Observatory Club Lecture - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 1 Academic Listening Test 5 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–36 One Choice
Circle the correct letters A–C.
Questions 37–40 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
| Date of eclipse | Scientists | Observation |
|---|---|---|
| 1715 | Halley | 37 who accurately predicted an eclipse |
| 1868 | Janssen and Lockyer | discovered 38 |
| 1878 | Watson | believed he had found
39 |
| 1919 | Einstein | realised astronomers had misunderstood
40 |
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | C | A thousand years ago, a total eclipse of the sun was a terrifying religious experience – but these days an eclipse is more likely to be viewed as a tourist attraction than as a scientific or spiritual event | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that in the past, an eclipse was a religious event, but now it is more often considered a 'tourist attraction,' which describes people gathering to watch a big public event. Answer Explanation: The answer means that nowadays, a solar eclipse is seen as a famous public show that many people want to watch. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the speaker contrasts how people felt about eclipses in the past versus now. He mentions that a long time ago, it was a religious experience, but 'these days' (today), it is mainly a 'tourist attraction.' A tourist attraction where people travel miles to get the best view is a synonym for a popular spectacle. |
| Q32 | B | Scientifically speaking, the dark spot itself is easy to explain; it is the shadow of the moon streaking across the earth | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that from a scientific view, the cause of the dark shadow is simple to understand: it is just the shadow made by the moon as it moves over the ground. Answer Explanation: The answer means that scientists can tell us why the dark shadow appears during an eclipse without much trouble. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker uses the exact words 'easy to explain' when talking about the dark spot. While the speaker mentions that the path of the eclipse looks 'random' (choice C) or that historical figures eventually learned to 'predict' them (choice A), the specific description of the dark spot is that explaining it is simple. |
| Q33 | C | the Chinese were so disturbed by these events that they included among their gods one whose job it was to prevent eclipses | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the Chinese people felt very upset or "disturbed" by solar eclipses, so they created a special god to try to stop them from occurring. Answer Explanation: The answer means that people in ancient China felt very afraid when they saw a solar eclipse. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the text describes the Chinese as being "disturbed" by eclipses. In this context, being disturbed means they were very worried or upset. They were so afraid that they even had a god specifically to "prevent," or stop, eclipses from happening. This fear aligns with the idea of being "terrified." |
| Q34 | B | But beyond this, total eclipses possess a second more compelling beauty in the eyes of us scientists for they offer a unique opportunity for research |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the speaker finds the "opportunity for research" to be a "more compelling beauty" than the visual appearance alone, especially from his perspective as a scientist. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the speaker thinks the most important or exciting part of an eclipse is the chance it gives for scientists to study the sun. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker, who is a scientist, compares the simple beauty of the eclipse with the chance to do research. He uses the phrase "more compelling beauty" to describe the research aspect. "Compelling" means that something is very interesting or powerful. This shows that while the sky is beautiful (option A), the scientific value is even more impressive to him. |
| Q35 | A | If the moon were any larger, eclipses would become a monthly bore; if it were smaller, they simply would not be possible | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the specific size of the moon is why eclipses are a special, rare event. If the moon were bigger, we would see them all the time, and if it were smaller, we wouldn't see them at all. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the moon is the part of space that makes eclipses happen so infrequently. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is moon because the speaker explains that the size of the moon controls how often an eclipse happens. He says that if the moon had a different size, eclipses would either happen all the time (every month) or not happen at all. Because the moon is the size that it is, eclipses remain rare events for people watching from one place. |
| Q36 | C | The ancient Babylonian priests, who spent a fair bit of time staring at the sky, had already noted that there was an 18-year pattern in their recurrence but they didn't have the mathematics to predict an eclipse accurately | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that while the priests watched the sky and saw repeating patterns, they lacked the mathematical knowledge needed to calculate and predict an eclipse correctly. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the Babylonians were not able to make exact predictions because they did not have the necessary math skills. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the speaker mentions that although the ancient Babylonians noticed an 18-year pattern, they were unable to predict when an eclipse would happen with precision. This was because they did not have the 'mathematics' required for such calculations. In this context, 'mathematics' is a synonym for the 'ability to calculate'. |
| Q37 | first person | It was Edmund Halley, the English astronomer, who knew his maths well enough to predict the return of the comet which, incidentally bears his name, and in 1715 he became the first person to make an accurate eclipse prediction | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that Edmund Halley used math to predict a comet and then, in the year 1715, he became the very first human to correctly predict exactly when an eclipse would occur. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies Edmund Halley as the 'first person' to successfully calculate exactly when an eclipse would happen. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the part of the transcript discussing the history of eclipse predictions. Although ancient people noticed patterns, they could not make exact predictions. The speaker mentions that in 1715, Edmund Halley used his mathematical skills to become the very first individual to achieve an accurate prediction of an eclipse. This moved the event from the world of superstition into the world of science. |
| Q38 | a new element / new element / helium / the element helium | For instance, in the eclipse of 1868 two scientists, Janssen and Lockyer, were observing the sun's atmosphere and it was these observations that ultimately led to the discovery of a new element. They named the element helium after the Greek god of the sun | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that in 1868, two researchers (Janssen and Lockyer) watched the sun. Their watching helped them find a new substance called an element, which they named 'helium'. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'new element' or 'helium'. These are the names of the thing that two scientists found when they looked at the sun during a 1868 eclipse. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'new element' or 'helium' because the speaker says that in 1868, the scientists Janssen and Lockyer studied the sun. Their work led to the 'discovery' (finding something for the first time) of a 'new element'. They gave this element the name 'helium'. |
| Q39 | the lost planet / lost planet / the new planet / new planet / Vulcan | During the eclipse of 1878, an American astronomer, James Watson, thought he had spotted this so-called 'lost' planet. But, alas for him, he was later obliged to admit that he had been wrong about Vulcan and withdrew his claim | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that in the year 1878, James Watson thought he found (spotted) a 'lost' planet, which he named Vulcan, although he later said he was mistaken. Answer Explanation: The answer is the name of the planet (Vulcan) or the description of the planet (the lost planet or new planet) that scientist James Watson thought he saw during an eclipse. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found by looking at the section of the lecture about the year 1878 and the scientist Watson. The speaker explains that during this time, Watson 'thought he had spotted'—which is a synonym for 'believed he had found'—the 'lost' planet. The text identifies this specific planet by the name 'Vulcan.' Even though he later admitted he was wrong, this was his famous observation from that event. |
| Q40 | gravity | Einstein suggested that rather than being wrong about the number of planets, astronomers were actually wrong about gravity He also realised that a definitive test would be possible during the total eclipse of 1919 and this is indeed when his theory was finally proved correct |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that Einstein thought scientists did not understand gravity correctly. It also explains that this specific idea was tested and shown to be true during the solar eclipse in 1919. Answer Explanation: The answer is the natural force that pulls objects toward each other, such as how Earth pulls an apple down or keeps the moon in orbit. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "gravity" because the text explains that Einstein believed astronomers had a mistaken idea about this force. The speaker states that astronomers were "wrong about gravity" and that Einstein used the 1919 eclipse to prove that his new theory was right. In the table, the phrase "misunderstood" is a synonym for the text's phrase "wrong about." |
Transcript
Male: Good evening and welcome to this month's Observatory Club lecture. I'm Donald Mackie and I'm here to talk to you about the solar eclipse in history.
A thousand years ago, a total eclipse of the sun was a terrifying religious experience – but these days an eclipse is more likely to be viewed as a tourist attraction than as a scientific or spiritual event. People will travel literally miles to be in the right place at the right time – to get the best view of their eclipse.
Well. What exactly causes a solar eclipse – when the world goes dark for a few minutes in the middle of the day? Scientifically speaking, the dark spot itself is easy to explain; it is the shadow of the moon streaking across the earth. This happens every year or two, each time along a different and, to all intents and purposes, a seemingly random piece of the globe.
In the past people often interpreted an eclipse as a danger signal heralding disaster and in fact, the Chinese were so disturbed by these events that they included among their gods one whose job it was to prevent eclipses. But whether or not you are superstitious or take a purely scientific view, our earthly eclipses are special in three ways.
Firstly, there can be no doubt that they are very beautiful. It's as if a deep blue curtain had fallen over the daytime sky as the sun becomes a black void surrounded by the glow of its outer atmosphere.
But beyond this, total eclipses possess a second more compelling beauty in the eyes of us scientists ... for they offer a unique opportunity for research. Only during an eclipse can we study the corona and other dim things that are normally lost in the sun's glare.
And thirdly, they are rare. Even though an eclipse of the sun occurs somewhere on earth every year or two, if you sit in your garden and wait, it will take 375 years on average for one to come to you. If the moon were any larger, eclipses would become a monthly bore; if it were smaller, they simply would not be possible.
The ancient Babylonian priests, who spent a fair bit of time staring at the sky, had already noted that there was an 18-year pattern in their recurrence but they didn't have the mathematics to predict an eclipse accurately. It was Edmund Halley, the English astronomer, who knew his maths well enough to predict the return of the comet which, incidentally bears his name, and in 1715 he became the first person to make an accurate eclipse prediction. This brought eclipses firmly into the scientific domain and they have since allowed a number of important scientific discoveries to be made. For instance, in the eclipse of 1868 two scientists, Janssen and Lockyer, were observing the sun's atmosphere and it was these observations that ultimately led to the discovery of a new element. They named the element helium after the Greek god of the sun. This was a major find, because helium turned out to be the most common element in the universe after hydrogen.
Another great triumph involved Mercury ... I'll just put that up on the board for you now. See – there's Mercury – the planet closest to the Sun – then Venus, Earth, etc. For centuries, scientists had been unable to understand why Mercury appeared to rotate faster than it should. Some astronomers suggested that there might be an undiscovered planet causing this unusual orbit and even gave it the name 'Vulcan'. During the eclipse of 1878, an American astronomer, James Watson, thought he had spotted this so-called 'lost' planet. But, alas for him, he was later obliged to admit that he had been wrong about Vulcan and withdrew his claim.
Then Albert Einstein came on the scene. Einstein suggested that rather than being wrong about the number of planets, astronomers were actually wrong about gravity. Einstein's theory of relativity – for which he is so famous – disagreed with Newton's law of gravity in just the right way to explain Mercury's odd orbit. He also realised that a definitive test would be possible during the total eclipse of 1919 and this is indeed when his theory was finally proved correct.
So there you have several examples of how eclipses have helped to increase our understanding of the universe, and now let's move on to the social ...