Amid war and sanctions, many Iranians are losing their jobs and struggling to get by

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

C1. 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.

   What happens to some workers after their main income disappears?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They immediately find more secure work.
   2. They lose the secondary work supporting them.
   3. They abandon all employment voluntarily.
   4. They receive replacement earnings from officials.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They lose the secondary work supporting them.

   The narration states that certain workers subsequently lose backup jobs too.

   For people who have already seen their main source of income disappear, the pressure is becoming more severe: some are now also losing the backup jobs that helped them manage financially.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What immediate financial effect follows from losing both jobs?

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   1. They gain access to new industries.
   2. They have fewer ways to restore income.
   3. They become eligible for guaranteed employment.
   4. They reduce dependence on household income.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They have fewer ways to restore income.

   The report says affected workers have fewer methods for replacing earnings.

   That leaves affected workers with fewer ways to replace lost earnings.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the report say about the relationship among the pressures?

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   1. They are largely unrelated developments.
   2. They are connected pressures worsening employment conditions.
   3. They affect different populations without overlap.
   4. They are mainly consequences of household choices.
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   Answer

   They are connected pressures worsening employment conditions.

   The forces are presented as mutually connected contributors to employment insecurity.

   The pressures described in the report are closely connected.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which force is specifically said to create additional strain?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Supplementary employment
   2. Household recovery
   3. The blockade and tightening sanctions
   4. Visible employment reporting
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   Answer

   The blockade and tightening sanctions

   The sentence distinguishes war’s contribution from the blockade and sanctions’ added strain.

   War has contributed to job losses, while the U.S. blockade and tightening sanctions are creating additional strain.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What broader livelihood result does the report explicitly describe?

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   1. Work is becoming less dependable.
   2. Employment is becoming more specialised.
   3. Wages are rising across all sectors.
   4. Households are gaining financial reserves.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Work is becoming less dependable.

   The concluding account characterises work as increasingly unreliable for affected people.

   It does, however, describe a clear consequence for livelihoods: work is becoming less dependable.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why are the consequences especially difficult for some people?

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   1. They have recently increased their savings.
   2. They are recovering from an earlier income loss.
   3. They have refused available primary employment.
   4. They depend exclusively on official statistics.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   They are recovering from an earlier income loss.

   They are already attempting to recover from a previous income loss.

   When backup employment also disappears, the consequences can be harder to absorb, particularly for people who are already trying to recover from an earlier loss of income.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the loss of backup jobs remove?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Another source of support
   2. A formal employment guarantee
   3. A record of industrial production
   4. An explanation of the blockade
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Another source of support

   The final sentence identifies backup jobs as an additional source of support.

   For those already facing unemployment, the loss of backup jobs removes another source of support and intensifies the struggle to get by.

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.