Cambridge IELTS Book 17 Listening Test 3 Answers with Explanation /

Cambridge IELTS Book 17 Listening Test 3

Part - 1

Advice on surfing holidays

Question No.	Answer (in bold)	Keywords in the Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Answer-Containing Sentence)	Synonyms/Equivalent Expressions	Explanation
1	family	surfing for … holidays	"I think it’s the kind of holiday all the family can enjoy together."	holidays = vacation, enjoy together = family-friendly	Surfing is described as suitable for all ages and family members.
2	fit	need to be quite …	"But it’s quite physically demanding… you need to be pretty fit."	physically demanding = requires fitness	Surfing needs physical ability; being fit helps learn faster and avoid fatigue.
3	hotels	Lahinch has some good quality …	"Yes – some very nice ones and there are also a few basic hostels and campsites."	good quality = nice, accommodation = hotels	Jack confirms there are very nice hotels in Lahinch.
4	Carrowniskey	good surf school at … beach	"There’s a good surf school at Carrowniskey beach."	surf school = surfing lessons center	Jack names Carrowniskey beach with a good surf school.
5	week	surf camp lasts for one …	"Three hours every day for a week."	lasts = duration, one = a	The surf camp duration is clearly stated as one week.
6	bay	explore the local … by kayak	"…rent some kayaks to have a look around the bay which is nearby."	explore = look around, by kayak = using a kayak	They explored the bay while the kids surfed.
7	September	best month to go	"September’s my favourite month because the water is warmer then."	best = favourite, to go = for surfing	Jack recommends September due to warmer water despite school conflicts.
8	19	average temperature in summer	"The average temperature is about 19 degrees."	average = approx., temperature = degrees	Temperature is clearly stated as 19 degrees in summer.
9	30	wetsuit and surfboard: … euros per day	"…about 30 euros for the hire of a wetsuit and board."	hire = rent, per day = daily rate	The daily rental cost for wetsuit and board is 30 euros.
10	boots	advisable to hire … for warmth	"And make sure you also get boots. They keep your feet warm…"	advisable = recommended, warmth = keep warm	Boots are advised for warmth and easier surfing.

Part-2

Question No.	Answer	Keywords in the Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Quoted)	Synonyms / Equivalent Expressions	Explanation
11	B	past owners, changes	"Almost all of them have left their mark, generally by adding new rooms, like the ballroom and conservatory, or by demolishing others."	changes = adding/demolishing, owners = them	The changes mentioned (adding/demolishing rooms) refer to the house. Gardens and farm are mentioned, but not changed by past owners.
12	C	Sir Edward Downes, build, reason	"hosted meeting of creative and literary people, like painters and poets."	a place for artists and writers = meeting of painters and poets	He wanted to build a place for creative people, not to show off wealth or talk politics (he escaped politics).
13	C	learn about servants	"you’ll see volunteers dressed up as nineteenth-century servants, going about their work."	people in costume = volunteers dressed up	Photos and audio guides are mentioned, but the new feature is live role-play.
14	B	new for children	"Our latest addition is child-sized tractors."	mini tractors = child-sized tractors	Clothes and playground existed before. The tractors are a new activity.
15	D	dairy	"now the place to go for lunch, or afternoon tea, or just a cup of coffee"	eating and drinking = lunch, tea, coffee	Dairy no longer processes milk but is now a café.
16	C	large barn	"in here is our collection of agricultural tools"	old farming equipment = agricultural tools	The large barn displays historical tools, not animals or food.
17	G	small barn	"you can groom the donkeys and horses"	help look after animals = groom donkeys and horses	Grooming is a form of caring for animals.
18	A	stables	"the place to go to buy gifts, books, our own jams and pickles"	shopping = buy gifts, jams, books	Stables now serve as a gift shop, not for animals.
19	E	shed	"you can climb into a horse-drawn carriage for a ... tour"	starting a trip = climb into carriage for a tour	The shed is where the carriage tours begin.
20	F	parkland	"You’ll see types of cattle and sheep that are hardly ever found on farms these days"	rare breeds = hardly ever found animals	Parkland houses rare animal breeds being preserved.

Part - 3

PART 3 – Holly’s Work Placement Tutorial

Q. No.	Answer (Bold)	Keywords of the Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Quotation)	Synonyms/Equivalent Expressions	Explanation
21	B	Orion Stadium, why chosen	“it’s the fresh air that attracts me – organising something indoors doesn’t have the same appeal”	outdoors = fresh air, indoors ≠ outdoors	Holly says she’s drawn to the placement because she prefers being outdoors; although she says it "might be fun," that isn’t her main reason. So, C is mentioned but not the actual reason.
22	A	aspect of safety, emphasised most	“your main priority will be not to lose anyone”	ensuring children stay = not to lose anyone	While other safety elements like equipment and obstacles are mentioned, Dr Green clearly states the main priority is keeping children within the boundary.
23	A	spectators	“And that’s not always easy, especially when a proud parent’s trying to get a snap of their child and you want them to move elsewhere”	hard to manage = not easy to control, get a snap = take photographs	Dr Green highlights the difficulty in managing spectators, especially parents. “Photographs” are mentioned, but not as a prohibited activity.
24	B	what affected the schedule	“I know that last year that caused a terrible delay” (about someone getting hurt)	affected schedule = caused a delay, injury = someone got hurt	Holly recalls that a past injury caused a serious delay. Bad weather is ruled out as they were always lucky, and extra time is discussed as a possibility but not something that’s affected the schedule previously.

Questions 25–30 – Events Management Skills

Q. No.	Answer (Bold)	Keywords of the Question	What We Hear in the Audio (Quotation)	Synonyms/Equivalent Expressions	Explanation
25	C	communication	“If you meet someone face-to-face and want to persuade them… I’ll dress up for that!”	smart appearance = dress up	Face-to-face interaction and impression are stressed, so looking smart is key.
26	A	organisation	“things won’t always go to plan… be prepared to make changes”	being flexible = prepared to make changes	Flexibility is essential in an unpredictable, people-based industry.
27	D	time management	“I know I’ve got to look calm even if I’m in a panic”	hiding emotions = look calm under pressure	Time management includes staying composed, even when overwhelmed.
28	B	creativity	“think of all the fine points… fill in all the gaps”	focusing on details = fine points	Creativity here is about detailed planning, not just big ideas.
29	F	leadership	“you have the ultimate responsibility… believe in what you think best”	trusting your own views = believe in what you think best	Leadership requires confidence in one’s own judgement, not just democratic decisions.
30	H	networking	“think ahead – remember what your ambitions are”	thinking of the future = think ahead, ambitions	Networking benefits future career growth, so keeping goals in mind is crucial.

Part - 4

Bird Migration Theory

Question No.	Answer (bold)	Keywords in the Question	Quoted Sentence from Audio	Synonyms/Equivalent Expressions	Explanation
31	mud	hibernated underwater or buried themselves in ___	"Another theory... was that they spend winter hidden in mud till the weather changed..."	buried themselves = hidden; hibernated = spend winter	The theory was that birds stayed hidden in mud during winter, which matches "buried themselves in mud."
32	feathers	redstarts experience the loss of ___	"He observed that... redstarts began to lose their feathers..."	loss = began to lose	Aristotle saw redstarts lose feathers and thought they became robins.
33	shape	had a similar ___	"...this pair of species are similar in shape..."	similar = alike	Aristotle thought redstarts turned into robins because of their similar shape.
34	moon	fly to the ___ in winter	"...claiming that birds migrate to the moon and back every year."	fly to = migrate to	Charles Morton believed birds migrated to the moon — an old, false theory.
35	neck	an African spear in its ___	"...a white stork... with a long spear in its neck..."	in = through; long = African spear	The stork was found with a spear in its neck — crucial evidence for migration.
36	evidence	no ___ that storks migrate	"...it was the first evidence that storks spend their winters in... Africa."	evidence = proof	The African spear in the stork was the first proof that storks migrate.
37	destinations	known about the ___ and journeys	"...little information was available about the actual destinations of particular species..."	known = information; journeys = travel routes	Before bird ringing, people didn’t know where birds went — their destinations.
38	oceans	across huge ___	"...could fly over vast oceans."	huge = vast	Small birds crossing oceans seemed impossible — hence the taxi bird theory.
39	recovery	called the ‘___’ of dead birds	"...relies upon what is known as 'recovery' – this is when ringed birds are found dead..."	recovery = finding birds	Bird ringing is based on recovering dead birds with rings to trace routes.
40	atlas	first ___ to show migration	"...an atlas was published showing where... European birds migrated to."	show = display; atlas = map	The atlas was the first printed work showing bird migration routes.