Question

Analyze the following extract from a cross-examination in a sexual assault trial. The plaintiff and the defendant had known each other professionally before the incident.

In the following extract, the defense attorney (A) is questioning the victim/witness (W). Write an analysis of the extract by answering the following questions:

• In lines 13 and 17, what types of questions does the attorney ask?
• In lines 15 and 19, why do you think the witness says "I don't remember"? How does this response benefit her?

1          A:         now (.) you received uh (0.8) a number of phone ca:lls from the defendant.

2                      (1.2)

3          W:       ye:s.

4                      (0.8)

5          A:         An’ you g::ave the defendant your telephone number didn’t you?

6                      (0.2)

7          W:       well that was for work emergencies.

8                      (0.6)

9          A:         but after you realized he wasn’t calling for wo:rk, you still kept talking to him, correct?

10                    (1.3)

11        W:       yes.

12                    (0.8)

13        A:         and were those short calls or lo:nger calls.

14                    (1.2)

15        W:       I don’t remember.

16                    (0.4)

17        A:         were they longer than five minutes?

18                    (1.4)

19        W:       I don’t remember.

Answer 1