Newgrange Passage Tomb - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Succeed in IELTS Academic Listening Test 2 · Part 2 · Questions 11–20
Audio
Questions
Questions 11–16 Diagram Labeling
Label the diagram below.
Choose SIX answers from the box and write the correct letter, A - H, next to questions 11 - 16.
A. spiral column | B. passage | C. stone basin
D. entrance stone | E. light box | F. entrance
G. kerb stone | H. chamber rooms
Questions 17–20 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONLY ONE WORD for each answer.
- Anyone may join the gathering of people at Newgrange for the Solstice sunrise; however, access to the chamber itself is 17 .
- Access to the chamber is decided in advance by 18
- The winners of the draw will be notified by the middle of 19 .
- Each winner may bring a 20
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q11 | B | Newgrange consists of a long narrow passage and chamber, which, if we imagine looking down on it from above, would have the shape of a cross | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that Newgrange is formed of a long, narrow path (a passage) and an inner room (a chamber). Answer Explanation: The answer B corresponds to "passage", which means a long, narrow hallway or pathway leading inside. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the guide explains the layout of Newgrange by stating that it "consists of a long narrow passage and chamber". Therefore, the hallway leading into the structure is the passage. |
| Q12 | H | In the two rooms of the chamber forming the arms of the cross, you will see large stone basins, which are a feature of many Palaeolithic Irish tombs, though researchers can only guess about what their purpose would have been | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the chamber has two rooms that stick out to form the arms of a cross shape. Answer Explanation: The answer means option H, which refers to the "chamber rooms". Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is H because the speaker explains the layout of the tomb, noting that it forms the shape of a cross. The speaker mentions "the two rooms of the chamber forming the arms of the cross," which directly identifies the side spaces as chamber rooms. |
| Q13 | C | In the two rooms of the chamber forming the arms of the cross, you will see large stone basins, which are a feature of many Palaeolithic Irish tombs, though researchers can only guess about what their purpose would have been | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that inside the two side rooms of the chamber, there are big stone bowls or basins. Answer Explanation: The answer "C" refers to the "stone basin". Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the speaker describes the inside of the tomb chamber shaped like a cross. In the rooms forming the arms of the cross, visitors can see "large stone basins". Therefore, the feature labeled here corresponds to "stone basin". |
| Q14 | D | Outside of the tomb, in front of the entrance to the passage, sits the large carved entrance stone, which I'm sure you've all seen pictures of in magazines or textbooks | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that outside the tomb, right before the opening of the walkway, there is a famous large decorated stone called the entrance stone. Answer Explanation: The answer D corresponds to the "entrance stone". Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the speaker describes the feature positioned outside the tomb directly at the front of the entry walkway as the large carved "entrance stone". Listeners should listen for the phrase "in front of the entrance to the passage, sits the large carved entrance stone". |
| Q15 | F | Outside of the tomb, in front of the entrance to the passage, sits the large carved entrance stone, which I'm sure you've all seen pictures of in magazines or textbooks | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the large decorated stone sits right outside, in front of the entrance that leads into the walkway. Answer Explanation: The answer is F, which means "entrance". Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is F because the speaker mentions "the entrance to the passage" located just behind the large carved entrance stone outside the tomb. In the diagram labeling of Newgrange, this part marks the doorway or opening where visitors go inside. |
| Q16 | E | The final thing I want to mention before we set off is the light box, which is an opening that you will see in the roof of the passage, above the entrance, which allows the light of the sun to enter and illuminate the tomb at sunrise on the day of the winter solstice | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the light box is a special opening positioned above the entrance in the roof of the passage that lets sunlight come inside. Answer Explanation: The answer corresponds to option E, which refers to the "light box". Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because the speaker describes the "light box" as an opening located in the roof of the passage, right above the entrance, designed to let sunlight shine into the tomb during the winter solstice sunrise. |
| Q17 | limited | access to the chamber itself is limited on the Solstice mornings | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that entering the inside room (the chamber) on Solstice mornings is restricted to only a small number of people. Answer Explanation: The answer "limited" means restricted, small in amount, or allowed for only a few people. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "limited" because the speaker explains that while anyone can gather outside to see the sunrise, entry into the chamber is restricted. In the transcript, the phrase "access to the chamber itself is limited" directly fills the blank. |
| Q18 | lottery | access to the chamber itself is limited on the Solstice mornings, and is decided in advance by lottery | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that not everyone can enter the room on Solstice mornings, so people are picked beforehand through a random draw. Answer Explanation: The answer "lottery" means a game of chance or a draw where winners are chosen randomly by luck. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "lottery" because the speaker directly states that getting entry to the chamber during the Solstice mornings is chosen beforehand through a lucky draw. The prompt says "Access to the chamber is decided in advance by...", matching the guide's exact words: "is decided in advance by lottery." |
| Q19 | October | This year's draw will take place on September 30th, and the winning applicants will be notified by mid-October | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the lottery draw happens at the end of September, and the people who win will receive a notification by the middle of October. Answer Explanation: The answer means the tenth month of the year, October. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is October because the speaker explains when the winners will hear the results. In the talk, the guide mentions that the "winning applicants will be notified by mid-October". In English, "mid-October" means the middle of October, matching the phrase "by the middle of ". Therefore, the missing word is October. |
| Q20 | guest | Fifty names will be drawn, and each of the lucky winners can bring a guest | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that fifty people will win the lottery, and every winner is allowed to bring one extra person with them. Answer Explanation: The answer means a person who is invited to come along with someone else. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed by the speaker's statement about what each winner is allowed to do. The speaker says that 50 winners are chosen and 'each of the lucky winners can bring a guest'. In the question sentence, 'Each winner may bring a [guest]', the word 'guest' fits grammatically and matches the information precisely. |
Transcript
Good morning, and welcome to the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre. Newgrange is one of the finest examples, not only in Ireland, but in Western Europe, of the type of structure known as a passage tomb. It was probably built about 3000 BC – that makes it around 500 years older than the pyramid at Giza, in Egypt, and 1000 years older than Stonehenge in England!
Before we start our tour, let me tell you a little bit about what you'll be seeing. Newgrange consists of a long narrow passage and chamber, which, if we imagine looking down on it from above, would have the shape of a cross. In the two rooms of the chamber forming the arms of the cross, you will see large stone basins, which are a feature of many Palaeolithic Irish tombs, though researchers can only guess about what their purpose would have been.
Outside of the tomb, in front of the entrance to the passage, sits the large carved entrance stone, which I'm sure you've all seen pictures of in magazines or textbooks. After all, this stone is about the most famous example in the entire repertory of Palaeolithic rock art. The spirals and zigzag lines covering it are strikingly beautiful. Some of the large kerbstones lining the inside of the passage are also decorated, although they're not as famous. An eleven-metre-high circular mound made of stones covers the tomb, making it appear even larger and more imposing than it is, especially from a distance. The final thing I want to mention before we set off is the light box, which is an opening that you will see in the roof of the passage, above the entrance, which allows the light of the sun to enter and illuminate the tomb at sunrise on the day of the winter solstice.
Actually, I want to tell you a bit more about the winter solstice at Newgrange. The alignment of the tomb to the winter solstice sunrise is without a doubt one of the most amazing features of Newgrange, and has led researchers to speculate that the site may not have been only a place of burial but may have had broader cultural importance as a place of spiritual or scientific significance. Indeed, to witness the winter solstice sunrise illuminate the tomb is breathtaking and still has a deep resonance with people today.
The general public are welcome to gather at Newgrange for the sunrise on the morning around the Solstice, but access to the chamber itself is limited on the Solstice mornings, and is decided in advance by lottery. It's proved to be extremely popular; last year there were 25,349 entries for the Solstice lottery's 50 places. But don't despair – in recent years the event has been transmitted live by the Office of Public Works to hundreds of thousands of people around the world via internet and television stations.
This year's draw will take place on September 30th, and the winning applicants will be notified by mid-October. To ensure that everything is fair and square, children from three local schools will choose the winning applicants. Fifty names will be drawn, and each of the lucky winners can bring a guest. But of course, one hundred people won't fit in the tomb; we have room for ten lottery winners and their guests in the chamber on each of the five mornings around the Winter Solstice. If you're interested in signing up, you can do so at the information desk on your way out.