10

UNI T
Simple Present Information
­Questions
Cultural Holidays

1
Grammar in the Real World
A What is your favorite holiday or celebration? Read the interview about
a Mexican holiday. What is the Day of the Dead?

B Comprehension Check  Choose the correct answers.

1 On the Day of the Dead, people remember .
a  their parents b  their dead relatives c  their children

2 People put pictures of the dead .

a  on altars b  on sweets c  on skulls

3 The Day of the Dead takes place .

a  every month b  one day a year c  on November 1 and 2

4 People their ancestors’ graves.

a decorate b paint c celebrate

C Notice   Answer the questions with the correct question word. Use the
interview to help you.
1 Which word asks a question about time? What When Where
2 Which word asks a question about places? What When Where
3 Which word asks a question about things? What When Where
What word comes after when, where, and what?

98   
 Simple Present Information Questions

Coffee Time

Today’s Topic: Michelle Hello, everyone! This is Coffee Time. Our topic today is
celebrations around the world. Today our guest is Elena

MEXICO'S
Lopez, from a university in Mexico. She’s here to tell us
about the Day of the Dead. Welcome, Dr. Lopez!
5 Dr. Lopez Thank you. It’s nice to be here.
Michelle First of all, where do people celebrate the Day of

DAY
the Dead?

of Dr. Lopez They celebrate it in many parts of the world, such as in

Mexico.

the 10 Michelle When do people celebrate it, and how do they

celebrate it?

DEAD
Dr. Lopez Well, the Day of the Dead takes place on two days:
November 1 and 2. We remember our dead relatives –
our ancestors1 – and friends. People build little altars2
15 in the home and in public schools. They also clean and
decorate the graves.3
Michelle What do they put on these altars and graves?
Dr. Lopez They put candles, food, drinks, flowers, and pictures of
1
ancestor: any member of your family
from long ago
the dead. There are sweets in the shape of skulls,4 too.
2
altar: a type of table that people use in
20 The traditions are a little different in every region of
religious ceremonies Mexico.
3
grave: a place where you bury a dead
Michelle What do the different things mean?
person or people, usually under the
ground Dr. Lopez Well, for example, the candles are a guide for our
4
skull: the bones of the head around ancestors. They guide them home. There are bells, too.
the brain
25 They call the dead.
5
symbolize: use a sign or mark to
represent something Michelle What do the skulls symbolize?5 Do they symbolize
6
rebirth: a new period of growth of death?
something
Dr. Lopez Well, yes. But they also symbolize rebirth,6 according to
the first Day of the Dead thousands of years ago.

Cultural Holidays 99
 2
Simple Present Information Questions
Grammar Presentation
Information questions begin with a Wh- Where do people celebrate the Day of the Dead?
word (Who, What, When, Where, Why, or When do Americans celebrate Independence Day?
How). They ask for information and cannot
be answered with a simple yes or no.

2.1 Information Questions

Wh- word Do / Does Subject Base Form of Verb

Who see at school?
I
What you eat at parties?
do
When we celebrate that holiday?
they
What time begin the celebration?
Where study for school?
he
Why does she live at home?
it
How meet new people?

2.2 Using Simple Present Information Questions

A Use a Wh- word with do before I, you, When do you celebrate the holiday?
we, they, and plural nouns.

Use a Wh- word with does before he, Why does she study Spanish?
she, it, and singular nouns.

B Use simple present information questions “Where do you live?”  “I live in Mexico City.”
to ask for specific information. “What time do you start work?”  “8:30.”

C Use simple present information questions “When do they celebrate the Day of the Dead?”
to ask about habits, facts, traditions, and “In November.”
regular activities.
“Why does she travel to Mexico every year?”
“Because she has family there.”

D You can answer information questions “What do you eat on Thanksgiving?”

with a short or long answer. Short answer: “Turkey and pie.”
Long answer: “I eat turkey and pie.”

100    Unit 10  Simple Present Information ­Questions

 Simple Present Information ­Q uestions

2.3 Using Wh- Words

A Use Who to ask about people. “Who do you remember on the Day of the Dead?”
“I remember my grandmother.”

B Use What to ask about things. “What do you study?”

“Spanish and history.”

C Use When to ask about time (days, “When do you celebrate Chinese New Year?”
months, years, seasons, parts of the day). “In January or February.”

D Use What time to ask about clock time. “What time does your class finish?”
“4:30. / Five o’clock.”

E Use Where to ask about places. “Where does she work?”

“At the University of Mexico.”

F Use Why to ask about reasons. “Why do you like celebrations?”

“Because they’re always fun.”

G Use How to ask about manner – the way “How do you celebrate your birthday?”
people do something. “We eat at my favorite restaurant.”

Grammar Application
Exercise 2.1 Questions with Who, What, When, Where, How

A Complete the questions with Who, What, When, Where, or How and do or does.
1 A Where do people celebrate the Day of the Dead?
B In Mexico.
2 A they celebrate the Day of the Dead?
B On November 1 and 2.
3 A they remember?
B Their dead relatives and friends.
4 A they decorate?
B Graves and altars.
5 A they put pictures of the dead?
B On altars.
6 A they decorate the graves?
B With flowers, candles, food, and drinks.

Cultural Holidays  101

 B Over to You  Unscramble the words and add do or does to make questions. Then write
answers that are true for you.

1 what celebration / you / like / the best / ?

A What celebration do you like the best?
B
2 when / you / celebrate / it / ?
A

B
3 who / you / celebrate / it / with / ?
A

B
4 what / you / usually / do / ?
A

B
5 where / you / celebrate / it / ?
A

B
6 what / you / usually / eat / ?
A

B
7 when / it / usually / end / ?
A

C Pair Work  Ask and answer the questions in B with a partner.

102    Unit 10  Simple Present Information ­Questions
 Simple Present Information ­Q uestions

Exercise 2.2 Questions with When and What Time

A Complete the questions with When or What time and do or does.

1 A When do you graduate? B On June 15.
2 A you have the ceremony? B At 3:30.
3 A Sandi turn 21? B Next Saturday.
4 A her birthday party start? B At 7:00.
5 A  you celebrate Thanksgiving in the B At the end of November.
United States?
6 A your family usually have the meal? B In the late afternoon.
7 A you usually start cooking on that day? B At about 8:00 a.m.

B Pair Work  Ask and answer the questions in A with a partner.

Exercise 2.3 Asking Information Questions

A Read the paragraph about a holiday celebration in Massachusetts. Write information

questions using the words in parentheses. Find the verbs in the paragraph, and use the
information to write your questions. Remember to use do and does in your questions.
One of my favorite holidays is Patriots’ Day in the Boston,
Massachusetts, area. Every year, Boston residents celebrate Patriots’
Day on the third Monday of April. On this day, people remember
the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. Many towns have
parades and speeches.1 The second important event is the Boston
Marathon.2 The marathon happens every year on Patriots’ Day. The race
starts around 10:00 a.m. in Hopkinton and ends in Boston. Thousands
of people watch runners from all over the world. The third event is the
special Patriots’ Day baseball game. The Boston Red Sox play a team
from another town. The game starts around 11:00 a.m. in Boston.
1
speech: a formal talk | 2marathon: a race in which people run 26 miles and 385 yards (42.195 kilometers)

1 (what / people / celebrate) What do people celebrate on the third Monday of April?

2 (what / people / remember)
3 (what / towns / have)
4 (when / marathon / happen)
5 (what time / marathon / start)
6 (where / marathon / start)
7 (who / people / watch)

Cultural Holidays  103

 B Pair Work  Ask and answer the questions in A with a partner.
A What do people celebrate on the third Monday of April?
B They celebrate Patriots’ Day.

Exercise 2.4 Pronunciation Focus: Intonation in Questions

In information questions, our voice usually goes Where do you go on vacation?

down. We call this falling intonation.
Why do you stay home?

When do you see your relatives?

Do you celebrate Memorial Day?

In Yes / No questions, our voice often goes up.
We call this rising intonation.
Is that your favorite day of the year? 

Does she work at night?

A Listen to the questions and answers. Mark the questions with ➚ for rising intonation
and ➘ for falling intonation.
1 A Excuse me. Are you from Japan? ➚
B Yes, I am. I’m from Tokyo.
2 A Can I ask you some questions?
B Sure!
3 A What’s your favorite holiday in Japan?
B New Year’s Day.
4 A Why is it your favorite?
B Because we have special food for the holiday, and we relax all day.
5 A Do you help your mother with the cooking?
B Yes, I do. We also see all our relatives on New Year’s Day.
6 A Do you play any special games?
B No, not really. But we watch some special TV programs.
7 A What else do you do on New Year’s Day?
B Well, we read all our holiday cards then.
8 A Do you really save all the cards to open on the same day?
B Yes, it’s a special custom.

B Listen and repeat the questions.

104    Unit 10  Simple Present Information ­Questions

 Simple Present Information ­Q uestions

Exercise 2.5 Information Questions in Titles

Data from the Real World

We often use information questions in Why Do We Laugh?
the titles of academic articles and books. How Does a Computer Work?
The article or book answers the question.
When Do People Watch TV?

Titles with How? What? and Why? are How do/does?

very frequent. What do/does?
Why do/does?

A Read the quotations from academic articles. Choose a title for each article from the box.
Why Do People Celebrate Holidays? What Do Teens Search for on the Internet?

How Do People Make New Friends? Why Does a Bird Learn to Sing?
When Does a Child Become an Adult? What Do Children Like to Eat?
Why Do We Dream? Why Do We Grow Old?

1  What Do Children Like to Eat? 5

“Children prefer food that is not very hot or “Most searches are about movie stars,
very strong in flavor.” singers, and sports personalities.”
2 6
“Birds need to communicate with other “We make friends with people we have
birds.” something in common with, often at work or
school.”
3 7
“We need to bring people together to “We dream because our minds need to
remember good and bad events in our rest.”
cultures.”
4 8
“Our body is a machine. It works hard every “Teenagers are young adults, and the years
day, year after year.” 16 to 18 are very important.”

B Over to You  Do you know more about the topics in A? Tell a partner.
A lot of children don’t like spicy food.

Cultural Holidays  105

 3
Questions with How Often
Grammar Presentation
Questions with How often ask about how How often does she travel to Mexico?
many times something happens. How often do you see your family?

3.1 Questions with How Often

How Often Do / Does Subject Base Form of Verb

do I / you / we / they take a vacation?

How often
does he / she / it receive a gift?

3.2 Using Questions with How Often

A Use questions with How often to How often do you run in a marathon?
ask how many times something How often does your family eat together?
happens.

B The answers are often frequency All the time. Every day. Every weekend.
expressions. Every other week. Once a week. Twice a month.
Three times a month. Several times a year.
A few times a year. Once in a while. Almost never.

Grammar Application
Exercise 3.1 Questions with How Often

A Use the words to write questions with How often. Write true answers. Then ask and answer
questions with a partner.
1 you / drink coffee
Question: How often do you drink coffee?
Answer: Every day.
2 you / drink soda
Question:
Answer:
3 you / eat breakfast alone
Question:
Answer:
106    Unit 10  Simple Present Information ­Questions
 Simple Present Information ­Q uestions

4 your family / go out to a nice restaurant

Question:
Answer:
5 your friends / eat at a fast-food restaurant
Question:
Answer:
6 your relatives / visit your home
Question:
Answer:

B Over to You Use How often to write your own questions on a separate piece of paper.
Use words from the box and your own ideas. Then ask your partner the questions.

board game hiking movie swimming TV

gym library music concert text message

How often do you watch TV past midnight?

4
Avoid Common Mistakes
1 In simple present information questions, use do or does before the subject.
do does
Where you work? Why he drink so much coffee?

2 Use do or does, not is or are, with the verb.

does
What time is the concert begin?

3 Do not use -s on the verb with he / she / it or a singular noun.

go
Where does Tom goes to school?

Editing Task
Find and correct seven more mistakes in these questions about Thanksgiving.
do
1 How you celebrate Thanksgiving?
2 Where do you celebrates Thanksgiving?
3 What are you does during Thanksgiving Day?
4 What you watch on TV?
5 What time are you usually have your meal?
6 What you do on the Friday after Thanksgiving?
7 Why people celebrate Thanksgiving?
Cultural Holidays  107