Lesson 15 · Lesson guide
Listening Part 2: Multiple Choice
Hello, my dear student!
Hello! Listening Part 2 is one speaker giving a talk: a tour of a company, information for new staff, a talk at a job fair. Many of the questions are multiple choice: A, B or C, or “choose TWO”.
Multiple choice is hard for one simple reason: you usually hear all three options. The speaker says “We thought about a café” before saying “but in the end we chose a gym”. Students who choose the first word they hear lose the mark.
Today you will learn a four-step method: read the stem, underline what makes the options different, listen for the meaning (not the same words), and wait for the final answer.
See you in the exercises,Your teacher
Your browser has no English voice, so the listen buttons are hidden. Everything is written on the page.
The four-step method
Step 1
Read the stem
The stem tells you what to listen for: Why → a reason, When → a time, Who → a person. Watch for NOT.
- Why did the company move?
- What is NOT included in the price?
Step 2
Underline the differences
Compare A, B and C. The words that are different are the words to listen for.
- A free for all staff
- B free for new staff
- C cheap for all staff
Step 3
Listen for the meaning
The options are paraphrases. “It costs nothing” → free. “Every four weeks” → about once a month.
- It doesn’t cost anything. → It is free.
Step 4
Wait for the final answer
Speakers change their plans and correct themselves. Listen for but, actually, in the end, instead.
- We thought about a café, but in the end we chose a gym.
Remember!
The word you hear first is often the trap. Wait for the final answer.
Words that warn you
These words often come just before or after a trap.
At first we thought…
an option that will be rejected
used to / was going to
the old plan, not the answer
but actually…
the real answer is coming
in the end / instead
the final decision
It isn’t X, it’s Y.
X is the trap
Mistakes that cost marks
Not: I heard “café”, so I chose “café”.Say: I heard “café, but in the end a gym”, so I chose “gym”.
All three options are often mentioned. Choose the one that matches the whole meaning.
Not: I read the options while the audio was playing.Say: I read the stem and the options before the audio started.
Use the time before each section to read and underline.
Check yourself
“Training takes place every four weeks.” Which option matches: “weekly” or “monthly”?
The stem says “What is NOT free?”. What do you listen for?
Now it’s your turn!
8 short parts, each a little harder than the one before. Take your time: mistakes are how we learn.
— Your teacher