Listening Skills Flashcards
6 cards from real APTIS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Listening Skills flashcards as text
You hear a conversation between two colleagues discussing a project deadline. The man says he is 'snowed under' with work this week. What does this expression mean?
Answer: He is very busy and has too much to do
'Snowed under' is an idiomatic expression meaning to be overwhelmed with a large amount of work or tasks, making it difficult to cope.
In an APTIS listening task, you hear a radio programme about environmental issues. The presenter says local authorities 'should have acted sooner' on pollution. What does this tell you about the presenter's opinion?
Answer: The presenter thinks local authorities responded too late
The phrase 'should have acted sooner' expresses regret or criticism about a past action, indicating the presenter believes the response came too late.
You listen to a talk about healthy eating habits. The speaker mentions 'a balanced diet' several times. What is the speaker's main purpose in repeating this phrase?
Answer: To emphasise the importance of eating a variety of nutritious foods
Repeating a key phrase is a rhetorical strategy to reinforce the central message and help the audience remember the core idea.
During a listening task, you hear two people discussing a film. One person says, 'I wasn't that impressed, to be honest.' What is this person expressing?
Answer: Mild disappointment with the film
The phrase 'wasn't that impressed' combined with 'to be honest' signals a polite but candid expression of mild disappointment or underwhelming experience.
You hear an announcement at a train station: 'The 14:35 service to Manchester is running approximately twenty minutes behind schedule.' What should a passenger travelling to Manchester do?
Answer: Wait on the platform as the train will arrive about twenty minutes late
'Running behind schedule' means the train is delayed, and 'approximately twenty minutes' gives the estimated delay time, so passengers should wait.
In a listening extract, a woman says she has 'mixed feelings' about her new job. What does this suggest about her attitude?
Answer: She has both positive and negative feelings about the job
'Mixed feelings' is an expression meaning a combination of both positive and negative emotions or reactions about something.