Extended Family – A1 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
A teenager is talking to a security guard because they cannot find their little cousin in the supermarket. Listen to the conversation between a teenager and a security guard. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 Who is lost in the supermarket?
(A) The teenager’s brother
(B) The teenager’s cousin
(C) The teenager’s nephew
2 How old is the little boy?
(A) 7
(B) 11
(C) 17
3 What color is the boy’s T-shirt?
(A) Blue
(B) Red
(C) Green
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B (The teenager’s cousin)
- Explanation: The teenager clearly says, “I cannot find my little cousin.” Option A (brother) and Option C (nephew) are other male family members used as traps to test if the listener caught the exact vocabulary word.
2 Correct Answer: A (7)
- Explanation: The guard asks, “Is he eleven?” (Option B is the trap). The teenager says, “No, he is not eleven. He is seven years old.” Option C (17) is a phonetic trap because “seven” and “seventeen” can sound similar to A1 beginners.
3 Correct Answer: B (Red)
- Explanation: The guard asks, “Is he wearing a blue T-shirt?” (Option A is the trap). The teenager answers, “No, he is wearing a red T-shirt,” and spells the word R-E-D. The boy is wearing blue jeans, not a blue T-shirt. Option C (Green) is a plausible color but is never mentioned.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Teenager: Excuse me. Can you help me? I cannot find my little cousin.
Guard: Oh, no. Don’t worry. What is his name?
Teenager: His name is Leo.
Guard: Okay. How old is Leo? Is he eleven?
Teenager: No, he is not eleven. He is seven years old. Seven.
Guard: I see. What is he wearing? Is he wearing a blue T-shirt?
Teenager: No, he is wearing a red T-shirt. And blue jeans.
Guard: A red T-shirt and blue jeans. Okay, let’s go find him.
Listening 2
Two cousins are writing a birthday card for their uncle. Listen to the conversation between two cousins. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 Who is the birthday card for?
(A) Cousin Sam
(B) Uncle Tom
(C) Uncle Tim
2 What are the cousins doing?
(A) Writing a card
(B) Buying a cake
(C) Reading a book
3 How old is the uncle today?
(A) 15
(B) 50
(C) 55
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B (Uncle Tom)
- Explanation: Alex says clearly, “I am writing the birthday card for Uncle Tom,” and Sam spells the name T-O-M. Option A (Cousin Sam) is a trap because Sam is the person Alex is talking to, not the birthday person. Option C (Uncle Tim) is a phonetic trap for the name Tom.
2 Correct Answer: A (Writing a card)
- Explanation: Alex says, “I am writing the birthday card…” Option B (Buying a cake) is a common birthday activity, but it is not mentioned in the audio. Option C (Reading a book) is never mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: C (55)
- Explanation: Alex asks if the uncle is “50” (Option B is the first trap). Sam says no, and corrects it to “55”, repeating “Five-five”. Alex then asks “Not 15, right?” (Option A is the second trap), and Sam confirms “He is 55 today.”
AUDIO SCRIPT
Alex: Sam, I am writing the birthday card for Uncle Tom.
Sam: Oh, great. Happy birthday to Uncle Tom! T-O-M.
Alex: Yes. But how old is he today? Is he 50 years old?
Sam: No, he is not 50. He is 55. Five-five.
Alex: 55? Not 15, right?
Sam: No! 15 is too young. He is 55 today.
Alex: Okay, 55. Thank you, Sam.
Listening 3
An uncle is calling his nephew to say he will be late for their movie. Listen to the phone call between a boy and his uncle. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 Where are they going to meet?
(A) At the cinema
(B) In the car
(C) At the park
2 What is the name of the cinema?
(A) Start
(B) Star
(C) Sun
3 What time will Uncle Mark meet Leo?
(A) 7:00
(B) 7:13
(C) 7:30
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: A (At the cinema)
- Explanation: Leo asks, “Are you at the Star Cinema?” because that is where they are going to meet for a movie. Option B (In the car) is a trap because Uncle Mark is in his car right now, driving. Option C (At the park) is never mentioned.
2 Correct Answer: B (Star)
- Explanation: Leo clearly spells the name of the cinema: S-T-A-R. Option A (Start) is a phonetic trap because it sounds very similar and starts with the same letters. Option C (Sun) is a plausible short name but is not mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: C (7:30)
- Explanation: Leo says the movie is at “7 o’clock” (Option A is the trap). However, Uncle Mark says he is late and will meet at “7:30. Seven thirty.” He also explicitly says “Not seven.” Option B (7:13) is a phonetic trap because “thirteen” and “thirty” can sound confusing for A1 learners.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Leo: Hello, Uncle Mark! Are you at the Star Cinema? S-T-A-R.
Uncle Mark: Hi, Leo. No, I am not. I am in my car. The traffic is very bad. I am late.
Leo: Oh no. The movie is at 7 o’clock. Seven.
Uncle Mark: I know. But I can meet you at 7:30. Seven thirty. Not seven.
Leo: 7:30? Okay.
Uncle Mark: Yes, see you at 7:30. Sorry, Leo!
Listening 4
A little boy spills his drink and talks to his aunt. Listen to the conversation between a little boy and his aunt. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 Who is Leo talking to?
(A) His mother
(B) His aunt
(C) His grandmother
2 What kind of juice is on the table?
(A) Orange juice
(B) Apple juice
(C) Grape juice
3 What does Aunt Mary ask Leo to get?
(A) A towel
(B) A toy
(C) A table
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B (His aunt)
- Explanation: Leo says, “Aunt Mary, I am sorry.” Option A (mother) and Option C (grandmother) are other female family members used as traps.
2 Correct Answer: B (Apple juice)
- Explanation: Aunt Mary asks, “Is it the orange juice?” (Option A is the trap). Leo says, “No, it is the apple juice,” and spells A-P-P-L-E. Option C (Grape juice) is a plausible fruit juice but is never mentioned.
3 Correct Answer: A (A towel)
- Explanation: Aunt Mary says, “Please get a towel,” and spells it T-O-W-E-L. Option C (A table) is a trap because the table is what they need to clean, not what Leo needs to get. Option B (A toy) is just a random word.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Leo: Oh no! Aunt Mary, I am sorry.
Aunt Mary: What is wrong, Leo?
Leo: I spilled my juice on the table.
Aunt Mary: Oh. Is it the orange juice?
Leo: No, it is the apple juice. I am very sorry.
Aunt Mary: That is okay, Leo. Don’t worry. Please get a towel.
Leo: A towel. Okay, I have it.
Aunt Mary: Good. Now, let’s clean the table.
Listening 5
A boy is talking to his grandfather because he cannot find the house key. Listen to the conversation between a boy and his grandfather. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What is the boy looking for?
(A) A bag
(B) A key
(C) A kite
2 Where is the lost object?
(A) In the bag
(B) In the pocket
(C) On the table
3 What color is the table?
(A) White
(B) Black
(C) Brown
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 Correct Answer: B (A key)
- Explanation: Tom says, “I lost the key,” and the grandfather spells it out clearly: K-E-Y. Option A (A bag) is a trap because they mention a bag later. Option C (A kite) is a phonetic trap because “key” and “kite” start with the same letter and can sound confusing to beginners.
2 Correct Answer: C (On the table)
- Explanation: The grandfather tells Tom to look “on the table,” and Tom says, “Yes, here it is. On the table.” Option A (bag) and Option B (pocket) are traps because the grandfather asks about them, but Tom explicitly says, “it is not in my bag” and “not in my pocket.”
3 Correct Answer: A (White)
- Explanation: The grandfather describes the table as “The small white table.” Option B (Black) and Option C (Brown) are plausible colors for a table, but they are never mentioned in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Tom: Grandpa, I cannot open the door. I lost the key.
Grandfather: Oh no. You lost the key? K-E-Y?
Tom: Yes, I cannot find it.
Grandfather: Is it in your bag?
Tom: No, it is not in my bag. And it is not in my pocket.
Grandfather: Look on the table. The small white table.
Tom: Ah! Yes, here it is. On the table. Thank you, Grandpa!