# Labyrinths: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 1, Listening Part 4

Source: Recording, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 1, Listening Part 4. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 31 | puzzle | As it is a kind of puzzle with an intricate network of paths. |
| 32 | logic | Before using logic to work out the pattern and find your way to the center |
| 33 | confusion | come from a Scandinavian word for a state of confusion |
| 34 | meditation | have been used as a meditation and prayer tool |
| 35 | stone | have been found carved into stone from Sardinia to Scandinavia |
| 36 | coins | the labyrinth spiral was used on coins around 4,000 years ago |
| 37 | tree | which used to have a large tree in the middle of it |
| 38 | breathing | which include slower breathing |
| 39 | paper | patients who can't walk can have a paper finger labyrinth brought to their bed |
| 40 | anxiety | relaxation and relief from anxiety' for Alzheimer's patients |

## Why these answers are right

**31. puzzle.** The notes say mazes are a type of ___. The speaker contrasts mazes with labyrinths and says a maze is a kind of puzzle with an intricate network of paths. A kind of matches a type of, so puzzle is the noun to write.

**32. logic.** The gap asks what is needed to navigate through a maze. The speaker explains that people get lost a few times before using logic to work out the pattern and reach the center, so logic is what lets you find your way.

**33. confusion.** The note says maze is derived from a word meaning a feeling of ___. In the recording, maze is believed to come from a Scandinavian word for a state of confusion; derived from replaces come from, and state becomes feeling.

The why and the trap for questions 34 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/labyrinths/answers).

## Transcript

**Announcer:** Part 4, you will hear an anthropology student giving a presentation on spiral path designs known as labyrinths.

**Announcer:** First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.

**Announcer:** Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.

**Speaker:** Labyrinths have existed for well over 4,000 years.

**Speaker:** Labyrinths and labyrinthine symbols have been found in regions as diverse as modern day Turkey.

**Speaker:** Ireland, Greece and India.

**Speaker:** There are various designs of labyrinth, but what they all have in common is a winding spiral path, which leads to a central area.

**Speaker:** There is one starting point at the entrance, and the goal is to reach the central area.

**Speaker:** Finding your way through a labyrinth involves many twists and turns.

**Speaker:** But it's not possible to get lost, as there is only one single path.

**Speaker:** In modern times, the word labyrinth has taken on a different meaning, and is often used as a synonym for a maze.

**Speaker:** A maze is quite different.

**Speaker:** As it is a kind of puzzle with an intricate network of paths.

**Speaker:** Mazes became fashionable in the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe, and can still be found in the gardens of great houses and palaces.

**Speaker:** The paths are usually surrounded by thick high hedges, so that it's not possible to see over them.

**Speaker:** Entering a maze usually involves getting lost a few times.

**Speaker:** Before using logic to work out the pattern and find your way to the center, and then out again.

**Speaker:** There are lots of dead ends and paths which lead you back to where you started.

**Speaker:** The word maze is believed to come from a Scandinavian word for a state of confusion.

**Speaker:** This is where the word amazing comes from.

**Speaker:** Labyrinths on the other hand have a very different function, although people now often refer to things they find complicated as labyrinths.

**Speaker:** This is not how they were seen in the past.

**Speaker:** The winding spiral of the labyrinth has been used for centuries as a metaphor for life's journey.

**Speaker:** It served as a spiritual reminder that there is purpose and meaning to our lives.

**Speaker:** And helped to give people a sense of direction.

**Speaker:** Labyrinths are thought to encourage a feeling of calm, and have been used as a meditation and prayer tool in many cultures over many centuries.

**Speaker:** The earliest examples of the labyrinth spiral pattern have been found carved into stone from Sardinia to Scandinavia, from Arizona to India.

**Speaker:** To Africa.

**Speaker:** In Europe, these spiral carvings date from the late Bronze Age.

**Speaker:** The Native American Pima tribe wove baskets with a circular labyrinth design.

**Speaker:** That depicted their own cosmology, in ancient Greece, the labyrinth spiral was used on coins around 4,000 years ago.

**Speaker:** Labyrinths made of mosaics were commonly found in bathhouses, villas, and tombs throughout the Roman Empire.

**Speaker:** In Northern Europe, there were actual physical labyrinths designed for walking on.

**Speaker:** These were cut into the turf or grass, usually in a circular pattern.

**Speaker:** The origin of these walking labyrinths remains unclear, but they were probably used for fertility rites, which may date back thousands of years.

**Speaker:** 11 examples of turf labyrinths survive today.

**Speaker:** Including the largest one at Saffron Walden in England, which used to have a large tree in the middle of it.

**Speaker:** More recently, labyrinths have experienced something of a revival.

**Speaker:** Some believe that walking a labyrinth promotes healing and mindfulness, and there are those who believe in its emotional and physical benefits,

**Speaker:** which include slower breathing and a restored sense of balance and perspective.

**Speaker:** This idea has become so popular that labyrinths have been laid into the floors of spas, wellness centers, and even prisons in recent years.

**Speaker:** A pamphlet at Colorado Children's Hospital informs patients that 'walking a labyrinth can often calm people in the midst of a crisis'.

**Speaker:** And apparently, it's not only patients who benefit.

**Speaker:** Many visitors find walking a labyrinth less stressful than sitting in a corridor or waiting room.

**Speaker:** Some doctors even walk the labyrinth during their breaks.

**Speaker:** In some hospitals, patients who can't walk can have a paper finger labyrinth brought to their bed.

**Speaker:** The science behind the theory is a little sketchy, but there are dozens of small-scale studies which support claims about the benefits of labyrinths.

**Speaker:** For example, one study found that walking a labyrinth provided 'short-term calming, relaxation and relief from anxiety' for Alzheimer's patients.

**Speaker:** So what is it about labyrinths that makes their appeal so universal?

**Announcer:** That is the end of part 4.

**Announcer:** You now have one minute to check your answers to part 4.

[Practice Labyrinths](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/labyrinths)