadership of Dundee's Rotary Club, which is a sort of social club or association crossed with a charity organisation. You have them in different parts of the UK. Fortunately for our team, the big event was held at our school, so we didn't have to travel very far for it. I think it must have been a Friday, though that's just a guess based on how cheerful everyone was and the fact that they would have had to clear their schedules, which is easier to do on Fridays compared to busier school days.

I was picked for the quiz along with my teammates because we read and knew a lot and demonstrated that in different classes. I've no idea how many rounds there were, but it seemed to go on forever. We actually did quite well. We came second and only because we messed up a question about the capital of Australia. I was convinced it was Melbourne and no one challenged me on it, so we went with that. Of course, it's actually Canberra, but none of us were the wiser at the time, so we missed out on the trophy and the prizes by one point. That was a bit sad, but it was hardly the end of the world. Coming in second is still pretty good, I think.

And after that whole experience, I never forgot the Australian capital again. If I hadn't entered the quiz, I'd be just as ignorant of that fact now.

Maria: Thank you, Rory, for your story.

Rory: No worries. Thank you for listening.