Updated 2026-08-28hard

Duolingo English Test Listening Cloze Practice #13 — Hard Level

Free DET (Duolingo English Test) Listening Cloze practice #13 — Hard level. Just DET Listening questions, no grading — solve it yourself and check the answer or model response.

How to practice: This set collects only the Listening Cloze question type from the real DET (Duolingo English Test) — DET Listening questions. No grading, no timer — solve it yourself, then tap each question to reveal the answer or model response.
Listening Cloze
Listen to the talk and fill in the blanks below.

Today I want to examine a phenomenon that political scientists have increasingly identified as one of the central challenges confronting contemporary democracies: political _____. Not the ordinary ideological disagreement that has always characterized democratic politics, but the qualitatively different, and arguably more dangerous, phenomenon of _____ polarization — the growing tendency of citizens to view political opponents not merely as adversaries with different policy preferences, but as fundamentally threatening _____ whose values and loyalties are incompatible with the shared political community. The empirical evidence for intensifying polarization in advanced democracies is _____.

Show Answers
1) polarization · 2) affective · 3) outgroups · 4) substantial
Q1 · Comprehension
According to the lecture, what distinguishes 'affective polarization' from ordinary ideological disagreement?
  1. A. Affective polarization involves disagreements over economic policy, while ordinary polarization concerns social values.
  2. B. Affective polarization leads citizens to view opponents as threatening outgroups, not merely rivals with different preferences.
  3. C. Affective polarization is found only in two-party systems, while ordinary polarization occurs in multiparty systems.
  4. D. Affective polarization is a temporary phenomenon, while ordinary polarization persists across generations.
Show Answer
Correct: Affective polarization leads citizens to view opponents as threatening outgroups, not merely rivals with different preferences.
Q2 · Comprehension
The lecturer notes that negative views of the opposing party have grown more quickly than positive views of one's own party. What does the lecturer argue this asymmetry suggests?
  1. A. Citizens are becoming more ideologically sophisticated.
  2. B. Polarization is driven primarily by antipathy and fear rather than enthusiasm and identity.
  3. C. Party identification has weakened significantly over recent decades.
  4. D. Citizens are more motivated by economic concerns than by cultural issues.
Show Answer
Correct: Polarization is driven primarily by antipathy and fear rather than enthusiasm and identity.
Q3 · Comprehension
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of political polarization in the lecture?
  1. A. The fragmentation of media environments and algorithmic curation.
  2. B. Geographic concentration of economic dynamism and diverging material circumstances.
  3. C. Electoral systems that incentivize strategic extremism through primary elections.
  4. D. The decline of religious institutions as sources of shared community values.
Show Answer
Correct: The decline of religious institutions as sources of shared community values.
Q4 · Comprehension
According to the lecturer, how can the deliberate manipulation of district boundaries contribute to polarization?
  1. A. It encourages higher voter turnout in urban areas, amplifying progressive voices.
  2. B. It creates safe seats that reduce competitive pressure on candidates to appeal to broader ideological ranges.
  3. C. It increases the influence of third-party candidates who hold extreme views.
  4. D. It disproportionately disadvantages minority communities, intensifying resentment.
Show Answer
Correct: It creates safe seats that reduce competitive pressure on candidates to appeal to broader ideological ranges.
Q5 · Comprehension
What does the lecturer identify as the most grave consequence of severe polarization for democracy?
  1. A. Increased government spending due to the expansion of competing bureaucratic agencies.
  2. B. The breakdown of diplomatic relationships with foreign governments.
  3. C. Citizens becoming willing to accept extra-institutional actions by leaders of their own party.
  4. D. The collapse of voter turnout as citizens become disillusioned with the political process.
Show Answer
Correct: Citizens becoming willing to accept extra-institutional actions by leaders of their own party.
Summary
Show Model Summary
The lecture examines political polarization in contemporary democracies, distinguishing affective polarization — citizens viewing opponents as threatening outgroups — from ordinary ideological disagreement. The lecturer identifies digital media fragmentation, economic geographic divergence, and electoral system incentives as key causes, and argues that the most severe consequence is citizens' willingness to accept extra-institutional actions when they perceive the opposing party as an existential threat.

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