IELTS Listening Test Questions

Mark: Hi, Sarah! How's the reading for our sociology assignment on manners and etiquette going?

Sarah: Oh, hi Mark! It's quite interesting, actually. I've mainly been looking at how manners and etiquette differ across various societies.

Mark: Right, and what have you found?

Sarah: Well, I knew that there were some minor differences, but I assumed that our manners were basically the same around the world. However, the more I read, the clearer it became that different (Q1)cultures have developed some quite unique sets of manners and norms over time.

Mark: Right, I was recently in Japan and I was really impressed by how polite and respectful people are with each other, especially with strangers.

Sarah: And did you know that (Q2)the tradition in Japan of bowing to others to show respect dates back to the samurai?

Mark: No, I didn’t. And the way they exchange business cards is also very formal and ritualistic. I’m guessing they didn’t have business cards back in samurai times though!

Sarah: Well, no, but funnily enough, I read that the rules and etiquette around exchanging business cards have a surprisingly long history in Japan. Although most people assume business cards became a thing in the 1970’s, so about 50 years ago, (Q3)there’s evidence of business cards being used in Japan as far back as the Meiji period, and even earlier. So that’s over 100 years ago.

Mark: Wow, we’ll have to include that. I thought that we all started using business cards much more recently than that.

Sarah: Right. Surprising isn’t it. And then there's the etiquette around physical proximity, I mean, how close you should stand to other people, especially strangers, without making them uncomfortable. In some cultures, like in India, people seem more happy to be in close proximity to others. While in others, like the UK, people tend to want more personal space.

Mark: I read that in some (Q4)Latin American countries people are more likely to stand close to each other during conversations than in the UK too.

Sarah: I’ve read that about Latin America too, although I can’t say I noticed it when I was in Brazil. Perhaps it’s only when you’re with friends or relatives.

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Sarah: So, Mark, you said that you were going to look into how manners and etiquette have changed over time. Did you find anything we can use?

Mark: Yes, I did. One thing that surprised me was how sometimes the changes happened just because people were trying to impress each other. So, dining etiquette is a good example. (Q5)In mediaeval Europe, people didn’t have any problem eating with their hands, until it became fashionable to use a fork among some of the elite. Other people then thought that eating with a fork made them seem more refined and sophisticated so it spread and became more and more popular.

Sarah: That's fascinating. So if you wanted to impress people, you used a fork while you were eating. It sounds a lot like how people copy celebrity fashion today. And I suppose similar changes happened in other parts of the world as well.

Mark: Well, actually, some areas of the world were way ahead of Europe. (Q6)In China, chopsticks became commonly used for eating during the Han and Ming dynasties, so that’s about a thousand years before forks in Europe. They obviously made a lot of sense to people, because they were (Q7)soon being used in neighbouring countries like Korea too.

Sarah: I see. Interesting. I think we should probably also include something about the regional variations within countries. So for example,in the United States, it’s said that the manners and etiquette in the South can be quite different from those in the Northeast.

Mark: Oh really, in what way?

Sarah: Well, apparently, (Q8)people in the South tend to be more formal and traditional than people in the north.

Mark: That reminds me of something here in the UK. There’s a stereotype that (Q9)people in the north are more friendly and warm than people in the South, especially London. Perhaps we should look more deeply into regional differences in the UK?

Sarah: Yes sure, and we could also investigate if there are any differences in manners between urban areas and countryside. My impression is that people in big cities tend to be (Q10)more reserved and cold with strangers than in regional towns or in the countryside.

Mark: Yeah, that’s something we could look into for sure. And how about modern manners versus manners in the past. Do you think it’s true that people were more polite in the past?