Céide Fields - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic Listening Test 1 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
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Questions
Questions 31–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Céide Fields
an important Neolithic archaeological site in the northwest of Ireland
Discovery
In the 1930s, a local teacher realised that stones beneath the bog surface were once 31.
His 32 became an archaeologist and undertook an investigation of the site:
- a traditional method used by local people to dig for 33 was used to identify where stones were located
- carbon dating later proved the site was Neolithic.
Items are well preserved in the bog because of a lack of 34.
Neolithic farmers
Houses were 35 in shape and had a hole in the roof.
Neolithic innovations include:
- cooking indoors
- pots used for storage and to make 36.
Each field at Céide was large enough to support a big 37.
The fields were probably used to restrict the grazing of animals – no evidence of structures to house them during 38.
Reasons for the decline in farming
a decline in 39 quality
an increase in 40
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | walls | when local people were digging in the bog, they were constantly hitting against what seemed to be rows of stones. He realised that these must be walls and that they must be thousands of years old for them to predate the bog which subsequently grew over them. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that local people were digging in the bog and found rows of stones. A teacher thought these stones were walls that had been buried for a very long time, even before the bog grew on top of them. Answer Explanation: The answer 'walls' means that the stones were parts of structures that were built to divide areas or create boundaries in the land. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'walls' because the transcript says the teacher realized that the stones must be walls that are thousands of years old, showing they were important parts of the structures in the past. |
| Q32 | son | Patrick Caulfield’s son Seamus, who had become an archaeologist by then, began to explore further. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that Patrick Caulfield had a son named Seamus. Seamus became an archaeologist and started to study the site further. Answer Explanation: The answer 'son' means a male child. In this case, it refers to Seamus, who is the son of Patrick. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'son' because the excerpt clearly states that Seamus, who became an archaeologist, is the son of Patrick Caulfield. |
| Q33 | fuel | He inserted iron probes into the bog to map the formation of the stones, a traditional method which local people had always used for finding fuel buried in the bog for thousands of years. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that a teacher used iron tools to look into the wet ground, called a bog, to find stones. This method is something local people have done for many years to find fuel, which is material that can be burned for energy or heat, that is buried in the bog. Answer Explanation: The answer 'fuel' means something used for burning to produce heat or energy, like wood or peat that can be found in the bog. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'fuel' because the teacher was using a method that local people used to find fuel in the bog. This shows that fuel is related to finding stones in this archaeological discovery. |
| Q34 | oxygen | Objects remain so well preserved in these conditions because of the acidity of the peat and the deficiency of oxygen | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that objects found in the bog are kept very well because the soil is acidic and does not have enough oxygen. Answer Explanation: The answer 'oxygen' means that there is a small amount of oxygen in the bog, which helps to keep the items safe. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'oxygen' because it matches the statement in the transcript that says a lack of oxygen helps to preserve items in the bog. |
| Q35 | rectangular | able to build bigger houses. These weren’t round as people often assume, but rectangular with a small hole | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people in the Neolithic period built houses that were not round, as many think, but had a rectangular shape with a small hole in the roof. Answer Explanation: The answer 'rectangular' means that the shape of the houses was like a rectangle, which has four straight sides. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'rectangular' because the excerpt clearly states that the houses were rectangular and not round. |
| Q36 | lamps | The pots were used for many things; as well as for storing food, pots were filled with a small amount of fat and when this was set alight, they served as lamps. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that pots were used for many purposes. One of these purposes was to hold a little fat. When the fat was set on fire, the pot acted like a lamp, providing light. Answer Explanation: The answer 'lamps' means that the pots could be used to give light when they contained burning fat. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'lamps' because the excerpt states that pots were filled with fat and burned to create light, which is what a lamp does. |
| Q37 | family | Evidence from the Céide Fields suggests that each plot of land was of a suitable size to sustain an extended family. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that each piece of land in the Céide Fields was big enough to support a large family. This means that the fields could provide enough food and space for all the members of a family to live and work. Answer Explanation: The answer 'family' means a group of people who live together and are related. In this case, it refers to the extended family that could live on the land. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'family' because the excerpt mentions that each plot of land was suitable for an extended family, meaning that the fields were large enough to support them. |
| Q38 | winter | This must have been a year-round activity as no structures have been found which would have been used to shelter animals in the winter. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about how people did not find any buildings that could keep animals safe during cold times of the year. This means that people were working with the animals all year round and did not have special places for them to stay when it was winter. Answer Explanation: The answer 'winter' means the cold part of the year when there is often snow and temperatures are low. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'winter' because the transcript explains that there were no structures to shelter animals during the winter months, indicating that the farming and caring for animals happened all year, including in winter. |
| Q39 | soil | The soil would have become less productive and led to the abandonment of farming. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the ground where plants grow, called soil, became less good for growing crops. This made it hard for people to farm, and they stopped doing it. Answer Explanation: The answer 'soil' refers to the dirt or ground that farmers use to grow food. If the soil is not good, plants cannot grow well. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'soil' is right because the transcript says the farming stopped because the soil quality got worse. If the soil is poor, it is difficult to grow food. |
| Q40 | rain | but this began to change and the conditions became wetter as there was a lot more rain | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that conditions began to change and it became wetter because there was a lot more rain. Answer Explanation: The answer 'rain' means water that falls from the sky and makes the ground wet. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'rain' because the excerpt explains that an increase in rain led to wetter conditions, which affected farming. |
Transcript
For my presentation today, I’m going to talk about the Céide Fields in the northwest of Ireland, one of the largest Neolithic sites in the world. I recently visited this site and observed the work that is currently being done by a team of archaeologists there.
The site was first discovered in the 1930s by a local teacher, Patrick Caulfield. He noticed that when local people were digging in the bog, they were constantly hitting against what seemed to be rows of stones. He realised that these must be walls and that they must be thousands of years old for them to predate the bog which subsequently grew over them.
He wrote to the National Museum in Dublin to ask them to investigate, but no one took him seriously. It wasn’t until 40 years later, when Patrick Caulfield’s son Seamus, who had become an archaeologist by then, began to explore further. He inserted iron probes into the bog to map the formation of the stones, a traditional method which local people had always used for finding fuel buried in the bog for thousands of years. Carbon dating later proved that the site was over 5,000 years old and was the largest Neolithic site in Ireland.
Thanks to the bog which covers the area, the remains of the settlement at Céide Fields, which is over 5,000 years old, are extremely well-preserved. A bog is 90 percent water; its soil is so saturated that when the grasses and heathers that grow on its surface die, they don’t fully decay but accumulate in layers. Objects remain so well preserved in these conditions because of the acidity of the peat and the deficiency of oxygen. At least 175 days of rain a year are required for this to happen; this part of Ireland gets an average of 225 days.
The Neolithic farmers at Céide would have enjoyed several centuries of relative peace and stability. Neolithic farmers generally lived in larger communities than their predecessors, with a number of houses built around a community building. As they lived in permanent settlements, Neolithic farmers were able to build bigger houses. These weren’t round as people often assume, but rectangular with a small hole in the roof that allowed smoke to escape. This is one of many innovations and indicates that the Neolithic farmers were the first people to cook indoors. Another new technology that Neolithic settlers brought to Ireland was pottery. Fragments of Neolithic pots have been found in Céide and elsewhere in Ireland. The pots were used for many things; as well as for storing food, pots were filled with a small amount of fat and when this was set alight, they served as lamps.
It’s thought that the Céide Fields were mainly used as paddocks for animals to graze in. Evidence from the Céide Fields suggests that each plot of land was of a suitable size to sustain an extended family. They may have used a system of rotational grazing in order to prevent over-grazing and to allow for plant recovery and regrowth. This must have been a year-round activity as no structures have been found which would have been used to shelter animals in the winter.
However, archaeologists believe that this way of life at Céide ceased abruptly. Why was this? Well, several factors may have contributed to the changing circumstances. The soil would have become less productive and led to the abandonment of farming. The crop rotation system was partly responsible for this as it would have been very intensive and was not sustainable. But there were also climatic pressures too. The farmers at Céide would have enjoyed a relatively dry period, but this began to change and the conditions became wetter as there was a lot more rain. It was these conditions that encouraged the bog to form over the area which survives today.
So now I’d like to show you some …