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CELPIP Listening Part 4: Listening to a News Item

CELPIP Listening Part 4 Practice Test: A Very Old Sourdough Starter

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. The starter was first brought to Fredericton

  2. In 1973, the starter

  3. The researchers suggest that the yeast

  4. We can tell that Ruth Hollis

  5. Ruth's final comment suggests that she

Transcript (read it after you answer)

NARRATOR: A small bakery in Fredericton is celebrating an unusual birthday this week. The sourdough starter used in every loaf at the Hollis Street Bakery has just turned one hundred. A starter is a living mixture of flour and water that must be fed daily to stay active, and this one was carried over from Scotland in 1926 by Agnes Hollis, the great-grandmother of current owner Ruth Hollis. Over the decades, the family has protected it through floods, power failures and two moves. In 1973, when the original shop caught fire, Ruth's grandfather grabbed a jar from the kitchen before the firefighters arrived. Ruth admits that keeping it alive is a demanding commitment. She hasn't taken a vacation longer than four days in twelve years, and when she does get away, a neighbour comes in to feed it. Researchers at a local university recently examined a sample and found that its yeast differs from commercial varieties, which may explain the bread's slightly sweet flavour. To mark the anniversary, the bakery is handing out free slices on Saturday and sharing small portions of the starter with customers who bring a container. Ruth says it's time the family treasure left the building.

0 of 5 answered

Answer key

Show all 5 answers
  1. The starter was first brought to Fredericton C. by a member of the owner's family.
  2. In 1973, the starter A. was saved from a burning building.
  3. The researchers suggest that the yeast D. may account for how the bread tastes.
  4. We can tell that Ruth Hollis B. keeps her trips short because of the starter.
  5. Ruth's final comment suggests that she C. is glad to pass the starter on to others.

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