APTIS Listening Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You hear a conversation between two colleagues discussing a project deadline. The man says he is 'snowed under' with work this week. What does this expression mean?
- He is very busy and has too much to do (Correct answer)
- He is working outdoors in cold weather
- He is struggling to understand his tasks
- He has finished all his work early
Correct answer: He is very busy and has too much to do
'Snowed under' is an idiomatic expression meaning to be overwhelmed with a large amount of work or tasks, making it difficult to cope.
'Snowed under' is a common English idiom meaning to be overwhelmed or buried in work. In APTIS listening tasks, understanding idiomatic expressions is important as they frequently appear in natural conversations. When you hear 'snowed under,' the speaker is indicating they have far more work than they can comfortably handle at that time.
Question 2: In an APTIS listening task, you hear a radio programme about environmental issues. The presenter says local authorities 'should have acted sooner' on pollution. What does this tell you about the presenter's opinion?
- The presenter thinks local authorities responded too late (Correct answer)
- The presenter believes local authorities did the right thing
- The presenter is uncertain about what authorities should do
- The presenter thinks pollution is not a serious issue
Correct answer: The presenter thinks local authorities responded too late
The phrase 'should have acted sooner' expresses regret or criticism about a past action, indicating the presenter believes the response came too late.
'Should have + past participle' is a modal structure used to criticise or express regret about past actions. When the presenter uses this construction, they are implying that local authorities were too slow and that earlier action was needed and expected. This is a key grammar structure tested in APTIS listening tasks at B2–C level.
Question 3: You listen to a talk about healthy eating habits. The speaker mentions 'a balanced diet' several times. What is the speaker's main purpose in repeating this phrase?
- To emphasise the importance of eating a variety of nutritious foods (Correct answer)
- To confuse the audience with technical nutritional terms
- To describe a specific meal plan the audience should follow
- To compare different types of diets from around the world
Correct answer: To emphasise the importance of eating a variety of nutritious foods
Repeating a key phrase is a rhetorical strategy to reinforce the central message and help the audience remember the core idea.
In APTIS listening tasks, identifying a speaker's purpose is a key skill. Repeating key phrases is a common technique used to stress the main message and make it memorable. Here, 'a balanced diet' is the central concept the speaker wants listeners to retain. Recognising repetition as a persuasive or emphatic tool helps test-takers answer purpose-based comprehension questions accurately.
Question 4: During a listening task, you hear two people discussing a film. One person says, 'I wasn't that impressed, to be honest.' What is this person expressing?
- Mild disappointment with the film (Correct answer)
- Strong enthusiasm for the film
- Complete indifference about the film
- Anger towards the other person
Correct answer: Mild disappointment with the film
The phrase 'wasn't that impressed' combined with 'to be honest' signals a polite but candid expression of mild disappointment or underwhelming experience.
APTIS listening tasks frequently test the ability to identify speakers' attitudes and feelings. 'Wasn't that impressed' uses understatement to express disappointment without being overly negative. Adding 'to be honest' makes the remark feel more personal and authentic. At higher CEFR levels, recognising subtle expressions of attitude — rather than explicit ones — is an important listening skill.
Question 5: You hear an announcement at a train station: 'The 14:35 service to Manchester is running approximately twenty minutes behind schedule.' What should a passenger travelling to Manchester do?
- Wait on the platform as the train will arrive about twenty minutes late (Correct answer)
- Board a different train immediately as this service is cancelled
- Ask a member of staff whether the train has been permanently delayed
- Leave the station and return the following day
Correct answer: Wait on the platform as the train will arrive about twenty minutes late
'Running behind schedule' means the train is delayed, and 'approximately twenty minutes' gives the estimated delay time, so passengers should wait.
This question tests the ability to extract specific information from short announcements — a core APTIS listening skill. 'Running behind schedule' clearly signals a delay, not a cancellation. The phrase 'approximately twenty minutes' provides the estimated delay. Passengers need to wait rather than take alternative action. In APTIS, listening for key details such as times, changes, and instructions is assessed at all CEFR levels.
Question 6: In a listening extract, a woman says she has 'mixed feelings' about her new job. What does this suggest about her attitude?
- She has both positive and negative feelings about the job (Correct answer)
- She is completely satisfied with every aspect of the job
- She has decided she does not want to keep the job
- She feels neutral and has no strong opinion about the job
Correct answer: She has both positive and negative feelings about the job
'Mixed feelings' is an expression meaning a combination of both positive and negative emotions or reactions about something.
The idiom 'mixed feelings' describes a situation where someone simultaneously experiences positive and negative emotions. It is an important phrase in APTIS listening tests because it reflects nuanced emotional expression rather than a clear-cut reaction. Test-takers at B1–B2 level and above are expected to identify such subtleties in speakers' attitudes. This expression is commonly tested in opinion-matching and attitude-identification tasks.
APTIS Listening Skills 2
You hear a conversation between two colleagues discussing a project deadline.
The man says he is 'snowed under' with work this week.
What does this expression mean?