Early history of keeping clean: listening answers and explanations
A lecturer traces the history of cleanliness and soap, from prehistoric people rinsing their hands in water, through Babylon, Greece, Gaul and Rome, to the Middle Ages and the French chemists who turned soapmaking into a modern industry.
One note block, in strict time order, and each period in the notes is named in the talk: 'prehistoric times', 'ancient Babylon', 'The early Greeks', 'The ancient Germans and Gauls', 'Roman civilisation', 'the Middle Ages', then the dates 1791 and the early 19th century.
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: The place and period labels in the notes are your map, so you always know where you are. The talk is dense with materials (fat, ashes, oil, sand, pumice, clay), and most gaps sit beside two or three of them. Check exactly which one the note line is asking about.
Question 31
Answer: mudRight after 'The origins of cleanliness date back to prehistoric times'
What did prehistoric people use water to wash off?
the earliest people lived near water and knew something about its cleansing properties - at least that it rinsed mud off their hands
Question says → You hear
water was used to wash offit rinsed mud off their hands
Why: 'Rinsed ... off' is 'washed off', and what came off was mud.
The trap: Hands is the other noun, but the note asks what was washed off, not what was washed.
Question 32
Answer: clayWhen she moves to the excavation of ancient Babylon
What were the Babylonian cylinders made of?
Archaeologists discovered cylinders made of clay, with inscriptions on them saying that fats were boiled with ashes.
Question says → You hear
found in ... cylinderscylinders made of clay
Why: The cylinders were made of clay, so 'clay cylinders'. The noun works as an adjective here.
The trap: Fats and ashes are what the inscriptions describe. They're the soap ingredients, not the cylinders.
Question 33
Answer: metalWhen she describes how the early Greeks cleaned themselves
What was the Greek strigil made of?
scraped off the oil and dirt with a metal instrument known as a strigil
Question says → You hear
scraper made ofscraped off … with a metal instrument
Why: The strigil was 'a metal instrument' used to scrape, so a scraper made of metal.
The trap: Sand and pumice are what they cleaned with first, and that's already in the note as 'sand and other substances'.
Question 34
Answer: hairWhen she says the Germans and Gauls are credited with making soap
What did the Germans and Gauls colour with soap?
They used this mixture to tint their hair red.
Question says → You hear
colour theirtint their hair red
Why: 'Tint' means colour, and what they tinted was their hair.
The trap: Red is the colour, not the thing coloured. 'Colour their red' doesn't work.
Question 35
Answer: bathWhen she says 'As Roman civilisation advanced, so did bathing'
Also accepted: baths
Where did the aqueducts carry water to?
The first of the famous Roman baths, supplied with water from their aqueducts, was built about 312 BC.
Question says → You hear
water carried to Roman ... by aqueductsRoman baths, supplied with water from their aqueducts
Why: The baths were 'supplied with water from their aqueducts', so water went to the Roman baths. Bath and baths are both accepted.
The trap: Aqueducts is already in the note. The River Tiber comes earlier, in the legend about how soap got its name.
Question 36
Answer: diseaseAfter the fall of Rome, when she talks about filth and public health
Also accepted: diseases
What did the decline in bathing contribute to?
were major factors in the outbreaks of disease in the Middle Ages, and especially the Black Death of the 14th century
Question says → You hear
contributed to occurrence ofmajor factors in the outbreaks of disease
Why: 'Major factors in' matches 'contributed to', and 'outbreaks of' matches 'occurrence of'. The answer is disease (diseases is also accepted).
The trap: Filth is the cause, not the result. The Black Death is a specific example and two words.
Question 37
Answer: perfumeWhen she says soapmaking became an established craft in Europe
What started being added to soap in the Middle Ages?
Vegetable and animal oils were used with ashes of plants, along with perfume, apparently for the first time.
Question says → You hear
began to be addedapparently for the first time
Why: 'For the first time' tells you this was new, and the new ingredient was perfume.
The trap: Oils and ashes are listed first, but they had been used for centuries. Only perfume is new.
Question 38
Answer: saltWhen she mentions 1791 and the French chemist
What did Leblanc make soda ash from?
Nicholas Leblanc, patented a process for turning salt into soda ash, or sodium carbonate
Question says → You hear
a way of making soda ash froma process for turning salt into soda ash
Why: 'Turning salt into soda ash' means making soda ash from salt.
The trap: Sodium carbonate is just the chemical name for soda ash. Fat comes next, but that's what soda ash combines with.
Question 39
Answer: scienceWhen she says 'Modern soapmaking was born some 20 years later'
What did Chevreul turn soapmaking into?
His studies established the basis for both fat and soap chemistry, and soapmaking became a science.
Question says → You hear
turned soapmaking into asoapmaking became a science
Why: 'Became a science' is the result of his work. The gap follows 'a', so it needs a singular noun.
The trap: Chemistry is said in the same sentence and sounds right, but 'a chemistry' doesn't work. The word after 'became a' is science.
Question 40
Answer: taxWhen she says soap had been regarded as a luxury item
What was removed from soap in the 1800s?
a development that was reinforced when the high tax was removed. Soap was then something ordinary people could afford
Question says → You hear
no longer a ... on soapthe high tax was removed
Why: 'The high tax was removed' means there was no longer a tax on soap.
The trap: Luxury is the tempting word: soap stopped being a luxury. But 'a luxury on soap' doesn't make sense, and the thing removed was the tax.
Filth, unsanitary living conditions and the Black Death are all nearby. The note needs the general word for what occurred: disease. The Black Death is one example and is two words anyway.
Luxury and necessity come first. The change that made soap affordable was removing the high tax, so the note's 'no longer a ... on soap' is tax.
Words from this recording worth keeping
cleansing properties(Prehistoric times)
the qualities that make something able to clean
excavation(Ancient Babylon)
digging up an area to find ancient remains
inscriptions(Ancient Babylon)
words carved or written on a surface
aesthetic(Ancient Greece)
to do with beauty and appearance
unsanitary(Middle Ages)
dirty and likely to spread disease
trade secrets(Middle Ages)
methods a business keeps private from competitors
patented(1791: Leblanc)
got the legal right to be the only one using an invention
everyday necessity(1800s)
something people need in ordinary daily life
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 15 Test 3 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 15, Test 3, 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.
