Time Perspectives - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Road to IELTS Academic Listening Test 1 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–35 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
| Time Perspectives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time Zone | Outlook | Features & Consequences |
| Past | Positive | Remember good times, e.g. birthdays.
Keep family records, photo albums, etc. |
| 31 | Focus on disappointments, failures, bad decisions. | |
| Present | Hedonistic | Live for 32 ; seek sensation; avoid pain. |
| Fatalistic | Life is governed by 33 , religious beliefs, social conditions. Life’s path can’t be changed. | |
| Future | 34 | Prefer work to play. Don’t give in to temptation. |
| Fatalistic | Have a strong belief in life after death and importance of 35 in life. | |
Questions 36–40 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | negative | People living in the past negative time zone are also absorbed by earlier times, but they focus on all the bad things – regrets, failures, poor decisions | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people in the 'past negative' group spend their time thinking about mistakes they made and sad things from their earlier life. Answer Explanation: The answer means a way of thinking that looks at the bad or unhappy parts of past events. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the speaker's description of the two ways people look at the past. While 'past positive' thinkers remember good memories, 'past negative' thinkers focus on failures, regrets, and poor decisions. The table asks for the specific name of the time zone outlook that focuses on these disappointments. |
| Q32 | pleasure | Present hedonists are driven by pleasure and immediate sensation. Their life motto is to have a good time and avoid pain | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people who focus on the present for fun (hedonists) are lead by a desire to feel good and have new experiences. Their main goal in life is to enjoy themselves and not feel any pain. Answer Explanation: The answer means a feeling of happiness or enjoyment. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "pleasure" because the transcript describes people in the "present hedonist" group as being motivated by this feeling. These individuals focus on the "now" and try to find things that make them feel good while avoiding things that are difficult or painful. The phrase "driven by pleasure" in the talk matches the table's requirement for what they "live for." |
| Q33 | poverty | Present fatalists live in the moment too, but they believe this moment is the product of circumstances entirely beyond their control; it’s their fate. Whether it’s poverty, religion or society itself, something stops these people from believing they can play a role in changing their outcomes in life | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people with a ‘Present fatalist’ perspective feel that their current situation is decided by fate and things they cannot change, such as having no money, their religious views, or the rules of society. Answer Explanation: The answer is the word ‘poverty’, which refers to the state of being extremely poor. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is ‘poverty’ because the speaker describes ‘Present fatalists’ as people who believe their lives are shaped by circumstances they cannot control. In the talk, the speaker specifically mentions three examples of these uncontrollable circumstances: ‘poverty’, ‘religion’, and ‘society itself’. In the question's table, ‘religious beliefs’ matches ‘religion’ and ‘social conditions’ matches ‘society itself’, leaving ‘poverty’ as the missing word. |
| Q34 | active | Looking at the future time zone, we can see that people classified as future active are the planners and go-getters. They work rather than play and resist temptation | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript identifies people who look at the future and focus on work and discipline as being 'future active'. Answer Explanation: The answer 'active' is the label for people who think about the future by planning their actions and choosing work over play. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'active' because the speaker divides the 'future' time zone into two categories. The first category is 'future active,' which includes people who prefer to work and can resist or 'not give in to' temptation. This perfectly matches the descriptions 'Prefer work to play' and 'Don’t give in to temptation' found in the table. |
| Q35 | success | A second future-orientated perspective, future fatalistic, is driven by the certainty of life after death and some kind of a judgement day when they will be assessed on how virtuously they have lived and what success they have had in their lives | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that people with a 'future fatalistic' view think about life after death. They believe that they will be checked or judged on how good they were and what they achieved while they were alive. Answer Explanation: The answer is the word 'success', which means achieving goals or doing well in your life. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'success' because the speaker describes a group of people called 'future fatalistic.' These people believe that after they die, there will be a 'judgement day.' On this day, how well they lived and the 'success' they achieved in their lives will be looked at and judged. |
| Q36 | B | Everyone is brought into this world as a present hedonist. No exceptions | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that every single person starts their life in the 'present hedonist' category without any exceptions. Answer Explanation: The answer means that every person is born as a 'present hedonist', which means focusing only on what they need or want right now. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker states that 'Everyone' starts life this way. The phrase 'brought into this world' is a common expression meaning birth. The speaker clarifies that our earliest needs, like being fed or kept warm, are focused entirely on the immediate moment, which defines the 'present hedonist' perspective. |
| Q37 | A | The research suggests that they’ll never fit in the traditional classroom because these boys require a situation where they have the ability to manage their own learning environment | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that boys have trouble in school because they need a learning setting where they can control how they are taught and how they learn. Answer Explanation: The answer means that boys in the US often leave school because they want to have power over how they learn and what their study space is like. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that boys do not fit into normal classrooms well. The speaker explains that this is because boys need to 'manage,' or be in charge of, their own learning. While video games are mentioned, they are used to explain why boys want to control their environment, and the speaker specifically says that the idea that boys are less smart than girls (choice C) is not true. |
| Q38 | C | Although they understand the potentially negative consequences of their actions, they persist with the behaviour because they’re not living for the future; they’re in the moment right now | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that even though these kids understand that their actions can have bad results (negative consequences), they still keep doing (persist with) those actions because they do not think about the future; they only think about right now. Answer Explanation: The answer means that children who focus on the present know that bad things might happen later because of what they do, but they choose to do those things anyway. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the talk explains that children who live in the present understand the negative results (consequences) that might happen in the future. However, they continue (persist) with the behavior because they are only focused on the current moment. The speaker mentions that even if you tell them about things like cancer or job problems, it doesn't stop them because they aren't thinking about 'then,' only 'now.' |
| Q39 | A | But when they’re asked what they would do with an eight-day week, they say “Oh that’d be great”. They would spend that time labouring away to achieve more | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that when Americans imagine having an extra day in the week, they think it is a good thing because they could use it to work hard ('labouring away') to get more things done. Answer Explanation: The answer means that if American people had one more day in their week, they would choose to do more work rather than relax or spend time with their families. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker explains that many Americans are very focused on success and being busy. They already give up things like relationships and sleep to get ahead. The transcript specifically says that if they were given an extra day (an 'eight-day week'), they would spend that time 'labouring away,' which is a synonym for working very hard, to achieve more goals. |
| Q40 | B | Seeing these conflicts as differences in time perspective, rather than distinctions of character, can facilitate more effective cooperation between people and get the most out of each person’s individual strengths | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that if we look at disagreements as just different views on time rather than bad personality traits, it helps people work together better and use their best skills. Answer Explanation: The answer means that knowing about different ways people think about time helps us do a better job when working with others. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker explains that understanding how others view time allows for better teamwork. Instead of judging a person's character (like calling them irresponsible or power-hungry), we can see their actions as a result of their time perspective. This shift in thinking helps people collaborate, or 'cooperate', more effectively. Keywords like 'effective cooperation' mean the same as 'work together better'. |
Transcript
Section 4
You will hear a talk on the topic of time perspectives. First you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
[20 seconds]
Listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
Today, I’m going to be talking about time. Specifically I’ll be looking at how people think about time, and how these time perspectives structure our lives. According to social psychologists, there are six ways of thinking about time, which are called personal time zones.
The first two are based in the past. Past positive thinkers spend most of their time in a state of nostalgia, fondly remembering moments such as birthdays, marriages and important achievements in their life. These are the kinds of people who keep family records, books and photo albums. People living in the past negative time zone are also absorbed by earlier times, but they focus on all the bad things – regrets, failures, poor decisions. They spend a lot of time thinking about how life could have been.
Then, we have people who live in the present. Present hedonists are driven by pleasure and immediate sensation. Their life motto is to have a good time and avoid pain. Present fatalists live in the moment too, but they believe this moment is the product of circumstances entirely beyond their control; it’s their fate. Whether it’s poverty, religion or society itself, something stops these people from believing they can play a role in changing their outcomes in life. Life simply “is” and that’s that.
Looking at the future time zone, we can see that people classified as future active are the planners and go-getters. They work rather than play and resist temptation. Decisions are made based on potential consequences, not on the experience itself. A second future-orientated perspective, future fatalistic, is driven by the certainty of life after death and some kind of a judgement day when they will be assessed on how virtuously they have lived and what success they have had in their lives.
Okay, let’s move on. You might ask “how do these time zones affect our lives?” Well, let’s start at the beginning. Everyone is brought into this world as a present hedonist. No exceptions. Our initial needs and demands – to be warm, secure, fed and watered – all stem from the present moment. But things change when we enter formal education – we’re taught to stop existing in the moment and to begin thinking about future outcomes.
But, did you know that every nine seconds a child in the USA drops out of school? For boys, the rate is much higher than for girls. We could easily say “Ah, well, boys just aren’t as bright as girls” but the evidence doesn’t support this. A recent study states that boys in America, by the age of twenty one, have spent 10,000 hours playing video games. The research suggests that they’ll never fit in the traditional classroom because these boys require a situation where they have the ability to manage their own learning environment.
Now, let’s look at the way we do prevention education. All prevention education is aimed at a future time zone. We say “don’t smoke or you’ll get cancer”, “get good grades or you won’t get a good job”. But with present-orientated kids that just doesn’t work. Although they understand the potentially negative consequences of their actions, they persist with the behaviour because they’re not living for the future; they’re in the moment right now. We can’t use logic and it’s no use reminding them of potential fall-out from their decisions or previous errors of judgment – we’ve got to get in their minds just as they’re about to make a choice.
Time perspectives make a big difference in how we value and use our time. When Americans are asked how busy they are, the vast majority report being busier than ever before. They admit to sacrificing their relationships, personal time and a good night’s sleep for their success. Twenty years ago, 60% of Americans had sit-down dinners with their families, and now only 20% do. But when they’re asked what they would do with an eight-day week, they say “Oh that’d be great”. They would spend that time labouring away to achieve more. They’re constantly trying to get ahead, to get toward a future point of happiness.
So, it’s really important to be aware of how other people think about time. We tend to think: “Oh, that person’s really irresponsible” or “That guy’s power hungry” but often what we’re looking at is not fundamental differences of personality, but really just different ways of thinking about time. Seeing these conflicts as differences in time perspective, rather than distinctions of character, can facilitate more effective cooperation between people and get the most out of each person’s individual strengths.
NARRATOR:
That is the end of section 4. You now have half a minute to check your answers.
[30 seconds]
That is the end of the listening test. You now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.