The history of coffee: listening answers and explanations
A student gives a presentation on the history of coffee and its economic and social importance. It moves from the Arab world and the Ottoman Empire, to coffee houses in Europe, to plantations in European colonies, and ends with the boom in production in the 19th century.
Ten gaps in strict order, following the dates. 31 comes in the Arab world section, 32-33 in Europe, 34-38 in the colonisation section, and 39-40 in the 19th century. Dates and place names (Constantinople, Brazil, Java, Britain) are your signposts.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the part yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
How to attack this block: This is a dense, fact-heavy talk, and several answers are abstract nouns (destruction, taxation, transportation) that the speaker may say in a different form. Check the grammar around each gap: 'the ... of every coffee house' needs a noun, 'social and ... changes' needs an adjective.
Question 31
Answer: destructionWhen the speaker explains that coffee houses were seen as dangerous
What did the ruler in Constantinople order for every coffee house in 1623?
this chance to share ideas and opinions was seen as something that was potentially dangerous … although after his death many new ones
Question says → You hear
the ruler ordered the ... of every coffee housepotentially dangerous … although after his death many new ones
Why: In the recording, the ruler ordered the destruction of all the coffee houses, though many new ones opened after his death. 'The ... of' needs a noun: destruction.
The trap: Writing the verb 'destroy' doesn't fit 'the ... of'. The note needs the noun.
Question 32
Answer: universitiesWhen the talk moves on to coffee arriving in Europe
Also accepted: university
What were coffee shops in Europe compared to?
and here too … to meet together outside … their own homes and to discuss the
Question says → You hear
Coffee shops were compared toto meet together outside … their own homes and to discuss
Why: In the recording, the speaker says European coffee houses were compared to universities, because people met there to discuss ideas and learn. The key accepts universities or university.
The trap: 'Homes' is mentioned, but as the place people left to meet in coffee houses.
Question 33
Answer: politicalStraight after the comparison, as the speaker sums up their effect
Besides social changes, what kind of changes did coffee houses play a part in?
their own homes and to discuss the … an enormous
Question says → You hear
They played an important partan enormous
Why: In the recording, coffee houses are said to have had an enormous effect on social life and on political change. The gap is an adjective that goes with 'social': political.
The trap: 'Economic' is the other word in the speaker's opening ('economic and social terms'), but it isn't what she says about European coffee houses here.
Question 34
Answer: portWhen the speaker says Europeans set up plantations in Indonesia and the Caribbean
Also accepted: ports
What were types of coffee often named after?
Europeans set up coffee plantations in Indonesia and the Caribbean … in different areas
Question says → You hear
European powers established coffee plantationsEuropeans set up coffee plantations in Indonesia and the Caribbean
Why: In the recording, the speaker explains that types of coffee were named after the port they were shipped from. The key accepts port or ports.
The trap: Country, area or plantation all fit the idea, but the word used is port.
Question 35
Answer: slavesWhen the speaker compares the labour systems in different colonies
Also accepted: slavery
What did coffee cultivation in Brazil and the Caribbean depend on?
workers there were almost all slaves. But this wasn't the same in all colonies
Question says → You hear
most cultivation depended onworkers there were almost all slaves
Why: The workers there were almost all slaves. The key accepts slaves or slavery.
The trap: 'Workers' is the word just before. It's too general: the point is that they were slaves.
Question 36
Answer: taxationStraight after 'But this wasn't the same in all colonies'
In Java, what was coffee used as a form of?
But this wasn't the same in all colonies: for example
Question says → You hear
In Java, coffee was used asBut this wasn't the same in all colonies: for example
Why: In the recording, the speaker's example is Java, where coffee was used as a form of taxation. 'A form of' needs a noun.
The trap: 'Payment' fits the meaning, but the speaker's word is taxation. Write the word you hear.
Question 37
Answer: sugarWhen the speaker says coffee production was closely linked to colonisation
What did coffee become almost as important as?
in ever-increasing quantities … production, which was grown under very similar conditions
Question says → You hear
Coffee became almost as important asproduction, which was grown under very similar conditions
Why: In the recording, coffee becomes almost as important as sugar, another crop grown under very similar conditions. The gap is sugar.
The trap: Tea comes next, but it's a drink that takes over from coffee in Britain, not a crop it rivals in the colonies.
Question 38
Answer: teaWhen the speaker says 'In Britain, however'
Which drink did British people move towards, unlike Americans?
In Britain, however, a new drink was introduced from China, and started to become popular, gradually taking over from coffee
Question says → You hear
The move towards the consumption of ... in BritainIn Britain, however, a new drink was introduced from China … gradually taking over from coffee
Why: The drink from China that took over from coffee in Britain is tea. In the recording, the speaker adds that this didn't happen in the USA.
The trap: Coffee is in the same sentence, but it's the drink being replaced. Don't write it.
Question 39
Answer: transportationWhen the speaker says 'during this century, production boomed'
What improvements caused coffee prices to drop in the 19th century?
But during this century, production boomed and coffee prices
Question says → You hear
Prices droppedcoffee prices … fall
Why: In the recording, prices fell because of improvements in transportation. 'Improvements in ...' needs a noun: transportation.
The trap: Production boomed, so 'production' looks like the cause. But the note asks about improvements, and those were in transportation.
Question 40
Answer: nightThe last point, about workers in Europe's new industries
When did coffee help industrial workers to work?
their work didn't stop when it got dark … So, the use of coffee as a stimulant became important
Question says → You hear
helped them to work attheir work didn't stop when it got dark
Why: Workers sometimes had to work through the night, and coffee as a stimulant helped. 'At ...' takes night.
The trap: Breakfast and the morning are mentioned, but as the time people used to drink it. The speaker says it wasn't just a morning drink any more.
Types of coffee were named after the port they were shipped from, not the country or the plantation. People who hear about colonies write 'country' or 'region', but the key word is port.
In Java, coffee was used as a form of taxation, a surprising detail that's easy to miss. 'A form of ...' needs a noun, so 'tax' or 'taxation' fits, but the key's word is taxation.
Production boomed in the 19th century, so 'production' is tempting. But the note asks why prices dropped: improvements in transportation.
Words from this recording worth keeping
documentary evidence(Coffee in the Arab world)
written records that prove something
physician(Coffee in the Arab world)
a doctor
cultivated(Coffee in the Arab world)
grown as a crop
potentially(Coffee houses)
possibly, in the future
monopoly(Coffee and colonisation)
complete control of a trade by one group
plantations(Coffee and colonisation)
large farms growing one crop
consumption(Coffee and colonisation)
the amount people eat or drink of something
stimulant(Coffee in the 19th century)
something that makes you more awake and active
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The full Cambridge 13 Test 4 listening paper with the real audio: all four parts, played once, marked the moment you finish. Already done it? Take it again and listen for the traps this page showed you.
Cambridge IELTS 13, Test 4, Listening Part 4. The recording, transcript and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts of the transcript only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full material, or sit the test on Langujet.
