Music – A2 English Listening Exercise
Listening 1
Listen to the conversation between a student and a music teacher. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What instrument did the student want to play at first?
(A) The drums.
(B) The piano.
(C) The guitar.
2 Why can’t the student play his favorite instrument in the band?
(A) Because he doesn’t have the instrument.
(B) Because the band already has enough people playing it.
(C) Because he only played it for one year.
3 How long has the student played the drums?
(A) One year.
(B) Three years.
(C) Four years.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) The guitar.
- Explanation: The student says his initial plan clearly: “I wanted to play the guitar.” Option (A) is a trap because the drums are what he actually plays at the end (The Twist). Option (B) is a plausible instrument but is never mentioned in the audio.
2 (B) Because the band already has enough people playing it.
- Explanation: The teacher says, “We already have four guitar players, so the band is full for that.” (Paraphrasing: “full” = “has enough people”). Option (A) is not mentioned. Option (C) is a trap; “one year” is his experience with the drums, not the reason he was rejected for the guitar.
3 (A) One year.
- Explanation: When talking about the drums, the boy says: “I just started learning about a year ago.” Option (B) is a trap because three years is how long he has played the guitar. Option (C) is a trap using the number “four” (which is the number of guitar players in the band).
AUDIO SCRIPT
Teacher: Hello, can I help you?
Student: Yes, Mr. Davis. I would like to join the school band this year.
Teacher: Great! What instrument do you play? We really need more students.
Student: Well, I wanted to play the guitar. I have played it for three years.
Teacher: Oh, I’m sorry. We already have four guitar players, so the band is full for that. Can you play anything else?
Student: Hmm, I can also play the drums. I just started learning about a year ago, but I practice every day.
Teacher: Perfect! We definitely need a drummer right now. Welcome to the band!
Student: Awesome, thank you!
Listening 2
Listen to a teacher talking to his class. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What does the teacher want the students to do with the music?
(A) Learn to play it on the piano.
(B) Listen to it and write about their feelings.
(C) Sing it in front of the class.
2 What kind of music must the students choose for their homework?
(A) A pop song.
(B) Classical music by Mozart.
(C) A rock song.
3 How long should their writing be?
(A) Five pages.
(B) Three sentences.
(C) Five sentences.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) Listen to it and write about their feelings.
- Explanation: The teacher says, “I just want you to listen to it… you need to write five sentences about how the music makes you feel.” Option (A) is a trap; the student asks if they need to play it on the piano, but the teacher clearly says “No.” Option (C) is a plausible music class activity, but it is never mentioned.
2 (B) Classical music by Mozart.
- Explanation: The teacher instructs the class to “find a piece of classical music by Mozart” and later confirms, “It must be Mozart.” Option (A) is the A2 Twist/Trap: the student asks, “Can we write about a new pop song instead?”, but the teacher rejects this idea (“Not this time”). Option (C) is not mentioned.
3 (C) Five sentences.
- Explanation: The teacher explicitly tells the students to “write five sentences.” Option (A) is a trap because it uses the correct number (“five”) but the wrong unit (“pages”), which would make the homework much longer. Option (B) is a distractor using the wrong number.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Teacher: Listen up, everyone. Before you go home, let’s talk about your homework for this weekend. I want you to go online and find a piece of classical music by Mozart.
Student: Mr. Smith, do we need to learn how to play it on the piano?
Teacher: No, you don’t have to play it. I just want you to listen to it carefully in a quiet room. After you listen, you need to write five sentences about how the music makes you feel. Is it happy, sad, or exciting?
Student: Can we write about a new pop song instead?
Teacher: Not this time. It must be Mozart. Please bring your sentences to class on Monday morning.
Listening 3
Listen to the conversation between a manager and an employee in a coffee shop. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 What kind of music did Tom play when he opened the shop?
(A) Soft jazz.
(B) Classical music.
(C) Fast pop music.
2 Why does the manager want to change the music?
(A) Because it is too loud for the early morning.
(B) Because she wants to turn off the music completely.
(C) Because the customers are complaining.
3 When will they listen to the pop songs?
(A) Tomorrow morning.
(B) Later in the afternoon.
(C) After work.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (C) Fast pop music.
- Explanation: Tom clearly says, “I put on some new pop music to wake everyone up.” Option (A) is the A2 Twist/Trap; soft jazz is the music they decide to play later, not the music he played at first. Option (B) is a plausible type of coffee shop music but is never mentioned.
2 (A) Because it is too loud for the early morning.
- Explanation: Sarah says, “…that music is a bit too loud and fast for 7 AM.” Option (B) is a trap; Tom asks, “Should I turn it off completely?” but Sarah says “No.” Option (C) is a logical guess, but there are no customers complaining in the audio.
3 (B) Later in the afternoon.
- Explanation: Tom suggests, “We can play the pop songs later in the afternoon,” and Sarah agrees (“Perfect”). Option (A) is a trap because the morning is for relaxing music like jazz. Option (C) is plausible but not mentioned in the conversation.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Man: Good morning, Sarah! I just opened the coffee shop. I put on some new pop music to wake everyone up.
Woman: Good morning, Tom. The shop looks great, but that music is a bit too loud and fast for 7 AM.
Man: Oh, really? I thought it would make people happy. Should I turn it off completely?
Woman: No, we still need some background music. Let’s play some soft jazz instead. People like to relax and read the newspaper when they drink their morning coffee.
Man: Good idea. I will change the playlist to jazz right now. We can play the pop songs later in the afternoon.
Woman: Perfect, thank you!
Listening 4
Listen to the conversation on the phone. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 How long will the band play at the company party?
(A) One hour.
(B) Two hours.
(C) Three hours.
2 Why does the woman want a shorter performance?
(A) Because the party finishes early.
(B) Because the band is too expensive.
(C) Because the employees are too tired.
3 What kind of music does the woman request?
(A) Slow, relaxing songs.
(B) Classical music.
(C) Fast and happy songs.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) Two hours.
- Explanation: The woman specifically asks, “Can you just play for two hours instead?” and the man agrees. Option (C) is the A2 Twist/Trap; the man says “Usually, we do a three-hour show,” but the woman rejects this idea because it’s too long. Option (A) is not mentioned in the audio.
2 (A) Because the party finishes early.
- Explanation: The woman gives the reason clearly: “Oh, three hours is too long. The party finishes early.” Options (B) and (C) are plausible reasons for shortening a party or performance, but they are never mentioned in the conversation.
3 (C) Fast and happy songs.
- Explanation: The woman says, “No, please play fast and happy songs. We want our employees to dance…” Option (A) is a trap because the man suggests it (“Do you want some slow, relaxing songs?”), but the woman says “No.” Option (B) is a distractor and is not mentioned.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Woman: Hello, I am calling from ABC Company. We want to hire your band for our office party next Friday evening.
Man: That sounds great! Next Friday works for us. How long do you want us to play? Usually, we do a three-hour show.
Woman: Oh, three hours is too long. The party finishes early. Can you just play for two hours instead?
Man: Sure, two hours is no problem. What kind of music do you want? Do you want some slow, relaxing songs?
Woman: No, please play fast and happy songs. We want our employees to dance and have fun!
Man: Understood. Upbeat dance music for two hours. See you next Friday!
Listening 5
Listen to two music teachers talking. Choose the correct answer (A, B, or C) for each question.
1 How many good guitars do they have right now?
(A) 12
(B) 15
(C) 20
2 What are they going to buy for next semester?
(A) New keyboards.
(B) Some new guitars.
(C) Both guitars and keyboards.
3 Why do they decide NOT to buy new keyboards?
(A) Because keyboards are too expensive.
(B) Because the students don’t like playing them.
(C) Because they already have enough good ones.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A) 12
- Explanation: The woman says, “So we only have 12 good ones.” Option (B) is a trap because 15 is the total number of guitars before she realizes three are broken. Option (C) is a trap because 20 is the number of guitars they need in the future, not what they have now.
2 (B) Some new guitars.
- Explanation: The man says, “…so we have to buy 8 more [guitars]” and confirms at the end, “Just the guitars.” Option (A) is a trap because they talk about keyboards, but explicitly say they “don’t need to buy any new keyboards.” Option (C) is incorrect for the same reason.
3 (C) Because they already have enough good ones.
- Explanation: The woman states that they have 10 keyboards “and they all work perfectly,” meaning they have enough functional ones. Options (A) and (B) are plausible reasons in real life, but they are never mentioned in the audio.
AUDIO SCRIPT
Man: Alright, Susan, let’s count the instruments for next semester. How many guitars do we have?
Woman: Let me check the closet. Well, we have 15 guitars in here. Oh, wait! Three of them are broken. So we only have 12 good ones.
Man: Okay, 12 good guitars. We need at least 20 for the new students, so we have to buy 8 more. What about the keyboards?
Woman: I counted them yesterday. We have 10 keyboards in the room, and they all work perfectly.
Man: Excellent. So we don’t need to buy any new keyboards. Just the guitars. I will write the report right now.