The Importance of Architecture in People’s Lives - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Expert on Cambridge IELTS 10 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–37 One Choice
Choose the correct letter A, B or C.
Questions 38–40 Matching
Which findings match the age groups of the image testing?
Write the appropriate letter A-D next to each age group.
A. varied reaction
B. mainly scored 1
C. mostly scored 3
D. mainly scored 5
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | A | The main part I have played is in the collection of data to find out what effect, if any, various buildings have on people's mood, i.e. whether ugly buildings make people unhappy and whether beautiful buildings do the opposite | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the student collected data to discover whether different buildings make people feel happy or unhappy, meaning they were studying people's emotional reactions to those buildings. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the goal of collecting information was to see how people feel when they look at different types of buildings. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the student explains why they gathered information. The speaker mentions that their role was "the collection of data to find out what effect, if any, various buildings have on people's mood". The keywords "effect... on people's mood" mean how people feel emotionally, which directly matches testing "people's reaction". |
| Q32 | C | But we were worried that doing the questionnaire would be too time-consuming for people to fill in, so we gave up the idea | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says the students were afraid that people would need too much time to write answers on the questionnaire, so they decided not to use it. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the group stopped using the questionnaire because answering all the questions would take too many minutes or hours for people. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the speaker explains why they stopped their original plan. In the transcript, the speaker says they were worried the questionnaire would be "too time-consuming for people to fill in," so they "gave up the idea." Here, "fill in" means complete, "too time-consuming" means taking too much time, and "gave up the idea" means abandoned the plan. |
| Q33 | B | Using the scale meant that it would be much simpler to record people's reactions | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that by having people rate pictures on a number scale, it was much easier for the researchers to collect and note down what people felt. Answer Explanation: The answer means that using a 1 to 5 number system made it easier and simpler for the researchers to gather and write down the answers. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker explicitly explains the benefit of using the 1 to 5 rating system. The student mentions that "Using the scale meant that it would be much simpler to record people's reactions." Here, "much simpler to record" directly matches the idea of "ensuring that the information was easier to collect." |
| Q34 | C | we used colour rather than black and white to make the detail on the images clearer | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says the group chose to use color pictures instead of black and white pictures because color made the details easier to see. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the pictures were printed in color so that people could see them better. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the student specifically explains that they chose color instead of black and white so that the picture details would be easier to see. In the transcript, the phrase "make the detail on the images clearer" directly matches the question's phrase "see the detail in the images better", and the student notes they "used colour rather than black and white". |
| Q35 | A | We made five sets of images and for protection when handling we pasted the images onto hard card. Then using a machine to wrap them with plastic, we laminated the cards | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that to protect the cards while people held them, the students used a machine to cover them in plastic. Answer Explanation: The answer means that a machine was used to cover the pictures in plastic to keep them safe. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that to protect the pictures when being handled, they used a machine to wrap them in plastic (laminate them). The phrase "for protection when handling" matches "to preserve the images when being used", and "using a machine to wrap them with plastic" directly matches "They were covered in plastic with a special machine." |
| Q36 | A | We also asked a sample of the general public including tourists from all over the world, as they exited the Tate Modern in London, what they thought | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the students gathered opinions from ordinary people, specifically mentioning travelers from across the world as they came out of a museum. Answer Explanation: The answer means that people traveling from many different countries or places were included in the research group. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker states that their survey sample included "tourists from all over the world" who were leaving the Tate Modern in London. The phrase "tourists from all over the world" directly matches the option "tourists from various places". |
| Q37 | B | we found that we had to appoint a leader to stop us pulling in different directions and falling apart | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the members needed a leader so they would not disagree, go their own separate ways, or break up as a team. Answer Explanation: The answer means the group chose a leader so that the members would stay united and continue working together without separating. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker explains that having a leader prevented the group from working against each other and breaking up. In the text, the phrase 'to stop us pulling in different directions and falling apart' directly matches the idea of helping to hold the team together. |
| Q38 | A | we went to a local school where we obtained permission to ask a group of teenagers between 11 and 18 With the youngest age group, their reaction was very mixed |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that the 11 to 18-year-olds were the youngest group tested, and this group had very mixed, or varied, feelings about the images. Answer Explanation: The answer 'A' means that the 11 to 18-year-old group showed mixed or different kinds of responses. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that the teenagers between 11 and 18 were the youngest participants. When explaining the findings, the speaker notes that the reactions from this youngest age group were 'very mixed' and lacked any clear pattern. The word 'varied' directly matches 'very mixed'. |
| Q39 | C | For the 20-40 age-groups, we found that they tended to score more in the middle range around 3 | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript clearly states that participants between the ages of 20 and 40 usually gave a rating close to 3. Answer Explanation: The answer "C" means that the majority of people aged 20 to 40 gave a score of 3. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the student explicitly mentions the results for this group. The student states that people in the 20-40 age group "tended to score more in the middle range around 3". The word "tended to" matches the idea of "mostly" in option C. |
| Q40 | D | We found that out of the three groups, the most likely to be favourably affected by the images, that is, they were more likely to score the images as 5, were those aged 50 and above | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript clearly states that people who were 50 years old and older liked the building pictures the most and gave them a top score of 5 more often than any other group. Answer Explanation: The answer D means that people in this age group usually gave the highest score of 5 to the pictures. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the speaker explains the survey results for people aged 50 and above. In the talk, the speaker specifically notes that participants who were 50 and older were the most likely to give the images a rating of 5, which corresponds directly to choice D ('mainly scored 5'). |
Transcript
Student: My group has been doing a project on the importance of architecture in people's lives and whether it has any impact on the lives of people in general. The main part I have played is in the collection of data to find out what effect, if any, various buildings have on people's mood, i.e. whether ugly buildings make people unhappy and whether beautiful buildings do the opposite. We had originally thought of starting measuring people's reactions by using a questionnaire with about 40 questions, which we were going to hand out to people including students at the university. But we were worried that doing the questionnaire would be too time-consuming for people to fill in, so we gave up the idea. I then asked several of the postgraduate students for advice. One of them came up with the simple idea of showing people images of various buildings from different eras and styles, instead of giving out the questionnaire and asking them to indicate how they felt on a scale of 1-5 about the images, where 1 was unhappy and 5 was very happy. People would also be given the option of not saying what they felt. Using the scale meant that it would be much simpler to record people's reactions. I decided to follow this advice and so the first stage was to collect a large number of images. I used Google to print off colour images of views of houses and apartment blocks where people live and different types of buildings where they work. I started with about 30 or 40 and then reduced them to ten images. Media resources in the Amory Building at the Judd Street branch of the university helped me produce the final images. I had them blown up to A4 size and we used colour rather than black and white to make the detail on the images clearer. We made five sets of images and for protection when handling we pasted the images onto hard card. Then using a machine to wrap them with plastic, we laminated the cards.
Five of us targeted different age groups; we went to a local school where we obtained permission to ask a group of teenagers between 11 and 18. We also asked a sample of the general public including tourists from all over the world, as they exited the Tate Modern in London, what they thought. We aimed to ask people from different age groups, namely 20 to 40, and 50 and over. What our group learnt most from the project was first of all the value of teamwork. And secondly we found that we had to appoint a leader to stop us pulling in different directions and falling apart, so this turned out to be an invaluable lesson for all of us.
As to the findings, for us they proved intriguing. In the end the sample consisted of 311 respondents. I thought initially that people wouldn't be interested in taking part in the activity. With the youngest age group, their reaction was very mixed. It was clear that the youngest group had no pattern of preference at all, as they frequently gave no reaction to the pictures. For the 20-40 age-groups, we found that they tended to score more in the middle range around 3.
We found that out of the three groups, the most likely to be favourably affected by the images, that is, they were more likely to score the images as 5, were those aged 50 and above. And nobody in this age group failed to say what their reaction was, which was unique for the three groups. In total, I have to say that about 71 people indicated that they had no reaction at all to an image.
Our general conclusion is that we need to find out more about why people react as they do by perhaps giving them a chance to give reasons for their decisions. I would like to finish there and give my team-mates a chance to add anything I have missed, or take any questions or suggestions.