Housework – A1 English Listening Exercise

1 (B) Mary

• Explanation: The teacher says, “Mary, can you clean the board?” and she agrees.
• Why the trap is wrong: Peter (A) is the other student, but his job is sweeping. Mr. Jones (C) is the teacher who gives the orders.

2 (C) S-W-E-E-P

• Explanation: The teacher spells the action for Peter: “S-W-E-E-P.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Board (A) and Clean (B) are words used in the script, but the teacher does not spell them.

3 (A) 4:15

• Explanation: The teacher tells the students to finish at 4:15.
• Why the trap is wrong: 4:50 (B) is a sound trap because “fifteen” and “fifty” sound very similar in English. 5:15 (C) is not mentioned.

Teacher: Okay, class. Listen to the duty for today. Mary and Peter, please stay after school.

Mary: Yes, Mr. Jones. What do I do?

Teacher: Mary, can you clean the board?

Mary: Clean the board? Yes, I can.

Teacher: Thank you. Peter, you need to sweep the floor. S-W-E-E-P.

Peter: Sweep the floor. Okay, no problem.

Teacher: Please finish everything at 4:15.

Peter: 4:15? Okay, see you then.

1 (B) B-R-O-O-M

• Explanation: Tom asks about the broom and spells the word: “B-R-O-O-M”.
• Why the trap is wrong: “Bucket” (A) and “Sink” (C) are important words in the conversation, but Tom does not spell them.

2 (C) Under the sink

• Explanation: The manager says, “The bucket is under the sink,” and confirms it twice.
• Why the trap is wrong: “In the corner” (A) is a trap because it is the location of the broom, not the bucket. “On the table” (B) is not mentioned.

3 (A) 9:15

• Explanation: The manager tells Tom to start at 9:15, and Tom repeats “9:15” to confirm.
• Why the trap is wrong: 9:50 (B) is a sound trap because “fifteen” and “fifty” sound very similar for A1 learners. 8:15 (C) uses the correct minutes but the wrong hour.

Manager: Hello, Tom. Welcome to the building. Let me show you the cleaning tools.

Tom: Thank you, Mr. Smith. Where is the broom? B-R-O-O-M.

Manager: The broom is in the corner.

Tom: In the corner. Okay. And where is the bucket?

Manager: The bucket is under the sink.

Tom: Under the sink?

Manager: Yes, under the sink. Please start your work at 9:15.

Tom: 9:15. I understand.

1 (C) C-U-P

• Explanation: Ms. Green says “Wash your coffee cup” and clearly spells “C-U-P”.
• Why the trap is wrong: “Rule” (A) and “Bin” (B) are words used in the conversation, but Ms. Green does not spell them.

2 (A) His coffee cup

• Explanation: The first rule is to “Wash your coffee cup.”
• Why the trap is wrong: “The green bin” (B) is mentioned for the trash, not for washing. “His lunch box” (C) is a common item in a breakroom but is not mentioned in the audio.

3 (B) In the green bin

• Explanation: Ms. Green tells David to put his trash in the green bin, and David repeats it to confirm.
• Why the trap is wrong: “In the blue bin” (A) is a direct trap. Ms. Green explicitly says “Not the blue bin.” “On the table” (C) is not mentioned.

Ms. Green: David, please look at the breakroom rules.

David: Oh, sorry Ms. Green. What are the rules?

Ms. Green: Rule number one: Wash your coffee cup. C-U-P.

David: Wash my cup. Okay.

Ms. Green: Rule number two: Put your trash in the green bin. Not the blue bin.

David: The green bin. I understand.

Ms. Green: Thank you, David.

David: You’re welcome.

1 (C) T-U-B-E-S

• Explanation: Mr. Clark asks Tom to wash the tubes and clearly spells the word: “T-U-B-E-S”.
• Why the trap is wrong: “Water” (A) and “Tables” (B) are words used in the audio, but Mr. Clark does not spell them.

2 (A) 15

• Explanation: Mr. Clark says there are 15 tubes. Tom repeats “15 tubes” to confirm.
• Why the trap is wrong: 50 (B) is a common sound trap because “fifteen” and “fifty” sound very similar. 5 (C) is the wrong number.

3 (B) Dry the tables

• Explanation: Mr. Clark asks Lisa: “can you dry the tables?” and she agrees.
• Why the trap is wrong: “Wash the tubes” (A) is Tom’s job, not Lisa’s job. “Clean the floor” (C) is a normal cleaning task but is not mentioned in the audio.

Mr. Clark: OK, class. Let’s clean the lab. Tom, please wash the glass tubes. T-U-B-E-S.

Tom: Wash the glass tubes. Yes, Mr. Clark. How many tubes?

Mr. Clark: There are 15. Wash them with water.

Tom: 15 tubes with water. OK.

Mr. Clark: Good. Lisa, can you dry the tables?

Lisa: Dry the tables?

Mr. Clark: Yes, dry the tables, please.

Lisa: No problem.

1 (B) Her bedroom

• Explanation: Sarah asks, “Do I need to clean my bedroom?” and the manager answers, “Yes. You must clean your bedroom.”
• Why the trap is wrong: “The hall” (A) is the trap. The hall is mentioned in the conversation, but Sarah does not clean it (the cleaner does). “The kitchen” (C) is a normal room in a dorm but is never mentioned.

2 (C) H-A-L-L

• Explanation: The manager repeats the word “hall” and clearly spells it: “H-A-L-L”.
• Why the trap is wrong: “Rule” (A) and “Monday” (B) are important words in the audio, but the manager does not spell them.

3 (A) On Monday

• Explanation: The manager says, “A cleaner will sweep the hall on Monday.” Sarah repeats “On Monday?” to confirm the day.
• Why the trap is wrong: “On Sunday” (B) is a trap because Sunday and Monday sound slightly similar and are consecutive days of the week, confusing A1 learners. “On Friday” (C) is not mentioned.

Manager: Welcome to the dorm, Sarah. Here are the cleaning rules.

Sarah: Okay. Do I need to clean my bedroom?

Manager: Yes. You must clean your bedroom.

Sarah: What about the hall outside?

Manager: The hall? H-A-L-L. You don’t clean it. A cleaner will sweep the hall on Monday.

Sarah: On Monday? Okay, I understand. Thank you.