Seminar on rock art: listening answers and explanations
A lecturer opens the first seminar before an archaeology field trip to Namibia. First she explains how scholars have misread rock art showing animal tracks, then she gives students rules for visiting rock art sites without damaging them.
All in order. Questions 31-35 come from the first half, on how rock art has been interpreted. Questions 36-40 come after she says she wants to make some important points about the fieldwork, and each sentence matches one rule.
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 notes follow the lecture's argument: the old explanation, three mysteries, the new explanation. The 'But' and the three questions in the notes match 'there were some mysteries' and 'two more problems', so use them to keep your place.
Question 31
Answer: AprilWhen she outlines the two parts of the seminar
When is the fieldwork trip?
in the second part I'm going to give you some do's and don'ts for our fieldwork trip in April
Question says → You hear
fieldwork trip to Namibia inour fieldwork trip in April
Why: The month comes right after 'fieldwork trip'. Capitalise April.
The trap: The gap is near 'Namibia' in the notes, but Namibia is already printed. Don't write the country again.
Question 32
Answer: childrenWhen she describes what 'most scholars used to think'
Who was the rock art meant to teach, according to the earliest explanation?
this rock art was like a school book with pictures to teach children about tracks
Question says → You hear
help ... learn about trackingto teach children about tracks
Why: 'Used to think' signals the old explanation, and the pictures were 'to teach children about tracks'. Teach becomes 'help ... learn' in the notes.
The trap: Hunters are mentioned later, in the newer explanation. Don't mix up the two theories.
Question 33
Answer: repeatedWhen she says 'But there were some mysteries. First...'
What is odd about the tracks in the pictures?
you see the tracks are repeated, there are dozens of tracks for the same animal.
Question says → You hear
Why are the tracks usuallythe tracks are repeated
Why: The first mystery: tracks appear again and again. 'The tracks are repeated' fits 'Why are the tracks usually ...?' word for word.
The trap: 'Dozens' is right next to it, but 'the tracks are usually dozens' isn't grammatical. 'Clear' comes after, about what you'd expect instead.
Question 34
Answer: humanWhen she says 'And another mystery'
What are some unrealistic animals partly like?
some of these unrealistic animals - that's in the engravings - seem to be half human. Some, for example, have got human faces.
Question says → You hear
sometimes halfseem to be half human
Why: The note copies 'half', so the gap is the next word: human. She backs it up with the human faces.
The trap: 'Faces' is said next, but 'half faces' doesn't make sense. The gap needs the adjective human.
Question 35
Answer: magicWhen she says what 'many researchers now think'
How did wise men try to control animals, in the newer explanation?
They believed they could use magic to control the animals they had drawn, so the hunters could then catch them for food.
Question says → You hear
trying to control wild animals withuse magic to control the animals
Why: 'Many researchers now think' is the more recent explanation, and the wise men used magic to control the animals.
The trap: 'Food' and 'hunters' come in the same sentence, but they're the result, not the method. The tool for control is magic.
Sentence completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 36-40
How to attack this block: Five rules for visiting sites, given in the same order as the sentences. The words are mostly said exactly, but watch word forms: 'touching' needs -ing, 'fires' can be singular or plural.
Question 36
Answer: distanceRight after she says damage by visitors is the biggest problem
How should you look at a site to reduce visitor pressure?
you can learn many things from observing at a distance instead of walking all over it. This can really help to reduce visitor pressure.
Question says → You hear
look at a site from aobserving at a distance
Why: Looking from a distance instead of walking over the site is what reduces visitor pressure. The gap follows 'a', so it's a singular noun.
The trap: Some write 'far' because it means the same, but it doesn't fit after 'from a'. Write the word you heard: distance.
Question 37
Answer: cultureWhen she gives 'some basic rules', starting with camping
Who might find camping on a site disrespectful?
never to camp on a site if you go on your own. It may be disrespectful to the people of that culture
Question says → You hear
disrespectful to people from thatdisrespectful to the people of that culture
Why: The sentence is almost word for word: 'people of that culture' becomes 'people from that ...'. The gap is culture.
The trap: Village is said just before, about where the group will camp. It's not who might be offended.
Question 38
Answer: fireStraight after the camping rule
Also accepted: fires
What might damage undiscovered material?
certainly don't make fires, however romantic it may seem. It's really dangerous in dry areas, and you can easily burn priceless undiscovered material by doing so.
Question says → You hear
Undiscovered material may be damaged byyou can easily burn priceless undiscovered material by doing so
Why: 'By doing so' points back to making fires. Burning is the damage, and the cause is fire (fires is also accepted).
The trap: 'Dry areas' is said in between, and some people write 'dryness'. It's the fire that burns the material.
Question 39
Answer: touchingWhen she asks how they're going to enjoy the rock art
Besides tracing, what should you avoid doing to rock art?
By looking at it, drawing it and photographing it - NEVER by touching it or even tracing it. Rock art is fragile and precious.
Question says → You hear
avoid ... or tracingNEVER by touching it or even tracing it
Why: 'NEVER' gives you 'avoid', and 'fragile' is in both. Tracing is printed, so the gap is touching, in the -ing form to match.
The trap: Drawing and photographing are said first, but they're what you should do. Climbing comes next, but it's a separate point.
Question 40
Answer: intactHer last rule, introduced with 'And lastly'
In what state should you leave the site?
please don't even move rocks or branches to take photographs you should leave the site intact
Question says → You hear
your aim is to leave the siteyou should leave the site intact
Why: The sentence copies 'leave the site', and the gap takes the next word: intact, meaning undamaged and unchanged.
The trap: Rocks and branches are what you shouldn't move. The gap describes the site's condition, so it needs an adjective.
'Dozens of tracks for the same animal' is the idea, but the one-word answer is the adjective she uses first: repeated.
Words from this recording worth keeping
fieldwork(Introduction)
research done in the real place, not in a classroom
contemporary(Introduction)
modern, of the present time
engravings(Types of rock art)
pictures cut into a hard surface
scholars(Earliest explanation)
academic experts
unintentional(Rules for visiting sites)
not done on purpose
disrespectful(Rules for visiting sites)
showing no respect
priceless(Rules for visiting sites)
too valuable to have a price
fragile(Rules for visiting sites)
easily broken or damaged
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The full Cambridge 7 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 7, 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.