A Famous Cave in Vietnam - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Road to IELTS Academic Listening Test 5 · Part 2 · Questions 11–20
Audio
Questions
Questions 11–15 Matching
Match the creatures to their behaviour.
Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D next to each description.
A. swifts
B. bats
C. cockroaches
D. centipedes
Questions 16–17 Short Answers
Answer the questions below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Questions 18–20 Note Completion
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
In the cave, you should:
- carry a 18
- wear a 19 and a hat
- keep to the 20 at all times
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q11 | C | The guardrails along the trails are covered with these droppings, and this makes a feast for the cockroaches, so be careful where you put your hands | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the metal bars next to the path are covered in animal waste, and the cockroaches use this waste as a source of food. Answer Explanation: The answer is cockroaches. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the guide mentions that bird and bat waste (called droppings) is found all over the metal rails next to the paths. The guide says this is a 'feast' (a big meal) for the cockroaches, meaning they eat it there. |
| Q12 | D | Please, please do not try to pick one up though; these centipedes have a very nasty poisonous bite | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript warns visitors not to touch or pick up the centipedes because their bite is poisonous and can hurt you. Answer Explanation: The answer is choice D, which refers to the centipedes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the guide explicitly warns visitors that the green centipedes are dangerous. While the speaker says cockroaches will not harm you, they explain that centipedes have a poisonous bite. This makes them a threat to people who might try to touch them. |
| Q13 | B | The bats in this cave are mostly a type of dwarf bat, which are common in this part of the world. They will be clustered high up against the walls – maybe a hundred or two hundred together | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript describes the bats as hanging on the high walls in groups of one hundred or two hundred animals. Answer Explanation: The answer is bats because they stay together in big numbers. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the guide explains that bats gather in groups of 100 or 200 on the cave walls. He uses the words 'clustered' and 'together' to show they collect in large groups. In contrast, other animals like swifts are mentioned as flying in 'ones and twos' (small groups) when they leave the cave to find food. |
| Q14 | B | They sleep all day until they all leave the cave in a massive flock on their nightly hunt for flying insects | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that these animals stay asleep while the sun is up and only go outside the cave in a big group at night to find food. Answer Explanation: The answer B is about the animals called bats. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker mentions that bats sleep during the whole day. They only fly out of the cave together when it is time for their nightly hunt to find insects to eat. Unlike the swifts, which fly during the day, bats are active and fly only when it is dark. |
| Q15 | A | The swifts make nests, usually higher up on the ceiling of the cave | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that these birds, called swifts, build their nests high up on the ceiling, which is the inside roof of the cave. Answer Explanation: The answer is swifts. These are birds that build their homes at the very top of the cave. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the text clearly states that swifts make their nests on the ceiling of the cave. The word 'ceiling' refers to the top surface inside a room or cave, which is synonymous with 'roof' in this context. While bats are also mentioned as being high up, they are described as being against the walls, whereas the swifts are specifically linked to the ceiling/roof where they build nests. |
| Q16 | fertiliser / fertilizer | The guano is very valuable as fertiliser, and so it’s collected each year, once the young birds have grown and the swifts have abandoned their nests | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that guano (bird and bat droppings) is very useful as fertiliser, so people collect it every year. Answer Explanation: The answer is something people add to soil or plants to help them grow healthy and strong. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the part of the transcript that talks about why locals collect animal waste, called guano. It says the guano is worth a lot of money because it is used as a fertiliser, which helps plants grow. Keywords to listen for include 'guano', 'valuable', and 'fertiliser'. |
| Q17 | soup | These are even more valuable than the guano, as they are the main ingredient in bird’s nest soup | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that the nests are very important because they are the main thing people use to make a food called bird's nest soup. Answer Explanation: The answer is soup, which is a liquid food usually made by cooking ingredients like meat, vegetables, or in this case, bird nests, in water. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is soup because the speaker explains that locals collect the nests found in the cave because they are very expensive and useful. The text specifically says that the nests are a key part of bird's nest soup. |
| Q18 | working light / light / working torch / torch | that’s why I insisted that you bring a working light – please check that it shines brightly, and ensure that you stay together with others who have a good torch | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that because the cave is dark, the speaker strongly asked everyone to bring a light that works and told them to be near people with a good flashlight (torch). Answer Explanation: The answer means you must have something that makes light, like a flashlight or a lamp, to help you see in the dark cave. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is chosen because the cave is dark, so the guide tells the group that they must bring a light that works well. The guide uses the words 'working light' and 'torch' to describe what people need to carry. |
| Q19 | waterproof jacket / jacket | It is a good idea to put your waterproof jacket on now. The walls may be wet but that is not the main reason for the jacket. The bats and birds do excrete, and they are above you, so just in case and of course, your hat or hood also keeps you safe from animal droppings |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that visitors should wear a jacket and a hat to protect themselves from animal waste falling from the top of the cave. Answer Explanation: The answer is a jacket that stops water or liquids from getting inside, called a waterproof jacket. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "(waterproof) jacket" because the guide tells visitors to wear one along with a hat. This is because birds and bats live high up in the cave and their waste, or "droppings," might fall on people from above. Wearing these clothes keeps the visitors clean while walking. |
| Q20 | marked trails / trails / marked path / path | You absolutely must follow the marked trails Keep your torches shining on the path whenever you are moving, just to be sure of your footing, and don’t try to go too fast |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows two instances where the guide tells the visitors to stay on the correct walking area, first by saying they must follow the 'marked trails' and later by referring to the walking area as the 'path'. Answer Explanation: The answer means you must stay on the specific walking paths that have been pointed out for you and not wander into other areas. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is determined by the safety instructions given by the guide. He tells the visitors that they must 'follow the marked trails' and 'keep' their lights on the 'path'. These instructions emphasize staying within the designated walking zones marked by guardrails. The words 'follow' and 'keep' are used here as synonyms for staying on a specific route. |
Transcript
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our visit to one of the most famous caves in Vietnam.
As you know, this cave is famous for its wildlife, and one of the creatures you will observe in here is the small cave cockroach. They live mostly on the bird and bat droppings that are so plentiful in the caves. The guardrails along the trails are covered with these droppings, and this makes a feast for the cockroaches, so be careful where you put your hands. They will not harm you, but it can be a shock if you touch them!
Once you are in one of the main caves, look out for the green centipedes. They will not be on the trail but can often be seen on the wall close by. They feed on other insects and are fascinating to look at because of their colour, and, of course, their many legs. Please, please do not try to pick one up though; these centipedes have a very nasty poisonous bite.
There are also deep red millipedes. These have a fully rounded shape, and they look like a streamlined elongated train with a hundred or so closely packed legs extending right and left.
When you get to the large high caves, you should look right up above you for the swifts and bats. The bats in this cave are mostly a type of dwarf bat, which are common in this part of the world. They will be clustered high up against the walls – maybe a hundred or two hundred together. They look like shadows high on the walls of the cave. They are likely to be very quiet right now, but because there are so many of them together you will have no difficulty identifying them. They sleep all day until they all leave the cave in a massive flock on their nightly hunt for flying insects.
The swifts are the creatures you can see flying around during the day, especially if they have young ones to feed. They can navigate in the darkness here, and will fly outside in ones and twos at dusk to catch small winged insects like mosquitoes. However they tend to return before it is pitch black outside, and they do not hunt at night. The swifts make nests, usually higher up on the ceiling of the cave.
Before you hear the rest of the talk, you have some time to look at questions 16 to 20
Now listen and answer questions 16 to 20.
The paths tend to run around the edges of the large caves. Mostly this is because the centre is a mound of guano – the bird and bat droppings. This is also the source of the strong smell inside the caves. You may not like this smell, but the locals know its economic value. They have harvested the products of these caves for centuries. The guano is very valuable as fertiliser, and so it’s collected each year, once the young birds have grown and the swifts have abandoned their nests.
The guano is not the only valuable by-product of the wildlife here. As you travel through the caves, you will notice some bamboo structures. These very flimsy looking sets of poles that go a full hundred metres, right up to the roof, are what the locals climb up to gather the swift’s nests. These are even more valuable than the guano, as they are the main ingredient in bird’s nest soup.
Before you begin, it’s time for some safety instructions. As you probably know, this is a huge limestone cave that goes about one kilometre back into the hills and in places it’s a hundred metres in height and three hundred metres wide. There is no need to crawl around in here as you do in other caves, but it is dark inside, of course … that’s why I insisted that you bring a working light – please check that it shines brightly, and ensure that you stay together with others who have a good torch. In one of the larger areas of the cave, the roof is pierced so some sunlight will get through. It is best to turn your torches off if you can see well, and save your batteries.
It is a good idea to put your waterproof jacket on now. The walls may be wet but that is not the main reason for the jacket. The bats and birds do excrete, and they are above you, so just in case … and of course, your hat or hood also keeps you safe from animal droppings.
It’s not advisable to use the guardrails as handholds. There are lots of droppings on those rails, and don’t forget the cockroaches!
You absolutely must follow the marked trails. The guardrails on either side are put there so that you cannot mistake them. We take no responsibility for your safety if you go over or under the rails into other cave areas.
Keep your torches shining on the path whenever you are moving, just to be sure of your footing, and don’t try to go too fast. You might trip, and you will certainly miss some of the fascinating wildlife in the cave.
Now it’s time to begin the tour …
That is the end of section 2. You now have half a minute to check your answers.
Now turn to section 3.