IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Questions

IELTS Listening is one of the four IELTS modules, which carries 40 marks. In this test, you have to listen to four recordings of native English speakers and answer 40 questions. There are six task types in the IELTS Listening section. Experts believe that IELTS Listening Multiple choice is a tricky task type to solve. 

In IELTS Listening Multiple choice, you will be asked to choose one of the three possible answers for the given question. In this article, you will learn about this IELTS listening question type in detail. You need to have skills such as understanding the specific points in detail and ability to grasp an overall idea of the main points in the given text to crack the listening test. 

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Table of Contents:

• 3 Types Of IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Questions
• Common Problems
• IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Tips
• How to deal with multiple choice questions in IELTS listening (Step-by-Step Strategy)
• Bus Pass Application Form Listening Practice Test
• Bus Pass Application Listening Answers
• Vocabulary
• Conclusion
• FAQ

3 Types Of IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Questions

In IELTS listening multiple choice questions, you will find four sorts of question types. For one, you have to choose one of the answers, second, you have to choose the sentence which completes the latter part of the given question sentence, and in third, you need to choose an appropriate picture for the given question. 

1. Short answer multiple choice questions
2. Sentence completion multiple choice questions
3. Pictures multiple choice questions
4. List multiple choice questions

Short Answer Multiple Choice Questions - Home Insurance Quotation Form Listening Answers

In Short answer multiple choice questions, you will be given a statement and you have to choose an appropriate answer from the list of options. Listen to the recording comprehensively to choose the right answer. Check the example from the home insurance quotation form listening answers section.  

Sentence Completion Multiple Choice Questions

You will be given a sentence stem as a question and you have to choose one option to complete it. Find the related sentence multiple choice questions example below.

Pictures Multiple Choice Questions

In picture multiple choice questions, you will be given a list of options in the form of pictures. You need to choose the right picture by listening to the record carefully. It is considered as one of the difficult listening questions. 

List Multiple Choice Questions

In List questions, you will be given a question statement and a list of possible answers. And, you have to choose more than one answer option.

Practice the given three types of IELTS listening multiple choice questions to perform well in mcq. 

Check out IELTS listening band score to cover all aspects of IELTS listening test

Common Problems

Below, we have given common problems that IELTS students have when they attempt to answer multiple choice questions in IELTS listening. 

1. You will most likely hear all of the listed options in the multiple choice questions in the given recording. It means if you choose an answer just because it is mentioned in the recording could reduce your marks. So, focus on selecting the right answer. 
2. Frequently, the meaning of the three choices will be similar. You may struggle to identify the difference between them. In that case, figure out the difference based on the keywords you found in those options. 
3. Usually, the answers will be given in the synonyms or in a paraphrased form. So, don’t expect you will hear exact words laid out in the options. Think of synonyms or paraphrases of the main words while answering the questions. 
4. Though it’s a listening test, you need to have reading skills. You have to read and underline the main words in the questions and the ability to differentiate one option from the other. 
5. The common mistake is listening to the audio without understanding the purpose and the context. While listening to the recording, determine the context in order to absorb the information accurately. It will help you to choose the correct option.
6. And, another general mistake students are making is leaving the answers blank. There is no negative marking for the wrong answer. So, you can make a guess based on your understanding of the audio.

Check out IELTS listening words to perform well in the IELTS listening test.

Download IELTS listening multiple choice questions pdf for future reference

IELTS Listening Multiple Choice Tips

Apply the following IELTS listening multiple choice tips during your IELTS listening preparation. This will help you to answer well for IELTS listening multiple choice questions. 

1. Highlight the keywords in the question. Relate those keywords to the understanding you got from listening to the recording. It can help you to choose the correct option. 
2. Read through the options, highlight the options which are similar to each other and understand the differences between other options. 
3. Don’t choose an option by picking up the words from the audio without reflection. They could trick you, so think and choose an answer.
4. Don’t spend your time on one question. Move onto the next question and return back to the question you left. This will help you to save ample amounts of time.
5. Get the IELTS listening question papers. And, practice the multiple choice questions in order to perfect your answering process.
6. When you hear words such as ‘but’ or ‘however’, be cautious. It means the speaker will qualify the preceding statement. 
7. Read the instructions properly. Remember, you are going to choose a letter (A, B, C) not a word. So, be careful while you transfer the answers to the answer sheet at the end. 
8. Understand what type of question you are asked to answer. There are three types which you learned in this article. You can easily answer the questions by grasping the question type. 
9. If you feel that a certain answer is correct, mark it but keep on listening to the audio till you are sure about the answer.
10. Think of synonyms and paraphrases of the main words you have heard in recording. This will help you to pick the right answer.

Read IELTS listening tips to perform well in IELTS listening test

How to deal with multiple choice questions in IELTS listening (Step-by-Step Strategy)

Below, we have given a step by step strategy on how to deal with multiple choice questions in IELTS listening.

1. Read the questions

Before the speaker or speakers start to talk, read the given questions properly. It is important to understand what type of questions you are going to answer. And, what sort of information you need to focus on. 

Identify the question type whether it is short answer mcqs or sentence completion question mcqs or picture mcqs or list questions. It determines your mind in a specific way to answer the questions. 

2. Check the title

Sometimes a title will be given for the questions. If you find it, then notice and read that. It will make you understand the context. And, you can come to know what information you will hear in recording. Listening with intention can help you to absorb the required information.

3. Highlight or Underline the keywords in the question

Figure out the keywords in the question and underline or highlight it. It will provide you with a direction to choose the right answer. Generate some synonyms related to the keyword. Give more attention to the recording if you hear the keyword related synonyms while listening. 

4. Read the options and think of synonyms

Understand that you will not find the exact words given in the options in audio. Expect to hear the same meaning of the answer options rather than the same words. When you are listening to the audio, try to grasp the meaning rather than picking up the words. It can help you to indicate the correct answer for the question. 

5. Don’t fall into the trap of distractors

In audio, they will use the distractors to challenge your English listening skill. The distractor is essentially a word or phrase that changes, diverts or corrects the given piece of information. For example: A dog loves to play with humans but it could bite if someone holds its tail strenuously. (or) An honest man could think of doing some immoral acts when he is in difficult circumstances, however, his conscience does not allow him to do those acts.

In this case, tick the options in the test paper, but keep on listening. So, you will uncover more information which helps you to either ensure the chosen answer is correct or identify an appropriate answer. 

6. Write the answer

In IELTS listening multiple choice questions, answers will be the letter not the words. For example, if the right answer is B) gorilla, then you have to write an answer as ‘B’ rather than ‘gorilla’. 

7. Make a Guess

You will not get negative marks for the wrong answer. So, instead of leaving it a blank space, make an educated guess. It is possible that your guessed answer could be right. So, choose an option based on your understanding though you didn’t know the accurate answer. 

Bus Pass Application Form Listening Practice Test

We have given a bus pass application form listening practice test to level up your answering skills required to get above band score 7. 

Questions 35-40

Choose the correct letters A-C, Write answers next to 35-40 on your answer sheet.

35. The coelacanth was_____
A. well known to Indonesian fishermen.
B. unknown to Indonesian fishermen.
C. a first in the market.

36. The only difference between the Comoros coelacanth and the Sulawesi coelacanth is_____
A. their intracranial joint.
B. their paired fins.
C. their colour.

37. Coelacanths seemed to have their greatest population_____
A. 360 million years ago.
B. 240 million years ago.
C. 80 million years ago.

38. Modem coelacanths probably left no fossilised remains over the past 80 million years because___
A. of too much clay sediment.
B. conditions where they lived were not favourable for fossilisation.
C. volcanoes are needed for fossilisation.

39. Scientists had a better understanding of the coelacanth after 1991 because_____
A. The French government had previously limited study on the Comoros coelacanth.
B. Comoros were far away and difficult to reach.
C. Comoros opened an airport.

40. On the 1991 expedition, scientists studied the coelacanth_______
A. only from fishermen’s specimens.
B. through the windows of their submarine.
C. from diving down.

Attempt our IELTS Listening practice test to develop your listening skills

Bus Pass Application Form Listening Answers

35. A. well known to Indonesian fishermen.

Explanation: However, scientists were amazed when on July the 30th 1998 an American scientist discovered a coelacanth population in Indonesia. 

36. C. their colour

Explanation: …perhaps the most interesting feature of the coelacanth is that it has paired lobed fins which move in a similar fashion to our arms and legs. Silicons also have an extra lobe on their tail and a vertebral column that is not fully developed they are the only living animal to have a fully functional intracranial joint…

37. B. 240 million years ago.

Explanation: Coelacanths are known from the fossil record dating back over 360 million years and peaked in abundance about 240 million years ago before 1938 they were believed to have become extinct approximately 80 million years ago after mysteriously disappearing from the fossil record.

38. B. conditions where they lived were not favourable for fossilisation.

Explanation: …before 1938 they were believed to have become extinct approximately 80 million years ago after mysteriously disappearing from the fossil record.

39. A. the French government had previously limited study on the Comoros coelacanth.

Explanation: French restrictions on research were lifted and this allowed scientists to study the fish off the commerce islands as the animal hides in underwater caves some 300 to 700 feet down during the day and comes out at night to feed.

40. B. through the windows of their submarine.

Explanation: Diving is not an option and previously only fishermen specimens had been available for study but this time the scientists had their own submarine so they could study the coelacanth in its natural habitat through portholes.

Vocabulary

As we have previously mentioned, you will not hear the same words in the audio given in the options. So, learning vocabulary is essential to speed up the IELTS multiple choice questions listening answering process. Here, we are given a bus pass application form transcript, we will give you an example on how to use the synonyms and paraphrases of the words in the questions to answer.

Bus Pass Application Form Audio Transcript:

“Originally it was a concern that the coelacanth might have a very limited range and that overfishing along the commerce islands might wipe it out. However, scientists were amazed when on july the 30th 1998 an American scientist discovered a coelacanth population in Indonesia. Dr. Mark Edmond was on a honeymoon trip to the area investigating a coral reef research site. When he spotted a strange fish being wheeled into the fish market. He recognized the fish as a coelacanth and snapped a picture before it was sold. Dr. Erdmann's subsequent research revealed that the people from Sulawesi had a name for it 'raja' - king of the sea. The sulawesi silicate colony is about 10000 kilometres east of where the coelacanths were previously known to occur in the western indian ocean both sulawesi and comoros coelacanths are quite different from all other living fish but perhaps the most interesting feature of the coelacanth is that it has paired lobed fins which move in a similar fashion to our arms and legs. Silicons also have an extra lobe on their tail and a vertebral column that is not fully developed they are the only living animal to have a fully functional intracranial joint a division that separates the ear and brain from the nasal organs and eye and allows the front part of the head to be lifted when the fish is feeding the brown sulawesi, coelacanth, and the steel blue comrade. Coelacanth share these unusual characteristics the discovery of the celecanth in 1938 is still considered to be the zoological find of the century this living fossil comes from a lineage of fish that was thought to have been extinct since the time of the dinosaurs. Coelacanths are known from the fossil record dating back over 360 million years and peaked in abundance about 240 million years ago before 1938 they were believed to have become extinct approximately 80 million years ago after mysteriously disappearing from the fossil record. How could the coelacanth disappear for over 80 million years and then turn up alive and well in the 20th century the answer seems to be that fossil coelacanths appear to live in environments with clay sedimentation with plenty of volcanic activity modern coelacanths both in the commerce and sulawesi inhabit caves and overhangs in vertical marine reefs at about 200 metres environments not conducive to fossil creation in 1991 scientists got a better understanding of the fish when the comrades got their independence from france. French restrictions on research were lifted and this allowed scientists to study the fish off the commerce islands as the animal hides in underwater caves some 300 to 700 feet down during the day and comes out at night to feed. Diving is not an option and previously only fishermen specimens had been available for study but this time the scientists had their own submarine so they could study the coelacanth in its natural habitat through portholes.”

In the 37th question, it is asked when the coelacanth population was high. The exact question is followed by, ‘Coelacanths seemed to have their greatest population’. The actual answer is ‘240 million years ago’.

The appropriate line given in the audio recording for the mentioned question is, Coelacanths are known from the fossil record dating back over 360 million years and peaked in abundance about 240 million years ago. The word greatest is related to the phrase, peaked in abundance given in the audio recording. 

Conclusion

We believe that you have found the IELTS listening multiple choice questions tricks and strategies useful. Make the resources given in this article as a part of your IELTS preparation. It can help you to attain a good band in the IELTS listening test. 

Check Other IELTS Listening Question types

• IELTS Listening Matching Questions
• IELTS Listening Note Completion
• IELTS Listening Table Completion
• IELTS Listening Form Completion
• IELTS Listening Sentence Completion
• IELTS Listening Summary Completion
• IELTS Listening Short Answer Questions
• IELTS Listening Map And Plan Labelling
• IELTS Listening Diagram Labelling
• IELTS Listening Flow Chart Completion

FAQ

1. How many MCQs are there in IELTS Listening ?

In total, you will find 40 questions to answer in the IELTS listening test. The questions count of the IELTS listening MCQs will vary. 

2. Are Listening questions in order ?

Yes, the arrangement of questions is based on the answers that appear in the order in recording. 

3. Can I use all capital letters in the IELTS listening test ?

Experts recommend the students to write the answers in capital letters in the Reading and Listening test. So, it will be clear for an examiner.

4. Do I lose a point if my answer is wrong ?

No, you will not lose a point if your answer is wrong. So, it is better to make a guess rather than leave it an empty space. 

5. Can I write on the IELTS listening question paper ?

Yes, you can write notes, underline or write on the question paper. Your answer sheet will be taken into account. So, it is actually good to write notes on question paper as it will help you to find answers.