Cambridge IELTS Book 17 Listening Test 2 Answers with Explanation /

Cambridge IELTS Book 17 Listening Test 1

Part - 1

Opportunities for voluntary work in Southoe village Library

Question No.	Answer (in bold)	Keywords in Question	What we hear in the audio (quotation)	Synonyms / Equivalent Words in Audio	Explanation
1	collecting	help with ... books	“... one thing you could do is get involved in collecting them ...”	help = get involved, books = them	"Collecting" is the correct answer because the speaker is asked to help with the books, and the exact task mentioned is collecting them.
2	records	keep ... of books up to date	“... help keep records up to date.”	keep ... of = records, up to date = updated	The question asks what is being kept up to date. The answer is "records", referring to the library’s documentation of books.
3	West	library is in the ... Room	“... the West Room. It’s on the left as you go in.”	Room = section/location of the building	"West" is the name of the room where the library is located. It directly answers the question.
4	transport	help by providing ...	“I could help with transport, if that’s of any use.”	help = provide assistance, providing = help with	"Transport" is the correct answer as it refers to helping elderly people get to the lunch club.
5	art	hobbies such as ...	“... particularly if there are any art groups.”	hobbies = groups of interest, art = type of hobby	"Art" is the only specific hobby mentioned in the audio, fitting the blank.
6	hospital	taking Mrs Carroll to ...	“She needs a lift to the hospital next week.”	taking ... to = lift, hospital = medical centre	"Hospital" is the correct destination, as clearly stated in the dialogue.
7	garden	work in the ...	“... if you could do some weeding in his garden, that would be wonderful.”	work = task, garden = outdoor area	The work to be done is gardening; hence "garden" is the correct word.
8	quiz	19 Oct event	“... on the 19th of October, we’re holding a quiz...”	event = holding, quiz = competition	"Quiz" is directly named as the event on October 19.
9	tickets	checking ...	“... having an extra person to check tickets at the door ...”	checking = verifying, tickets = entry passes	"Tickets" are checked at the door, matching the role the speaker is willing to do.
10	poster	designing the ...	“... the one thing we haven’t got yet is a poster.”	designing = making/creating, poster = promotional material	"Poster" is mentioned as the item that needs designing for the New Year’s Eve party.

Part-2

Oniton Hall

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

Questions 21–22 (Choose TWO letters A–E)

Which TWO things do the students agree they need to include in their review of Romeo and Juliet?

Q. No.	Answer	Keywords in the Question	Quotation from Audio	Synonyms/Equivalent Phrases	Explanation
21	D	personal reaction	"Part of that means talking about the emotional impact the performance had on us."	emotional impact = personal reaction	They both agree they should mention how the performance made them feel emotionally.
22	E	reference to scenes	"We should definitely mention how well the director handled important bits of the play – like when Romeo climbs onto Juliet’s balcony."	important bits of the play = reference to particular scenes	They specifically mention scenes like the balcony and fight scenes, showing the need to reference key parts.

Questions 23–27 (Match aspect of the production to opinions A–G)

Q. No.	Answer	Keywords in the Question	Quotation from Audio	Synonyms/Equivalent Phrases	Explanation
23	D	the set	"I think it was visually really stunning. I’d say that was probably the most memorable thing..."	most memorable = major strength	Both praised the set; Gemma called it stunning and Ed agreed.
24	C	the lighting	"I didn’t dislike it. It helped to change the mood..." / "That’s a good point."	helped to change the mood = created the right atmosphere	They agree it worked to create the right mood, even though Gemma found some scenes dim.
25	A	costume design	"I was a bit surprised by the contemporary dress... I had assumed it would be more conventional."	more conventional = more traditional	Both expected traditional costumes but were surprised by modern dress.
26	E	the music	"I thought the musicians were brilliant, but... the music didn’t have much impact in Acts 2 and 3." / "Yes – that was a shame."	didn’t have much impact = disappointing	Both agreed the music was underused and thus disappointing.
27	F	actors’ delivery	"They were speaking too fast." / "I thought it was because they weren’t speaking loudly enough."	disagree about why = different reasons for same issue	They both found a problem in delivery but for different reasons (speed vs. volume).

Question 28 (Choose A, B or C)

Why is Romeo and Juliet still relevant for young people?

Q. No.	Answer	Keywords in the Question	Quotation from Audio	Synonyms/Equivalent Phrases	Explanation
28	B	problems families experience	"There are always disagreements and tension between teenagers and their parents."	disagreements = problems; tension = conflict	They relate the play to modern family issues, especially parent-teen conflict.

Question 29 (Choose A, B or C)

How did they feel watching Romeo and Juliet in another language?

Q. No.	Answer	Keywords in the Question	Quotation from Audio	Synonyms/Equivalent Phrases	Explanation
29	C	watching in another language	"The ending was pretty powerful." / "That somehow intensified the emotion for me."	powerful, intensified = moving	They were emotionally affected by the ending, making the experience moving.

Question 30 (Choose A, B or C)

Why do Shakespeare’s plays have international appeal?

Q. No.	Answer	Keywords in the Question	Quotation from Audio	Synonyms/Equivalent Phrases	Explanation
30	C	international appeal	"They can also be understood on different levels."	interpreted in many ways = understood on different levels	The plays offer deep themes and flexibility in interpretation, appealing globally.

Part - 4

The impact of digital technology on the Icelandic language:

Question No.	Answer (bold)	Keywords of the Question	Quotation from Audio (Exact Sentence)	Synonyms/Equivalent Words	Explanation
31	321,000	approximately … speakers	"…the Icelandic language, which is spoken by around 321,000 people…"	approximately = around	The number given directly in the audio matches the answer exactly.
32	vocabulary	has a … that is still growing	"…the vocabulary of Icelandic is continually increasing…"	growing = increasing	"Vocabulary" fits as it's the thing that grows; answer matches exactly.
33	podcast	words for computer-based concepts like web browser and …	"…then there’s an Icelandic word for podcast – which is too hard to pronounce!"	concept = word, podcast = example	The audio mentions "podcast" directly as another digital concept word.
34	smartphones	big users of digital technology like …	"…young people use them all the time to read books…listen to music…" (referring to smartphones)	digital technology = smartphones	Smartphones are the tech used most frequently by young speakers.
35	bilingual	becoming … very quickly	"…it promotes their bilingual skills… it's all happening really fast."	quickly = fast, bilingual = two languages	The answer is "bilingual" and is linked to how fast they are adopting English.
36	playground	discussions in English in the …	"…playground conversations in Icelandic secondary schools can be conducted entirely in English…"	discussions = conversations	"Playground" is directly stated in the audio and matches the context.
37	picture	identify content of a …	"…find it easier to say what is in a picture using English, rather than Icelandic."	content = what is in, picture = visual item	“Picture” is the item the children describe more easily in English.
38	grammar	complicated … of the language	"…the grammar, which is significantly more complex than in most languages."	complicated = complex	"Grammar" is what makes Icelandic difficult, clearly stated in the audio.
39	identity	lose their … as Icelanders	"…will young Icelanders lose their sense of their own identity?"	lose identity = forget culture	The concern about identity loss is expressed directly in the audio.
40	fluent	not being … in either language	"…neither of which they are fully fluent in…"	fluent = fully capable in language	The answer “fluent” reflects children not being fully skilled in either language.