A Monologue on Farming at the Ancient Island- IELTS Listening Sample Answer

IELTS Listening test is divided into four sections, with 10 questions in each section. The IELTS Listening takes around 30 minutes to complete, with each section getting increasingly more difficult. This particular sample- A Monologue on Farming at the Ancient Island is IELTS Listening part 4. In this section, you will hear an audio recording followed by questions-

• Choose the correct answer
• No more than two words

Topic: A Monologue on Farming at the Ancient Island

Audio Transcript

Section 4

You will hear a lecturer talking about farming in Ancient Ireland. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

Good morning everyone. Last week, we were looking at the hunter-gatherers in Ireland across the Irish Sea from England. Today, we're going to move on to the period between four and six thousand years ago known as the Neolithic period which is when a total farming economy was introduced in Ireland.

There are several hypotheses about the origins of the first Neolithic settlers in Ireland. But most of these contain problems. For instance, here are considerable archaeological difficulties about the theory that they came from England. The evidence doesn't really add up. But there are even greater practical problems about the theory that they came directly from Continental Europe. For one thing, it's not clear just how sufficient numbers of men and women could have been transported to Ireland to establish a viable population. As you know, the hunter-gatherer economy, which existed beforehand was based on small scattered groups. The farming economy would almost certainly have required much larger communities to do all the work needed to plant and 10 sufficient crops to sustain them through the year. The early farmers kept various animals, including cattle and sheep. There's also evidence of pigs but it is possible that these could have been descended from the Native wild species.

Now, we know from Modern farming that if the level of breeding stock falls below about 300 females the future of the species locally is at risk, so we must assume that from the beginnings of Neolithic farming the number of breeding sheep would have considerably exceeded 300 and national cattle herd must have been of a similar size. The question is how are these were brought to the area and where they came from? It's usually suggested that the Neolithic settlers used skin covered boat to transport livestock but this method would have severely destroyed the range of the colonizing fleet. The sheer volume of animal transport necessarily means it's unlikely that this livestock could have been brought from anywhere further than England.

What about crops? Well, two main cereal crops were introduced to Ireland during this time. Wheat and Barley both in several varieties. The main evidence for their presence consists of impressions on Pottery where a cereal grain accidentally became embedded in the surface of a pod before it was fired. The grain itself was destroyed by the firing but it left an impression on the pot which could be studied and identified by botanists.

Let's turn our attention now to the farming technology available at that time. Before the cereal crops could be planted, it would have been necessary to clear the forest and to break the ground by plowing. The stone blade of a plow has been discovered during excavation in County Mayo in Western Ireland. The body of the player would have been a would and could have been drawn by people, but it's also likely that cattle were used.

The cultivation of crops and the husbandry of livestock brought about changes in people's lifestyle such as the type of shelters they made. For one thing, instead of moving from place to place, they needed permanent dwellings. The stone axes used to chop down trees to make these dwellings were far superior to any that the Stone Age hunter gatherers used. To make the axe, sources of suitable Stone had to be found and systematically exploited.

These are so-called acts factories were really Quarry is rather than factories. As a manufacturer of the axes wasn't regularly performed on The Quarry site. However, after the acts of been chipped into shape, they needed water and sand for grinding and polishing so a high mountain side wouldn't have been an appropriate place for this. So, this final stage of the manufacturer must have been carried out close to water and sure enough. There's ample evidence of this at coastal sites. It’s clear that these Neolithic axes were transported all over Ireland as well as to Scotland and the south of England. It's not really surprising that axes from ax factories in England have also been found in Ireland at the very least. This indicates that there was a link between the two Islands during that period. One of the most useful innovations of the colonizers were pottery-making which was quite unknown to Irish hunter-gatherers.

The pottery was probably made by shaping clay and before with the hand and then hollowing it until the walls were the right thickness. After firing, the outside was on the polished. This would have helped the pots to retain water as they would Blaze. Now we know that the clay used usually came from local sources which suggests that manufacture was on a fairly small scale, even though thousands of fragments are usually found at Neolithic sites. In the course of time, decoration began to appear at first this looked like a series of stitches was just around the tops of the pops. This could have been an imitation of earlier vessels which were made of leather sewn onto wood then eventually pots with decoration, all over…

Questions 31-40

Questions 31-34
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C. Write answers next to 31-34 on your answer sheet.

31. According to the speaker, it is not clear

1. when the farming economy was introduced to Ireland.
2. why people began to farm in Ireland.
3. where the early Irish farmers came from.

Answer 31: C

Explanation: The neolithic period is when a total farming economy was introduced in Ireland. There are several hypotheses about the origins of the first Neolithic settlers in Ireland.

Also, Chcek:

32. What point does the speaker make about breeding animals in Neolithic Ireland?

1. Their numbers must have been above a certain level.
2. They were under threat from wild animals.
3. Some species died out during this period.

Answer 32: A

Explanation: From the beginnings of Neolithic farming the number of breeding sheep would have considerably exceeded 300 and national cattle herd must have been of a similar size.

33. What does the speaker say about the transportation of animals?

1. Livestock would have limited the distance the farmers could sail.
2. Neolithic boats were too primitive to have been used.
3. Probably only a few breeding animals were imported.

Answer 33: A

Explanation: The sheer volume of animal transport necessarily means it's unlikely that this livestock could have been brought from anywhere further than England.

34. What is the main evidence for cereal crops in Neolithic Ireland?

1. the remains of burnt grain in pots
2. the marks left on pots by grains
3. the patterns painted on the surface of pots

Answer 34: B

Explanation: The two main cereal crops were introduced to Ireland during this time. Wheat and Barley both in several varieties.

Questions 35-40
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

STONE TOOLS

Ploughs could either have been pulled by 35_________________________________or by cattle.

The farmers needed homes which were permanent dwellings.

In the final stages of axe-making, 36______________________________and______________________________were necessary for grinding and polishing.

Irish axes were exported from Ireland to 37___________________________________and England.

POTTERY MAKING

The colonisers used clay to make pots.

The 38_____________________________________of the pots was often polished to make them watertight.

Clay from39________________________________areas was generally used.

The decoration was only put around the 40____________________________________of the earliest pots.

Answer 35: people

Explanation: The cultivation of crops and the husbandry of livestock brought about changes in people's lifestyle such as the type of shelters they made.

Answer 36: water sand

Explanation: The speaker says “..after the acts of been chipped into shape, they needed water and sand for grinding and polishing so a high mountain side wouldn't have been an appropriate place for this.”

Answer 37: Scotland

Explanation: There's ample evidence of this at coastal sites. It’s clear that these Neolithic axes were transported all over Ireland as well as to Scotland and the south of England.

Answer 38: outside

Explanation: After firing, the outside was on the polished. This would have helped the pots to retain water as they would Blaze.

Answer 39: local

Explanation: The speaker says this would have helped the pots to retain water as they would Blaze. Now we know that the clay used usually came from local sources which suggests that manufacture was on a fairly small scale, even though thousands of fragments are usually found at Neolithic sites.

Answer 40: tops

Explanation: In the lecture, the speaker says that in the course of time, decoration began to appear at first this looked like a series of stitches was just around the tops of the pops.