CELPIP Listening Part 6 · Viewpoints · set 1 of 10

Should Concerts Go Phone-Free?

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 his view on phone-free concerts. 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: 1 of 10

Transcript

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

Last month I went to see a folk band at a six-hundred-seat hall in Kingston, and at the door, staff slipped my phone into a small locked pouch. I could hold it, but I couldn't use it until I left the room. A growing number of venues are trying this, and I want to talk about whether it's a good idea. Let me start with the case against, because it's stronger than people admit. A phone is not just a camera. Parents of teenagers want to be reachable. People with medical conditions may rely on apps. And for many fans, a short video of a song is how they remember the night, or how they share it with a friend who couldn't afford a ticket. Ticket prices have gone up, too. The show I saw was sixty-five dollars, and some people feel that if they're paying that much, nobody should tell them what to do with their own property. Those points are fair. Still, I came away convinced that phone-free shows are worth it, for three reasons. First, the performers. The singer told the crowd that for the first time on the tour, she could see faces instead of a wall of glowing screens. Musicians feed off the audience, and you could hear it. The band played an extra twenty minutes. Second, the people behind you. If you've ever watched a concert through the screen of the person in front of you, you know the problem. One raised phone can block the view of four or five people. Third, and this surprised me, the memories. I remember that show more clearly than concerts I filmed years ago. When you know you can't record, you pay attention. Now, I'll admit the pouches aren't perfect. The line to unlock them at the end took nearly half an hour, which is far too long on a cold January night. And venues should always offer an unlocking station in the lobby for emergencies. This one did, and that matters. So here's where I land. I don't think every event should go phone-free. A stadium show for forty thousand people is a different animal. But for smaller, more intimate performances, I'd like to see it become normal. Give it one evening before you decide it's not for you.

Questions and answer key

1What is the speaker's overall position?
1. ✓Phone-free rules make sense for smaller shows, but not for every event.
2. BAll concerts, including large stadium shows, should ban phones completely.
3. CVenues should drop phone pouches because the lineups are too long.
4. DFans should be free to decide whether to use their phones at shows.
Answer: A
He says he doesn't think 'every event should go phone-free' but would like to 'see it become normal' for 'smaller, more intimate performances'. The stadium option is wrong because he calls a stadium show 'a different animal'.
2Which argument against phone-free shows does the speaker mention?
1. APhones help fans find their seats in the dark.
2. BVenues make extra money by selling the locking pouches to fans.
3. ✓Some parents want their teenagers to be reachable.
4. DMusicians prefer to be filmed for publicity.
Answer: C
Among the objections he lists, 'Parents of teenagers want to be reachable.' Nothing is said about venues profiting from pouches; the pouches are only described as locked.
3According to the speaker, how did the band respond to the phone-free audience?
1. AThey asked the crowd to stop talking.
2. ✓They played about twenty minutes longer.
3. CThey allowed photos during the final song.
4. DThey thanked the venue for selling more tickets.
Answer: B
He says 'The band played an extra twenty minutes.' The singer did speak to the crowd, but about seeing 'faces instead of a wall of glowing screens', not about tickets or noise.
4Why does the speaker mention the person in front of you at a concert?
1. ATo suggest that tall fans should stand at the back
2. BTo argue that venues need larger video screens
3. CTo show that filming is acceptable if done quietly
4. ✓To show that one person's phone affects several others
Answer: D
He uses the example to make the point that 'One raised phone can block the view of four or five people.' The word 'screen' in the script refers to the phone, not to venue video screens.
5What can be inferred about the concerts the speaker filmed years ago?
1. ✓He remembers them less clearly than the phone-free show.
2. BHe has lost the videos he recorded at those earlier concerts.
3. CHe often watches his recordings of them.
4. DThey were better performances than the folk show.
Answer: A
He says 'I remember that show more clearly than concerts I filmed years ago', so his memories of the filmed concerts are weaker. He never compares the quality of the performances.
6How does the speaker feel about the half-hour wait to unlock phones?
1. AHe thinks it was a small price to pay for a great show.
2. BHe believes it proves the system cannot work.
3. ✓He sees it as a real drawback that needs fixing.
4. DHe blames the fans for crowding the exit.
Answer: C
He calls the wait 'far too long' while still supporting the idea, so it is a flaw, not a deal-breaker. 'A small price to pay' is wrong because he clearly criticizes it.

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