Time Perspectives - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 5 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
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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, photos, 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 it to temptation. |
| Fatalistic | Have a strong belief in life after death and the 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 | The kinds of people living in a past negative time zone are also absorbed by earlier times, but they concentrate on all the negative sides of a life picture such as regrets, failures or poor decisions | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that people in the "past negative" category think about their past by looking only at the bad parts, like things they regret or failed at. Answer Explanation: The answer "negative" is the name of a specific way of thinking about the past, where a person focuses on bad things that happened. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "negative" because the speaker describes two types of people who think about the past. One group is "past positive," and the other is "past negative." The transcript explains that people in the "past negative" group focus on the bad parts of their lives, such as "regrets, failures or poor decisions," which matches the description in the table. |
| Q32 | pleasure | Present hedonists live their life in pleasure and immediate sensation | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that "Present hedonists" focus on things that make them happy, which is what "pleasure" means, and they want to experience these feelings immediately. Answer Explanation: The answer means doing things that make you feel happy and good at this moment. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "pleasure" because the speaker explains that "Present hedonists" choose to focus on feeling good and enjoying the current moment. The speaker mentions that they want excitement and stay away from pain, and specifically states that they live their life in "pleasure." These keywords in the talk match the description in the table for this group of people. |
| Q33 | poverty | Whether it's poverty, religion or society itself, something prohibits fatalists from thinking that they do perform a role in changing their life outcomes | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that for people who believe in fate (fatalists), factors like a lack of money, their faith, or the rules of their community prevent them from believing they can change how their lives turn out. Answer Explanation: The answer 'poverty' describes the state of being extremely poor and lacking the money to meet basic needs. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the part of the transcript discussing 'Present fatalists.' These individuals believe that their current situation is controlled by external forces rather than their own actions. The text lists three specific examples of these forces: poverty, religion, and society. In the table, 'religious beliefs' corresponds to 'religion' and 'social conditions' corresponds to 'society,' leaving 'poverty' as the missing element that governs their lives according to this perspective. |
| Q34 | active | People who are sorted into future active group are those who do plans and go for their plans. They don't play but work, and resist temptation | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the "future active group" consists of people who make plans, choose to work instead of playing, and do not give in to easy temptations. Answer Explanation: The answer is the word "active," which names a specific group of people who focus on the future by planning and working hard. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "active" because the transcript labels the group that prefers work over play and resists temptation as the "future active group." In the table, the features listed for this category—avoiding temptation and preferring work—directly match the description of the "active" outlook mentioned in the text. |
| Q35 | achievements | This group of people holds a belief that there will be a certainty of life after death and certain kind of judgement day when they will be assessed on how virtuously they have had a life and what achievements they have had in their lives | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that this specific group believes that after death, they will be checked or judged based on how they lived and the successes they reached. Answer Explanation: The answer "achievements" refers to the successes or things a person has done well during their life. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "achievements" because the transcript explains that people with a future-fatalistic perspective believe they will be judged after they die. This judgment is based on two things: how good or moral they were (virtuous) and what they actually accomplished or did in their lives. The table asks for what they believe is important in life according to this judgment, and the text specifically mentions the things they have achieved. |
| Q36 | B | When we were born, no exceptions, everyone was a present hedonist | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that without any special cases, every person begins life as a present hedonist when they are first born. Answer Explanation: The answer means that every human baby starts life focusing only on things that feel good or satisfy their needs right at that moment. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the text clearly says that at the start of life, or when we are born, every person acts as a present hedonist. The speaker mentions that babies only care about their current needs like being fed or kept warm, rather than thinking about the past or the future. This trait is common to everyone at birth before education begins to change how they think about time. |
| Q37 | A | they'll never fit in the traditional classroom, because there is a stronger need for those boys to have a certain circumstance in which they are capable of managing their own learning environment | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that boys have a hard time in regular schools because they strongly need to be in charge of their own study environment. Answer Explanation: The answer means boys leave school more often because they want to be the ones who decide and manage how they learn. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that while boys drop out more than girls, it is not because they are less smart. The text explains that boys often do not fit into a normal classroom. This is because they need a specific situation or 'circumstance' where they can 'manage' or stay in control of their own learning process. |
| Q38 | C | Though they do know the potentially detrimental consequences of their actions, they insist on how they behave because they're not living for the future | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that these children know that bad things can happen because of what they do, but they keep acting that way because they do not think about the future. Answer Explanation: The answer means that children who focus on the present understand that their actions can have bad results later, but they choose to do them anyway. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the speaker's description of present-oriented children in relation to prevention education. The speaker explains that even though these children are aware of the 'detrimental consequences' (bad results) of their actions, they 'insist on how they behave' because they focus on the current moment rather than the future. This matches the idea that they know the risks but ignore them to enjoy the present. |
| Q39 | A | However, when they're asked what if there are 8 days in a week, they say 'Oh, that'll be fabulous'. They would spend that time working to achieve more | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that if Americans had an 8th day in the week, they would use it to work so they could accomplish more goals. Answer Explanation: The answer A means that if Americans had one more day every week, they would use it to do more work. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the transcript says that when people are asked what they would do with an extra day in the week (making it 8 days total), they answer that they would spend that time working so they can achieve more. This is because they are very focused on reaching future success. Key words to notice are 'spend that time working' and 'achieve more,' which mean the same thing as 'working harder.' |
| Q40 | B | Rather than distinctions of characteristics, seeing these conflicts as differences in time perspectives can promote more effective cooperation between people and get the most out of each person's individual strengths | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that seeing problems as just different views on time helps people work together (cooperation) and use the best parts of each person's skills. Answer Explanation: The answer means that if we know how different people think about time, we can collaborate with them more successfully. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the text explains that understanding different time perspectives helps avoid judging personalities. Instead, it allows for 'more effective cooperation,' which is a synonym for working together better. By recognizing these differences, people can use each individual's strengths more efficiently. |
Transcript
Today, I would like to share something with you about time. Particularly, I'll be looking at the way we think about time, and how these perspectives of time structure our life. Social psychologists have pointed out that there are six ways of thinking about time, which they regard as personal time zones.
The first two types of time zones are based in the past. Past positive thinkers usually spend a major part of their time looking back to the past, which means they are in a state of nostalgia, where they fancy remembering moments of happiness such as birthdays, marriages and important success time in their lives. They are those who have the habit of keeping family records, books and photo albums. The kinds of people living in a past negative time zone are also absorbed by earlier times, but they concentrate on all the negative sides of a life picture such as regrets, failures or poor decisions. They spend plenty of time imagining what life could have been.
Then, it is those who live in the present. Present hedonists live their life in pleasure and immediate sensation. Their life motto should be having a good time and avoiding painful experiences. Present fatalists live in the present as well; however, they think this moment is the product of circumstances entirely beyond their control, but it is more a fate. Whether it's poverty, religion or society itself, something prohibits fatalists from thinking that they do perform a role in changing their life outcomes. Life is simply what it is.
How about the future time zone? People who are sorted into future active group are those who do plans and go for their plans. They don't play but work, and resist temptation. They make decisions in terms of potential consequences, rather than experience itself. The other type of future-oriented perspective is future fatalistic. This group of people holds a belief that there will be a certainty of life after death and certain kind of judgement day when they will be assessed on how virtuously they have had a life and what achievements they have had in their lives.
Okay, so much for all the types. You now may ask 'in what ways are our lives influenced by these time zones?' Well, let's start at the beginning. When we were born, no exceptions, everyone was a present hedonist. All the initial needs and demands like being warm, secure, fed and watered were all from that time. But formal education will change the way we think. Each one of us is taught to prevent focusing only on the moment and start to make estimates about the future. But you might be surprised, every nine seconds a child drops out of school in the US. More interestingly, there're much more boys dropping out than girls doing. We may easily draw a conclusion: 'boys aren't as intelligent as girls.' But the evidence doesn't support this. A recent survey indicates that when American boys reach the age of 21, they have spent roughly 10,000 hours on video games and also suggests that they'll never fit in the traditional classroom, because there is a stronger need for those boys to have a certain circumstance in which they are capable of managing their own learning environment.
Now, let's move on to how we do prevention education. All kinds of prevention education are usually targeted at the 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 as for present-oriented kids, it doesn't make sense. Though they do know the potentially detrimental consequences of their actions, they insist on how they behave because they're not living for the future. They are in the present right now. Logics won't be helping and it's no use reminding them of potential fall-out from their decisions or previous judgement errors. We have to get in their minds just as they're about to make a choice.
How we value and use our time is greatly influenced by the time perspectives we have. When Americans come across a question about how busy they are, most of the interviewees usually report being busier than ever before. They admit to sacrificing their relationships, personal time and good sleep during nights for their careers. But 20 years ago, 60% of Americans had sit-down dinners with their families, yet now the number dropped to 20%. However, when they're asked what if there are 8 days in a week, they say 'Oh, that'll be fabulous'. They would spend that time working to achieve more. They're persistently trying to get to the future point of happiness.
So, it's of vital importance that we know how other people think about time. We tend to think: 'Oh, that person is really irresponsible,' or 'That guy is power hungry,' but often what we care about is not the fundamental personality differences, but only various approaches of thinking about time. Rather than distinctions of characteristics, seeing these conflicts as differences in time perspectives can promote more effective cooperation between people and get the most out of each person's individual strengths.