Housework – A1 English Listening Exercise

1 (B) Lisa

• Explanation: Lisa says, “I can clean the kitchen,” and Tom repeats, “You clean the kitchen.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Tom is mentioned in the conversation (A is a trap), but he is not the one who cleans the kitchen. Option C is not mentioned.

2 (A) Vacuum the living room

• Explanation: Lisa asks, “Can you vacuum the living room?” and Tom answers, “Vacuum the living room? Okay, I can do that.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Tom also says he will “take out the trash” (C is a trap), but he doesn’t do this in the living room. “Clean the windows” (B) is a plausible housework task but is never mentioned in the audio.

3 (B) Lisa

• Explanation: Tom says, “I did the laundry last week. It’s your turn.” Lisa agrees and says, “I will do the laundry.”
• Why the trap is wrong: Tom is the trap (A). The audio mentions Tom doing the laundry, but he did it last week, not this week. Option C is not true because they do not do it together.

Tom: Hi, Lisa. It’s Saturday. We need to clean the apartment.

Lisa: Yes, it is very dirty. I can clean the kitchen.

Tom: Great. You clean the kitchen. Can I do anything else?

Lisa: Yes. Can you vacuum the living room?

Tom: Vacuum the living room? Okay, I can do that. And I will take out the trash, too.

Lisa: Thank you. Oh, wait. Who will do the laundry?

Tom: I did the laundry last week. It’s your turn.

Lisa: Okay, no problem. I will do the laundry.

1 (B) Black

• Explanation: The mother clearly says “The black bag” and even spells the word “B-L-A-C-K” to confirm.
• Trap: Blue (A) starts with the letter ‘B’ but is not mentioned. White (C) is not mentioned.

2 (A) In the kitchen

• Explanation: When the son asks where the trash is, the mother answers: “It is in the kitchen.”
• Trap: The other locations (bedroom, garden) are common places for housework but are not in the audio.

3 (C) 8:15

• Explanation: The mother says the bus comes at 8:15. The son repeats “8:15” to confirm.
• Trap: 8:50 (A) is a classic A1 sound trap because “fifteen” (/ˈfɪf.tiːn/) and “fifty” (/ˈfɪf.ti/) sound very similar to beginners. 7:15 (B) is a trap using the correct minutes but the wrong hour.

Mom: Alex! Wait! Don’t forget the trash!

Son: The trash? Where is it, Mom?

Mom: It is in the kitchen. The black bag.

Son: Oh, the black bag. Okay, I see it.

Mom: Please take it to the bin now. Your school bus comes at 8:15.

Son: 8:15? Okay, I’m going now. Bye Mom!

Mom: Bye! Have a nice day.

1 (C) Dishes

• Explanation: Mark clearly spells the word: “D-I-S-H-E-S”.
• Trap: Kitchen (A) and Dinner (B) are mentioned in the conversation but they are not spelled out.

2 (B) Wipe the table

• Explanation: At the end of the talk, Mark says “You just wipe the table” and Sarah agrees.
• Trap: Sarah first says “I can wash the dishes” (A), but she changes her mind because she is tired. “Cook dinner” (C) happened before the conversation started.

3 (A) Mark

• Explanation: Although Sarah offered to do it first, Mark finally says: “I will wash the dishes.”
• Trap: Sarah (B) is the distractor because she was the first person to suggest washing the dishes, but the final decision changed to Mark.

Mark: That was a great dinner, Sarah.

Sarah: Thanks, Mark. Now, let’s clean the kitchen.

Mark: Okay. Who will wash the dishes?

Sarah: I can wash the dishes.

Mark: Great. And I will wipe the table.

Sarah: Oh, wait, Mark. I am very tired now. Can you wash the dishes?

Mark: No problem. I will wash the dishes. You just wipe the table.

Sarah: Thank you!

1 (B) 14

• Explanation: Emma says, “We have 14,” and Lily repeats “14?” to confirm the number.
• Why the trap is wrong: 40 (C) is a very common sound trap for A1 learners because “fourteen” (/ˌfɔːrˈtiːn/) and “forty” (/ˈfɔːr.t̬i/) sound similar. Option 4 (A) is not mentioned.

2 (A) In the closet

• Explanation: Emma clearly tells her sister: “Please put the T-shirts in the closet.”
• Why the trap is wrong: “On the bed” (B) and “In the washing machine” (C) are plausible places for clothes in a house, but they are not mentioned in the audio.

3 (A) White

• Explanation: Emma says her socks are white and spells the word: “W-H-I-T-E”.
• Why the trap is wrong: Blue (B) is mentioned, but it is the color of the T-shirt, not the socks. Black (C) is not mentioned.

Emma: Lily, let’s fold the clothes. We have a lot of T-shirts.

Lily: Okay. How many T-shirts do we have?

Emma: We have 14.

Lily: 14? That is a lot. Here is a blue T-shirt.

Emma: Great. Please put the T-shirts in the closet. Now, can you find my socks?

Lily: What color are your socks?

Emma: They are white.

Lily: Okay, here are two white socks.

1 (A) The bed

• Explanation: The dad asks, “Did you make the bed?” and Anna answers, “Yes. I made the bed.”
• Why the trap is wrong: “The toys” (C) are mentioned in the conversation, but Anna put them away; she didn’t “make” them. “The table” (B) is not mentioned.

2 (C) T-O-Y-S

• Explanation: The dad clearly spells out the word when asking about the toys: “T-O-Y-S”.
• Why the trap is wrong: “Box” (A) and “Bed” (B) are important words in the audio, but the dad does not spell them.

3 (B) In the box

• Explanation: Anna says twice that the toys are “in the box”.
• Why the trap is wrong: “Under the bed” (C) is a trap. The dad asks if they are under the bed, but Anna says “No”. “On the chair” (A) is a plausible place but is never mentioned.

Dad: Hi, Anna. Is your bedroom clean? It is time to sleep.

Anna: Yes, Dad. I cleaned it.

Dad: Good. Did you make the bed?

Anna: Yes. I made the bed.

Dad: Great. And where are your toys?

Anna: They are in the box.

Dad: Are they under the bed?

Anna: No, they are not under the bed. They are in the box.

Dad: Very good. Good night, Anna.

Anna: Good night, Dad.