Appearance – A1 English Listening Exercise

1 Correct Answer: (B) Short hair

• Explanation: The announcer clearly states, “She has short hair.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) Long hair is a trap because the announcer mentions it but immediately rejects it (“Not long hair”). Option (C) Curly hair is a common hair type but is not mentioned in the audio.

2 Correct Answer: (C) A dress with flowers

• Explanation: The announcer says the girl is wearing “a dress with flowers.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) A white shirt is a trap. The word “white” is in the audio, but it describes her shoes (“white shoes”), not a shirt. Option (B) Blue jeans is not mentioned at all.

3 Correct Answer: (A) L-I-L-Y

• Explanation: The announcer spells the name out loud: “L-I-L-Y.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Options (B) L-Y-L-Y and (C) L-I-L-I are phonetic traps. They sound very similar when spoken quickly or if the listener is confused by the English pronunciation of the vowels “I” and “Y”.

Announcer: Attention shoppers. We have a lost little girl at the front desk. Her name is Lily. That is L-I-L-Y. She is five years old. She has short hair. Not long hair, short hair. She is wearing a dress with flowers and white shoes. If you are her parents, please come to the front desk.

1 Correct Answer: (B) 19

• Explanation: Kevin says clearly, “I am 19 years old.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (C) 90 is a trap because the pronunciation of “nineteen” and “ninety” can be confusing. Kevin even corrects this by saying, “Not 90, 19!” Option (A) 9 is not mentioned.

2 Correct Answer: (C) Brown

• Explanation: Kevin describes himself by saying, “I have short, brown hair.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (B) Black is a trap. He mentions the word “black” but says, “I do not have black hair.” Option (A) Blond is a common hair color but is never mentioned.

3 Correct Answer: (B) Big glasses

• Explanation: Kevin states at the end, “I wear big glasses.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) A hat is a trap because he mentions it but says, “I do not wear a hat.” Option (C) A watch is a plausible accessory but is not in the audio.

Exchange Student: Hello! My name is Kevin. That is K-E-V-I-N. I am very happy to meet you. I am 19 years old. Not 90, 19! Let me tell you about my appearance. I am very tall. I have short, brown hair. I do not have black hair. And I have green eyes. I do not wear a hat, but I wear big glasses. See you in the summer!

1 Correct Answer: (C) T-O-B-Y

• Explanation: The radio host spells the name clearly: “T-O-B-Y.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) T-O-N-Y is a trap because Tony is a very common name that sounds similar. Option (B) T-O-B-I is a phonetic trap because the letter “Y” and “I” can sound similar at the end of a word.

2 Correct Answer: (B) He is small.

• Explanation: The host repeats this detail twice: “Toby is very small. He is a small, old man.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (C) He is big and Option (A) He is tall are traps because they are the exact opposites of the farmer’s real appearance.

3 Correct Answer: (B) A long, white beard

• Explanation: The host describes the farmer’s beard as “A long, white beard.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (C) A long, black beard is a trap. The host mentions the word “black” but says “Not a black beard”. Option (A) A short, white beard has the correct color but the wrong length.

Radio Host: Hello, boys and girls! Today’s story is about an old farmer. His name is Toby. That is T-O-B-Y. Toby is very small. He is a small, old man. And he has a beard. A long, white beard. Not a black beard, a white beard. Let’s listen to his story…

1 Correct Answer: (A) S-A-M

• Explanation: The vlogger spells his name out loud: “S-A-M.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (B) S-A-N is a phonetic trap because “M” and “N” sound very similar. Option (C) S-E-M uses the letter “E” instead of “A”.

2 Correct Answer: (C) White

• Explanation: Sam says clearly, “I am wearing a white T-shirt.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) Black is a trap because he mentions it but says, “Not a black T-shirt.” Option (B) Blue is a trap because blue is the color of his jeans, not his T-shirt.

3 Correct Answer: (B) A black hat

• Explanation: Sam tells the listeners to look at his head and says, “I have a black hat.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (C) A white hat is a trap because “white” is the color of his T-shirt, not the hat. Option (A) Glasses are something you wear on your face/head, but they are not mentioned in the audio.

Vlogger: Hi, everyone! Welcome to my vlog. My name is Sam. That is S-A-M. Today, I want to show you my clothes. I am wearing a white T-shirt. Not a black T-shirt, a white T-shirt. I am also wearing blue jeans. And look at my head. I have a black hat. Do you like my hat? See you next time!

1 Correct Answer: (C) S-O-F-T

• Explanation: The voiceover spells the name clearly: “S-O-F-T.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (B) S-O-P-T is a phonetic trap because the letters “F” and “P” can sound similar to A1 learners. Option (A) S-O-A-P is a real word (soap), but it is not the name of the cream.

2 Correct Answer: (B) Pink

• Explanation: The voiceover says, “It is a pink cream.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) White is a trap because the voiceover explicitly says, “Soft is not a white cream.” Option (C) Red is also a trap; “red” describes the bad skin condition (“red skin”), not the cream itself.

3 Correct Answer: (B) It looks young.

• Explanation: The commercial promises that the cream “makes your skin look young and healthy.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Option (A) It looks dry is a trap because “dry” is the problem the customer has before using the cream (“Do you have dry, red skin?”). Option (C) It looks old is the opposite of the correct answer.

Voiceover: Do you want a beautiful face? Do you have dry, red skin? Try our new face cream! Its name is Soft. That is S-O-F-T. Soft is not a white cream. It is a pink cream. It makes your skin look young and healthy. Buy Soft today!