Nick, a guide at the Oniton Hall estate, introduces visitors to its history, its seventeenth-century owner and what there is to do. He then takes them round the farm buildings and the parkland, saying what each one is used for now.
Questions 11-14 follow his introduction in order: owners, Sir Edward Downes, servants, children. 'We'll also be going into the farm' starts 15-20, and the six places come in the printed order: dairy, large barn, small barn, stables, shed, parkland.
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: Nick mentions all three options in each question, then tells you which one actually fits. Listen for contrast words like 'although', 'instead' and 'latest', which separate what used to be from what is true now.
Question 11
Answer: BWhen Nick says the house has had a large number of owners
What did most past owners change?
Almost all of them have left their mark, generally by adding new rooms, like the ballroom and conservatory, or by demolishing others.
Question says → You hear
Many past owners made changesAlmost all of them have left their mark
Why: Adding rooms like the ballroom and conservatory and demolishing others are changes to the house: B.
The trap: The gardens (A) have been changed, but only by the current owner, who worked on the flower beds. The farm (C) 'looks much as it's always done'.
Question 12
Answer: CWhen Nick moves on to the seventeenth century
Why did Sir Edward Downes build the house?
He broke off contact with his former political allies, and hosted meetings of creative and literary people, like painters and poets.
Question says → You hear
a place for artists and writerscreative and literary people, like painters and poets
Why: He wanted to escape politics and host painters and poets, who are artists and writers: C.
The trap: Politics (A) is what he wanted to escape from. He was wealthy and had a big collection, but he built the house to suit it, not to show off his wealth (B).
Question 13
Answer: CWhen Nick talks about the dozens of servants
How can visitors find out about servants' work in the past?
Photographs of course don't give much of an idea, so instead, as you go round the house, you'll see volunteers dressed up as nineteenth-century servants
Question says → You hear
people in costumevolunteers dressed up as nineteenth-century servants
Why: Volunteers dressed up as servants are people in costume, and they explain their work: C.
The trap: The audio guide (A) is what they 'used to have', and it's been replaced. Photographs (B) are dismissed as not giving much of an idea.
Question 14
Answer: BWhen Nick notices the children in the group
What is the newest activity for children?
Our latest addition is child-sized tractors, that you can drive around the grounds.
Question says → You hear
new for childrenOur latest addition
mini tractorschild-sized tractors
Why: 'Latest addition' means the newest thing, and 'child-sized tractors' are mini tractors: B.
The trap: Dressing up and the adventure playground are listed first as things they already have. Only the tractors are called new.
Matching (A-H)
Questions 15-20
How to attack this block: Eight activities for six places, so two are never used. Many places mention their old use first (milk, tools, horses), so wait for what visitors can do there now. The place names are said clearly and in order.
Question 15
Answer: DThe first farm building, straight after the farm introduction
What can visitors do at the dairy?
It's now the place to go for lunch, or afternoon tea, or just a cup of coffee and a slice of homemade cake.
Question says → You hear
eating and drinkinglunch, or afternoon tea, or just a cup of coffee
Why: Lunch, tea, coffee and cake all mean eating and drinking: D.
The trap: B is the dairy's old job: 'until recently' milk was turned into cheese there. Nobody watches cows being milked now.
Question 16
Answer: CWhen Nick describes the big stone building that dominates the farm
What can visitors do in the large barn?
in here is our collection of agricultural tools. These were used in the past to plough the earth, sow seeds, make gates
Question says → You hear
old farming equipmentour collection of agricultural tools. These were used in the past
Why: A collection of tools 'used in the past' is old farming equipment on display: C.
The trap: H (using farming tools) is the distractor. The tools were used in the past; visitors just see them.
Question 17
Answer: GRight after the large barn, 'also made of stone'
What can visitors do in the small barn?
There's a small barn, also made of stone, where you can groom the donkeys and horses, to keep their coats clean.
Question says → You hear
look after animalsgroom the donkeys and horses, to keep their coats clean
Why: Grooming the donkeys and horses is helping to look after them: G.
The trap: Rare breeds (F) are animals too, but they're in the parkland, and you only see them.
Question 18
Answer: AWhen Nick says the horses no longer live there
What can visitors do in the stables?
The horses no longer live in the stables, which instead is the place to go to buy gifts, books, our own jams and pickles
Question says → You hear
shoppingthe place to go to buy gifts, books
Why: Buying gifts, books, jams and woollen goods is shopping: A.
The trap: Horses are mentioned first, but they 'no longer live' there, so it isn't about animals.
Question 19
Answer: EWhen Nick mentions 'the only brick building'
What can visitors do at the shed?
Outside the shed, which is the only brick building, you can climb into a horse-drawn carriage for a lovely, relaxing tour of the park and farm.
Question says → You hear
starting a tripclimb into a horse-drawn carriage for a lovely, relaxing tour
Why: You get into the carriage at the shed and go on a tour, so it's where a trip starts: E.
The trap: The carriages are 'well over a hundred years old', which may make you think of old equipment (C), but that's the large barn.
Question 20
Answer: FThe last place, after 'And finally'
What can visitors do in the parkland?
You'll see types of cattle and sheep that are hardly ever found on farms these days.
Question says → You hear
rare breedstypes of cattle and sheep that are hardly ever found on farms these days
Why: Animals 'hardly ever found on farms these days' are rare breeds: F. Nick adds they are helping to stop their numbers falling.
The trap: The lake and trees come first, but there's no activity linked to them in the box.
The dairy used to be where milk became cheese, which pulls you to B. 'Until recently' tells you that's over: it's now the café, so eating and drinking.
All three options come up. Photographs don't give much of an idea and the audio guide has been replaced, so it's the volunteers in costume.
Words from this recording worth keeping
estate(Introduction)
a large area of land with a big house, owned by one person or family
demolishing(The house)
knocking down a building
political allies(Sir Edward Downes)
people who supported him in politics
literary(Sir Edward Downes)
connected with writing and books
agricultural(The farm)
connected with farming
groom(Small barn)
brush and clean an animal's coat
horse-drawn carriage(The shed)
a vehicle pulled by horses
preserve(Parkland)
protect something so it continues to exist
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 17 Test 2 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 2, Listening Part 2. 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.
