6.1. Multiple Choice
Read the stem in the pause, hear the paraphrase, wait for the speaker to settle, then choose, one step at a time.
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
- 11What does the speaker say about the land before the woodland was created?
- ASand had been dug out of it and the site left derelict.
- BIt was the poorest field belonging to a working farm.
- CIt formed part of a plant nursery run by the council.
- 12The gravelled path running north from the entrance was built mainly in order to
- Akeep visitors away from the nesting area.
- Bgive wheelchair users a route to the pond.
- Clet maintenance vehicles reach the far boundary.
The short version
Each question has a stem, which is the question itself, and usually three options, A to C. One is correct.
Nearly every option is mentioned. The answer is the one the speaker means.
Speakers suggest a plan, then change their mind. The plan that stands is the answer.
The questions follow the order of the recording.
What you have to do
The test shows a stem, which is the question itself, and three options labelled A, B and C. You hear the recording once and choose the letter of the option that matches what the speaker means. There is no word limit, because you choose a letter. The questions follow the order of the recording, so the answer to question 12 is spoken after the answer to question 11. Nearly every option is mentioned; the answer is the one the speaker means.
When you choose two letters
Some questions give a longer list, such as A to E, and ask you to choose TWO letters. Use the same method for each letter. You can choose the two letters in either order, and each correct letter usually earns its own mark.
Step by step
- 1In the preview pause, read the stem and the three options
You cannot read three options and listen at the same time, so read them in the pause before the recording. Highlight the question word in the stem: why, what, how many. Notice a not or a mainly. Then say to yourself what kind of answer the stem wants: a reason, a place, a number, a decision.
- 2Listen for the words that place you
The topic of the stem is spoken, usually in changed words: the interviews becomes the one-to-one conversations. When you hear it, the answer is seconds away. The questions follow the order of the recording, so when the topic of the next question starts, this one is over.
- 3Match the meaning, not the word: wait for the speaker to settle
The speaker paraphrases the options: get rid of it and remove it mean the same thing. Speakers also change their minds: I thought the survey, but you are right, we should weigh the bins. Do not choose until the sentence finishes. The plan that stands is the answer.
- 4Rule out as you listen
Rule out an option the moment the speaker rejects it, even if its words were spoken. Rule out an option that repeats a figure from the question before. Rule out an option that is true but does not answer the stem: a why stem needs a reason, not a fact. What survives is your letter.
- 5If you missed it, guess and move on at once
If the next topic has started and you have no answer, choose a letter you have not ruled out. Turn to the next question at once. Never let one lost answer cost the next two. A guessed letter can score; an empty box cannot.
Stem: What does the tutor advise about the interviews? A record them on a phone B write them up on the same day C leave them until the last week
Heard: *Now, the interviews. Record them however you like, but transcribe them the same day, while you still remember the pauses. Don't leave it a week.* The words that place me: *the interviews*. A is mentioned, but *however you like* is not advice, so it is ruled out. C is what the tutor says not to do, so it is ruled out. *Transcribe them the same day* means write them up on the same day. That is B.
Work every question the same way. Read the stem in the pause, hear the topic, wait for the speaker to settle, rule out, choose the letter.
Quiz time5 questions
Each drill is a ten-second clip from a tutorial and one question with three options. Read the stem before you press play. Practise the judgement, not the endurance.
Read the stem to the end
Read the stem before you play the clip. Notice the not. Then choose the letter.
Clip: tutorial, the questionnaire
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
What must the students not do with the questionnaire?
Match the meaning, not the word
Read the stem and the options in the pause. Every option uses different words from the clip, so listen for the meaning.
Clip: tutorial, choosing interviewees
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
How does the tutor say the interviewees should be chosen?
The change of mind
The speaker names a plan and then changes it. Do not choose until the sentence finishes.
Clip: tutorial, the survey
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
What do the students decide to do about the survey?
The rejected word
One option repeats a word you will hear. Listen to what the speaker does with that word.
Clip: tutorial, the title
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
What does the tutor say about the title?
True but not the answer
The stem asks why. Two options say things the speakers did say. Only one is the reason.
Clip: tutorial, interviews first
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Why does the tutor want the interviews done first?
Try a full set
Below is a full tutorial with three questions set as the test sets them. Work the five steps in order.
The full set3 questions
Purpose, not topic
Play the tutorial once. Read the stem first. The next two questions use the same recording.
Part 3: tutorial discussion
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In the exam you hear this once. Here you may play it again after you have tried.
Why does the tutor mention household income?
The decision, not the first plan
Use the tutorial above.
What happens to the three halls?
What they must not claim
Use the tutorial above.
One hall of bin weights will:
Tips
- Wait for the sentence to finish
Speakers offer a plan and then drop it. I thought, we used to and but are where the answer changes.
- Rule out as you listen
Drop an option the moment the speaker rejects it. Deciding between three at the end, from memory, is much harder.
- A shared word is a warning, not a match
When an option repeats a word you heard, ask what the speaker did with that word. Often they were ruling it out.
Recap
Read the stem and options in the preview pause, and highlight the question word.
Match the meaning, not the word, and wait for the speaker to settle before you choose.
Rule out what is rejected, what is true but off the stem, and what belongs to another question. Choose the letter that stands.
Next: matching a list of items to a box of options.