Listening Section 3: Multiple Choice & Matching: Question 1

Transcript-based practice (no audio).

Josh: Hey Priya, have you started drafting the coastal report yet? I want to sort out our approach before the weekend. Priya: Not properly. I've just been rereading our notes from the Thornmouth Cove visit. We really need to agree on which beach-profiling method we're actually going to write up. Josh: I was going to describe the ranging-pole-and-clinometer method, since that's what we mostly used on the day. Priya: We did use it, but half our clinometer readings looked shaky, remember how the wind kept knocking the pole? I think it'll be safer to base the report on the tape-and-level method instead. Josh: Fair point, actually. Our readings did jump around a lot near marker four. Okay, let's go with tape-and-level, then, and just mention the clinometer approach briefly as something we tried first. Priya: Good. Now, who's writing what? I was thinking I'd take the methodology and you take the results section, since you're better with the spreadsheets. Josh: Actually, could we swap? I'd rather write the methodology. I took most of the field notes, so I remember the sequence of steps better than the numbers. You're quicker at turning data into something readable. Priya: That works for me. I'll do results and the graphs, you do methodology, and we'll split the introduction and discussion once we've both finished our sections. Josh: Sounds good. Speaking of graphs, were you planning a bar chart for the profile heights, or a line graph? Priya: I keep going back and forth. A bar chart would work, but since we're really showing how the beach gradient changes continuously along the transect, I think a line graph will represent the trend more clearly than separate bars. Josh: Yeah, that makes sense once you put it that way. A line graph it is. Priya: One more thing. The brief says sources should be cited, but it doesn't specify which referencing style. Should we just use whatever we used last term? Josh: I checked the module handbook this morning, actually, and it does specify, they want Harvard style this time, not the numbered style we used before. Priya: Oh, good thing you checked, I would have used the wrong one. Harvard it is, then. Josh: Last thing, do you think we should email Dr. Iwu about extending the deadline? A few people in the class were talking about asking for extra days. Priya: I thought about it too, but I don't think we actually need it, we've basically got everything we need from the field visit, we just need to write it up now. I'd rather submit on time and not draw attention to it. Josh: Agreed, let's just stick to the original date.

Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.

1. Which method do the students decide to use as the basis for their report? A. The ranging-pole-and-clinometer method B. The tape-and-level method C. A GPS-based elevation survey

2. Why does Priya want to change the profiling method? A. She found the tape-and-level method easier to carry B. The clinometer readings were unreliable in windy conditions C. Dr. Iwu instructed all groups to switch methods

3. Who will write the methodology section? A. Priya, because she is quicker with spreadsheets B. Josh, because he remembers the field-note sequence best C. Both students jointly across the whole report

4. What kind of chart do the students agree to use for the profile heights? A. A bar chart B. A line graph C. A scatter plot with a trend line

5. Which referencing style will the report use? A. The numbered style used last term B. Whatever style each section's author prefers C. Harvard style, as specified in the module handbook