House & Furniture – A1 English Listening Exercise

1 (C) A chair

• Explanation: Mark clearly says, “But who put this chair here?” and repeats it. Options (A) and (B) are plausible things to hit in the dark, but they are never mentioned in the audio.

2 (A) In the middle of the living room

• Explanation: Mark explicitly states, “It is in the middle of the living room.” Option (B) “In the kitchen” is the trap because John asks “Are you going to the kitchen?”, but the chair is not there. Option (C) “Next to the TV” is a distractor because John mentions he moved the chair to “watch TV”, but its current location is in the middle of the room.

3 (A) C-H-A-I-R

• Explanation: Mark spells the word out loud: “C-H-A-I-R”. Option (B) “S-H-A-R-E” and Option (C) “C-H-E-E-R” are phonetic traps designed to confuse A1 listeners who might mix up the “ch” and “sh” sounds, or the vowel sounds.

Mark: Ouch! Oh no…

John: Mark? Are you okay? What is it?

Mark: I am okay. But who put this chair here?

John: A chair?

Mark: Yes, a chair. C-H-A-I-R. It is in the middle of the living room.

John: Oh, I am sorry. I moved it to watch TV. Are you going to the kitchen?

Mark: Yes, I just want some water.

1 (C) A spider

• Explanation: Emily confirms, “Yes, it is a spider!”. Options (A) and (B) are plausible animals that could be in a house, but they are not mentioned in the audio.

2 (A) Under the bed

• Explanation: Tom asks, “Is it under your bed?” Option (B) is the trap because it is the actual location of the spider, not where Tom initially guesses. Option (C) is not mentioned.

3 (B) On the wall

• Explanation: Emily explicitly states, “No, it is not under the bed. It is on the wall.” Option (C) “Under the bed” is the trap because Tom mentions it, but Emily rejects it with a “No”. Option (A) is a plausible place for a bug but is absent from the script.

Emily: Ahh! Tom, help! There is a big bug in my bedroom!

Tom: A bug? What is it? Is it a spider?

Emily: Yes, it is a spider!

Tom: Oh no. Where is it? Is it under your bed?

Emily: No, it is not under the bed. It is on the wall. Yes, right on the wall!

Tom: Okay, don’t worry. I will catch it.

1 (B) In the garden

• Explanation: Anna clearly says, “That chair in the garden is broken.” Options (A) and (C) are plausible areas in a house but are not mentioned in the audio.

2 (C) Blue

• Explanation: Anna says, “The blue chair”. Option (A) “White” is the trap because Mark asks about the white chair, but Anna explicitly rejects it (“No, not the white chair”). Option (B) “Green” is a plausible color for a garden setting but is never mentioned.

3 (B) It has a broken leg.

• Explanation: Anna warns Mark by saying, “It has a broken leg.” Options (A) and (C) are plausible reasons not to sit on a chair, but they are not the reasons given in this conversation.

Anna: Stop, Mark! Do not sit down!

Mark: What is wrong, Anna?

Anna: That chair in the garden is broken. Yes, the chair is broken.

Mark: The white chair?

Anna: No, not the white chair. The blue chair. It has a broken leg.

Mark: Oh, I see it. The blue chair is broken. I will just stand here.

1 (C) A sofa

• Explanation: Dave cries out in the opening line: “The sofa is stuck.” Although “a big bed” (A) and “a desk” (B) are common large furniture items prone to getting stuck, they are completely absent from the recording.

2 (A) The sofa is too big.

• Explanation: Dave explicitly gives the reason: “It is too big!” While (B) “The door is locked” and (C) “The sofa is heavy” might seem like logical reasons in reality, they do not appear in the dialogue.

3 (B) Through the window

• Explanation: Ben proposes “Let’s use the window” and proceeds to spell it, with Dave giving his consent. Option (A) “Through the door” serves as a trap; although the door is referenced frequently, it is explicitly stated that they cannot pass through it. Option (C) is a distractor based on vocabulary not found in the recording.

Dave: Oh no, Ben. The sofa is stuck. It is too big!

Ben: Yes, it cannot go through the door.

Dave: What can we do? Can we turn it?

Ben: No, we cannot turn it. Let’s use the window.

Dave: The window? Ah, yes. The window is very big.

Ben: Okay, let’s move the sofa to the window.

1 (C) Her phone

• Explanation: The dad explicitly says, “Use your phone light.” Options (A) and (B) are plausible items in a house that produce light, but they need electricity, and more importantly, they are never mentioned in the audio.

2 (A) The kitchen

• Explanation: The dad instructs, “Please go to the kitchen,” and the daughter repeats it to confirm. Options (B) and (C) are plausible rooms in a house but are not mentioned.

3 (B) In the cabinet

• Explanation: The dad says, “They are in the cabinet” . Option (A) “On the table” is the trap because it is mentioned, but the dad uses negation (“Not on the table”). Option (C) is a plausible hiding place but is absent from the text.

Daughter: Oh no, it is dark!

Dad: Yes, the power is out. Do you have your phone?

Daughter: Yes, I have my phone.

Dad: Good. Use your phone light. Please go to the kitchen.

Daughter: The kitchen? Okay. Where are the candles?

Dad: They are in the cabinet. Not on the table, in the cabinet.

Daughter: In the cabinet. Okay, I have the candles!