Operation cat drop – C1 English Listening Test

C1 English Listening Test

Listen to a podcast conversation. For questions 1–6, choose the correct answer (A, B or C) or write one word from the recording, as appropriate.

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1 What is the main purpose of the conversation?

A. To explain how a malaria-control programme directly caused an ecological disaster.

B. To examine an unusual historical event and question its popular explanation.

C. To determine whether cats were actually dropped by parachute.

2 According to the popular account, how did the malaria-control programme contribute to the increase in rats?

A. It killed insects on which the rats depended for food.

B. It damaged crops and forced rats towards the settlement.

C. It reduced the number of cats that had controlled the rats.

3 What does the journalist mean by saying that the popular version 'may be too neat'?

A. Its clear sequence of causes and effects may oversimplify separate events.

B. The insecticides actually used differed from those mentioned in later accounts.

C. It overlooks how quickly the parachuted cats brought the infestation under control.

4 Complete the sentence with ONE word from the recording.

The link between the documented events remains uncertain.

5 Why does the journalist mention the absence of an official World Health Organization (WHO) report?

A. To suggest that the WHO may have concealed its involvement in the operation.

B. To show that the proposed link between the malaria campaign and the cat drop lacks official support.

C. To indicate that the RAF carried out the cat drop without informing the WHO.

6 Why does the journalist refer to an RAF flight log?

A. To prove that the WHO had requested the delivery of the cats.

B. To demonstrate that official and newspaper accounts contradicted each other.

C. To confirm that cats were actually dropped by parachute.

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Explanation

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