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IELTS Practice Listening: Choose Single Answer ID: #56972 Hard Cathedral
Instructions ›
Choose the correct option for the following.

Transcript:

You will hear a man talking on the radio about local food and restaurants in his town. Now listen carefully and answer the questions. John. Well, most of us buy our food in supermarkets these days, but we're very lucky having a wonderful market here. It was originally on the piece of land in front of the cathedral, but at the beginning of the 20th century, it was moved to a site by the river. When the new shopping centre was built in the 1960s, it found a home beneath the multi-storey car park, where it still is, but there are plans to move it back to its previous home by the river. The market is now open six days a week. On Tuesday to Saturday you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and cheese from the area, as well as a whole range of imported produce. But if you come on a Sunday, you'll find a different market, where craftspeople sell what they have made, things like bags, cards, clothes. During the week, there are a few stalls selling more everyday utensils, like saucepans and cleaning products alongside the fruit and vegetables, as well as one new stall selling antique furniture, which is proving to be very popular. People often ask what our local dish is. As we're by the sea, they expect it to be some kind of fish recipe. Our fish is good, of course, but there isn't one particular dish that stands out. What we do have is an apple cake that isn't really made anywhere else. There's a new cafe in the High Street, Barton's, which bakes them fresh every morning and serves them with delicious homemade ice cream in a choice of flavours. Now, the harbour is obviously the place to buy fresh fish. Every morning there's a stall where local fishermen sell a selection of the day's catch before the rest goes to London or abroad. They've been doing that for as long as anyone can remember, of course, but the harbour itself looks very different from a few years ago. Most of the restaurants used to be at the far end, but that part was redeveloped, and the restaurants had to relocate to the other end. Many of them are simply the old ones in new premises, But a couple of new ones have opened recently, so there's a good range now, both in the harbour and the town itself. I'm now going to give you my top six places to eat in different parts of the town.
1
The market is now situated
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.

Question Focus: Detail question - asks where the market is located now

Correct Answer: A

Why this is correct: The answer is under a car park because the speaker clearly says the market moved and is now beneath the multi-storey car park, and that it is still there now.

Passage Reference: When the new shopping centre was built in the 1960s, it found a home beneath the multi-storey car park, where it still is

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'beneath the multi-storey car park' = Option: 'under a car park'

Tips: Listen carefully for time words like originally, now, and plans to so you do not confuse past, present, and future.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • B: Students may choose this because the speaker mentions the cathedral. However, he says the market was there originally, not now. This is a context shift trap.
  • C: Students may pick this because the speaker talks about moving it back to the river. But this is only a future plan, not the current location. This is a sequence trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • beneath = under
  • multi-storey = with many levels

Question Focus: Detail question - asks what is sold on only one day

Correct Answer: C

Passage Reference: But if you come on a Sunday, you'll find a different market, where craftspeople sell what they have made, things like bags, cards, clothes.

Why this is correct: The answer is hand-made items because the speaker says that on a Sunday, craftspeople sell things they have made, like bags and clothes.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'craftspeople sell what they have made' = Option: 'hand-made items'

Tips: When you hear days of the week, pause and check which items match only one day.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • A: Students may choose this because antique furniture is mentioned. However, the speaker says this stall operates during the week, not one day only. This is a partial truth trap.
  • B: Students may pick this because local produce is mentioned. But it is sold Tuesday to Saturday, not just one day. This is a number trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • craftspeople = people who make things by hand

Question Focus: Main idea question - asks what the area is known for

Correct Answer: B

Passage Reference: What we do have is an apple cake that isn't really made anywhere else.

Why this is correct: The answer is a cake because the speaker says the town has an apple cake that is not really made anywhere else, showing it is special and well known.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'an apple cake that isn't really made anywhere else' = Option: 'a cake'

Tips: If the speaker says something is not special, do not choose it even if it sounds logical.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • A: Students may choose this because ice cream sounds attractive. However, it is only mentioned as something served with the cake, not what the area is known for. This is a distractor trap.
  • C: Students may pick this because the town is by the sea. But the speaker clearly says there is no particular fish dish that stands out. This is a negation trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • stands out = is special or famous

Question Focus: Detail question - asks about a change in the harbour

Correct Answer: B

Passage Reference: Most of the restaurants used to be at the far end, but that part was redeveloped, and the restaurants had to relocate to the other end.

Why this is correct: The answer is the restaurants have moved to a different part because the speaker explains they used to be in one area and then relocated to the other end.

Paraphrasing: Transcript: 'relocate to the other end' = Option: 'moved to a different part'

Tips: For change questions, listen for used to and now to spot what is different.

Why the other options are wrong:

  • A: Students may choose this because fishermen selling fish is mentioned. But the speaker says this has happened for as long as anyone can remember, so it is not a change. This is a context shift trap.
  • C: Students may think this because redevelopment sounds negative. However, the speaker says there is now a good range of restaurants, not fewer. This is a paraphrase trap.

Key Vocabulary:

  • relocate = move to a new place

General Tips:

  • Questions follow the order of the recording, so use the previous answer to predict when the next one is coming.
  • Listen for signpost words like but, however, and used to, which often signal the correct answer.
  • Be careful with places and times. Many wrong answers describe the past or the future, not now.
  • Do not choose answers based on real world logic. Only choose what the speaker clearly says.
  • The recording is played once only, so stay focused and keep moving forward if you miss something.

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