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CELPIP Listening Part 4: Listening to a News Item

CELPIP Listening Part 4 Practice Test: A Mountain of Potatoes

By Iris

A free Listening Part 4 practice test in the CELPIP format: 5 questions with the answer key. Play each recording once, as in the real test, answer, then check your answers at the bottom of the page. The transcript is under each recording.

Questions
5
Format
1 news report, questions after it
Question style
Multiple choice, 4 options
Play like the real test
Each recording plays once, then each question with 30 seconds to answer (Parts 4–6: one timer for the part). No pausing to replay, like test day.
  1. Dale Whitford gave away the potatoes because

  2. The donation caused a problem because

  3. The public is being asked to

  4. The hockey arena will

  5. Priya Anand seems to see the donation as

Transcript (read it after you answer)

NARRATOR: A Calgary food bank is facing an unusual problem this week: too many potatoes. On Tuesday morning, farmer Dale Whitford of nearby Strathmore delivered approximately forty tonnes of potatoes, more than the food bank normally distributes in an entire year. Whitford explained that a buyer had cancelled a substantial order at the last minute, and he could not bear to watch a season's work rot in storage. The donation arrived on six transport trucks, and staff quickly realized their warehouse had room for barely a quarter of it. Volunteers spent the afternoon phoning churches, schools and community kitchens across the city, and by evening, several had agreed to take some of the surplus. A local hockey arena has also temporarily offered an empty storage room until spring. Food bank director Priya Anand says the timing could hardly be better, since demand has climbed steadily since September. Still, she laughs that her staff will be dreaming about potatoes for weeks. The food bank is now asking the public for a different kind of help: recipes. Families are invited to share their favourite potato dishes on the food bank's website, and the best ones will be printed and tucked into hampers.

0 of 5 answered

Answer key

Show all 5 answers
  1. Dale Whitford gave away the potatoes because D. a sale fell through unexpectedly.
  2. The donation caused a problem because A. there was nowhere to keep most of it.
  3. The public is being asked to C. suggest ways to cook potatoes.
  4. The hockey arena will B. store part of the donation for a while.
  5. Priya Anand seems to see the donation as A. a welcome gift that also brings plenty of extra work.

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