Listening Comprehension Flashcards

A building manager announces over the intercom: 'The fire alarm test will take place on Thursday between 10 and 10:30 AM. You do not need to evacuate — please remain at your desks.' An employee hears the alarm at 10:15 AM Thursday and evacuates. What did the employee fail to do?

Answer: Follow the instruction to stay at their desk

The announcement clearly stated employees should remain at their desks during the scheduled alarm test, but the employee evacuated anyway.

You hear a conversation at a bus stop. Person A: 'This bus is always late in winter.' Person B: 'I wouldn't say always — sometimes it's right on time.' What is Person B doing in this exchange?

Answer: Gently correcting an overgeneralization

Person B challenges the absolute word 'always' by noting the bus is sometimes on time, correcting an overgeneralization.

A settlement service worker explains: 'The CLBPT is used to match newcomers to the right language training program — it's a placement tool, not a pass/fail test.' What does this tell you about the purpose of the CLBPT?

Answer: It places learners in appropriate classes based on their current level

The worker explicitly states the CLBPT is a placement tool to match newcomers to appropriate language training, not a pass/fail certification.

A news report states: 'The proposed budget cuts have drawn criticism from teachers' unions, parent groups, and several city councillors, while the school board chair defended the decision as fiscally necessary.' Which group supports the budget cuts?

Answer: The school board chair

The school board chair defended the budget cuts, while all other groups mentioned criticized them.

A nurse says to a patient: 'On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain right now, where 1 is no pain at all and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine?' The patient says 'around a 7.' What does this response indicate?

Answer: The patient is experiencing moderately severe pain

A 7 out of 10 indicates moderately severe pain — above the midpoint but not at the extreme end of the scale.

Two students discuss an assignment. Kenji says: 'I think I'll just paraphrase a few articles and hand it in.' Yara replies: 'Be careful — if you don't cite your sources, that counts as plagiarism.' What is Yara warning Kenji about?

Answer: Paraphrasing without attribution can be considered academic dishonesty

Yara warns that paraphrasing without citing sources is considered plagiarism, which is a form of academic dishonesty.

A radio interview guest says: 'I came to Canada not speaking a word of English. Ten years later, I'm teaching ESL myself — it just goes to show that with persistence and the right support, anyone can reach a high level of language proficiency.' What is the guest's main point?

Answer: Persistence and support are key factors in achieving language proficiency

The guest's personal story illustrates that persistence and proper support are what allowed them to achieve high language proficiency.