The first day of school brings bells, bikes, buses and big feelings

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 does the report bring together?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Scenes from three American locations
   2. Interviews with teachers from one district
   3. Statistics about national enrollment patterns
   4. Descriptions of international school systems
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Scenes from three American locations

   The narration explicitly identifies three geographically distinct settings.

   NPR’s report on the new school year brings together scenes from Los Angeles, Oklahoma and Oregon, showing how students respond to new routines and unfamiliar surroundings.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What happens first in the Oklahoma routine?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Children explore a new high school
   2. Children join a group bicycle journey
   3. Fifth graders calm kindergartners
   4. Communities establish classroom routines
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Children join a group bicycle journey

   Children participate in the bicycle journey before reaching the school building.

   A different kind of school-day routine appears in Oklahoma, where children take part in a “bike bus.”

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the bike bus change about the trip to school?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It makes the journey an individual challenge
   2. It turns travel into a shared activity
   3. It postpones students’ arrival at school
   4. It removes transportation from school life
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It turns travel into a shared activity

   It transforms the journey from mere transportation into communal participation.

   The term describes a group journey by bicycle, turning the trip to school into a shared activity.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What may a new building alter for students?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Their school’s broader educational purpose
   2. Their ability to travel outside Oregon
   3. Their orientation, movement, and expectations
   4. Their responsibility for calming younger children
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Their orientation, movement, and expectations

   The recording lists orientation, daily movement, and expectations for the year.

   A new building can alter how students orient themselves, move through the day and imagine the year ahead, even when the broader purpose of school remains familiar.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which sequence best reflects the report’s final synthesis?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Adjustment, reassurance, then established routines
   2. Established routines, transportation, then architecture
   3. Mentorship, architecture, then national comparison
   4. Reassurance, school arrival, then bicycle travel
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Adjustment, reassurance, then established routines

   The conclusion moves from adjustment to reassurance to community routines.

   It is a period of adjustment for younger children, an opportunity for older students to offer reassurance, and a chance for communities to establish routines.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the speaker emphasize by listing bells, bicycles, buses, and buildings?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. School objects are mainly decorative
   2. Everyday features can symbolize transition
   3. Transportation determines educational quality
   4. Buildings matter more than relationships
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Everyday features can symbolize transition

   The objects represent ordinary features that signal meaningful change.

   Bells, bicycles, buses and buildings become markers of change, while students navigate the practical and emotional demands of starting again.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What overall result does the report produce?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A policy proposal for redesigning schools
   2. A portrait of beginnings shaped by everyday encounters
   3. A ranking of communities’ transportation systems
   4. A warning about emotional risks in education
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A portrait of beginnings shaped by everyday encounters

   The closing sentence characterizes the report as a portrait of meaningful ordinary encounters.

   The result is a portrait of a school year beginning through ordinary but meaningful encounters.

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.