Presentation On Diet And Obesity - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–22 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Questions 23–24 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Choose TWO letters, A-E.
Questions 25–30 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | — | — | |
| Q22 | C / D | It took me ages to decide exactly how I’d organise it, especially how I could make sure that people didn’t know which drink I was giving them. It was hard to keep track of it all, especially as I had so many people doing it |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about Adam struggling to organize his experiment and ensure that people didn't know which drink they were getting, which was a challenge for him. Answer Explanation: The answer indicates that in Adam's experiment, the subjects were unaware of what they were drinking and a large sample of people was tested. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer matches the points made in the excerpt. Adam mentions the challenge of ensuring that people didn't know which drink they were receiving, indicating that the subjects were unaware of what they were drinking (point D). Additionally, the mention of 'so many people doing it' suggests a large sample was tested (point C). Therefore, the answer C and D are correct based on the information provided in the excerpt. |
| Q23 | — | — | |
| Q24 | C / E | I think I should probably have ground up the nuts more than I did. It’s possible that the scales for weighing the fat weren’t accurate enough, too. |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript suggests that Rosie thinks she should have chopped the nuts into smaller pieces. She also mentions that the scales might not have been accurate for measuring the fat content. Answer Explanation: The answer indicates that Rosie had problems because she did not grind the nuts finely enough and the weighing scales might not have been suitable. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C and E because Rosie herself mentioned that she should have ground the nuts more finely and also hinted at the possibility of inaccurate weighing scales. These align perfectly with the given options C and E from the answer choices. |
| Q25 | C | So, if you put the low-calorie items at the beginning and end of the menu, people will probably go for the food with fewer calories, without even realising what they’re doing. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that by placing low-calorie food options at the beginning and end of a restaurant menu, people are more likely to choose these healthier options without consciously deciding to do so. Answer Explanation: The answer suggests that organizing restaurant menus in a specific way can help reduce obesity. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'C' because the excerpt highlights the impact of organizing menus by placing low-calorie items strategically. This organization can influence people's food choices towards healthier options, which aligns with the idea of reducing obesity by changing the menu layout. |
| Q26 | A | Well, when manufacturers put calorie counts of a food on the label, they’re sometimes really confusing and I suspect they do it on purpose. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about how food manufacturers sometimes make the calorie counts on food labels confusing. The speaker suspects that this confusion is intentional. Answer Explanation: The answer choice A states that food manufacturers deliberately make calorie counts hard to understand. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker in the excerpt implies that manufacturers purposely create confusion around calorie counts on food labels. This matches answer choice A, which suggests that manufacturers deliberately make calorie counts hard to understand. |
| Q27 | B | Now when you ask them, about 40% of men and 30% of women say they do this, but when you objectively measure the amount of walking they do with motion sensors, you find that only 6% of men and 4% of women do the recommended amount of exercise. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that when people were asked about their exercise levels, a higher percentage of men and women reported doing a recommended amount compared to the actual percentage of people who were measured to be doing the recommended exercise through motion sensors. Answer Explanation: The answer suggests that most people overestimate how much exercise they actually do. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B ('Most people overestimate how much they do') because the excerpt reveals that a higher percentage of people self-report doing the recommended amount of exercise when objectively measured, only a small percentage actually meet the recommended exercise levels based on motion sensor data. |
| Q28 | A | if people reach the stairs before they reach the escalator when they’re leaving the station, they’re more likely to take the stairs. And if you increase the width of the stairs, you’ll get more people using them at the same time. It’s an unconscious process and influenced by minor modifications in their environment. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript is saying that if you make small changes to the environment, like making the stairs wider or placing them in a location that's easy to see, more people will use the stairs instead of the escalator. Answer Explanation: The answer is saying that the speaker is talking about practical changes that can influence people's behavior. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the excerpt explains how small changes in the environment, like the location and width of stairs, can influence people's behavior, making them more likely to take the stairs. This is exactly what option A says. |
| Q29 | A | But actually, I’m not sure if we should be talking about exercise in our presentation. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that one of the students is unsure if they should talk about exercise in their presentation. Answer Explanation: The answer indicates that the students should probably leave out the reference to exercise in their presentation. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'A' because one of the students expresses uncertainty about including exercise in their presentation. Therefore, it would be advisable for them to leave it out, as suggested in option A. |
| Q30 | C | Let’s think about what we’re going to include and what will go where. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript is talking about thinking about what to include and where to put things in their presentation. Answer Explanation: The answer means deciding on what content to include and how to organize it for the presentation. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'C' because the context in the excerpt is about considering what to include and how to organize it, which aligns with deciding on the content and organization for their presentation. |
Transcript
ADAM: OK Rosie, shall we try to get some ideas together for our presentation on diet and obesity?
ROSIE: Sure.
ADAM: I can talk about the experiment I did to see if people can tell the difference between real sugar and artificial sweeteners.
ROSIE: Where you have people drinks with either sugar or artificial sweeteners and they had to say which they thought it was?
ADAM: Yeah. It took me ages to decide exactly how I’d organise it, especially how I could make sure that people didn’t know which drink I was giving them. It was hard to keep track of it all, especially as I had so many people doing it – I had to make sure I kept a proper record of what each person had had.
ROSIE: So could most people tell the difference?
ADAM: Yeah – I hadn’t thought they would be able to, but most people could.
ROSIE: Then there’s that experiment I did measuring the fat content of nuts, to see if the nutritional information given on the packet was accurate.
ADAM: The one where you ground up the nuts and mixed them with a chemical to absorb the fat?
ROSIE: Yes. My results were a bit problematic – the fat content for that type of nut seemed much lower than it said on the package. But I reckon the package information was right. I think I should probably have ground up the nuts more than I did. It’s possible that the scales for weighing the fat weren’t accurate enough, too. I’d really like to try the experiment again some time.
———————
ADAM: So what can we say about helping people to lose weight? There’s a lot we could say about what restaurants could do to reduce obesity. I read that the items at the start of a menu and the items at the end of a menu are much more likely to be chosen than the items in the middle. So, if you put the low-calorie items at the beginning and end of the menu, people will probably go for the food with fewer calories, without even realising what they’re doing.
ROSIE: I think food manufacturers could do more to encourage healthy eating.
ADAM: How?
ROSIE: Well, when manufacturers put calorie counts of a food on the label, they’re sometimes really confusing and I suspect they do it on purpose. Because food that’s high in calories tastes better, and so they’ll sell more.
ADAM: Yeah, so if you look at the amount of calories in a pizza, they’ll give you the calories per quarter pizza and you think, oh that’s not too bad. But who’s going to eat a quarter pizza?
ROSIE: Exactly.
ADAM: I suppose another approach to this problem is to get people to exercise more.
ROSIE: Right. In England, the current guidelines are for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week. Now when you ask them, about 40% of men and 30% of women say they do this, but when you objectively measure the amount of walking they do with motion sensors, you find that only 6% of men and 4% of women do the recommended amount of exercise.
ADAM: Mm, so you can see why obesity is growing.
ROSIE: So how can people be encouraged to take more exercise?
ADAM: Well, for example, think of the location of stairs station. if people reach the stairs before they reach the escalator when they’re leaving the station, they’re more likely to take the stairs. And if you increase the width of the stairs, you’ll get more people using them at the same time. It’s an unconscious process and influenced by minor modifications in their environment.
ROSIE: Right. And it might not be a big change, but if it happens every day, it all adds up.
ADAM: Yes. But actually, I’m not sure if we should be talking about exercise in our presentation.
ROSIE: Well, we’ve done quite a bit of reading about it.
ADAM: I know, but it’s going to mean we have a very wide focus, and our tutor did say that we need to focus on causes and solutions in terms of nutrition.
ROSIE: I suppose so. And we’ve got plenty of information about that. OK, well that will be simpler.
ADAM: So what shall we do now? We’ve still got half an hour before our next lecture.
ROSIE: Let’s think about what we’re going to include and what will go where. Then we can decide what slides we need.
ADAM: OK, fine.