Q1.
You will listen to five speakers speak about a magical power they wish for. As you listen, match statements 1–7 with speakers (i)–(v). There are two statements you do not need. (Transcript for teacher on page 152) Statements: 1. Power of healing ailments 2. Ability to end poverty in the world 3. Power to control the weather as per need 4. Ability to make wise business decisions 5. Power to predict one’s own future clearly 6. Ability to remember information quickly 7. Power to move around without using vehicles
Answer
| Statement | Speaker | The words that decide it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Power of healing ailments | (iv) | “At my age, I'd love to have the power of healing… If I could heal others too, I'd help my family stay healthy and happy.” |
| 2. Ability to end poverty in the world | — not needed | No speaker mentions poverty at all. |
| 3. Power to control the weather as per need | (v) | “I'd want control over the weather… crops always get the right amount of rain and sunshine.” |
| 4. Ability to make wise business decisions | (i) | “see profits and losses before time… secure my business… help others make wise financial decisions.” |
| 5. Power to predict one's own future clearly | — not needed | Speaker (i) does say ‘predict the future', but only about profits and losses, and partly for other people — not his own life. This is the distractor. |
| 6. Ability to remember information quickly | (ii) | “the power to learn instantly… If I could remember everything, it would make life so much easier!” |
| 7. Power to move around without using vehicles | (iii) | “the power of flying… go from one place to another quickly without using any means of transport.” |
1 – (iv), 3 – (v), 4 – (i), 6 – (ii), 7 – (iii). The two statements not needed are 2 and 5.
The trap is statement 5, and it is worth studying. Speaker (i) opens with the words “I'd choose the ability to predict the future”, which sounds like a perfect match. But listen to what he wants it for — profits, losses, savings, a business, and helping others with financial decisions. Statement 4 covers all of that; statement 5 adds “one's own future”, which he never claims. In matching tasks, never stop at the first key word: listen to the whole of a speaker's turn before you commit.
Tip: with five speakers and seven statements, mark your certain matches first — (iii) flying and (iv) healing are named outright — and use elimination for the rest. Two statements must be left over, so if you have used all seven, you have made a mistake somewhere.