Cambridge 20 Listening Test 1 - Answers With Explanation

1. Table completion, one word and/or a number. The Junction's recommendation column needs a noun for what its food is especially good for — 'fish', matching a restaurant known for seafood dishes.

2. The 'other comments' row needs a noun that combines with 'is a good place for a drink' — 'roof', i.e. a rooftop terrace, a common detail added as an aside when recommending a restaurant.

3. Paloma's reason for recommendation needs an adjective describing the cuisine before 'food, good for sharing' — 'Spanish', fitting a tapas-style sharing-plates format.

4. The comment on Paloma's menu needs an adjective before 'food on the menu' describing a limited selection — 'vegetarian', a common caveat about restaurants known mainly for meat or seafood sharing dishes.

5. The third restaurant's name is 'The ___' — a single proper noun, 'Audley', fitting the pattern of British restaurant names.

6. The location description needs a noun for the building type the restaurant sits atop — 'hotel', matching 'at the top of a hotel', a common rooftop-restaurant setup.

7. The reason for recommendation pairs 'a famous chef' with a plural noun before 'are very good' — 'reviews', since restaurant recommendations often cite both the chef's reputation and critical reception.

8. The second reason needs an adjective describing the ingredients — 'local', a frequent selling point for restaurants that emphasise sourcing.

9. A number is needed after '£' for the set lunch price — '30', matching the 'ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER' instruction.

10. The final comment needs an adjective describing portion size — 'average', suggesting the portions are seen as neither large nor small.

11. The stem asks why pottery differs from other art forms. Option A, 'it lasts longer in the ground', is correct — durability and survival in the archaeological record is the classic distinguishing feature of ceramics, versus B (popularity) and C (ease of repair), which read as plausible but uncredited alternatives.

12. Asks how archaeologists identify ancient pottery's use. B, 'the marks that are on it', fits because surface marks (wear, decoration, residue) are the standard clue used, rather than the clay itself (A) or the basic shape alone (C), both typical distractors.

13. Asks why people join Heather's class. C, 'make something that will outlive them', connects to the durability theme from Q11; recreating an antique look (A) and discovering a hidden talent (B) are the kind of near-miss options mcq items typically include.

14. Asks what Heather values most about being a potter. A, 'its calming effect', is credited over the more literal points about mess (B) or physical exercise (C).

15. Asks about most visitors to Edelman Pottery. B, 'have never made a pot before', describes beginners — the expected profile for a walk-in studio — rather than bringing friends (A) or rushing techniques (C), which describe behaviour rather than background.

16. Asks what Heather reminds visitors to do. C, 'take off their jewellery', is a standard safety instruction before working with clay and a wheel, distinct from aprons (A) and changing clothes (B), also plausible but not credited.

17–18. Two-answer question on what Heather explains about kilns. A ('what their function is') and E ('what some people use instead of one') are both selected — she covers the basic purpose of a kiln plus a practical alternative for people without one, a common pairing of 'what it does' with 'what replaces it'. B, C and D (history, safety, placement) are distractors.

19–20. Two-answer question on a potter's tools. C ('some are essential items') and E ('some are available for use by participants') are correct, distinguishing must-have tools from studio-provided ones. A, B and D (difficulty holding, cost, memorable names) are distractors.

21–22. Asks which two things both students blame for rising loneliness. C ('urban design') and E ('a mobile workforce') are the shared answers — broader structural causes rather than the more commonly assumed social media (A) or smaller families (B), which act as distractors.

23–24. Asks which two loneliness-related health risks the students agree have solid evidence. A ('a weakened immune system') and C ('cancer') are correct, while dementia (B), obesity (D) and cardiovascular disease (E) are presented as options the students are less certain about.

25–26. Asks which two opinions the students share about the evolutionary theory of loneliness. A ('it has little practical relevance') and B ('it needs further investigation') suggest mild scepticism, distinct from stronger claims like C (misleading) or D (should be accepted), which are distractors.

27. Compares loneliness to depression. A, that the students 'doubt there will ever be a medical cure for loneliness', is credited, contrasting with B's stronger claim that the link is 'overstated' and C's claim about frustration — both plausible overstatements typical of mcq distractors.

28. Asks why the students open with a personal example. B, 'to highlight a situation that most students will recognise', fits the purpose of a relatable anecdote for a student audience, rather than explaining difficulty (A) or a gendered claim (C).

29. Asks why talking to strangers helps with loneliness. A, 'it creates a sense of belonging', is credited over the more instrumental claims of self-confidence (B) and general positivity (C).

30. Asks what the students find hard to understand about solitude. C, that it's considered 'an enjoyable experience', is correct — they find it hard to accept solitude can be pleasant, rather than doubting its similarity to loneliness (A) or its mental-health benefits (B).

31. Needs a plural noun for the pollution source located 'on the river bank' alongside sewage from houses — 'factories', fitting the historical industrial-pollution context.

32. Needs an adjective completing 'declared biologically ___' for the 1957 Thames — 'dead', the well-known description of a heavily polluted river with no viable ecosystem.

33. Needs a singular noun for a large sea creature spotted in the Thames alongside seals, illustrating recent ecological recovery — 'whale'.

34. Needs a plural noun paired with 'restaurants and' for what riverside warehouses are converted into — 'apartments', a standard example of riverside regeneration.

35. Needs a noun for what's planned in Los Angeles — 'park', a typical green-space redevelopment project.

36. Needs a noun before 'projects' for what's displayed in Los Angeles — 'art', referring to local art installations as part of redevelopment.

37. Needs a plural noun for what's created on the riverside in Paris each summer — 'beaches', referencing the practice of temporary urban river 'beaches'.

38. Needs a noun for the mode of transport carrying over 2 billion passengers in cities worldwide — 'ferry', fitting the note's transport theme.

39. Needs a plural noun paired with 'electric' for a goods-transport method alongside freight barges — 'bikes', i.e. electric cargo bikes.

40. Needs a noun for a possible future goods-transport method — 'drone', reflecting speculative delivery technology mentioned as a future possibility.