Question Type: Listening Text Continuation

Examples and explanations of the Listening Text Continuation question type

What is being tested?

To answer each of these questions, you will need to listen to a short recording. The last sentence will end in the middle and you will need to select the words that complete the sentence in the most appropriate way from among four possible responses (which are written, not recorded). These texts cover a broad range of fields, mostly from the academic world.

Instructions

At the beginning of Listening Text Continuation sections, you will be given instructions similar to the following:

You will hear a recording that is about 20 seconds in length. The recording ends with a tone before the last sentence is complete. Choose the word or words which continue the recording most appropriately.
Please put your headphones on. Click ▶ to start the recording.

What should you pay attention to?

  • There is no limit on the number of times you can listen to each recording. At the same time, the time allotted to each section includes the time needed to listen to all of the texts and answer all of the questions. There is not enough time to return to all of the texts in their entirety.
  • In each of these listening texts, you will hear only one person speaking.
  • An accompanying illustration appears on the left side of the monitor. It is intended to provide general background for the listening text - for example, to reflect the speaker’s gender. The illustration does not contain information that will help you answer the questions.
  • Above the illustration there is a context sentence that provides basic information about the listening text, such as the topic of the text or the identity of the lecturer.
  • You can keep track of how much time has elapsed since the recording started and how much time is left by looking at the progress bar under the illustration.
  • Possible responses to the question appear on the right side of the monitor. If you want to conceal them while you listen to the recording, click on the Hide button. When you want to see the possible responses, click on the Show button.
  • When you enter the classroom, you will receive one sheet of scrap paper. You may use the scrap paper you are given to make notes to yourself while you are listening to the recordings. At the end of the test, you must hand in the scrap paper to the proctors.

We recommend that you wear earphones while listening to the recordings that appear below.

Examples:

Listening Text Continuation 1

Listen to part of a lecture on the painting called the Mona Lisa.

Audio Player

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(1) was not painted by Leonardo Da Vinci
(2) could be a portrait of someone else
(3) was created long before the 16th century
(4) probably is Lisa del Giocondo

The correct answer is 2.

Listening Text Continuation 2

Listen to part of a lecture on ice boulders.

Audio Player

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(1) form
(2) melt
(3) shake
(4) grow

The correct answer is 2.

Listening Text Continuation 3

Listen to part of a lecture about sea glass.

Audio Player

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(1) sharp edges
(2) uses
(3) chemical structure
(4) availability

The correct answer is 1.

Listening Text Continuation 4

Listen to part of a lecture on the painter Edgar Degas.

Audio Player

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(1) was the most famous painter of the nineteenth century
(2) did not consider himself an Impressionist
(3) was best known for his landscapes
(4) eventually adopted the practices of other Impressionists

The correct answer is 2.

Listening Text Continuation 5

Listen to part of a lecture about vaccination.

Audio Player

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(1) rejection of such programs
(2) elimination of certain diseases
(3) evolution of new infectious diseases
(4) decline in public immunity

The correct answer is 2.

Listening Text Continuation 6

Listen to part of a talk about common English expressions.

Audio Player

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(1) removing an object from storage
(2) giving away an item that is no longer needed
(3) replacing old clothes with newer ones
(4) fixing something that has been damaged

The correct answer is 1.

Listening Text Continuation 7

Listen to part of a lecture on asthma.

Audio Player

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(1) developed, they can be treated
(2) identified, they can be avoided
(3) narrowed, they are less serious
(4) attacked, they make breathing difficult

The correct answer is 2.

Listening Text Continuation 8

Listen to part of a lecture on the artichoke.

Audio Player

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(1) manifested
(2) renovated
(3) discarded
(4) assessed

The correct answer is 3.

Listening Text Continuation 9

Listen to part of a lecture on Zora Neale Hurston.

Audio Player

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(1) opposition to the use of authentic dialogue
(2) a decline in her book sales
(3) little written about her
(4) a revival of interest in her work

The correct answer is 4.