Cambridge IELTS Book 17 Listening Test 1 Answers with Explanation /

Cambridge IELTS Book 17 Listening Test 1

Part - 1

Buckworth Conservation Group

Question No.	Answer (Bold)	Keywords in the Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Answer Sentence)	Synonyms / Equivalent Expressions in Audio	Explanation / Why Correct (Why Others Wrong)
1	litter	beach, not have	"trying to keep the beach free of litter"	free of → not have; litter → waste/trash	"Litter" is what they aim to clear from the beach. It refers to rubbish, matching the idea of keeping the beach clean.
2	dogs	no, beach	"dogs are banned from the beach itself"	no → banned; dogs → same	The answer is “dogs” because the speaker explicitly says they’re banned from the beach.
3	insects	attract, to the place	"we’re going to work on encouraging insects"	attract → encourage; place → reserve	"Insects" are what they’re trying to attract to improve biodiversity.
4	butterflies	identifying, types	"identify the different species of butterflies"	identifying types → species; butterflies → same	"Butterflies" are the specific types being identified. It matches the activity mentioned.
5	wall	building a new	"replacing the wall on the southern side"	building → replacing (in this case); wall → same	“Wall” is being rebuilt, so this fits with “building a new” structure.
6	island	reach the…, walk across sands	"walk to the island without getting wet"	reach → walk to; sands → beach	They walk across the sands to the island, so “island” is what they reach.
7	boots	wear, appropriate	"make sure your boots are waterproof"	appropriate → waterproof; wear → same	"Boots" are the item to wear. Mention of waterproofing makes it contextually appropriate.
8	beginners	suitable for, participate	"OK for beginners to take part?" – "Definitely."	suitable → OK; participate → take part	Beginners are explicitly mentioned as being allowed to join the woodwork session.
9	spoons	making … out of wood	"You’ll be starting with wooden spoons"	making → starting with; wood → wooden	They’ll be making wooden spoons, which is clearly stated.
10	35	cost of session (no camping)	"There’s a charge of £35, including lunch"	cost → charge; session → same	£35 is the cost without camping. £40 is for camping, so 35 is the correct option here.

Part-2

Boat Trip Round Tasmania

Question No.	Answer (in bold)	Keywords of the Question	What We Hear in the Audio	Synonyms/Equivalent Words	Explanation
11	A	maximum number, each side	“...if there are more than nine people on either side...”	maximum = more than, each side = either side	A is correct because 9 is the maximum per side. Option B (15) is total capacity, and C (18) includes staff and passengers together.
12	C	colour, tour boats	“...light-green exterior...”	colour = exterior appearance	C is correct because the boats have a light green exterior. Option A is about the seats (dark red), and B refers to the old colour (jet black).
13	B	doesn’t eat meat or fish	“Lunchbox 2 contains a cheddar cheese roll...”	doesn’t eat meat or fish = vegetarian	B is correct as Lunchbox 2 has cheese only, while 1 has ham, and 3 has eggs and tuna (fish).
14	B	litter	“...Jess, myself or Ray... will collect it from you...”	hand it = give it to someone = collect from you	B is correct as staff collect the litter. A is wrong (they don’t take it home), and C is wrong because no bins are mentioned.
15	A	why built	“...built in 1838 to protect sailors...”	why built = purpose of construction	A is correct because the reason (to protect from shipwrecks) is clearly stated.
16	D	who staffed it	“...mainly prison convicts... then ordinary families...”	who staffed = who worked there	D is correct; the speaker mentions the people who worked at the lighthouse. B and C were not mentioned.
17	B	creatures, come close	“...inhabited by fur seals... one pops up right in front...”	come close = swim up near the boat	B is correct as fur seals get very close.
18	C	creatures, come close	“...dolphins... approach... ride the waves beside us.”	come close = approach, beside us	C is correct as dolphins swim next to the boat. A (eagles) and E (penguins) stay away or are shy.
19	D	points about caves, explain	“...we’ll talk to you about what lies beyond...”	explain = talk to you about	D is correct as someone explains the inside of the caves.
20	E	points about caves, access	“...can only be approached by sea...”	cannot be reached on foot = only by sea	E is correct because the caves are not accessible on foot. A and B are false; the caves are not blocked or limited to large boats.

Part - 3

Work Experience for Veterinary Science Students

Q No.	Answer (in Bold)	Keywords of the Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Quotation)	Synonyms of Keywords / Equivalent Words in Audio	Explanation (Correct Answer & Why Others Are Wrong)
21	A	problem, arranging, work experience	“But finding the right sort of farm to apply to wasn’t easy.”	problem = hard; arranging = apply to/find; suitable = right sort	A is correct because both said it was hard to find a suitable farm. B is incorrect: only Tim had transport issues. C is incorrect: only Tim mentioned length of placement.
22	B	pleased, help, lamb, problem	“I was up most of one night helping a sheep deliver a lamb.”	help = deliver; problem = wasn’t straightforward	B is correct: Tim helped during a difficult birth. A is incorrect: broken leg lamb was not the main task. C is incorrect: no mention of lamb struggling to feed.
23	B	sheep, farm, reared for meat	“Mostly, yes. They’re quite big and solid.”	reared = bred; for meat = big and solid	B is correct: Diana confirmed they were mainly reared for meat. A is incorrect: she mentioned only one breed. C is incorrect: Tim, not Diana, mentioned wool.
24	A	supplements, chicken feed	“He didn’t give them as a matter of routine, just at times when… they particularly require them.”	only if needed = not routine	A is correct: supplements only used when necessary. B is incorrect: they said expensive ones aren’t always better. C is incorrect: no mention of limiting quantity at one time.
25	C	mistake, dairy cows	“I poured some milk from the wrong cow… so the whole lot had to be thrown away.”	mistake = got mixed up; storing = putting in container	C is correct: milk from treated cows was mixed and stored wrongly. A is incorrect: no mention of misidentifying cows. B is incorrect: not thrown accidentally, but due to wrong mix.
26	C	vets, farming, farmers	“Some of the stuff the vets do… he’d be quite capable of doing himself.”	jobs = stuff; could be done = capable	C is correct: both farmers said they could do some vet tasks. A is incorrect: they disagreed with vets failing. B is incorrect: no mention of changing vet training.

Opinions on Veterinary Science Modules (27–30):

Q No.	Answer (in Bold)	Module Name	What We Hear in the Audio (Quotation)	Synonyms / Equivalent Phrases	Explanation
27	A	Medical terminology	“I’d thought it’d be hard, but actually I found it all quite straightforward.”	easier than expected = straightforward	A is correct: Tim thought it would be hard but it wasn’t.
28	E	Diet and nutrition	“There’s such limited checking… I thought that was terrible.”	shocked = terrible	E is correct: Tim was shocked about lack of quality checks in pet food.
29	F	Animal disease	“Scientists don’t know much about the diseases…”	little is known = don’t know much	F is correct: Both were surprised how little is known about animal diseases.
30	C	Wildlife medication	“I thought I might write my dissertation on something connected with that.”	further study = dissertation	C is correct: Diana considered further research in wildlife medication.

Part - 4

Labyrinths

Question No.	Answer (in bold)	Keywords in the Question	What we hear in the audio (Answer-containing sentence in quotes)	Synonyms of Keywords / Equivalent Words in Audio	Explanation (Why this is the correct answer)
31	puzzle	Mazes are a type of…	"A maze is quite different as it is a kind of puzzle..."	type = kind, maze = puzzle	‘Puzzle’ is the word used to define what a maze is. Other options would not match the direct definition.
32	logic	… is needed to navigate	"… before using logic to work out the pattern..."	needed = used, navigate = find your way	'Logic' is the mental process needed to navigate a maze, mentioned explicitly.
33	confusion	feeling of…	"… the word ‘maze’ is believed to come from a word meaning a state of confusion."	feeling = state	The word ‘confusion’ is directly tied to the meaning of ‘maze’.
34	meditation	used in … and prayer	"… have been used as a meditation and prayer tool..."	used = served as, prayer = same	‘Meditation’ is paired with ‘prayer’ in the audio as the purpose of labyrinths.
35	stone	carvings on …	"… have been found carved into stone..."	carvings = carved, on = into	Stone is the material explicitly mentioned.
36	coins	symbol on …	"… the labyrinth spiral was used on coins…"	used on = symbol on	Coins are clearly stated as an early use of the labyrinth pattern.
37	tree	big … at its centre	"… used to have a big tree in the middle of it."	centre = middle	'Tree' is the physical object mentioned at the center of the labyrinth.
38	breathing	reduce … rate	"… include slower breathing and a restored sense of balance..."	reduce = slower, rate = same	The reduction mentioned is in breathing rate.
39	paper	made from …	"… a paper ‘finger labyrinth’ brought to their bed."	made from = paper	Paper is the material used to make the finger labyrinth.
40	anxiety	experience less …	"… relief from anxiety for Alzheimer’s patients."	experience less = relief from	Anxiety is the condition that was reduced, as proven by a study.