Charity-Water’s Water Project Manager - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Succeed in IELTS Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 2 · Questions 11–20
Audio
Questions
Questions 11–17 One Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 18–20 Three Choices
In what THREE ways did the new well improve Helen's life?
Choose THREE letters A - G.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q11 | B | As Charity-Water's Water Project Manager, I travel to some of the most desperate places on earth in search of clean water. And while the landscape changes, there's always one thing that remains the same: the women are always walking. Whether I'm in the mountains of Haiti, in rural Liberia, or the jungles of the Central African Republic, the women are always carrying water | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the speaker's job requires going to many different countries and remote areas across the globe to help find clean water. Answer Explanation: The answer choice B means that the speaker must travel to many different, distant places for their work. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker mentions that as the Water Project Manager for Charity-Water, they travel to many different parts of the world, including Haiti, Liberia, the Central African Republic, and Uganda. This shows that the job involves "extensive travel" (traveling very widely). In contrast, the transcript explains that it is the local women, not the speaker, who have to do a great deal of walking. |
| Q12 | A | To give you an idea of the work that Charity-Water does, I'll tell you the story of one of these women | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the speaker decides to tell this personal story specifically to help listeners understand and appreciate the helpful work done by the charity group called Charity-Water. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the speaker shares this story to show people the good work the organization Charity-Water does and make more people support it. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker clearly explains the reason for telling the story right at the beginning. The speaker states, "To give you an idea of the work that Charity-Water does, I'll tell you the story of one of these women." By showing how the organization's clean water project changed Helen's life, the speaker is promoting Charity-Water and its mission. |
| Q13 | C | We usually prefer to surprise communities by our arrival because it makes it easier to monitor how our water points are functioning without hundreds of people watching | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the team likes to visit villages without telling them beforehand because it is simpler to inspect how the water systems are working when there is not a big crowd of people around. Answer Explanation: The answer means that arriving without warning helps the workers do their job with fewer problems or distractions. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the speaker explains that arriving as a surprise makes their job of checking the water points simpler. The text mentions that coming unannounced "makes it easier to monitor how our water points are functioning" without large crowds around them. Therefore, this surprise visit helps facilitate their duties. |
| Q14 | A | But once you visit a few communities in the neighbourhood, rumours of your presence spread like wildfire. We jump out of the truck and walk into a party | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that when people heard the charity team was nearby, the news spread very fast, and when the team arrived, people were having a party. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the local people celebrated and held a party. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker explains that news about their visits travelled quickly around the area. When they got out of their vehicle in the village, they were welcomed by a celebration, described as walking "into a party". |
| Q15 | A | "I am happy now," Helen beamed. "I have time to eat, my children can go to school. And I can even work in my garden, take a shower and then come back for more water if I want! I am bathing so well." | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows Helen smiling brightly and explaining that she is very happy because the new water supply gives her time to take care of herself, her garden, and her children. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Helen is extremely happy and thrilled about how her life has changed. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because Helen expresses immense joy about the changes brought by the new water well. The word "ecstatic" means extremely happy and excited. In the text, Helen "beamed" (smiled brightly) and stated that she is happy because she now has time to eat, work, bathe, and send her children to school, showing how delighted she is with her new way of life. |
| Q16 | B | all I noticed was Helen's glowing face, the fresh flowers in her hair, and the lovely green dress she wore for special occasions | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the speaker paid attention to Helen's bright, shining face, the flowers she put in her hair, and the special green dress she had put on. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the speaker saw how nicely Helen had dressed and prepared her looks, including her glowing face, the flowers in her hair, and her pretty dress. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker explicitly describes looking at Helen and noticing her "glowing face, the fresh flowers in her hair, and the lovely green dress she wore for special occasions." These details show that Helen had paid close attention to how she looked, which directly means "the care she took with her appearance." Choice A is incorrect because the speaker did not focus on whether she bathed recently, and choice C is incorrect because she was wearing a lovely green dress, not a uniform. |
| Q17 | B | That really hit me. My job is to focus on sustainable development, health, hygiene and sanitation; to make sure Charity-Water's projects are working in 20 years. But nowhere on any of my surveys or evaluations was a place to write, "Today we made someone feel beautiful." | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the speaker's actual job is to focus on health, sanitation, and long-term water systems. Because making people feel beautiful was never written on any official form or plan, experiencing this result was a surprising and meaningful bonus. Answer Explanation: The answer means that helping someone feel beautiful was a surprising, extra good result that the speaker did not plan or expect in their work. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker states what their official job is: working on health, hygiene, sanitation, and long-term water projects. The speaker notes that there was no place on their official work surveys or evaluations to record making someone feel beautiful. It was not part of the job description, but it moved the speaker deeply as an unexpected, wonderful positive effect. |
| Q18 | — | — | |
| Q19 | — | — | |
| Q20 | C / D / E | She now had choices; free time; options. Also, Helen had been chosen to be the Water Committee Treasurer, collecting nominal fees from 51 households to use for the maintenance of their well. Water Committees are often the first time women ever get elected to leadership positions in villages | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript directly states that Helen gained free time, had choices and options, and was selected for a leadership role as treasurer of the village Water Committee. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the new water well gave Helen more spare time (C), allowed her to become a leader in her village (D), and gave her more possibilities and decisions she could make in her life (E). Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed by the text when it describes how Helen's life changed after getting the new well. The narrator explicitly writes that she gained "free time" (matching C) as well as "choices" and "options" (matching E). Furthermore, Helen was selected as the Water Committee Treasurer, which represents one of the "leadership positions" (matching D) for women in her community. |
Transcript
As Charity-Water's Water Project Manager, I travel to some of the most desperate places on earth in search of clean water. And while the landscape changes, there's always one thing that remains the same: the women are always walking. Whether I'm in the mountains of Haiti, in rural Liberia, or the jungles of the Central African Republic, the women are always carrying water. To give you an idea of the work that Charity-Water does, I'll tell you the story of one of these women.
Driving down a bumpy road in the middle of Northern Uganda, our truck suddenly swerves off the road and up over an embankment. We usually prefer to surprise communities by our arrival because it makes it easier to monitor how our water points are functioning without hundreds of people watching. But once you visit a few communities in the neighbourhood, rumours of your presence spread like wildfire. We jump out of the truck and walk into a party.
This is when I met Helen Apis. She told me about the new freshwater well in her village. "I am happy now," Helen beamed. "I have time to eat, my children can go to school. And I can even work in my garden, take a shower and then come back for more water if I want! I am bathing so well."
A few of the men chuckled to hear a woman talk about bathing. But all I noticed was Helen's glowing face, the fresh flowers in her hair, and the lovely green dress she wore for special occasions. Touching her forearm, I replied, "Well, you look great." "Yes," she paused. Placing both hands on my shoulders and smiling, she said, "Now, I am beautiful."
That really hit me. My job is to focus on sustainable development, health, hygiene and sanitation; to make sure Charity-Water's projects are working in 20 years. But nowhere on any of my surveys or evaluations was a place to write, "Today we made someone feel beautiful."
Before she had clean water, Helen would wake up before dawn, take her only two 5-gallon Jerry Cans, and walk almost a mile and a half to the nearest water point, which happens to be at a school. Because there simply wasn't enough water for the area's population, she'd wait in line with hundreds of other women who also valued clean water. Helen's only other option was to skip the wait and collect contaminated water from a pond.
Helen spent most of her day walking and waiting. She told me each day she'd say to herself, "How should I use this water today? Should I water my garden so we can grow food? Should I wash my children's uniforms? Should I use it to cook a meal? Should we drink this water?" With two children, one husband and 10 gallons, Helen had to make choices. I saw the shame in her eyes when she described how she would return from her long trek to find her two young children waiting for her. They were often sent home from school because their uniforms were dirty.
With the new well in her village, her life was transformed.
She now had choices; free time; options. Also, Helen had been chosen to be the Water Committee Treasurer, collecting nominal fees from 51 households to use for the maintenance of their well. Water Committees are often the first time women ever get elected to leadership positions in villages. Last month, Helen was standing in line waiting for water. This month, she's standing up for her community. And now, she is beautiful.