Q1.
You will listen to a brother and sister discuss a natural phenomenon. As you listen, mark the four true statements from 1–6 given below. (Transcript for teacher on page 153) 1. The brother was taken aback to see the posted pictures. 2. The brother admitted to not knowing about his sister’s favourite picture. 3. The sister stated that the rainbow mountain was like any other mountain. 4. The brother was aware of the reason for the formation of colours on the mountain. 5. The brother was surprised to learn about the mountain being covered with snow till recently. 6. The sister understood nature’s role in the beauty of the mountain.
Answer
The four true statements are 2, 4, 5 and 6.
| No. | Statement | True / False | What the recording says |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The brother was taken aback to see the posted pictures | False | “I liked the pictures Uncle Dileep posted yesterday from the Republic of Peru.” He was pleased, not startled. |
| 2 | The brother admitted to not knowing about his sister's favourite picture | True | “Really! I didn't know it was your favourite too.” |
| 3 | The sister stated that the rainbow mountain was like any other mountain | False | “I could not believe my eyes when I saw that picture. There are so many colours there.” The opposite of ordinary. |
| 4 | The brother was aware of the reason for the formation of colours | True | “Of course! … The mountain gets its colours from layers of minerals like clay, limestone, and sandstone that got deposited millions of years ago.” |
| 5 | The brother was surprised to learn about the mountain being covered with snow till recently | True | “I cannot believe the fact that it was all buried under snow until recently.” |
| 6 | The sister understood nature's role in the beauty of the mountain | True | “It's like nature painted the mountain!” and “Each colour represents a different time in history.” |
Two things this task is testing. First, who says what: statements 3 and 6 are both about the sister, and you must keep the two speakers apart while listening. Second, the strength of a feeling: statement 1 turns ‘liked' into ‘taken aback', which is far too strong. In listening tasks the wrong statement is often only slightly wrong.
Did you know? The Rainbow Mountain — Vinicunca, in the Andes of Peru — became visible only in the last decade or so, as the snow covering it melted. Its stripes are layers of different minerals: iron oxides give red, copper gives green, and sulphur gives yellow. The sister in the conversation has it right: “each colour is due to a different mineral… the green comes from copper, and the red from clay.”