Below is a listening practice lesson for IELTS preparation. The questions are multiple choice questions which require you to pay very close attention to the paraphrases used and to pay close attention to the differences in the options given. Don’t expect only one option to be mentioned in the recording. You will likely hear words that relate to all options, but only one will be the real answer.
Instructions for Multiple Choice Listening
- Always pay attention to the topic of the listening test which will help prepare you for the language in the recording. There will usually be a title given.
- Read the questions before you listen to the recording.
- Pay attention to keywords in the questions and the answer options.
- Notice the similarity and differences between options. Sometimes the answer options can appear similar so spot the differences.
- You might hear words for all answer options but only one answer option will be correct.
- The questions will come in order but the answer options will not.
- Be ready to listen only once. You can’t pause the recording in the real test.
- Make sure you write a letter, not words, for your answer.
IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Questions 1-7
Choose the correct option for the statements below from a choice of A-C. Your answer will be a letter.
Moles & Mole Hills
- 1. The mole hill idiom means …
- a) making small things seem big.
- b) make facts seem small.
- c) making big things seem small.
- 2. Most people are worried that mole hills …
- a) damage lawns.
- b) look ugly.
- c) are a health concern.
- 3. Moles …
- a) are blind.
- b) only eat worms.
- c) can sense movement in the earth.
- 4. Moles can dig …
- a) over 200 yards daily.
- b) just under 200 yards a day.
- c) in an upward direction.
- 5. Moles give birth ….
- a) in a bedroom.
- b) underground.
- c) in a tunnel.
- 6. The birthing chamber is …
- a) below the largest mound of earth.
- b) larger than a football.
- c) where the male takes care of the young.
- 7. Moles are equipped with ….
- a) strong limbs for digging.
- b) curved nails for digging.
- c) immense hands for digging.
Recording
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TRANSCRIPT & ANSWERS
CLICK BELOW:
TRANSCRIPTI give transcripts on my website to help you review your answers and analyse why you got an answer right or wrong. The transcript is not given with the multiple choice questions – it is given with the answers only. You won’t have access to the transcript in your listening test. You can also use the transcript to listen and repeat out loud to improve your pronunciation.
Transcript: Moles and Mole Hills. The earliest species of mole was found more or less 55 million years ago. Since then, they have developed into 42 species all of which are categorised as insectivores. Nowadays, most people in the UK come across moles when they discover mole hills on their lawns. It is from these mole hills that the idiom “making a mountain out of a mole hill” was formed. This is a very common idiom used by most native English speakers and means exaggerating something that is in fact quite small and trivial. Mole hills are created by the mole digging out earth to create tunnels and throwing the earth outwards into the garden which creates little mounds of earth on the surface. These mole hills do not cause the garden much damage but many people think they are unsightly. Moles can carry rabies which can cause serious illness if someone is bitten, but as most people rarely come into contact with a living mole, they are hardly considered a health risk. As people, particularly in the UK, are very proud of their gardens, the unsightly mole hills result in them laying down traps which kill the moles. Some people think moles are blind which is why they live underground in the dark. However, this is a myth. Although, it’s true that their eyes are very small and play little role in their life underground. They rely mostly on their sense of smell and hearing which they use to find food, such as worms. They are particularly sensitive to vibrations in the soil. A mole is capable of digging upward of 200 yards in a day, which considering that a mole only grows to about 15cm is a great achievement. They often use their tunnels as highways to travel from one place to another. They can run down their tunnels, go backwards and even do little somersaults all inside their tunnels. Their tunnel systems are also used to connect subterranean living chambers such as bedrooms and birthing chambers. The birthing chamber is about the size of a football and the female mole lines it with dry grass and leaves for the young. It’s easy to spot the breeding chamber because the mole hill above it is the biggest. She is the only adult mole who is responsible for taking care of the young. Moles are sweet looking creatures with massive hands, short limbs and strong claws all designed as excellent digging tools. Unfortunately, for moles, their skins used to be prized highly by British High Society for clothing which meant that many moles died for the vanity of people.
Below are the answers to the multiple choice questions:
- The mole hill idiom means …
- A
- To exaggerate mean to make something small appear bigger than it is. Such as acting like a small spot on your face, it is huge tumour.
- Also note, IELTS listening never tests your understanding of idioms. But in this question the meaning as given so it tested only your listening.
- This isn’t a realistic question for IELTS listening because many of you could guess the answer. This isn’t normal for IELTS listening questions. But I thought you’d all enjoy the question anyway 🙂
- A
- Most people are worried that mole hills ….
- B
- The recording says “mole hills don’t cause much damage”. This means option A is wrong. Just because you hear the word “damage” which is also found in the question doesn’t mean it is the answer. Don’t try to match words.
- The recording says “many people think they are unsightly”. The word “unsightly” means ugly.
- The recording says “Moles can carry rabies which can cause serious illness if someone is bitten, but as most people rarely come into contact with a living mole, they are hardly considered a health risk” This means that while moles can carry disease, they aren’t actually a risk.
- B
- Moles …
- C
- The recording says that blind moles “are a myth”. This means it is not true.
- The recording says they eat worms. But it does not say they eat “ONLY” worms. Pay attention to the word “only”. It means they eat worms and nothing else.
- The answer is found here “They are particularly sensitive to vibrations in the soil. ” This means they can feel movement in the earth.
- C
- Moles can dig …
- A
- The recording says “A mole is capable of digging upward of 200 yards in a day”. The word “upward of” means “over”.
- A
- Moles give birth ….
- B
- The recording says “Their tunnel systems are also used to connect subterranean living chambers such as bedrooms and birthing chambers. “.
- This was a difficult question. The birthing chamber is where moles give birth and the recording shows it is also one of the “subterranean living chamber”. This means “underground”.
- You could also arrive at this answer by process of elimination. This means to delete the wrong answers. They don’t give birth in a bedroom, but in a birthing chamber and definitely not in a tunnel.
- B
- The birthing chamber is …
- A
- the recording says “The birthing chamber is about the size of a football and the female mole lines it with dry grass and leaves for the young. It’s easy to spot the breeding chamber because the mole hill above it is the biggest. She is the only adult mole who is responsible for taking care of the young.”. This shows it is not specifically larger than a football and the “she mole” (not the males) cares for the young. This provides the only answer which is 100% accurate: “the mole hill above is the biggest” which means the chamber is below the biggest mole hill.
- A
- Moles are equipped with …
- C
- The recording showed that moles have “massive hands, short limbs and strong claws all designed as excellent digging tools. “
- Limbs are said to be short, no mention about strength. So, answer A is wrong.
- Claws (nails) are strong, but no mention of being curved. So, answer B is wrong.
- The word “immense” is the same as: huge, very big, massive.
- C
.
RECOMMENDED:
- Multiple Choice Practice with Key Tips
- This multiple choice page contains a long list of tips with two short practice lessons including a picture multiple choice.
- ALL LISTENING PRACTICE & TIPS
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Hi Liz, I have a little doubt. In a multiple choice question, if the answers are given as a) , b) and c), and it asks to write the letter of the correct answer, should we write the letter in capital if we are writing the answers in capital letters?
eg: If the correct answer is a), should we write a or A in the answer sheet?
Hope you understand my question.
Thank You
If you are taking the computer test, you will just tick the box relating to the right answer on the screen. For the paper test, you will write the letter. It makes no difference to your answer if the answer is a capital or lower case. However, my advice is always to write it as shown on the question paper.
Hello Liz, I’m really grateful for the materials you’ve shared However, I have a little concern it didn’t appear in any of the questions type.
For instance, Question 12 – 14 you are told to choose three options on the answers,how are your answers supposed to appear on the marking scheme?
12.A
13.B
14.C
OR
12 A/B/C
13 A/B/C
14 A/B/C
which one will you advice.Thanks I’m looking forward to your response.
If you write:
12. A/B/C – it means that all three letters are correct for that answer. If you write the same for questions 13 and 14, it means that all of those questions have three letters as an answer.
You can only have one letter for each question, not three letters for each question. So, you choose one letter for each answer and put those letters in any order.
That was helpful. I appreciated.
Hi Liz,
The audio script is :
We do indeed. We’ve got all the big nationals, The Guardian and The Observer, The Independent and The Times and Sunday Times. We’ve also got all the local papers and a wide selection of magazines.
Question: Library holds most national papers, all ————, and magazines.
What is the correct answer? “the local papers” or “local papers”.
The answer would not require “the”.
1. C
2. C
3. C
4. C
5. B
6. B
7. A
a
b
c
a
c
c
b
you are such a great persone i love you .i will pray to get well soon.
just remember my comment if you become full healthy.❤️
Thanks
Hey Liz,
Is there any specific edition of the Cambridge book that you would recommend for the IELTS – General Training? When I went to purchase the book online, I observed some numbers on the cover page like 15, 16, 17, 18, and so on. Does the increasing sequence of numbers imply the subsequent edition? It is a bit confusing to comprehend the significance of these numbers. Could you please give me a hand?
Thanks,
Sai
Each year IELTS publish a book containing four tests. The numbers show which is the most recent. This year, they published book 19. However, the test has remained the same for years so you can use any number of book you want. All practice tests from the IELTS Cambridge books are valid.
Hey Liz, to your mind, is there any source online where I can practice a good amount of computer-based listening questions? I have already completed the listening practice on the British Council website and wanted to take up more computer-based mock tests. I am looking forward to your help!
Thanks,
Sai
The IELTS test is the same test as the paper test. It isn’t a different test. It’s the same test. If you are not confident using a mouse or typing, then the computer test is not for you. Otherwise, just practice from the IELTS Cambridge test books.
Sure, I’ll practice from the textbooks then! 🙂
a
c
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a
c
b
a
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C
Hi Liz
Good day!!
Could you please post the above answers for verification purpose
If you look on the page above, just below the audio recording, you’ll find a link to the answers.
Get well soon
Thanks
1 A
2 A
3 C
4 A
5 C
6 A
7 C
Hey Liz,
I hope you are in the pink of your health!
I have a general query pertinent to the listening section. To my mind, If you look through the questions before listening to the recording, you will get an idea about the topics being discussed. Do these questions follow the sequence of topics addressed in a particular recording?
I’m not sure what you mean by topics. Each section of the listening test is one single topic. Within each section there are around 10 questions. The recording will say something like “now you have time to look at questions 1-6”. You use the time given to spot keywords and read those questions in preparation. The answers to those questions will come in order, for example the answer to question 1 comes before the answer to question 2. However, multiple choice options will not – the a, b, c options could be in any order.
Okay, this was helpful! Thanks for the elucidation.
1.A
2.B
3.C
4.A
5.B
6.A
7.B
1. A
2. A
3. C
4. A
5. C
6. B
7. C
1.a
2.b
3.c
4.a
5.c
6.a
7.b
1.A
2.A
3.C
4.B
5.C
6.A
7.C
My 2nd try as a beginner, I hope I can achieve over 8 result on IELTS in upcoming months
Good luck!
A
C
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clara
1. B
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. C
6. C
7. B
A B C C C A C
This is the beginning of my IELTS training journey.
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1.(A)
2.(B)
3.(c)
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6.(B)
7.(c)
1. A
2. B
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4. B
5. C
6. A
7. A
1. A
2. C
3. C
4. C
5. B
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1. A
2. B
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5. B
6. A
7. C
1 A
2 C
3 C
4 B
5 A
6 C
7 A
1 a
2 c
3 a
4 a
5 a
6 c
7 c
Thank you very much. Could you tell me how much time we should give ourselves to read the questions and mark key words before we start listening to your recording?
Thank you.
My lessons are aimed at technique, awareness and understanding. They aren’t tests. So, you will start with taking more time and then increase your speed of preparation of the questions as you progress through my lessons. If you want to test yourself with timing and tests, get the IELTS Cambridge test books which IELTS have published for home use. They contain real past papers and the recording audio will be at the speed for the test. I mainly recommend people to use those test books and my lessons as a way to prepare fully.
Hi Liz, I got band score of 8.5 in both listening & reading; 6.5 in writing and 7 in speaking with an overall score of 7.5 and I am completely satisfied with it. I completely relied on your website and thoroughly practiced from it. I’m very grateful to you for everything, as I wouldn’t be able to achieve this score without your help. I sincerely wish you a life filled with good health, abundant wealth, and enduring happiness. You’ve made a positive impact on my journey, and I’m truly thankful for it.
That’s a great news!! I’m so pleased for you!! Your hard work paid off. Well done 🙂
1 A
2 C
3 C
4 A
5 A
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7 C
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A
A
A
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A
AACBCBA
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. B
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1. A
2. C
3. A
4. A
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6. C
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1A
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Theses r my answers
1. a
2. b
3. c
4. a
5. a
6. a
7. c
1 a 2 c 3 c 4 a 5 c 6 a 7 a
1c, 2c,3a,4a, 5a, 6a, 7c
1. A
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. C
6. B
7. A
Thank you so much for all your help
1 -A
2 – A
3 – B
4 -A
5 -C
6 – C
7 ,- A
1.A
2.B
3.C
4.A
5.C
6.A
7.C
1.A
2.B
3.C
4.A
5.C
6.C
7.A
Cecilia A
April 20, 2022 at
1 .c
2. a
3. c
4. a
5. c
6. c
7. a
Reply
1.A
2.C
3.B
4.A
5.C
6.A
7.A
1a
2b
3c
4a
5b
6a
7c
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2. B
3. C
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5. B
6. A
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1 a
2 c
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7 c
From Rosecollete
April 21, 2022.
1.a
2.b
3.c
4.a
5.c
6.a
7.c
1a
2b
3c
4a
5c
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7a
My Answers
1. a
2. b
3. c
4.a
5.c
6.b
7.c
1) A 2) C 3) C 4) A 5) B 6) A 7) C
1.A
2.C
3.C
4.A
5.C
6.B
7.B
a
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a
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1. a
2. c
3. c
4. a
5.c
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7 a
1.A
2.C
3.C
4.B
5.B
6.A
7.B
1.a
2.a
3.c
4.a
5.c
6.c
7.c
1.A
2.C
3.C
4.B
5.C
6.C
7.A
A, B, C, A, C, C, A.
This is my answer.
A,A,C,A,C,A,A
ACCACAC
1.a
2.c
3.a
4.b
5.c
6.b
7.a
A
B
C
A
A
C
A
C
Great work you are doing to help change many destinies. God bless and great job.
1.a. 2.c. 3.c. 4.b. 5.c. 6.c. 7.a
1)A
2)C
3)C
4)A
5)C
6)B
7)A
1A
2A
3C
4A
5C
6C
7C
Great work you are doing to help change many destinies. God bless and great job.
1 A
2 C
3 C
4 A
5 B
6 C
7 A
ACCBCAC
1A
2B
3C
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ABCACCA
1.A
2. C
3. C
4. A
5. C
6. C
7.C
1. A
2. C
3. C
4. B
5. A
6. C
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1. C
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3. C
4. B
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6. B
7. A
A
B
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2. A
3. C
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5. C
6. A
7. C
1 A
2 C
3 C
4 A
5 A
6 B
7 A
1. A
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. A
6. A
7. C
1.A
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. A
7. A
1.C
2.C
3.C
4.B
5.c
6.A
7.A
Answers-
1.c
2.b
3.b
4.a
5.c
6.c
7.c
1)A 2)A. 3)C. 4)A. 5)C. 6),C. 7)A
1.A
2.B
3.C
4.A
5.C
6.C
7.A
1.a
2.c
3.c
4.a
5.c
6.a
7.c
1.C
2.C
3.C
4.A
5.C
6.B
7.C
1. C
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. A
7. C
1.A
2.C
3.C
4.B
5.C
6.C
7.A
Tanx…
Hlw Liz
Can you give me some topics for practice like from where I can practice and Give me some tip and tricks for speaking which I can achieved band scores alike 6.5 at my speaking.
Thank you
See the RED BAR at the top of the website? Click on the TOPICS link and you’ll find access to loads of speaking part 1, part 2 and part 3 topics. Click on the word Speaking, and you’ll find loads of tips for developing your IELTS speaking and model answers.
1. A
2. B
3.C
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5. A
6. C
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7C
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2. C
3. C
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1) A
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1, a
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5, is A
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3.a
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4c
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2. A
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5.C
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7. A
Lara
1. A
2. C
3. C
4. C
5. C
6. C
7. C
1- A
2.- B
3.- B
4.- B
5. C
6. C
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1.C
2.A
3.C
4.A
5.A
6. B
7.A
1.B
2.C
3.C
4.A
5.A
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7.C
Pelagie
1. A
2. A
3. C
4. A
5. B
6. B
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1. A
2. A
3. C
4. A
5.C
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1.b
2.c
3.c
4.a
5.c
6.c
7.c
A
C
A
C
C
A
C
Olubisi Modupe Fasinro
1. A
2.A
3.C
4.A
5.C
6.A
7.B
A
C
B
C
C
A
1-A
2-B
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1. A
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3. C
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5. A
6. C
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1.a
2.c
3.c
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6.b
7.c
1 A
2 B
3 C
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5 A
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7 C
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2.b
3.c
4.c
5.c
6.c.
7.c
1.A
2.C
3.C
4.A
5.C
6.B
7.A
VIRGINIA NJUGUNA
20th APRIL
1.C
2.C
3.C
4.A
5.B
6.C
7.A
1.c
2.a
3.b
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7.c
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2. A
3. C
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5. C
6. B
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4. C
5. C
6. A
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1.C
2.C
3.C
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5.B
6.C
7.B
1.A
2. C
3.C
4. C
5.C
6.C
7. B
Nkechinyere Martha Says
1. A
2. C
3. C
4. A
5. A
6. C
7. A
1 a, 2 a, 3 b, 4 b, 5 b, 6 a, 7 c
1. A
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1. A
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5. C
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1 c
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A
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1 A
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5 C
6 C
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7
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4. B
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6. A
7. C
1. A
2. B
3. B
4. A
5. C
6. A
7. C
Felicity says
Apirl 20th 2022
1 A
2 C
3 C
4 A
5 C
6 C
7 A
1.c
2.a
3.c
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5.c
6.b
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1.A
2.B
3.C
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6.C
7.B
1- B
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3- C
4- A
5- A
6- c
7 -C
1-A
2-C
3-C
4-A
5-B
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7-C
1.A
2.c
3.A
4.A
5.c
6.c
7.A
1.a
2.b
3.c
4.a
5.b
6.b
7.a
My Answers are (A,C,C,A,C,B,A)
ABCACAC
a
b
c
a
c
b
a
Hai Liz,
Hope you are good!!
1.A
2.C
3.C
4.C
5.A
6.C
7.A
1 _A,
2_B,
3_C,
4_A,
5_C,
6_A,
7_C
Liz, hi 👋🏻
Thanks for this exercise. It’s a pleasure to hear you read the text.
My answers are the following:
1. a
2. a
3. c
4. c
5. b
6. a
7. c
7.
CACABAA
1.a
2.c
3.c
4.a
5.b
6.a
7.a
1.A
2.C
3.C
4.B
5.A
6.A
7.A
1.a
2.a
3.c
4.c
5.a
6.c
7.a