CELPIP Listening Part 6 · Viewpoints · set 9 of 10

Should Children Walk to School Alone?

A CELPIP Listening Part 6 practice set (Viewpoints): the transcript, 6 questions and the answer key with an explanation for each answer. No sign-up needed. This page prints the transcript and has no audio; on the real test you hear the recording once and cannot replay it.

The task

You will hear a radio commentator give her view on letting children walk to school on their own. Listen once, then answer the questions.

You hear the audio only once.
The speaker presents a point of view: follow the argument and the position, not only the facts.

Questions: 6
Time: 4 minutes
Practice set: 9 of 10

Transcript

The test plays this once, as audio. For real practice, answer the questions first, then check the transcript.

When I was ten, I walked about a kilometre and a half to school every day in Winnipeg, usually with a friend, sometimes alone. Today, in the same neighbourhood, I almost never see a child that age walking without an adult. Researchers have noticed the same thing across Canada. A generation ago, most elementary students walked or biked to school. Now it's fewer than a third. I want to argue that we should let more children make that trip on their own. I know what many parents are thinking, because I've thought it too. Traffic is heavier than it was. Drivers are distracted. And there's a fear, a very natural one, that something terrible might happen to a child who's alone. Some parents also worry about what other people will think. A few have even had neighbours call the school after seeing a young child walking alone. These concerns aren't silly. But I think they deserve a closer look. The risks that parents fear most, like a child being taken by a stranger, are extremely rare, and they haven't increased over the decades. Traffic is the real danger, and ironically, a big part of that traffic at eight-thirty in the morning is parents driving their children to school. Meanwhile, the benefits of walking are easy to underestimate. Kids who walk arrive more alert, according to teachers I've spoken with. They get some exercise before sitting at a desk for six hours. And they learn things no classroom can teach: how to cross a street safely, and how to handle a small problem, like a forgotten lunch, without calling an adult. I'm not suggesting we send six-year-olds off on their own. It should be gradual. Start by walking together and letting your child lead the way. Then walk half a block behind. By nine or ten, many children are ready to go with a friend. Communities have a role too. Crossing guards, lower speed limits near schools and clear sidewalks make a huge difference. Some towns have set up "walking school buses," where a few parents take turns leading a group of children along a set route. Independence isn't something children suddenly receive at eighteen. It's built a little at a time, and the walk to school is one of the best places to begin.

Questions and answer key

1What is the speaker's main message?
1. ✓Children should gradually be allowed to walk to school on their own.
2. BParents should stop driving their children to school in order to protect the environment.
3. CSchools should provide buses for all elementary students.
4. DChildren under ten should never walk to school alone.
Answer: A
She wants to 'let more children make that trip on their own', building independence 'a little at a time'. The environment is never her argument; her point about driving parents concerns safety.
2According to the speaker, how many elementary students walk or bike to school today?
1. AMost of them
2. BAbout half
3. ✓Fewer than a third
4. DAlmost none
Answer: C
'A generation ago, most elementary students walked or biked to school. Now it's fewer than a third.' 'Most of them' describes the past, not today.
3What has happened to some parents who let young children walk alone?
1. ATheir children were stopped by the police.
2. BThe school refused to let their children in.
3. CDrivers offered their children rides.
4. ✓Neighbours called the school about them.
Answer: D
'A few have even had neighbours call the school after seeing a young child walking alone.' The school is involved only as the place neighbours called, not as refusing entry.
4What point does the speaker make about morning traffic near schools?
1. AIt has gone down since she was a child.
2. ✓Parents who drive their children add to the danger.
3. CIt means fewer crossing guards are needed.
4. DIt is caused mostly by delivery trucks.
Answer: B
She notes 'ironically, a big part of that traffic' is 'parents driving their children to school', so driving adds to the risk children face. She says traffic is 'heavier than it was', not lighter.
5What does the speaker recommend as a first step?
1. ✓Walking together and letting the child lead the way
2. BLetting a six-year-old walk with a friend
3. CFollowing the child slowly by car
4. DAsking a crossing guard to watch the child
Answer: A
'Start by walking together and letting your child lead the way.' She says she is 'not suggesting we send six-year-olds off on their own', and walking with a friend comes at nine or ten.
6Why does the speaker describe "walking school buses"?
1. ATo show that schools should hire more bus drivers
2. ✓To give an example of how communities can support walking
3. CTo argue that children should always walk to school with an adult beside them
4. DTo explain how her own school days were organized
Answer: B
She mentions them right after saying 'Communities have a role too', as one way towns help. Despite the name, they have nothing to do with hiring bus drivers.

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