History Of Time-Measurement - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 4 Academic Listening Test 4 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
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Questions
Questions 31–35 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
History of time-measurement
Primitive measurements by observing
Two time keepers:
- The 31
- Natural events, such as winds and rains, rivers flooding, plants flowering, and the cycles of breeding or 32 behaviour.
Precise measurements
They became important for organising activities for:
- 33
- 34
The oldest time keepers were discovered in Mesopotamia and 35.
Questions 36–40 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
| Time Keeper | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| The sundial | In different parts of the year, the time for day 36 . |
| The clepsydra
(Water clock) |
The changing pressure and 37 were what the flow of water still relied on. |
| The 38 | The time duration was 39 . |
| Fire candle clock | The burning 40 or the rate of burning, was subject to the candles wax. |
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | sun's position | Prehistoric people first recorded time according to the sun's position | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the very first way people from a long time ago kept a record of time was by watching where the sun was in the sky. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to where the sun is located in the sky at a specific moment. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is determined by looking at how early humans measured time. The lecturer explains that before modern clocks, people looked at two main things: natural events (like rain or flowers) and the sun's position (where the sun was in the sky). Specifically, prehistoric people used where the sun was to mark time, such as identifying noon when the sun is at its highest point. |
| Q32 | animal / animals | Seasonal winds and rains, the flooding of rivers, the flowering of trees and plants, and the breeding cycles or migration of animals, all led to natural divisions of the year, and further observation and local customs led to the recognition of the seasons | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that watching how animals have babies (breeding) and move to different places (migration) helped early humans understand the changes in seasons. Answer Explanation: The answer is the word "animal" or its plural form "animals." Reason For Correctness: The correct answer identifies the creatures whose patterns were used to track time. The transcript mentions "breeding cycles or migration of animals" as indicators of environmental changes throughout the year. In the notes, this information is grouped under "the cycles of breeding or animal behaviour." Since "migration" is an example of "behaviour" performed by "animals," this word correctly completes the note. |
| Q33 | religion / religions | Apart from the connection with religion, accurate time measurement was also related to the government, since they divided the day or the night into different periods in order to regulate work and various events | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that being able to measure time accurately was linked to both religion and the government. These groups used time to organize work and other specific happenings during the day and night. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the system of faith and worship of a god or gods, which includes activities like prayers, ceremonies, and holy festivals. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'religion' because the lecturer states that 'precise measurements' of time were needed by priests to schedule 'daily rituals' and 'religious festivals.' The lecturer explicitly mentions the 'connection with religion' as one of the two main reasons why organizing time became important for society, with the other being the 'government.' |
| Q34 | the government / government | Apart from the connection with religion, accurate time measurement was also related to the government, since they divided the day or the night into different periods in order to regulate work and various events | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript notes that besides religious purposes, exact time measurement was used by the government. They divided the day and night into different parts to control work and plan events. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the organization of people who rule a country, which needed precise time to manage work schedules and other activities. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'government' because the lecturer links the need for accurate time-keeping to the way the state organized the day and night. The government used these precise measurements to split time into blocks, allowing them to control or 'regulate' when work was done and when events took place. This was one of the two main reasons mentioned alongside religion. |
| Q35 | North Africa | It was found that the earliest ancient time keepers were mainly invented and used in Mesopotamia, where the water clock was introduced from, as well as in North Africa, especially in the area of ancient Egypt | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the oldest devices used to tell time were created and utilized mostly in Mesopotamia and North Africa. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to one of the geographic regions where the first tools for measuring time were found. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "North Africa" because the speaker identifies it alongside Mesopotamia as one of the key regions where the earliest ancient tools for tracking time were invented and used. The text specifically highlights ancient Egypt, which is located in North Africa, as a major site for these developments. |
| Q36 | varied | However, it was quickly noted that the length of the day varied at different times of the year, therefore there could have been a difference between 'clock time' and 'sundial time' | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people realized the length of the day changed depending on the season. Because of this change, the time shown by the sun (on a sundial) was not always the same as regular clock time. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the length of a day changed and was not always the same throughout the year. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found in the section of the lecture about sundials. The lecturer explains that the sundial had a disadvantage because the length of the day changed or 'varied' depending on the time of year. This variation caused a difference between the time shown on a sundial and the time shown on a clock. |
| Q37 | temperature | It was reliable, but the water flow still depended on the variation of pressure and temperature from the top of water in the container | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the water clock worked well, but the speed of the water moving inside it was affected by changes in pressure and temperature. Answer Explanation: The answer is a word that describes how hot or cold something is. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'temperature' because the lecturer explains that the water clock (clepsydra) was not perfect. Even though it was reliable, the way the water flowed out of the container could change if the pressure or the heat levels (temperature) changed. In the table, 'variation' is represented by the word 'changing,' and 'depended on' is represented by 'relied on.' |
| Q38 | sandglasses | As the technology of glass-blowing developed, from some time in the 14th century, it became possible to make sandglasses. Originally, they were used as a measure for periods of time like lamps or candles, but as clocks became more accurate they were calibrated to measure specific periods of time. The drawback however, as you can imagine, was the limited length of time they could measure | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that when people learned to make glass, they created sandglasses to measure specific amounts of time, but these tools had a problem: they could only measure time for a short, restricted duration. Answer Explanation: The answer is sandglasses, which are old devices used for measuring time by letting sand pass from one glass container to another through a very narrow opening. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is sandglasses because the speaker mentions them as a tool created in the 14th century. The speaker notes that their main drawback—which is another word for disadvantage—was the limited length of time they could measure. This aligns with the table's description of a device where the time duration was limited. |
| Q39 | limited | The drawback however, as you can imagine, was the limited length of time they could measure | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the main disadvantage of using sandglasses was that they could only measure a short or restricted amount of time. Answer Explanation: The answer "limited" describes something that is small in amount or has a fixed end. In this context, it means the clock could only track a short period of time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the section of the lecture about sandglasses. The speaker identifies a "drawback," which is another word for a disadvantage or problem. He explains that the problem with sandglasses was the "limited length of time" they could track, meaning they were not useful for measuring long durations because the sand runs out quickly. |
| Q40 | time | However, the draughts and the variable quality of the wax mainly influenced the time of burning | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that wind (draughts) and the different kinds of wax changed how long the candle would take to burn. Answer Explanation: The answer "time" refers to the duration, or the amount of minutes and hours, that a candle takes to burn from the top to the bottom. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "time" because the fire candle clock's accuracy depended on the quality of its wax and the air around it. The transcript explains that the "time of burning" changed if the wax was different or if there was a breeze. In the table, the phrase "was subject to" means the same as "influenced" in the transcript, meaning the result was affected by those conditions. Therefore, "time" is the specific thing that was affected. |
Transcript
Lecturer: Good morning, everyone. Today, I'm going to talk about the research project I've been involved in on time measurement.
Do you know how time is measured? Consider how we measure length, and how with time we encounter a difficulty. Before we could grasp it, it would slip through our fingers. In fact, as we can see, we are forced to have the recourse to measure something else—the movement of something in space, or a set of movements in space. All the methods that have been employed so far really measure time by a motion in space. The measurement of time is no easy matter; a scientific unit only arrives at after much thought and reflection.
As the most primitive form of measurement, the sun seems to be natural. Ever since man first noticed the regular movements of the sun and stars, we have wondered about the passage of time. Prehistoric people first recorded time according to the sun's position. To start off, let us take noon, which is when the sun is on the meridian at the highest point of its course across the heavens, and when it casts the shortest shadow. But this measurement, which was regarded as a major one in ancient times, was less important than the natural events that occurred.
The earliest natural events that had been recognised were in the heavens, but during the course of the year there were many other events that indicated significant changes in the environment. Seasonal winds and rains, the flooding of rivers, the flowering of trees and plants, and the breeding cycles or migration of animals, all led to natural divisions of the year, and further observation and local customs led to the recognition of the seasons.
Years later, precise measurements were invented, because the passage of time was extremely important for astronomers and priests who were responsible for determining the exact hour for daily rituals and for important religious festivals. Apart from the connection with religion, accurate time measurement was also related to the government, since they divided the day or the night into different periods in order to regulate work and various events.
For thousands of years, devices have been used to measure and keep track of time. The current sexagesimal system of time measurement, dates back to approximately 2000 BCE from the Sumerians. It was found that the earliest ancient time keepers were mainly invented and used in Mesopotamia, where the water clock was introduced from, as well as in North Africa, especially in the area of ancient Egypt.
So now, I'd like to introduce you to some of the most well-known ancient timekeepers, as well as the disadvantages of them, for which they were replaced by various new forms of clocks that were used afterwards.
A sundial is a device that tells the time of day by the apparent positioning of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the word, it consists of a flat plate and a gnomon which casts a shadow onto the dial. As the sun appears to move across the sky, the shadow aligns with different hour-lines which are marked on the dial to indicate the time of day. However, it was quickly noted that the length of the day varied at different times of the year, therefore there could have been a difference between 'clock time' and 'sundial time'. In addition, the sundial was of no use at night, so a water clock was invented.
The water clock, or clepsydra, appeared to have been invented around 1,500 BCE and was a device which relied on the steady flow of water from or into a container. Measurements could be marked on the container or on a receptacle for the water. It was reliable, but the water flow still depended on the variation of pressure and temperature from the top of water in the container.
As the technology of glass-blowing developed, from some time in the 14th century, it became possible to make sandglasses. Originally, they were used as a measure for periods of time like lamps or candles, but as clocks became more accurate they were calibrated to measure specific periods of time. The drawback however, as you can imagine, was the limited length of time they could measure.
The last timekeeper to be introduced is the fire candle clock. Candle clocks take advantage of a simple concept: the slow and consistent nature of a burning wax candle. By utilising this process, our ancestors were able to keep steady track of the time. The clocks were created by engraving the length of the candle with evenly spaced markings. Each marking represented a single unit of time, and as the wax burned down, each hour would disappear. However, the draughts and the variable quality of the wax mainly influenced the time of burning. Like oil lamps, candles were used to mark the passage of time from one event to another, rather than tell the time of day...