CELPIP Listening, Part 3 of 6
Listening for Information
Listen to a conversation where one person explains something the other wants to know, then answer 6 questions.
- Questions
- 6
- About
- 6 min
Part 3Instructions
You will hear a conversation between a man and a woman.
- The clip plays once and you cannot pause or replay it.
- Then each question is spoken once. You see only the answer choices and have 30 seconds for each question.
- When you finish, you get your score, the answers with explanations, and the transcript.
The audio starts as soon as you press start. Use headphones if you can.
You got 0 of 6 right
Each question below shows the answer and the line in the audio that gives it. You can now replay every clip and read the transcript.
Recording
You will hear a conversation between a man and a woman.
Transcript
Woman: Hey, good to hear from you. What's up?
Man: Well, I finally did it. I signed the lease on the corner unit, so I'm opening a café. Trouble is, the agent sent a huge equipment list, and I can't tell what's worth it.
Woman: No way, congratulations.
Man: A guy in my business group said to ask a barista, so, here I am.
Woman: Happy to help, though I only worked the bar, so I know what I noticed, not how the buyers picked. Are you doing full espresso, or mostly drip?
Man: Full espresso. So what would you spend on first, the machine or the grinder?
Woman: Honestly, the grinder. People blow their budget on the shiny machine, then pair it with, how should I say this, some afterthought grinder. There was a brand everyone swore by, and, gosh, the name is gone.
Man: See, I'd have bet on the machine.
Woman: Well, when I started, our shots were all over the place, and I blamed myself for weeks. Turned out the grinder couldn't hold a setting.
Man: Ugh, so the machine itself can be mid-range?
Woman: A mid-range machine is fine for a small room. You don't need the top tier.
Man: Someone said to grab it refurbished, since those are cheaper.
Woman: Hmm, I'd be careful. Ours were fine mostly, but when it broke, parts took, what, two or three days. For a café, that's ages on drip.
Man: Yeah, that would wreck a weekend. Different question: house blend or those single-origin lots?
Woman: Mmm, for opening . . . I'd lean on a blend. It's more forgiving while you're still learning. We ran a single-origin sampler once, and a lot of it went stale.
Man: Interesting. I figured single-origin was the classier call.
Woman: It's lovely coffee. It moves slow and costs more, so the math gets rough.
Man: Well, that settles it. My last café, the owner never touched the grinder, and every cup was bitter, so I don't want to be that guy.
Woman: Then you already get it. Start there.
Man: So grinder first, mid-range machine, house blend.
Woman: Good plan. Oh, before I forget, there's a used-equipment guy the roasters all know, though his name escapes me.
Man: Honestly, any lead would help right now.
Woman: I'll text it tonight. He runs a tune-up morning some Saturdays, so ask what to check before buying.
Man: Perfect, send it over and I'll reach out this week.
Woman: Will do. Now go get your keys.
Questions 1 to 6
1. Why did the man decide to ask a barista?
- He worked with baristas at a past job.
- Someone in his business group suggested it.
- The leasing agent recommended he consult one.
- He read that baristas know gear best.
2. What kind of coffee will the man's café focus on?
- It will mostly serve drip coffee.
- It will feature single-origin pour-overs.
- It will center on espresso drinks.
- It will offer espresso and tea.
3. What does the woman say many buyers get wrong?
- They overspend on the machine, neglecting the grinder.
- They pick a grinder that is too strong.
- They choose drip machines over espresso ones.
- They ignore how small their space is.
4. What is the woman's concern about a refurbished machine?
- It cannot make full espresso drinks.
- Repairs could leave it down for days.
- It would cost more than a new one.
- It would fail within the first week.
5. Why does the woman recommend a house blend at first?
- It leaves more room for error early on.
- It has a richer taste than single-origin.
- It is the classier choice for a café.
- It stays fresh far longer on the shelf.
6. Why does the woman mention the seller's tune-up mornings?
- So he can get his machine serviced cheaply.
- So he can meet other café owners there.
- So he can buy gear at a discount.
- So he knows what to inspect before purchase.
How CELPIP Listening Part 3 works
You hear one conversation of about 2 to 2.5 minutes in which an expert or experienced person answers questions and gives advice. It is dense with reasons, conditions and corrections. 6 questions follow, each spoken once with four options on screen and 30 seconds to choose.
- Take notes as pairs: the topic, and what the expert recommends or warns about.
- Listen for corrections. When the expert disagrees with what the other person assumed, a question usually follows.
- Keep track of who holds which opinion. Wrong options often give one speaker the view of the other.