School life – A2 English Listening Exercise

1 (B) The student book

• Explanation: The teacher corrects himself and says, “We are using the student book today. Please open your student book…”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (A) is “The Trap”. The teacher mentions “workbooks” first, but immediately says “wait, no, not your workbooks.” Option (C) is a plausible school item but is never mentioned.

2 (A) Exercises 1 and 2

• Explanation: The teacher gives the final instruction: “…just do exercises 1 and 2 instead.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (B) is “The Twist Trap”. The teacher says he “thought about giving you exercise 3, but it’s a bit too long.” So, exercise 3 is rejected. Option (C) is incorrect because exercise 1 is required, not exercise 3.

3 (C) On Monday morning

• Explanation: The teacher clearly states, “You need to hand them in on Monday morning…”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (B) is a trap. “Over the weekend” is the time the students have to finish the homework, not the time to hand it in. Option (A) is plausible (it might be Friday afternoon right now), but it is not the deadline.

Teacher: Alright class, before you go, let’s talk about your homework for the weekend. Please open your workbooks to page… wait, no, not your workbooks. We are using the student book today. Please open your student book to page 45. I want you to complete exercise 1. I also thought about giving you exercise 3, but it’s a bit too long. So, just do exercises 1 and 2 instead. Make sure you finish them over the weekend. You need to hand them in on Monday morning, right before our English lesson starts. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Students (in unison): Yes, Mr. Davis. Goodbye!

1 (B) Question number five

• Explanation: Leo clearly says, “It’s question number five.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (A) is “The Trap”. Ms. Green asks if he needs help with number four, but Leo rejects it by saying he finished it easily. Option (C) is a plausible number but is never mentioned in the audio.

2 (A) He subtracted the numbers.

• Explanation: Leo explains his mistake by saying, “I tried to subtract the numbers…”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (B) is what he should do, not what he did wrong. Option (C) is a plausible reason for getting a math problem wrong, but it is not mentioned in the conversation.

3 (C) Add the numbers together.

• Explanation: Ms. Green points out the symbol and says, “…you need to add the numbers together.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (B) is “The Rejected Option”. Ms. Green explicitly tells him “…not subtract them.” Option (A) is a plausible action in a classroom, but Ms. Green helps him directly instead of telling him to ask a friend.

Leo: Excuse me, Ms. Green? I’m sorry, but I don’t understand the math homework.

Ms. Green: That’s okay, Leo. Which part is difficult for you? Is it question number four?

Leo: No, I finished number four easily. It’s question number five. I tried to subtract the numbers, but I kept getting the wrong answer.

Ms. Green: Ah, let me see. Well, look at the symbol here carefully. For this problem, you need to add the numbers together, not subtract them.

Leo: Oh! I see my mistake now. Thank you, Ms. Green. I will try it again.

1 (B) Math

• Explanation: Mrs. Miller says clearly at the beginning, “I was a bit worried about his Math.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (A) is “The Trap”. Science is discussed a lot, but Toby is doing a “fantastic job” in it, so his mother doesn’t need to worry. Option (C) is a plausible school subject but is never mentioned in the audio.

2 (A) Writing

• Explanation: Mr. Evans says, “However, his writing needs some work,” which means he needs to improve it.
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (B) is “The Twist Trap”. English is mentioned, and his reading is “very good,” so he doesn’t need to improve it. Option (C) is a plausible language skill but is not mentioned.

3 (C) By helping him write stories.

• Explanation: Mrs. Miller suggests, “…maybe I can help him write a short story every weekend.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (B) is “The Trap”. Science experiments are mentioned, but Toby does them at school and he is already good at them. Option (A) is a plausible way to help a child with English, but it is not what she decides to do.

Mr. Evans: Hello, Mrs. Miller. Thank you for coming. Let’s talk about Toby’s progress.

Mrs. Miller: Yes, of course. How is he doing? Um, I was a bit worried about his Math.

Mr. Evans: Well, his Math is actually fine. But I want to talk about his Science and English. He is doing a fantastic job in Science. He really loves the experiments.

Mrs. Miller: Oh, that’s great! What about English?

Mr. Evans: His reading is very good. However, his writing needs some work. He often forgets basic grammar. He should practice writing more at home.

Mrs. Miller: I see. Well, maybe I can help him write a short story every weekend.

Mr. Evans: That’s a perfect idea.

1 (B) On Thursdays

• Explanation: Mr. Smith corrects himself and says, “This term, the Music Club meets on Thursdays.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (A) is “The Twist Trap”. Mr. Smith first says they meet on Wednesdays, but then he realizes that was the schedule for last term. Option (C) is a plausible day but is never mentioned.

2 (B) He had basketball practice at the same time.

• Explanation: When Alex thought the club met on Wednesdays, he said, “I have basketball practice on Wednesdays.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Options (A) and (C) are plausible reasons for a student to be worried about joining a club, but they are not mentioned in the audio.

3 (C) His name and email address

• Explanation: Mr. Smith tells Alex, “Just write your name and your email address on this paper, please.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Options (A) and (B) are “Plausible Traps”. While clubs often ask for phone numbers or class numbers, Mr. Smith specifically asks for his email address.

Alex: Excuse me, Mr. Smith. I’d like to join the Music Club. When do you usually meet?

Mr. Smith: Hi, Alex. We always meet on Wednesday afternoons in the music room.

Alex: Oh no… I have basketball practice on Wednesdays. I guess I can’t join then.

Mr. Smith: Oh, wait! I’m sorry, that was last term. This term, the Music Club meets on Thursdays.

Alex: Really? That’s perfect! Thursday is totally free for me.

Mr. Smith: Great. Just write your name and your email address on this paper, please.

Alex: Sure. Here you go.

1 (B) She has a dentist appointment.

• Explanation: Peter clearly states the reason for Anna’s absence: “She has a dentist appointment this morning.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (A) is “The Trap”. Mr. Brown asks, “Is she sick again?” but Peter rejects this by saying, “No, she isn’t sick.” Option (C) is a trap because missing the bus is David’s situation, not Anna’s.

2 (C) He will be late for class.

• Explanation: Peter says about David, “…he will be about ten minutes late.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (A) is “The Twist Trap”. Peter says, “I thought he was absent too, but…” meaning David is not absent, just late. Option (B) is a plausible reason for missing a bus, but it is never mentioned in the audio.

3 (A) Ten minutes

• Explanation: Peter says that David “will be about ten minutes late.”
• Why the traps are wrong: Option (B) is a “Number Trap”. The number 28 is mentioned earlier in the audio (“there are 28 students here”), so students who just listen for numbers might choose it. Option (C) is a plausible time frame but is not mentioned.

Mr. Brown: Good morning, everyone. Peter, as the class monitor, can you tell me who is missing today?

Peter: Good morning, Mr. Brown. Let me check… Well, there are 28 students here today. Anna is absent.

Mr. Brown: Oh? Is she sick again?

Peter: No, she isn’t sick. Her mother called the school earlier. She has a dentist appointment this morning.

Mr. Brown: I see. And what about David? I don’t see him at his desk.

Peter: I thought he was absent too, but he just sent me a text message. He missed the bus, so he will be about ten minutes late.

Mr. Brown: Alright, thank you, Peter. Let’s start the lesson.