A lecture on labyrinths. The speaker explains how they differ from mazes, traces the spiral design through ancient carvings, coins and turf labyrinths, and ends with their modern use for calm and healing in spas, prisons and hospitals.
Questions 31-40 · 10 marks · 1 question block
One ten-gap note block in order. The lecture follows the headings: mazes compared (31-34), early examples (35-36), walking labyrinths (37), labyrinths nowadays (38-40). 'In modern times', 'The earliest examples' and 'More recently' are the signposts.
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: One word only, so no articles or adjectives. Most answers are nouns said almost exactly as the note needs them, but a few need you to change the shape of the sentence in your head (logic, breathing). Use the headings to keep your place when the lecturer lists examples.
What kind of thing is a maze?
A maze is quite different as it is a kind of puzzle with an intricate network of paths.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'A kind of' is the paraphrase of 'a type of', so the gap is puzzle, singular.
The trap: Network is in the same sentence, but it describes the paths, not what a maze is.
What do you need to find your way through a maze?
Entering a maze usually involves getting lost a few times before using logic to work out the pattern
Question says → You hear
Why: You use logic to find your way to the centre and out again, so logic is what's needed to navigate.
The trap: Pattern comes straight after, but you work out the pattern with logic. The pattern isn't the tool you need.
What does the word 'maze' originally mean?
The word 'maze' is believed to come from a Scandinavian word for a state of confusion.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'A state of confusion' becomes 'a feeling of confusion'. One word: confusion.
The trap: Amazing comes next, but that's the English word that grew out of it, not the meaning.
What, besides prayer, have labyrinths been used for?
have been used as a meditation and prayer tool in many cultures over many centuries
Question says → You hear
Why: The note already has 'and prayer', so the word before it is meditation.
The trap: Calm is said just before ('a feeling of calm'), but it doesn't pair with prayer as a practice.
What were the earliest spirals carved into?
The earliest examples of the labyrinth spiral pattern have been found carved into stone
Question says → You hear
Why: The carvings were in stone. Stone is uncountable here, so no -s.
The trap: A list of places follows (Sardinia to Scandinavia, Arizona, India, Africa). They tell you where, not what the carvings are on.
Where did the Ancient Greeks put the spiral?
In Ancient Greece, the labyrinth spiral was used on coins around four thousand years ago.
Question says → You hear
Why: The note copies 'used ... on', so the gap is coins, plural.
The trap: Mosaics come next, but they belong to the Roman Empire, not Greece.
What used to stand in the middle of the biggest turf labyrinth?
the largest one at Saffron Walden, England, which used to have a large tree in the middle of it
Question says → You hear
Why: 'Used to have' becomes 'once had', 'large' becomes 'big', 'in the middle' becomes 'at its centre'. The gap is tree.
The trap: Turf and grass are said earlier, but those are what the labyrinths were cut into.
What rate can walking a labyrinth slow down?
which include slower breathing and a restored sense of balance and perspective
Question says → You hear
Why: Slower breathing means a lower breathing rate, so the gap is breathing.
The trap: Balance is the next benefit, but 'balance rate' doesn't make sense. Note that the notes say maze here, though the lecture is about labyrinths.
What are finger labyrinths made of?
In some hospitals, patients who can't walk can have a paper 'finger labyrinth' brought to their bed.
Question says → You hear
Why: 'A paper finger labyrinth' is one made from paper. The adjective in the lecture becomes a noun after 'made from'.
The trap: Bed is the last word you hear, but that's where it's brought, not what it's made of.
What did Alzheimer's patients feel less of?
walking a labyrinth provided 'short-term calming, relaxation, and relief from anxiety' for Alzheimer's patients
Question says → You hear
Why: Relief from anxiety means less anxiety. The other two words are things they got more of.
The trap: Stress appears earlier ('less stressful'), but that is about visitors, not Alzheimer's patients.
The lecturer says you use logic 'to work out the pattern', and pattern is the tempting word. The note asks what is needed to navigate, which is logic.
The lecture says 'slower breathing'. The note turns it round into reducing someone's breathing rate, so you have to hear breathing, not slower.
The study quote lists calming, relaxation and relief from anxiety. 'Less' in the note only fits anxiety.
The full Cambridge 17 Test 1 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 17, Test 1, 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.
