Best Way to Answer IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Questions

We ran a survey among our IELTS candidate and found that most of them found it hard to answer multiple choice questions in the IELTS Listening Test. The reasons they mentioned were pretty solvable. Some of them complaint that they did not get enough time to read the questions before the audio began. It’s true that sometimes the questions are too long and wordy to comprehend in a short period of time. Another set of students said that they could not recognize the synonyms. That could be because of limited vocabulary. But it could also be because of distractors which are pretty common in IELTS listening multiple choice questions. This blog post delves into such pitfalls along with best strategies to answer such questions. The blog post also contains a video for one to watch.
October 16, 2020 Uncategorized
In this blog post, we’ll be looking at how to tackle Multiple-Choice Questions in the IELTS listening test where you’ll get 10 questions to answer. You will hear a monologue on an academic subject based on which you will answer these questions. For many students’ multiple-choice questions are the most difficult and confusing of all the questions in IELTS listening. Let’s go over some common problems that students face while attempting these questions and what can be done to deal with them.
  • Lack of time to read the questions:
You are given some time to read the questions before the audio begins but many students complain that it isn’t enough to read the questions properly. Well, I agree, some of the options given can be very long and wordy, making it difficult for you to read or comprehend each option in time. So, what should you do? Instead of reading every single word, skim through and scan the options to find important words and underline them or make a note of them and then look out for these keywords while listening to the audio. This will certainly make things easier for you.
  • Unable to recognize synonyms:
The answer options generally come in the form of synonyms or paraphrases which means you’ll not find the exact words used by the speaker in the options. Imagine, you get a question like this, The town, Gilead, is famous for?
  1. Alluring landscapes
  2. Grinning felines
  3. Cats
And then you hear this audio, You must visit Gilead, it’s a wonderful town which is known for beautiful landscapes but more than that smiling cats. Alright! So, the town Gilead is known for beautiful landscapes but wait that’s not the answer, more than the landscapes it’s famous for smiling cats, so the answer should be smiling cats but do you see it in the options, No. We do see cats, option c, but that’s not the correct answer, because the audio talks about “smiling cats” not just cats. But, if you know the synonym for smiling and cats, you would know the answer right away. Grinning is the synonym for smiling and felines are the synonym for cats, so the correct answer is option b, grinning felines, or smiling cats. So, you see the vocabulary used in the options is different from the one used in the audio. This can certainly lead to confusion if you have a limited vocabulary, that’s why it’s really important for you to work on building your vocabulary.
  • Distractors: Distractors, as the term itself, suggests, are words that are set to ‘distract’ you from the real answer, and IELTS multiple-choice questions contain many distractors.
For instance, if we consider the previous example: Options a and c are nothing but distractors that are there just to confuse you. The speaker first mentions that Gilead is known for beautiful landscapes, so one can easily assume that the first option, option a, is the correct answer, but that’s not the case, it’s a distractor. When you keep listening, the speaker adds, “but more than that smiling cats”, which means the correct answer is either b or c, because both the options mention cats, felines, if you remember, is a synonym for cats. But, is the speaker talking about cats in general? No, he is talking about “smiling cats” which means c is also a distractor, and option b is the correct answer. So, don’t just assume that the first option you hear is the correct answer. Listen out for words like ‘but’ and ‘however’; these types of linking words indicate that the answer may not be quite so straightforward. Let’s move ahead!
  • Not able to keep up:
Another common problem that students face is not being able to ‘keep up’ with the audio. This often happens when you miss an answer. For instance, if you miss the answer to question number 1, you might not realize that the speaker has actually started talking about question number 2. To tackle this problem always underline the keywords in all of the questions before you start listening so that you are prepared to move on to the next question when you hear any words linked to it even if you missed out on the previous question. Alright! So, these were some of the challenges that students face in the Multiple-Choice Questions and how one can deal with them. Points to remember
  • Improve your reading speed and comprehension level.
  • Always underline the important words or keywords before you the audio begins.
  • Build your vocabulary – because you know they are going to use a lot of synonyms.
  • And lastly, beware of distractors, always look out for linking words like, but and however.
Remember these points to do well in the multiple-choice questions. To practice some real questions, watch this video. Also, visit our website, yunolearning.com, to find online, practice material, and tests. If you wish to take IELTS coaching then don’t forget to browse through our customized and result-oriented online courses. You can book the one you like by clicking on the “Enroll Now” button on the website or chat with our counselor. You can start IELTS preparation with one of our expert trainers from the comfort of your home.