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Lesson Transcript

Ryan: All About Thai, lesson 6 - Can You Answer These Five Questions About Thailand? Hey, everybody! Welcome back to All About Thai, the Thai lessons where you get to learn about the real Thailand.
Rawinporn: In this lesson, we have something special.
Ryan: A quiz! Which may have some of you thinking, oh no! But don’t worry, this will be a fun one.
Rawinporn: We are not going to test your Thai skills or anything like that yet.
Ryan: No! These questions are all about Thailand itself; society, geography, and culture, so you can see how much you know about Thailand.
Rawinporn: Yes, because learning Thai is much more than just learning a language.
Ryan: You learn about people, life, society, all that good stuff.
Rawinporn: If you pass, you can go on to the next lesson.
Ryan: And if you don’t pass, you can still go on to the next lesson, so no pressure.
Rawinporn: So, everyone, are you ready?
Ryan: All right, let’s get started!
Rawinporn: Khun Ryan, you will be the one taking the test.
Ryan: Me?! Okay. Well, I’ll do my best.
Rawinporn: Okay. So, here is the first question which is about geography. Where is Thailand situated?
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Middle East
Ryan: Well, we mentioned this in our first All About series lesson, didn’t we?
Rawinporn: Yes, we did. Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. So, do you know which city of Thailand has the most people?
Ryan: Well, that’s got to be Bangkok, right?
Rawinporn: Correct! Bangkok has the largest population with 11 million people.
Ryan: Okay. Now, let’s move on to a question about politics.
Rawinporn: What is the current Thai political system?
Monarchy
Socialism
Constitutional democratic monarchy
Ryan: Mmm, well, I saw on the news that his majesty, King Bhumibol just celebrated his 82nd birthday last year and you also have a prime minister. Therefore, the answer would be C. Constitutional democratic monarchy.
Rawinporn: Wow, Khun Ryan, you know a lot about Thailand! Well, what is your final answer?
Ryan: I would say constitutional democratic monarchy, final answer.
Rawinporn: That’s correct. Thailand is currently conducted within the framework of a constitutional democratic monarchy. The Prime Minister is the head of government and hereditary monarchy. The Prime Minister is the head of government and hereditary monarch is the head of state.
Ryan: How about the judiciary?
Rawinporn: Oh, the judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches. Please note that Thai people have a deep, traditional reverence for the royal family.
Ryan: Oh! I heard that we shouldn’t make a joke or insult his majesty the king and royal family members.
Rawinporn: Exactly! Okay, let’s move on to the next question. This question is about travel. The following are popular tourist sites in Thailand. Which one is not located in Bangkok?
Koh Samui (Samui Island)
Temple of the Emerald Buddha
The Grand Palace.
Ryan: Does everyone know the answer? Let’s see. Temple of the Emerald Buddha is located in Central Bangkok within The Grand Palace area, so the answer must be Koh Samui.
Rawinporn: Correct! Koh Samui is not in Bangkok.
Ryan: Is Koh Samui situated in the southern part of Thailand?
Rawinporn: Yes, it is! You can go there by airplane which takes around 1 hour or by overnight bus or train. Have you ever been to Koh Samui before?
Ryan: I’ve been there once, many years ago. I’d like to go back someday.
Rawinporn: The beaches there are very beautiful. If you have a chance, please visit the southern part of Thailand.
Ryan: Okay. Now, we’ll move on to the economic question.
Rawinporn: Exports are Thailand’s key economic driver. What are the largest export products or services in terms of value compared to GDP?
Automatic data processing machines and parts and automobiles and parts with USA
Agriculture products and fisheries with Japan
Precious stones with China
Ryan: This is difficult.
Rawinporn: I know. The answer is A. Automatic data processing machines, automobiles and parts are the principal export products.
Ryan: And the United States is Thailand’s largest export market.
Rawinporn: Okay. Now, the next one is a true or false question.
Ryan: That’s sounds fun.
Rawinporn: Thailand’s main staple diet is rice. Is that true or false?
Ryan: This has to be true.
Rawinporn: Yes. “Rice” or khâao is the staple diet.
Ryan: So, khun Rawinporn, how often do you eat rice?
Rawinporn: Oh, I eat rice every day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Ryan: Rice for almost every meal?
Rawinporn: And not just regular plain white khâao. There are lots of different varieties and ways to prepare it.
Ryan: For example?
Rawinporn: Most people in Central and Southern Thailand eat “plain rice” or khâao-jâo with every meal, even breakfast. In the north and northeast, people eat “sticky rice” or khâao-nǐiao with their hands.
Ryan: How about noodles?
Rawinporn: Yes. Some people eat noodles for lunch. It’s so funny. Some say that noodles are not rice, so they don’t fill full after having noodles.
Ryan: Yes, I’ve heard about that before, actually.
Rawinporn: All right. That’s all for our quiz.
Ryan: We hope you had fun and that you learned something. You should try asking your friends and family these questions and see how they do.
Rawinporn: That sounds like a fun idea. You can teach other people what you’ve just learned about Thailand.
Ryan: And this is only the beginning of all the interesting things about Thailand that you will find out as you learn the language and experience the culture firsthand.
Rawinporn: Well, this is all for this lesson. See you next time!
Ryan: sà-wàt-dii khráp.
Rawinporn: sà-wàt-dii khâ.

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