Describing People/Things – A2 English Listening Exercise

1 Correct Answer: (B) He looks really strict.

• Explanation: Mark clearly says, “He looks really strict.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because Mr. Davis is friendly in reality, but his appearance (looks) made him seem strict.

2 Correct Answer: (A) He is friendly.

• Explanation: Mark uses the “Twist” technique here. He says, “Actually, he is quite friendly and smiled a lot.”
• The Trap: Option (B) is a trap. Emma says “I thought he would be angry,” which is just her guess based on his black suits, not his real personality.

3 Correct Answer: (C) He speaks too fast.

• Explanation: Mark states the real problem: “He just speaks incredibly fast!”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because Emma asks, “Does he give too much work?”, but Mark rejects this by saying, “No, not that.” Option (B) is a fact about his clothes, but it is not the “problem” they are discussing.

Emma: Hey Mark, have you met the new manager yet?

Mark: You mean Mr. Davis? Yes, I had a meeting with him this morning. He looks really strict.

Emma: I know! I saw him in the hallway. He always wears those dark black suits. I thought he would be angry all the time.

Mark: Actually, he is quite friendly and smiled a lot. But there is one small problem…

Emma: What is it? Does he give too much work?

Mark: No, not that. He just speaks incredibly fast! I had to ask him to repeat his instructions twice.

Emma: Oh, I see. I’ll remember to listen carefully when I talk to him later.

1 Correct Answer: (B) He is middle-aged and has a beard.

• Explanation: Sarah clearly describes the man: “This man looks middle-aged, and he has a thick dark beard.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap. Mr. Evans asks if it is the “young guy with short blonde hair” (Mr. Clark), but Sarah immediately says no. Option (C) is never mentioned.

2 Correct Answer: (B) A brown leather briefcase.

• Explanation: Sarah says, “But he is holding a brown leather briefcase.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is what Mr. Evans guessed because the client usually carries a black backpack, but he is not carrying it today. Option (C) mixes the color “black” (from the backpack) with the “briefcase” to confuse the listener.

3 Correct Answer: (C) Show the man to Mr. Evans’s office.

• Explanation: At the end, Mr. Evans tells Sarah, “Please send him into my office.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because the man is already waiting in the lobby, but the manager wants to see him now. Option (B) is a trap because “project files” are mentioned, but Sarah is not asked to give them to him.

Sarah: Mr. Evans, your ten o’clock appointment is here. He is waiting in the lobby right now.

Mr. Evans: Oh, is it Mr. Clark? The young guy with short blonde hair?

Sarah: No, I don’t think so. This man looks middle-aged, and he has a thick dark beard.

Mr. Evans: Ah, that must be our new client, Mr. Robinson. Did he bring the project files with him? He usually carries a large black backpack.

Sarah: I don’t see a backpack. But he is holding a brown leather briefcase.

Mr. Evans: Perfect. That’s him. Please send him into my office.

1 Correct Answer: (B) Plastic.

• Explanation: Leo corrects the security guard and says his pencil case is “made of plastic.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because Mr. Barnes asks if it is the “metal one,” but Leo says no. Option (C) is a common material for pencil cases but is not mentioned.

2 Correct Answer: (B) It is bright red with a picture.

• Explanation: Leo clearly describes it: “It’s bright red. And it has a picture of a superhero on the front.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because it describes the pencil case that the security guard is holding, not Leo’s.

3 Correct Answer: (C) In the art classroom.

• Explanation: Mr. Barnes says the art teacher picked it up and “took it to her classroom.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because the library is where Leo lost it, not where it is now. Option (B) is a trap because the guard checks the “lost and found box,” but Leo’s pencil case is not inside it.

Leo: Excuse me, Mr. Barnes. Has anyone found a pencil case? I lost mine in the library this morning.

Mr. Barnes: Let me check the lost and found box. Hmm… someone did bring one in. Is it this small, blue metal one?

Leo: No, that’s not it. Mine is a bit larger, and it’s made of plastic.

Mr. Barnes: Okay, plastic. What color is it?

Leo: It’s bright red. And it has a picture of a superhero on the front.

Mr. Barnes: Oh, wait! I remember now. The art teacher picked that one up earlier. She took it to her classroom.

Leo: Great! I will go talk to her right now. Thank you!

1 Correct Answer: (B) It has a bigger screen.

• Explanation: Alex clearly says, “The screen is much bigger now.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is the exact opposite of the truth. Option (C) is a trap because the audio mentions the phone’s thickness, but Alex says it is “thinner,” not thicker.

2 Correct Answer: (C) Black plastic.

• Explanation: Mia asks, “Does it still have that black plastic case?” and mentions that customers didn’t like it. Alex confirms they changed it.
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because it describes the new phone. Option (B) is a trap because “white” is mentioned as a planned color for the new phone.

3 Correct Answer: (C) Silver.

• Explanation: Alex says that in the end, they chose a “silver metal case.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is the color of the old phone. Option (B) “White” is the “Twist” – it was their first plan (“We planned to make it white at first”), but they rejected it.

Alex: Hey, Mia. Have you seen the new phone prototype yet?

Mia: Not yet. Is it exactly the same as the old model?

Alex: Well, not really. The screen is much bigger now, and the phone is definitely thinner.

Mia: Oh, that’s great! Does it still have that black plastic case? Customers really didn’t like that.

Alex: Actually, we changed it. We planned to make it white at first, but in the end, we chose a silver metal case. It looks very modern.

Mia: Wow, I can’t wait to see it. It sounds perfect!

1 Correct Answer: (B) A rhino.

• Explanation: After the teacher gives the first clues, Student 1 asks, “Is it a rhino?”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because “hippo” is guessed later by Student 2. Option (C) is a common animal but is never mentioned in the audio.

2 Correct Answer: (C) Grass and fruit.

• Explanation: The teacher uses a twist: “Some people think this animal loves to eat peanuts, but actually, it mostly eats grass and fruit.”
• The Trap: Option (A) is a trap because “peanuts” are mentioned, but the teacher says that is just what “some people think,” not what it actually eats. Option (B) is not mentioned.

3 Correct Answer: (C) The animal has a very long nose.

• Explanation: The teacher says, “Here is the biggest clue: It has a very long nose called a trunk…”
• The Trap: Option (A) and Option (B) are both true facts about the animal that the teacher mentions, but they are given at the beginning of the game, not as the final clue.

Teacher: Okay everyone, let’s play a guessing game! Listen carefully. This is a very large animal. It lives in Africa and Asia, and it has thick, gray skin.

Student 1: Is it a rhino?

Teacher: No, it isn’t a rhino! It is much bigger than a rhino. It also has big ears. Some people think this animal loves to eat peanuts, but actually, it mostly eats grass and fruit.

Student 2: A hippo!

Teacher: No, not a hippo. Here is the biggest clue: It has a very long nose called a trunk, and it uses it to drink water.

Student 3: I know! An elephant!

Teacher: Yes, that’s exactly right!