6 - Analysis of 4 Difficult Answers

Here are 4 of the more challenging questions and the tapescript of the listening. Read
the tapescript carefully and underline any information that indicates the answer:

Question 10
Two students are discussing their studies. What does the man think of their new teacher?
A He doesnt like her. B Hes generally unfavourable.
C He likes her. D Hes generally favourable.

The answer is D. This one is challenging even for native speakers, due to apparently conflicting
information. But D is definitely the best answer:
M: Shes really good at explaining things but she sets so much homework after every class. Theres no
way Ill have time to do what shes given us by Monday.
W: Yeah, but you knew that this course would be difficult when you signed up for it.
M: Of course but not this hard. Im thinking of dropping it. Really its the subject matter that I object to.
W: Why dont you talk to her and see if she can offer any advice?
M: Its a good idea. Shes really easy to talk to even though Im scared of how intelligent she is.

Question 15
Listen and find out what can you see in the Great Hall of a museum. (sic.)
In the Great Hall you can see
A the soldiers weapons. B the kings crown. C the kings uniform. D the
princesses jewellery.
The answer is D. Although its clearly stated, notice how the answer is hidden at the end of a long
sentence and a red herring is added afterwards:
including the uniform he wore in the great war of 1430. You can also see some of the weapons his
soldiers used. They are on display in the Oak Room, which is at the end of the Great Hall, where we have
a display of some of the jewellery he gave to the princesses. His crown, which is usually on display in the
Great Hall has been removed for cleaning

Question 17

You hear an architect talking about her latest project. Listen and decide what she is designing.
The architect is designing
A a retirement home. B a medical institution. C a holiday resort. D a military
centre.

The answer is B. She never gives the name of the place, but vocabulary clues infer the best answer:
Well my new project is quite a tricky one, not only because the building needs to be functional as well as
visually pleasing, but also because a diverse range of people will be using it every day. And to add to the
challenge I need to take unusual needs into consideration. For example: How will injured or disabled
people move around the building? How do we stop the transmission of disease from one section to the
other? But at the core of it all for me anyway is the main purpose of the place rest and recovery. And for
that I will be designing a building that offers tranquillity, comfort and healing to everyone who enters.
Question 24
What are the friends discussing?
The friends are discussing
A what was in the news. B financial redundancies C employment opportunities D a new
local project

The answer is A. The friends mention D, C and B, meaning they can only be describing the news. Only an
understanding of the full conversation content can reveal the right answer:
M: Did you watch television earlier on this evening?
F: No. Why do you ask?
M: In the news they said theres some sort of new project down the road from here. It looks like thousands
of jobs could be created.
F: Are they opening a new factory or what?
M: Well they havent announced the full details yet, but it seems as though a big foreign company is
launching a joint venture with a local firm.
F: Wow! Thats good news for people around here.
M: Thats right. Another thing they reported was that the national unemployment rate has gone up by 5%
compared to this time last year.
F: Yeah, a lot of jobs have been lost this year in the financial services industry

7 - Further Self-study Ideas

It can be difficult finding appropriate materials to practise for the Aptis Listening exam.
Here are two different exam tasks that will help you to improve your listening skills
before you take Aptis:

1) PET (Preliminary English Test) Listening Part 2

This is an easier exam (about B1 level). Part 2 is a long conversation or announcement
with 6 multiple choice questions. Here are two to try:

http://www.examenglish.com/PET/pet_listening_part2.htm
http://englishaula.com/en/pet-listening-part-2-exam-3-cambridge-preliminary-english-test-practice-tests-
exercise.html

Alternatively, Google the following and youll find the websites above and many more!