Families sleep on Delhi sidewalks while children receive hospital treatment

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the questions, then listen before opening the transcript. Notice names, numbers and any corrections the speaker makes.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Where do the families make temporary sleeping areas?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Inside the hospital entrance
   2. On the sidewalk outside AIIMS
   3. In rented rooms in Bihar
   4. Beside a school in Delhi
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   On the sidewalk outside AIIMS

   The families sleep outside the hospital on the sidewalk.

   Some families cannot afford rented lodging, so they make temporary sleeping areas on the sidewalk outside the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, or AIIMS.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the son’s illness?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A lung infection
   2. Leukemia
   3. A broken bone
   4. A mosquito illness
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Leukemia

   The recording identifies his illness as leukemia.

   Their son is being treated for leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What do the parents do for about an hour at a time?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They call relatives in Bihar.
   2. They take turns sleeping.
   3. They search for rented lodging.
   4. They move their belongings indoors.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They take turns sleeping.

   They take turns sleeping in short shifts.

   The parents sleep in shifts of about an hour.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What do some families place directly on the pavement?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Medical beds
   2. Blankets or sheets
   3. Mosquito medicines
   4. Hospital chairs
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Blankets or sheets

   Families use blankets or sheets as simple sleeping surfaces.

   Other families also rest on blankets or sheets placed directly on the pavement.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why is a safe, affordable place especially important?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Families must remain near school.
   2. Treatment may last for months.
   3. The hospital closes at night.
   4. Families cannot carry their bags.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Treatment may last for months.

   Treatment may continue for a long period of time.

   Treatment can last days, weeks, or months, making a safe and affordable place to stay especially important.

What to review next

Listen again to difficult sections, then open the transcript to check what you heard. Repeat a useful phrase aloud and try the recording once more without the text.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Listen for the final information, especially when a speaker corrects or changes an earlier statement.

Example transcript: “Let’s meet at five — actually, half past five would be better.” What is the final suggested time?

The final suggested time is 5:30. Actually signals a correction; the first time is replaced by the later suggestion.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.