This page has interactive language activities. You may complete exercises and check your answers. You may be asked to write and send your writing to us at the Independent Study Lab. If you send your writing, we may edit it and publish it on this site. Thanks for visiting Interact!

Abdulrhaman Al-Arfaj, Aziz Al-Arifi, Omar Al-Romaithi, Level 200

We know how the magic works. The cards in the first screen were completely different than the cards in the second screen, but the numbers were the same. The difference was the kind of cards only (heart, diamond, spade, club).

 May Hung, Taiwan, writes, "Simon had taken away all the original cards and replaced them with new cards. That's way no matter which card I'd chosen, it would be taken away."

Laura Nicholson, United Kingdom, writes, "Simeon takes out all the cards and then he replaces them with some similar ones."

Adrian, Hong Kong, writes, "Cave of Magic" is very easy to work. It is because the six cards that you can choose all didn't appear in the second page. That why there must not have what you are thinking."

  Ellen, Katherine and Katy of the U.S. wrote: "The reason that it works is because they switch every single card.And guess what we were not amazed you broke our belief in magic!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!" (ooops, sorry to disillusion you! MDK)

Telepathy: The second time you shuffle each country the first time i choose and seperated all of them into different coloums

My animal is apig .I think the people who compatible with me is smart , active,care me,good people and know some thing that I think.I think the same wish you. chinese astrology is good for me.

I was thinking of brown ostriches in the Dominican Republic. But it works because there are few countries that start with d and few e animals that come to mind. Plus all the multiplies of nine when added together equal nine.

Interact - My Room - The Game

Oscar Martinez from Colombia, attending Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon writes:

On the rocks is a slang expression used instead of cubes of ice. This expression is used to describe if a drink contains ice.

The ten items in the apartment are:

1- The Oven - On the kitchen

2- The Office

3- A Poster of designer Leo Meirsdorf

4- The Lamp

5- Dining Room Table

6- The Window

7- A Poster from an Exhibit of Ancient Instruments

8- Empty Wall

9- Front Tire of the Mountain Bike

10- The freezer

 Interact - Conjurer Magic Tricks

Majed Abulola, Saudi Arabia, attending Lewis & Clark College, writes this description of a magic trick he read in Conjurer Magic Tricks:

In order to do this trick you should have fast hands. The requirements are a coin, a table to sit at, and a chair to sit in. Now show the coin in your hand, and then rub the coin into your elbow. After that, say to the person who is waiting for you to make this trick, that you are going to make the coin vanish into your elbow. But after that, drop the coin onto the table, and try to make an excuse, which is to let him believe that it works better in the other hand. Then take the coin again, feigning to take it in your other hand and then try to let him/her think that you are putting the coin into your elbow while the other hand that has the coin has a position behind your neck. Lastly, put the coin into your shirt collar, and then you will say it disappeared.

NOTE: Click here to see a picture which will help you understand Majed's description!

Interact! I Can Guess Your Age and the Amount of Change in Your Pocket!

Answer by Felix Ramli, Indonesia. I know your trick...but I still can't figure it out. OK, my number is 2875. My solution is just substract 1000 (= 1875) and you will know my age and my money, side-by-side is that true? My age is 18 and my money is $.75. Felix

Interact! Changing Illusions

Miao Yu (Jason), China - This game seems simple, but it is not. I played all of them. But I couldn't do it very well. Such as #2, there just is a piece of an arrow. I think nobody could find the exact middle position of the arrow the first time. After I played it several times, I found if I need not see the head and tail of the arrow, I could find the middle place. Therefore, the best way is just to look at the line; do not pay attention to the two sides of the arrow. I found the key characteristic that all the illusions have in common is added details of pictures into other pictures, and then all of the pictures will confuse you. Most of the games have been played from the last century. But until today, people are still confused by them. Scientists also have studied them for a long time. They wanted to find what causes the eye and brain to be confused. They have the same result as I have. I think it is an interesting game. Try all the illusions now!

Interact! That Explains It!

Fred Mihara, Japan asks the following question: "How do you make crabs walk straight?"

The answer is ...

1. Put the crabs on a record player.

2. Turn the switch on and wait a few minutes.

3. When you stop the player, you'll see crabs walk straight!

Why? Because crabs (and other animals, including humans) have a semicircular canal. It is used for keeping one's balance. But if organisms go round and round, the semicircular canal doesn't work. Crabs walk sideways. So they walk straight after they have lost their balance (ex. humans walk sideways when they are off balance or dizzy). That's how we can make crabs walk straight. When I told this to my teacher, he said, "Aren't you Sketchy? If you have time to solve such a silly question, you should study more about anatomy or you'll fail!" (I was a Medical student at that time.)

Interact - Magic Trick - Ahmed Nassier, Level 300 student, Saudi Arabia, explains a magic trick he knew already!

--What you need: Just a coin.
--The steps:

1. Show the observer your coin.
2. Tell him that you will make it disappear.
3. Turn your back to him/her and put the coin in the fold of your left or right arm opposite your elbow.
4. Raise your arms up-like someone is doing a hold-up of you- and act to the observer like you made the coin disappear and ask him/her to search you, looking for the coin.
*Warning: Keep your arms in the "hold-up" position.
5. After the observer has searched you, looking for the coin, tell him that you will make it appear from your mouth.
6. Put the tip of your thumb of the arm that has the coin in it behind your front teeth.
7. Act like you are bringing the coin out from your mouth by making your arm straight quickly and the coin will appear suddenly.

Here's how you hide the coin.	Here's how you make the coin appear.

Interact - Tests, Tests, Tests . . . - Jun Young Yang, Level 400 student, Korea

"Type A Personality Quiz" - Even though I already read about Type A people's characteristics in our textbook, I cannot be sure which type I belong to. Usually Type A people are more aggressive, competitive, active and achievement-oriented. This quiz presented twelve questions that can occur in our daily lives, and I responded what I most likely would do. For example, one of the questions is, "What do you prefer to do with your free time?" So, I responded, "Various things - sometimes just hang out, sometimes work on hobbies, do some sports." To my way of thinking, the questions were scientific. As a result of this quiz, I'm reported to be a Type B person. Type B personalities are relaxed and friendly. Also, Type B people are accepting, calm and laid back. People tend to feel relaxed and comfortable with type B people. I agree that I seem to have a Type B character. This quiz is very useful for me. If someone cannot be sure if he or she belongs to a particular type, I will recommend this quiz.

 Interact - Tests, Tests, Tests . . . Shuji Terakoshi, Level 400 student, Japan

I took "Type A Personality Test." I thought that this test was very interesting because I like tests such as psychological tests. I always believe the results I get whether they are good or not. In this instance, I got 52 points (min=0, typical Type B personality/ max = 100, typical Type A personality); therefore, my personality is in the middle between the type A and Type B. Being a Type A person may be good in some situations. A Type A person always does his best when he has to do something, so he progresses toward his goal all the time. For example, because a Type A person studies hard and late before the final exam, or he works hard and late, he will have good results in the end. I think that a Type A Person probably hates to give in. However, there is a defect too. Briefly, I think a Type A person cannot feel calm easily because he always does something hard. Thus, he does not have composure; for instance, he gets a careless mistake easily on an exam. On the other hand, being a Type B person may also be as good as a Type A in some situations. A Type B person can probably take things more calmly than a Type A person; therefore, a Type B person is able to cope with everything calmly and can often get a good result. For instance, since a Type B person takes a test carefully he rarely gets a careless mistake. Because, however, a Type B person is not aggressive, he has a hard time in some situations; for example, he may give up anything he is trying soon, like when people snowboard and slip down, then they might quit snowboarding. Therefore, I realize that since I am in the middle of Type A and Type B personality, I expect that I have some features of both personalities. If I can control both personalities skillfully, I will be able to have a good life because sometimes I am able to be aggressive towards everything when it is necessary to be, and occasionally I will also be able to cope with everything calmly.

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