Why are phrasal verbs important for Listening Part 2?

Natural speech is full of phrasal verbs, and they often carry the key meaning. Missing one can mean missing the answer.

How do I prepare for the speed of Part 2?

Build automatic recognition of common everyday vocabulary so you do not have to translate in your head while the audio keeps moving.

Listening Part 2: Daily Life Conversation

Listening Part 2: Daily Life Conversation is part of the Listening section of the CELPIP test. You get 5 questions and 4 minutes. It is scored by the number of correct answers.

Questions: 5
Time: 4 minutes
Prompts here: 23 published

The three-move conversation

1
Fix the relationship in the first few lines
Colleagues, neighbours, family — it decides what the rest of the exchange means.
2
Follow what each speaker wants
Daily-life conversations are usually two people wanting slightly different things.
3
Listen for the turn where the plan changes
That sentence is where most of the questions are set.

The answer is usually in the sentence after the disagreement.

The resolution carries the detail, not the objection.

Learn the high-frequency everyday vocabulary, idioms and phrasal verbs that fill the daily-life conversation of CELPIP Listening Part 2.

Part 2 is a natural conversation about an everyday topic. Phrasal verbs and idioms appear constantly here, so recognising them quickly is essential to keeping up.

CELPIP · Listening

A Proposed Urban Farm

One of 23 published prompts · free, no account

Instructions

The audio plays once.
Choose the best answer for each question.

Audio transcript

In the real test you hear this once and cannot replay it.

Emily: Have you noticed the empty lot beside the community centre? I heard the city is planning to turn it into an urban farm. Daniel: Really? At first, I thought it would just become another small park. But honestly, I think a community farm is a much better idea. Emily: I agree. Of course, people will be able to grow fresh vegetables there, but I think the biggest advantage is something else. Daniel: You mean bringing the neighbourhood together? Emily: Exactly. People hardly know their neighbours anymore. If they're planting, watering, and harvesting together, they'll naturally spend more time talking and helping one another. Daniel: That's true. Still, not everyone is enthusiastic. I spoke with a few residents at last week's community meeting, and some of them were worried the gardens might make the neighbourhood look messy, especially during the winter months. Emily: I heard those concerns too. Personally, I think that's more of a perception than a real problem. With proper planning and maintenance, it could actually improve the area. Daniel: That's a good point. But before the city starts building similar farms in other neighbourhoods, I think they should wait and see how this one performs. They need to find out whether residents actually participate and whether the project is sustainable over time. Emily: That makes sense. There's no point expanding too quickly if the first project doesn't meet expectations. Daniel: Exactly. If the organizers evaluate the results after the first growing season, they'll have real evidence instead of just optimistic predictions. Emily: Overall, though, I'm optimistic. Even if the farm isn't perfect, projects like this remind people that improving a community doesn't always require huge government programs. Sometimes a small local effort can have a surprisingly big impact. Daniel: I couldn't agree more. Small changes often inspire bigger ones.

Questions & answer key5 questions

Listening is scored by the number of correct answers. The audio plays once, so the skill being tested is holding detail while the next sentence arrives.

1The main purpose of the conversation is to discuss...
1. ✓whether urban farming can strengthen local communities.
2. Bhow residents can apply for government grants.
3. Cwhy grocery prices have recently increased.
4. Dthe history of community gardens in Canada.
Answer
A
The whole exchange weighs what a community farm on the empty lot would do for the neighbourhood. Emily says "I think the biggest advantage is something else," and Daniel supplies it: "bringing the neighbourhood together." They then weigh residents' objections and whether the city should build more farms. Grant applications, grocery prices and the history of community gardens in Canada are never raised.
2According to the speakers, one unexpected benefit of the project is that it...
1. Aeliminates the need for grocery stores.
2. ✓encourages neighbours to interact more often.
3. Cprovides full-time employment for local residents.
4. Dreduces property taxes for homeowners.
Answer
B
Growing vegetables is mentioned, but Emily calls the social effect the bigger advantage: "People hardly know their neighbours anymore. If they're planting, watering, and harvesting together, they'll naturally spend more time talking and helping one another." Nobody suggests grocery stores become unnecessary, no jobs are discussed, and property taxes never come up.
3Why does one speaker believe some residents oppose the project?
1. AThey are worried that vegetables may attract wildlife.
2. BThey think the project is too expensive to maintain.
3. CThey believe it will create unnecessary traffic congestion.
4. ✓They are concerned that it may change the appearance of the neighbourhood.
Answer
D
Daniel reports what he heard at last week's community meeting: some residents "were worried the gardens might make the neighbourhood look messy, especially during the winter months." Looking messy is a concern about how the neighbourhood appears. Wildlife, maintenance costs and traffic congestion are never mentioned by either speaker.
4What does one speaker suggest should happen before expanding the project?
1. AThe city should purchase additional land immediately.
2. BVolunteers should receive formal agricultural training.
3. ✓The organizers should evaluate the results of the first season.
4. DEvery neighbourhood should be required to participate.
Answer
C
Daniel argues the city should "wait and see how this one performs" before building similar farms elsewhere, and adds: "If the organizers evaluate the results after the first growing season, they'll have real evidence instead of just optimistic predictions." Buying more land, training volunteers and requiring every neighbourhood to take part are never discussed.
5What conclusion do the speakers reach at the end of the conversation?
1. AThe project should be cancelled because of its costs.
2. BUrban farming is only practical in large cities.
3. CThe project will succeed without community involvement.
4. ✓Even small local initiatives can make a meaningful difference.
Answer
D
Emily ends with "Sometimes a small local effort can have a surprisingly big impact," and Daniel agrees: "Small changes often inspire bigger ones." Both are optimistic rather than in favour of cancelling; large cities are never discussed; and Daniel stresses the need to find out "whether residents actually participate," so neither expects success without community involvement.

Three mistakes that cost points heremost common first

1Answering with what the first speaker proposed rather than what they agreed.
2Losing track of which speaker said which thing.
3Hearing a suggestion as a decision.

Now do it yourself and find out where you land

You can check right and wrong on this page. What a page cannot do is tell you which question types you keep losing, under real timing.

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Questions people ask

Why are phrasal verbs important for Listening Part 2?: Natural speech is full of phrasal verbs, and they often carry the key meaning. Missing one can mean missing the answer.
How do I prepare for the speed of Part 2?: Build automatic recognition of common everyday vocabulary so you do not have to translate in your head while the audio keeps moving.

The other 22 Daily Conversation prompts0 free

·Rethinking a Final Project
·Getting Ready for the Long Weekend
·Planning a Workplace Day Trip
·Choosing Where to Camp Next Weekend
·Getting a Fishing Licence
·A New Weekend Schedule at Work
·Finding Housing Closer to Work
·Signing Up for a Charity Bike Ride
·Choosing a Research Topic
·Choosing a Birthday Present
·Choosing Between Two Job Offers
·Hiring New Employees
·A Cut in Working Hours
·A Delayed Project
·Getting Foreign Credentials Recognized
·Purchasing Furniture
·Cutting the Household Budget
·Going Fishing
·Choosing a Daycare
·Weekend Shift Problems
·A Roommate Wants to Adopt a Dog
·Landscaping the House

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