Discovery - Marvel Education

Loading question...

You are in free guest mode. Timed Practice Revision List Attempt History Progress Tracking Create a free account to unlock these tools

Prev Next

IELTS Practice Listening: Match Headings ID: #57395 Medium Discovery

Instructions ›

What is said about each of these books?

Choose your answers from the box and drag them.

A Short History of Nearly Everything - 1

Wonderful Life - 2

The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee - 3

The Water Babies - 4

The Emperor of Scent - 5

On The Origin of Species - 6

Transcript:

You will hear a lecture in which a university lecturer recommends a range of books related to science and discovery. Now listen carefully and answer the questions. So, to try and correct this situation, if only in a small way, I have come up with some extra reading for you to do. Don't worry. I wouldn't have chosen them if I didn't think they were enjoyable as well as interesting. The first on my list I'm sure you've all heard of, even if you haven't read it. It's Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. Now, don't turn your noses up at it just because it's now officially a school book and is written to entertain as well as inform. In fact, I've found it a very good bedside book. Next come a couple of the writers I mentioned earlier. Any collection of essays by Stephen Jay Gould is worth reading. He writes clearly in a language non-scientists can easily understand. In fact, a lot of his essays are responses to questions about science from the general public. He's also entertaining on the subject of baseball. Perhaps you should start with Gould's wonderful life. He writes brilliantly about natural history and shows how much imagination and excitement there is in scientific discovery. Then, there's Jared Diamond's The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee, which shows us how close we are to the apes and forces us to look at some of the darker aspects of human nature. After reading it, you won't forget your animal ancestry. But don't let that put you off. It's very readable. You're probably saying to yourselves, Just a minute, these are all science books. What about the fiction? I'll come to those in a later lecture. At the moment, I'm just trying to get you to read away from your chosen field of study. However, I will recommend one work of fiction now, though it might come as a bit of a surprise. If it does, it means you haven't read it. The book is The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. I can see I have surprised you. Well, it is in fact the first fictional response to Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. Yes, it is a children's book, but full of surreal fantasy and wit. The fourth, no, the fifth book on the list is a biography, The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr. To my mind, it's not particularly well-written, but it is a fascinating story. It is about Luca Turin, a biophysicist who becomes an expert on perfume, and about how he missed getting the Nobel Prize. If any of you are thinking of a career in scientific research, this book might make you think again. It's a very tough dog-eat-dog business, which brings us to the book that inspired Kingsley's Water Babies, that classic of the genre Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. If you haven't read it already, perhaps you shouldn't be here. If you have, it won't hurt to read it again. or if you prefer, read his The Voyage of the Beagle, which as well as being of interest to any natural historian or anyone interested in scientific method, also makes a great travel book. Well, I think that's enough to be going on with, and I can see that it's time to finish up. So please bear in mind, throughout whatever course you are studying, not to neglect other aspects of your wider, non-academic education. Thank you.

6 gaps

Options

It conveys the thrill of scientific discovery.

It is of interest to any natural historian.

This is a classic of scientific writing.

It is about the life of a scientist.

This book is now sometimes used in schools.

This is also a good travel book.

This book examines the dark side of human nature.

This book was a response to another book.

A.I. Explanation:

Question Focus: What is said about Bryson's book
Correct Answer: E
Passage Reference: Now, don't turn your noses up at it just because it's now officially a school book and is written to entertain as well as inform.
Why this is correct: The speaker says the book is now officially a school book. That directly matches the heading This book is now sometimes used in schools.
Tips: Listen for where or how the book is used, not just what it is about.
Why the other options are wrong:
This is a classic of scientific writing.: The speaker calls Darwin's On the Origin of Species the classic of the genre, not Bryson's book. This is a wrong reference trap.
It conveys the thrill of scientific discovery.: The thrill of discovery applies to Wonderful Life, not Bryson's book. This is a context shift trap.
Key Vocabulary:
officially = formally
school book = textbook
Question Focus: Main appeal of Gould's Wonderful Life
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Perhaps you should start with Gould's wonderful life. He writes brilliantly about natural history and shows how much imagination and excitement there is in scientific discovery.
Why this is correct: The speaker says Gould writes brilliantly about natural history. A book whose strength is natural history is of interest to any natural historian.
Tips: When the speaker names a specific field like 'natural history', match it to the most specific heading available.
Why the other options are wrong:
It conveys the thrill of scientific discovery.: Discovery is mentioned, but the dominant emphasis is on natural history. This is a partial truth trap.
It is about the life of a scientist.: Wonderful Life is about the science, not a single scientist's biography — the biography option belongs to a different book. This is a category confusion trap.
Key Vocabulary:
natural history = the study of nature
natural historian = a person who studies nature
Question Focus: Main theme of Diamond's book
Correct Answer: G
Passage Reference: Jared Diamond's The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee, which shows us how close we are to the apes and forces us to look at some of the darker aspects of human nature.
Why this is correct: The speaker says the book forces us to look at the darker aspects of human nature. That directly matches the dark side of human nature.
Tips: Words like 'darker' or 'forces us to look' point to critical or negative themes.
Why the other options are wrong:
It is of interest to any natural historian.: Though it discusses apes, the focus is human behaviour, not natural history. This is a paraphrase trap.
It conveys the thrill of scientific discovery.: The book is about uncomfortable truths, not the excitement of discovery. This is a wrong tone trap.
Key Vocabulary:
darker aspects = unpleasant parts
ancestry = family origins
Question Focus: Why Water Babies is significant
Correct Answer: H
Passage Reference: The book is The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley. I can see I have surprised you. Well, it is in fact the first fictional response to Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species.
Why this is correct: The speaker says it is the first fictional response to Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. That directly matches a response to another book.
Tips: Phrases like 'response to' or 'inspired by' signal one book reacting to another.
Why the other options are wrong:
This is a classic of scientific writing.: Water Babies is fiction, not scientific writing — the classic-of-the-genre label belongs to Darwin's Origin. This is a category confusion trap.
This book is now sometimes used in schools.: That description applies to Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, not Water Babies. This is a wrong reference trap.
Key Vocabulary:
response = reply or reaction
fictional = made-up, not factual
Question Focus: The genre of The Emperor of Scent
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: The fourth, no, the fifth book on the list is a biography, The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr. To my mind, it's not particularly well-written, but it is a fascinating story. It is about Luca Turin, a biophysicist who becomes an expert on perfume.
Why this is correct: The speaker introduces it as a biography… about Luca Turin, a biophysicist. A biography about a scientist is the life of a scientist.
Tips: When the speaker calls a book 'a biography', map it directly to 'the life of a scientist'.
Why the other options are wrong:
It conveys the thrill of scientific discovery.: The speaker focuses on Turin's career and the lost Nobel, not the thrill of discovery itself. This is a distractor trap.
This is a classic of scientific writing.: The speaker openly says it is 'not particularly well-written' — far from a classic. This is a paraphrase trap.
Key Vocabulary:
biography = life story
biophysicist = scientist who studies physical aspects of biology
Question Focus: How the speaker describes Darwin's Origin
Correct Answer: C
Passage Reference: which brings us to the book that inspired Kingsley's Water Babies, that classic of the genre Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species.
Why this is correct: The speaker calls Darwin's book that classic of the genre. That directly matches a classic of scientific writing.
Tips: When you hear 'classic of the genre', match it directly to 'a classic of scientific writing'.
Why the other options are wrong:
This book was a response to another book.: Origin inspired The Water Babies; Origin itself is the original, not a response. The 'response' label belongs to Water Babies. This is a reverse relationship trap.
It is of interest to any natural historian.: That comment refers to Darwin's other book The Voyage of the Beagle, not Origin. This is a wrong reference trap.
Key Vocabulary:
classic = essential, time-tested work
genre = type of writing
General Tips:
Match each book to a heading by listening for the speaker's main comment about that specific book.
Listen for signpost words like 'in fact', 'which shows us', 'it is about' — the heading usually follows.
Don't pick a heading just because a single word sounds familiar; check the speaker's overall point.
Each heading is used once, so eliminate options as you confirm them.
Cross-references like 'Book A inspired Book B' often signal a 'response to another book' heading for one of the two.

With a free account: Retry and compare every attempt.

Saving...