CPE Listening Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In CPE Listening, what does 'listening for attitude' mean?
- Counting how many times a word is repeated
- Identifying the speaker's feelings, opinions, or emotional stance (Correct answer)
- Listening only to the first and last sentences
- Focusing on technical vocabulary
Correct answer: Identifying the speaker's feelings, opinions, or emotional stance
Listening for attitude involves detecting the speaker's emotional tone, opinions, and feelings expressed through intonation, word choice, and emphasis.
Question 2: What challenge do speakers in CPE Listening recordings typically present?
- They speak unusually slowly and clearly at all times
- They use natural speech features like hesitation, correction, and overlapping (Correct answer)
- They only use formal academic language
- They repeat every sentence twice for clarity
Correct answer: They use natural speech features like hesitation, correction, and overlapping
CPE audio recordings reflect authentic spoken English, including natural features like false starts, hesitations, and overlapping speech.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes 'inferring' in CPE Listening tasks?
- Writing down every word you hear
- Deducing meaning or intention not directly stated by the speaker (Correct answer)
- Translating the audio into your first language
- Identifying the speaker's nationality
Correct answer: Deducing meaning or intention not directly stated by the speaker
Inferring in listening means using contextual clues and tone to understand what a speaker implies or suggests beyond their literal words.
Question 4: What is the importance of 'pausing' during CPE Listening before and between recordings?
- To rest and reduce exam anxiety only
- To read questions and prepare listening focus before the audio plays (Correct answer)
- To check your answer sheet for spelling errors in other sections
- To adjust the volume of the recording equipment
Correct answer: To read questions and prepare listening focus before the audio plays
The preparation time before each recording allows candidates to read questions carefully and decide what specific information to listen for.
Question 5: In CPE Listening Part 4, why is it challenging to complete both matching tasks simultaneously?
- The audio plays only once with no repetition
- You must process two different categories of meaning from each speaker while listening (Correct answer)
- The speakers talk too quickly to understand
- The answer options are in a foreign language
Correct answer: You must process two different categories of meaning from each speaker while listening
Part 4 requires you to simultaneously identify both the speaker's main purpose and another specific aspect (e.g., feeling), demanding divided attention.
Question 6: What does 'prosody' mean in the context of spoken English at CPE level?
- The study of written poetry forms
- The patterns of stress, rhythm, and intonation in speech (Correct answer)
- The rules for forming plural nouns
- The use of formal vocabulary in presentations
Correct answer: The patterns of stress, rhythm, and intonation in speech
Prosody encompasses the musical qualities of speech — stress, rhythm, and intonation — which convey emphasis, emotion, and meaning.
CPE Listening Comprehension 2
In CPE Listening, what does 'listening for attitude' mean?