Final Listening Test

1-What is Percy Schmeiser’s problem? /4
He is fighting Monsanto company because he got sued by them for not paying the use of their seeds while he never knew he was.

2-What is Roundup used for? /4
It is a weed killer.

3-How did the chemical company invent Roundup? /4
The product kills weed on the land without killing the crops that come from Monsanto's seed. It does for regular seed that are not from Monstanto.

4-What has Monsanto accused Schmeiser of doing? /4
The company accused Schmeiser of using their seeds without paying them (which requires to sign a contract with Monstanto).

5-Why are the farmers pissed off? /4
Because Monsanto wants to have too much control over the farms of others. The farmers are not as free as they used to be without the company's restrictions.

6-How did Monsanto initially learn about Schmeiser? /4
By finding some of their seeds on his land while they are inspecting it secretely, even if he was not on the list of the farmers that used Monsanto seeds.

7-Did the company respect its policy on dealing with the farmer? Yes or no. Give a reason. /4
Yes, once the farmers sign the contract, they are visited by an inspector who is analyzing the land.

8-What tactics did the company use with another farmer? /4
They sent an undercover inspector on Schmeiser's field and trespassed his property.

9-How did another farmer, Zilinski, get Monsanto’s DNA in his crops? /4
The wind blew Monsanto's seed that were used on another field to his own field.

10-How did the company treat Zilinski? /4
Monsanto told him and his wife that is was their choice to be sure that there is no Monsanto seeds mixed with the regular seeds used by Zilinski. But the only way to find out is by checking with a microscope so they had to pay a large amount of money.

11-What is Schmeiser’s next step? /4
He is going to fight against the company for the other farmers and his family.

12-The narrator ends the segment with this question: “But the real question is this, can Monsanto or anybody put a patent on a piece of nature?” What do you think? /6
I think that it is totally unfair for the farmers. It is killing the beauty of the nature by wanting to control it, which is not normal at all. Monsanto should not restrict every farms on their crops, just because of their products that only a few farmers are using. It is completely the opposite of what nature is all about: freedom.