Museum of Farming Life: listening answers and explanations
A guide welcomes a group of first-time visitors to the Museum of Farming Life. She explains the history of the building, how the university uses it, the entry fee and the cloakroom, then describes each area of the museum in the order you walk round it.
All from the guide, in order. 11-14 come in the introduction: the building's history, the university, the fee and the cloakroom. 'I'd like to tell you about the different areas of the museum' starts 15-20, and the six areas come in the same order as the list. Town and Country is described too, but it isn't a question.
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: Each question has all three options mentioned. Listen for the dates in 11, the 'apart from' in 12, and for 13-14 the difference between what's free, what's suggested and what's allowed.
Question 11
Answer: BWhen the guide says where you're standing
What was the building first used as?
constructed in 1880 as the home of a local businessman, Alfred Palmer, of the Palmer biscuit factory. It was later sold and became a hall of residence for students in 1911
Question says → You hear
originallyconstructed in 1880 as the home
Why: It was built as the home of a businessman, a private home: B.
The trap: The factory (A) was where Palmer made biscuits, not this building. The hall of residence (C) came 'later', in 1911.
Question 12
Answer: A'The museum's owned by the university'
What does the university use part of the building for?
You may see students going into the building for lessons, but it's not open to museum visitors
Question says → You hear
teaching roomsstudents going into the building for lessons
Why: Students go there for lessons, so the university uses it for teaching: A.
The trap: Offices (C) are the museum's own two rooms. The library (B) is a room that 'used to be' a library, so it isn't one now.
Question 13
Answer: A'Luckily, we've managed to keep entry to the museum free'
What does she say about paying to enter?
we've managed to keep entry to the museum free. … feel free to give whatever amount you consider appropriate.
Question says → You hear
Visitors decide whether or not they wish to payfeel free to give whatever amount you consider appropriate
Why: Entry is free, but there's a donation box and you can give what you think is right. Paying is your choice: A.
The trap: Special exhibitions are included in the free entry, so C is wrong. Children and students get activities free, not a discount (B).
Question 14
Answer: C'We do have a cloakroom'
What should visitors leave in the cloakroom?
You might be more comfortable not carrying around heavy rucksacks, though keep your coats and jackets on as it's quite cold in the museum garden today.
Question says → You hear
advised to leavemore comfortable not carrying around heavy rucksacks
Why: Rucksacks are bags, and she suggests not carrying them around: C.
The trap: Coats (B) are mentioned with bags at first, but then she says keep your coats on. Photography is allowed, so keep your cameras (A).
Matching (A-H)
Questions 15-20
How to attack this block: Six areas, eight statements, two left over. The guide walks you through the museum in order, and each area gets two or three sentences with one key point. Paraphrase does the work: film studies students for 'created by students', memory test for 'quiz', redeveloping for 'closed'.
Question 15
Answer: FFirst area, 'Just inside, and outside the main gallery'
What is said about Four Seasons?
It was designed especially for the museum by a group of young people on a film studies course
Question says → You hear
created by studentsyoung people on a film studies course
Why: The animation was made by young people on a film studies course, so students: F.
The trap: 'Children absolutely love it' might suggest children need watching (A), but nothing is said about supervision here.
Question 16
Answer: G'Leaving Town and Country, you enter Farmhouse Kitchen'
What is said about Farmhouse Kitchen?
And this morning, a specialist cheesemaker will be giving demonstrations of how it's produced.
Question says → You hear
An expert is here todaythis morning, a specialist cheesemaker
Why: A specialist is an expert, and 'this morning' means today: G.
The trap: 'The oldest collection' of equipment is the opposite of new things to see (B).
Question 17
Answer: E'To the left is a room called A Year on the Farm'
What is said about A Year on the Farm?
If you're feeling competitive, you can take our memory test in which you answer questions about things you've seen in the museum.
Question says → You hear
a quiz for visitorsour memory test in which you answer questions
Why: A test where you answer questions is a quiz: E.
The trap: School visits use the room 'sometimes', which doesn't make it only for school groups (D). The staircase to the right is a different route.
Question 18
Answer: A'The next area's called Wagon Walk'
What is said about Wagon Walk?
The carts are old and fragile, so we ask you to keep your children close to you and ensure they don't climb on the carts.
Question says → You hear
Parents must supervise their childrenkeep your children close to you and ensure they don't climb
Why: Keeping children close and stopping them climbing is supervising them: A.
The trap: 'From Wagon Walk, you can either…' lists several routes, which sounds like a one-way system (H), but it's the opposite: you choose where to go.
Question 19
Answer: CWhen she mentions the far corner of the garden
What is said about Bees are Magic?
we're redeveloping this area so you can't visit that at the moment.
Question says → You hear
It is closed todayyou can't visit that at the moment
Why: Being redeveloped and 'can't visit at the moment' means it's closed: C.
The trap: Redeveloping may suggest new things to see (B), but not yet. Honey in the shop is something you can still buy, not a feature of the area.
Question 20
Answer: BThe last area, 'Finally, there's The Pond'
What is said about The Pond?
There are baby ducks that are only a few days old, as well as tiny frogs.
Question says → You hear
There are new things to seebaby ducks that are only a few days old
Why: Ducks only a few days old are new things to see: B.
The trap: A is tempting because children are mentioned, but she says the pond is fenced and 'perfectly safe for children', so supervision isn't the point.
Factory, hall of residence and home all come in the same breath. The building was 'constructed in 1880 as the home' of a businessman. The factory was his business, and it became a hall of residence later.
Coats and bags are both mentioned when the cloakroom comes up, but then she says keep your coats on because it's cold. Only bags (rucksacks) are worth leaving.
The Pond is 'perfectly safe for children', which rules out A. The point is the baby ducks only a few days old: new things to see.
Words from this recording worth keeping
hall of residence(History of the building)
a building where university students live
extension(History of the building)
a new part added to a building
interior(The university)
the inside of a building
donation(Entrance fee)
money given freely to help an organisation
self-explanatory(Farmhouse Kitchen)
easy to understand without explanation
demonstrations(Farmhouse Kitchen)
showing people how something is done
fragile(Wagon Walk)
easily broken or damaged
redeveloping(Bees are Magic)
changing and rebuilding an area
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 18 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 18, Test 4, 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.
