The History Of People’s Beliefs Regarding Whether The Sun, Or The Earth, Is At The Centre Of The Solar System. - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 6 Academic Listening Test 2 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–33 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B, or C.
Questions 34–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes.
Write ONE WORD OR A NUMBER for each answer.
| Nicolaus Copernicus |
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| Other scientists |
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| Modern geocentrism |
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Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | A | This is known as ‘geo’ ‘centrism’, with geo meaning Earth, and all pre-modern civilisations drew this conclusion | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that every single ancient society believed that the Earth was the center of the universe, showing that this belief is very old and has a vast history. Answer Explanation: The answer explains that the idea that the Earth is at the center of the universe has existed for a very long time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that every old civilization before modern times believed in geocentrism. Since it was the standard belief for thousands of years and some people still believe it today, it has a very long history. In contrast, heliocentrism (the idea that the sun is in the center) is described as the idea that took a long time to be figured out or 'deduced,' making option C incorrect for geocentrism. |
| Q32 | B | As early as the third century BC, an ancient Greek astronomer, Aristarchus of Samos, proposed heliocentrism, but received little support from his peers. Similarly, throughout subsequent history, isolated individuals proposed this new idea, but again, no one was listening | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that when a scientist first suggested the sun-centered idea long ago, his colleagues did not agree with him. Later in history, other people who suggested the same thing were also ignored. Answer Explanation: The answer means that for a very long time, most people did not believe or agree with the idea that the sun is at the center of the solar system. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the transcript describes how early suggestions about the sun being at the center were ignored or rejected. It mentions that an early scientist had 'little support' and that for many years, 'no one was listening' to this idea. Instead, people preferred the 'logical' view that the Earth was the center. This shows that the idea was not widely accepted by the general public or other scientists for a long time. |
| Q33 | C | In order to predict the motion of the planets, and accurately serve the primary purpose of navigation for sailing ships, increasingly elaborate mathematical models were needed—a sure sign that something was not quite right | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the focus on predicting how planets move was mostly to help ships travel correctly through navigation. Answer Explanation: The answer means that in the past, people looked at the stars and planets in the night sky to help guide ships across the ocean. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the text mentions that the main goal of tracking the movement of planets was to help with 'navigation for sailing ships.' This means that sailors used the sky to find their way. While the sky seemed simple at first, the transcript explains it was actually complex and changed over time, which makes the other two options (A and B) incorrect. |
| Q34 | Revolution | This event is sometimes referred to as the Copernican revolution | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript directly states that what Nicolaus Copernicus did is often called the "Copernican revolution," which matches the note about what he started. Answer Explanation: The answer "Revolution" refers to a massive change in the way people thought about the universe and science. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "Revolution" because the lecturer explicitly states that the publication of Nicolaus Copernicus's work in 1543 is known as the "Copernican revolution." In this context, a revolution is a major turning point or a total change in a system or idea. The transcripts use the word "referred to" as a synonym to show what the event is called. |
| Q35 | Sick | Probably for this reason, he wailed until the last year of his life, when he was sick and dying, to release his findings | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that Copernicus did not release his work until his last year, a time when he was very unwell and about to die. Answer Explanation: The answer "Sick" refers to someone who is ill or not healthy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "Sick" because the transcript mentions that Nicolaus Copernicus waited to publish his findings until the very end of his life. The speaker describes him as being "sick and dying" during that final year. In the notes, the phrase "passed away" is used as a synonym for "dying," which means "sick" is the word that explains his physical state just before he died. |
| Q36 | Attention | in fact, the book received scant attention in the subsequent decades | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that for many years after the book came out, most people did not pay attention to it or think it was important. Answer Explanation: The answer means that not many people noticed, read, or showed interest in Nicolaus Copernicus's book when it was first published. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the transcript states that the book received "scant attention." In English, the word "scant" is a synonym for "little" or "very small amount." Therefore, saying the book "received scant attention" is the same as saying it "generated little attention." This explains why the book did not immediately start a revolution in how people thought about the universe. |
| Q37 | Bruno | The Italian scientist, Galileo, got into trouble, as did a fellow Italian, with the surname Bruno, Giordono Bruno. who was burnt at the stake | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that Galileo had problems with the authorities, and another Italian man with the name Bruno was put to death by being burned. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'Bruno', which is the last name of a man who was killed because of his scientific beliefs. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'Bruno' because the text mentions two Italian scientists who faced problems for their work. While Galileo 'got into trouble,' the other scientist, Giordono Bruno, was 'burnt at the stake.' Being burnt at the stake is a way people were killed as a punishment in the past. This matches the note that says someone 'was killed.' |
| Q38 | Motion | It formed the basis of lsaac Newton's great work on the motion of the planets — a work which implied that even the sun. around which the Earth circled, was itself in motion around a common centre of gravity | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that Isaac Newton's famous work about how things move showed that the sun is also moving around a special balance point. Answer Explanation: The answer 'Motion' means the act or process of moving or changing place or position. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'Motion' because the speaker describes Isaac Newton's scientific work. His findings suggested that the sun, which people used to think was the still center of everything, is actually moving. The transcript specifically uses the phrase 'in motion' to describe this. |
| Q39 | Bible | Modern geocentrism is usually the result of literal interpretations of the Bible, which is the cornerstone of these people's beliefs | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that modern geocentrism exists because some people follow exact words from the Bible to explain how the world works. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'Bible', which refers to the holy book of the Christian religion. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'Bible' because the lecturer says that people who still believe the Earth is the center of the universe today base their ideas on how they read this religious book. In the transcript, the Bible is called the 'cornerstone' (the main foundation) of their beliefs. |
| Q40 | 20% | it is sobering to consider that surveys have revealed that up to 10% of British people, 12% of Europeans. 20% of the ESA, and 25% of the Middle East, still hold the belief that the sun revolves around the Earth | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that 20% of the people in the group mentioned believe the sun goes around the Earth. Answer Explanation: The answer 20% is the number of people in the United States who still believe the sun moves around the Earth. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found in the final part of the talk, which talks about people today who still believe in geocentrism (the Earth being at the center). The speaker lists several groups of people and their percentages. He mentions 10% for the British, 12% for Europeans, 20% for a group (written as 'ESA' in the text but meaning Americans in the notes), and 25% for the Middle East. |
Transcript
You will hear a lecturer discussing the history of people’s beliefs regarding whether the sun, or the Earth, is at the centre of the solar system.
In the night sky, the stars appear to revolve around the Earth, rising in the east, and disappearing in the west. The Earth itself seems solid, fixed, and stable, and such common sense perception suggests that the Earth is the centre of the universe. This is known as ‘geo’ ‘centrism’, with geo meaning Earth, and all pre-modern civilisations drew this conclusion. We now know, of course, that the Earth revolves around the sun, and this is called ‘helio’ ‘centrism’, with helio meaning sun, but historically, it took quite a while for this to be deduced.
As early as the third century BC, an ancient Greek astronomer, Aristarchus of Samos, proposed heliocentrism, but received little support from his peers. Similarly, throughout subsequent history, isolated individuals proposed this new idea, but again, no one was listening. Geocentrism just seemed too logical to refute. Geocentrism also fitted the views of the established Christian church, who could quote biblical passages such as ‘the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved’. Those who dared disagree were subject to accusations of heresy, often with dire punishments to follow.
The trouble was, as the night sky was observed more closely, that simple revolution of the stars proved not so simple at all. In relation to the others stars, some steadily wandered in given directions, then sometimes reversed for months, and disappeared altogether. They were called planets, meaning ‘wanderers’. In addition, the position of the sun and moon altered slightly over the year, and comets, those mysterious glowing spots, would come and go. In order to predict the motion of the planets, and accurately serve the primary purpose of navigation for sailing ships, increasingly elaborate mathematical models were needed—a sure sign that something was not quite right.
Heliocentrism, or the belief that the sun is the centre of the solar system, still needed a mathemalically-sound description before it could be scientifically accepted, and it was a Polish astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus, who, in 1543, first published this. This event is sometimes referred to as the Copernican revolution. Copernicus himself certainly feared the consequences of his proof, knowing full well it might invoke the anger of the established church. Probably for this reason, he wailed until the last year of his life, when he was sick and dying, to release his findings. In addition, the preface of the book, written by a respected member of the church, staled that the model was not necessarily correct. As a result of this, there was no ‘revolution" whatsoever—in fact, the book received scant attention in the subsequent decades, apart from a few irate clergy men who angrily dismissed the whole scheme as irrelevant.
Yet the following generations of astronomers did not always fare so well. The Italian scientist, Galileo, got into trouble, as did a fellow Italian, with the surname Bruno, Giordono Bruno. who was burnt at the stake, yet ultimately, nothing could slow the spread of heliocentrism across Europe. It formed the basis of lsaac Newton's great work on the motion of the planets — a work which implied that even the sun. around which the Earth circled, was itself in motion around a common centre of gravity.
No discourse about heliocentrism could finish without mentioning that, somewhat unbelievably, there still exists those today who choose to believe that the Earth is the centre of the universe. Modern geocentrism is usually the result of literal interpretations of the Bible, which is the cornerstone of these people's beliefs. They, therefore, also believe in creationism -- that is, that a God created everything, and while we may smile at this, it is sobering to consider that surveys have revealed that up to 10% of British people, 12% of Europeans. 20% of the ESA, and 25% of the Middle East, still hold the belief that the sun revolves around the Earth. One can only wonder what Copernicus would have thought of this.