Cambridge 17 Listening Test 2 - Answers With Explanation

1. "help with ___ books" needs an -ing form describing a library task; "collecting" fits gathering/returning books, with times to be arranged flexibly.

2. "keep ___ of books up to date" needs a plural noun for documentation; "records" is the library's book-tracking system that needs updating.

3. "the ___ Room" needs a compass-direction word naming the room; "West" is the specific room used within the village hall.

4. "help by providing ___" needs an uncountable noun naming a practical service; "transport" is a common way volunteers assist lunch-club attendees who can't travel independently.

5. "hobbies such as ___" needs a singular noun example of a hobby; "art" fits as a typical lunch-club activity.

6. "taking Mrs Carroll to ___" needs a singular noun naming a destination; "hospital" is the specific, time-sensitive need for the coming week.

7. "Work in the ___ at Mr Selsbury's house" needs a noun for a location at a private house; "garden" fits an outdoor maintenance task.

8. The table row for 19 October asks what kind of event it is; "quiz" is a common village-hall social activity.

9. "Help needed: checking ___" needs a plural noun for what's checked at an entry point; "tickets" fits an event on 18 November that needs door-checking.

10. "designing the ___" needs a singular noun for a promotional item; "poster" is the advance publicity needed for the 31 December event.

11. The answer, B (the house), identifies what successive owners altered over time, distinguishing it from the gardens or farm, both plausible but incorrect distractors.

12. The answer, C, reflects Sir Edward's motive as a patron of the arts, rather than political ambition (A) or ostentatious wealth display (B), both distractors.

13. The correct method, C (people in costume), is the "living history" approach used at the hall, rather than the more passive audio-guide or photograph options offered as distractors.

14. The answer, B (mini tractors), is the newly introduced children's attraction, while dressing-up clothes and the adventure playground are pre-existing features functioning as distractors.

15. The dairy is matched to D, "eating and drinking" — somewhat counter-intuitively, the building has been repurposed as a café/refreshment area rather than kept for watching milking, a plausible distractor.

16. The large barn is matched to C, "seeing old farming equipment" — a natural use for a spacious barn as a historical-equipment display.

17. The small barn is matched to G, "helping to look after animals" — a hands-on animal-care activity distinct from the large barn's static equipment display.

18. The stables are matched to A, "shopping" — the horse stables have been converted into a retail space, an example of a repurposed farm building.

19. The shed is matched to E, "starting a trip" — likely the departure point for a guided farm tour or ride.

20. The parkland is matched to F, "seeing rare breeds of animals" — open grazing land suited to displaying uncommon livestock breeds.

21–22. The agreed elements are D (a personal reaction) and E (a reference to particular scenes) — what a good review needs beyond mere description. Textual analysis, plot summary, and describing the theatre (A, B, C) are discussed but rejected as necessary components.

23. The set is matched to D — both students agree it was a major strength of the production.

24. The lighting is matched to C — both agree it successfully created the right atmosphere for the play.

25. The costume design is matched to A — both expected a more traditional, period style than what was actually used.

26. The music is matched to E — both students were disappointed by this aspect of the production.

27. The actors' delivery is matched to F — the students disagree about why this was an issue, even though both saw it as a problem.

28. The answer, B, ties the play's continued relevance to problems families experience, rather than general conflict (A) or relationship lessons (C), both plausible distractors.

29. The answer, C (moving), reflects an emotionally positive reaction despite the language barrier, rather than frustration (A) or the more neutral "demanding" (B).

30. The answer, C, credits the plays' openness to varied interpretation across cultures as the reason for their international appeal, rather than exciting plots (A) or recognisable characters (B).

31. "has approximately ___ speakers" requires a number; "321,000" is the specific population figure given for Icelandic speakers.

32. "has a ___ that is still growing" needs a singular noun for a language feature that expands; "vocabulary" fits, since new words keep being coined despite the small speaker base.

33. "such as web browser and ___" needs a singular noun paired as another tech concept with its own Icelandic term; "podcast" is the modern digital-media example given.

34. "big users of digital technology, such as ___" needs a plural noun naming a device; "smartphones" is the example device young Icelanders heavily use.

35. "are becoming ___ very quickly" needs an adjective describing language ability; "bilingual" describes young Icelanders' rapid adoption of English alongside Icelandic.

36. "in the ___ at school" needs a singular noun for a school location; "playground" is the informal setting where English-only conversations happen.

37. "identify the content of a ___ in English than Icelandic" needs a singular noun for a visual item; "picture" is the example used to illustrate stronger English association.

38. "how complicated its ___ is" needs a singular noun for a language feature deterring companies from localising content; "grammar" is the structural complexity cited as a barrier.

39. "lose their ___ as Icelanders" needs an uncountable noun for a sense of cultural belonging; "identity" is the government's concern about cultural erosion.

40. "not being ___ in either Icelandic or English" needs an adjective describing language proficiency; "fluent" describes the risk of children mastering neither language fully.