TOEFL- LISTENING SECTION
LISTENING SECTION
SKILL 1:
FOCUS
ON THE SECOND LINE
You
will hear a short conversation involving two people; this conversation is
followed by a question. It is important to understand that the answer to this
type of question is more often (but not always) found in the second line of the
conversation.
Example:
On
the recording, you hear:
(Man)
: Billy really made a big mistake this time.
(Woman)
: Yes, he forgot to turn in his research paper.
(Man)
: What does the woman say about Billy?
In
your test book, you read:
(A)
It was the first time he made a mistake
(B)
He forgot to write his paper.
(C)
He turned in the paper in the wrong place.
(D)
He didn't remember to submit his assignment.
The
second line of the conversation indicates that Billy forgot to turn in his
paper, and this mean that he did not remember to submit his assignment.
Therefore, the best answer is (B)
More
information here:
SKILL
2:
CHOOSE
ANSWERS WITH SYNONYMS
This
skill give us the idea that if we understand which are the synonyms of the
words will be easy for us to comprehend which the possible answer could be.
Example:
On
the recording, y
ou hear
man):
Why is B
arbara feeling so happy?
(Man)
: She just started working in a real estate agency.
(Narrator)
: What does the man say about Barbara?
In
your test book, you read:
(A)
She always liked her work in real estate.
(B)
She began a new job.
(C)
She just bought some real estate.
(D)
She bought a real estate agency.
As
you can notice the synonyms for the verbs started and working in this
conversation are began and job. Therefore the best answer to the
question what does the man mean? Is B “she began a
new job”.
More
information here:
SKILL
3:
AVOID
SIMILAR SOUNDS
In
this skill we must learn how to avoid this similar sounds in order to get the
correct answer, we have to focus on the option that is different to the rest.
Example:
On
the recording, you hear:
(man):
Why couldn’t Mark come with us?
(woman):
He was searching for a new apartment
.
(narrator):
What does the woman say about Mark?
In
your test book, you read:
(A)
He was in the department office.
(B) He
was looking for a place to live
live.
(C)
He was workin on his research project.
(D)
He
D) He had an appointment at church.
In
this case we have to avoid similar sounds options A, C and D have
similar sounds. Therefore the answer is option B “He was
looking for a place to live”.
More
information here:
SKILL
4:
DRAW
CONCLUSION ABOUT WHO, WHAT WHERE
In
this skill you have to pick up main ideas bout who is talking, what is that
person saying or what is happening, and where the conversation takes place.
Example:
On
the recording, you hear:
(woman) Can
you tell me what assignments I missed when I was absent from your class?
(man) You
missed one homework assignment and a quiz
(narrator) who
is the man?
In
your test book, you read:
A) A newspaper editor
B) A police officer
C) A teacher
D) A student
In
this conversation the question who is the man? Gives us the
answer when we hear the word who , and two key words in this
case homework and quiz dictates us that the best answer will
be letter B “A teacher”.
More
information here:
SKILL 5:
LISTEN
FOR WHO AND WHAT IN PASSIVE
In this skill we have to listen carefully the
conversation and the sentencesin active voice because usually the anwers
appears in the passive voice form.
Example:
On
the recording, you hear:
(man) Did
Sally go to the bank this morning?
(woman) Yes,
she did, she got a new checking account.
(narrator) what
does the woman imply?
In
your test book, you read:
A) Sally wrote several checks
B) Sally wanted to check up on the bank
C) A new checking account was opened
D) Sally checked on the balance on her account
As
we can notice the answer that is en passive voice is letter C, so
the best answer to the question what does the woman imply? Is
letter C “A new checking account was opened”.
More
information here:
SKILL
6:
LISTEN
FOR WHO AND WHAT WITH MULTIPLE NOUNS
When
there is more than one noun in a sentence in Listening Part A, it is common for
the answers to confuse which noun does what.
Example:
On
the recording, you hear:
(man)
: Do you know who is in the band now?
(woman) :
I heard that Mara replaced Robert in
the band.
(narrator):
What does the woman say about the band?
In
your test book, you read:
(A)
Robert became a new member of the band
(B)
Robert took Mara's place in the band.
(C)
Mara didn't have a place in the band.
(D)
Mara took Robert's place in the band.
In
the woman's response to the man's question, she says "Mara replaced
Robers". It means that Mara is in the band, and Robert is not. Therefore,
the best answer is (D).
More
information here:
SKILL 7:
LISTEN
FOR NEGATIVE EXPRESSIONS
Negative
expressions are very common in the short dialogues, and the most common kind of
correct response to a negative statement is a positive statement containing a
word with an opposite meaning.
Example:
On
the recording, you hear:
(man) How
did they get to their grandmother’s house in Matine in only five hours?
(woman) They didn’t
drive slowly on the trip to Maine.
(narrator) What
does the woman say about the trip?
In
your test book, you read:
(A)
They drove rather quickly.
(B)
They couldn’t have driven more slowly.
(C)
They wanted to travel slowly to Maine.
(D)
They didn’t drive to Maine.
The
correct answer is answer (A). If they did not drive slowly to
Maine, this means that they drove rather quickly. Notice that the correct
answer uses quickly, the opposite of slowly. The answers that use slowly are
not correct.
More
information here:
SKILL
9:
LISTEN
FOR ALMOST NEGATIVE EXPRESSIONS
This
skill can confused us because the expressions in the conversation are tricky,
so we have to pay close attention in the way the person express the idea.
Example:
On
the recording, you hear:
(woman) Were
you able to pay the electric bill?
(man) I had barely
enough money
(narrator) what
does the man imply?
In
your test book, you read:
A) He had plenty of money for the bill
B) He did not have enough money for the bill
C) He paid the bill, but has no
money left
D)
He was unable to pay the bill
In
this example we can notice that the man said that he had barely enough money
that means he paid the bill, but the money was exactly for the bill. Therefore
the best Is letter C “He paid the bill, but has no money left”.
More
information here:
SKILL
10:
LISTEN
FOR NEGATIVE WITH COMPARATIVES
When
we use the negative expression and then we use a comparative adjective, we have
to pay attention about the adjective we hear in the conversation because the
answer will depend on that.
Example:
On
the recording , you hear:
(woman) What
do you think of the new student in math class?
(man) No
one is more intelligent than she is
(narrator) what
does the man say about the new student?
In
your test book, you read:
A) She is not very smart
B) He is smarter than she is
C) Other students are smarter than she is
D) She is the smartest student
in the class
According
with the conversation we can infer that the girl cannot be compare with anyone
because the negative expression gives us the key that’s why the best answer to
the question what does the man say about the new student? Is
letter D“She is the smartest student in the class”.
More
information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlcwgF-lFBA
SKILL 11:
LISTEN FOR EXPRESSIONS OF AGREEMENT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlcwgF-lFBA
SKILL 11:
LISTEN FOR EXPRESSIONS OF AGREEMENT
Whenever
you listen the expressions; so do I, neither do I, nor so on; you can identify
if the person agrees or not.
Example:
On
the recording , you hear:
(man) I
think that the hypothesis is indefensible
(woman) So
do I
(narrator) what
does the woman mean?
In
your book, you read:
A) She is
unsure about the hypothesis
B) The
hippopotamus is behind the fence
C) She thinks
that the hypothesis can be defended
D) She agrees with
the man
In this case we can clearly
identify that the best answer to the question what does the woman
mean? Is letter D “She agrees with the
man” because, the answer of the person in the conversation used just the
expression of agreement.
SKILL 12:
LISTEN FOR EXPRESSIONS OF UNCERTAINTY AND SUGGESTIONS
For this skill we have to listen to an uncertainty expression or suggestion, that will depend on the entonation of the speaker in the conversation.
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(man) Do you know anything about the final exam in physic?
(woman) It’s going to be rather difficult, isn’t it?
(narrator) what does the woman mean?
In your book you read:
A) The exam is not going to be too difficult
B) She’s positive that it’s going to be hard
C) She thinks that it might be hard
D) She has no idea about the exam
As we can see the person in the conversation is uncertain about the exam so for that reason the best answer to the question what does the woman mean? Is letter C “She thinks that it might be hard”.
More information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rJeWxQtIfE&pbjreload=10
SKILL 13:
LISTEN FOR EMPHATIC EXPRESSIONS OF SURPRISE
Depending on the tone of voice and intonation we will infer if this person is surprised or if this person emphasize something.
Example:
On the recording, you hear:
(woman) Did you see Paul driving around in his Mustang?
(man) Then he DID get a new car
(narrator) what had the man thought?
In your book, you read:
A) Paul would definitely get a Mustang
B) Paul did not know how to drive
C) Paul did not like Mustangs
D) Paul would not get a new car
According to the conversation we can understand that the man couldn’t believe that Paul was driving a new car that’s why he is surprise and he made an emphasize for that reason the best answer to the question what had the man thought? Is letter D “Paul would not get a new car”.
More information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFmMkkGXDDc
LISTEN FOR WISHES
In Part A, speakers sometimes say, “I wish…” This implies that the wish is impossible. If I say “I wish I could swim,” it implies that I can’t swim. (Wish is different than hope. Wishes are not true. Hopes might still come true.)
On the reacording, you hear:
(Woman) It’s too bad you have to stay here and work.
(Man) Yes, I really wish I could go with you to the concert.
(Question) What does the man mean?
In your test book, you read:
(A) Maybe he will go with the woman to the concert.
(B) He is unable to go to the concert.
(C) He’s happy to be going to the concert.
(D) He’s going to the concert, but not with the woman.
If the man wishes he could go, it implies that he can’t go so the best answer is (B)
More information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgKqPeus_Cg
SKILL 15:
LISTEN FOR UNTRUE CONDITIONS
Conditional sentences are something like wishes. In unreal conditional sentences, the implication is that the opposite of the condition is true.
On the recording, you hear:
(Man) Do you think you’ll be able to go to the party?
(Woman) If I had time, I would go.
(Question) What does the woman say about the party?
In your test book, you read:
(A) Maybe she’ll go.
(B) She has time, so she’ll go.
(C) She is going even if she doesn’t have time.
(D) It’s impossible for her to go.
(D) is the correct answer. “If I had time” implies that the woman does not have time, so she won’t go to the party. (This is different than “If I have time, I’ll go.” In that case, she might have time, and she might go.)
More information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZscNV-qP9CE
SKILL 16:
LISTEN FOR TWO AND THREE-PART VERBS
Phrasal verbs and idioms Many questions in Part A contain phrasal verbs (two- or three-part verbs, like get up, call off, or put up with).
Example:
On the recording you hear:
(Man) What time does the meeting start?
(Woman) Didn’t you hear that it was called off by the director?
(Question) What does the woman say about the meeting?
In your test book, you read:
(A) The director called a meeting.
(B) The director phoned her about the meeting.
(C) The director called the meeting to order.
(D) The director canceled the meeting.
The correct answer is (D) because call off means cancel. The wrong answers try to fool us with other meanings of call.
More information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZnk6NHAjQ8
SKILL 17:
LISTEN FOR IDIOMS
My conversations contain idioms whose meaning is hard to predict (like a piece of cake, which means it’s easy.) We can’t predict that just by knowing the meanings of piece and cake.
Example:
On the recording you hear:
(Man) I have to take Advanced Biology next semester.
(Woman) Don’t worry about it. It’s a piece of cake.
(Question) What does the woman mean?
In your test book, you read:
(A) The man should eat a piece of cake.
(B) The man should worry about the course.
(C) The man shouldn’t take part in the course.
(D) The course is easy.
As long as we know that a piece of cake means it’s easy, we know that the correct answer is (D). Even if we didn’t know this idiom, we could guess that (A) is incorrect because it has nothing to do with a biology class. It’s obviously a trick answer.
More information here:
SKILL 18:
ANTICIPATE
THE TOPIC
In
the few seconds before the conversation starts, look quickly at the answer
choices. • Look at the words and expressions and try to guess what the
topic will be. Look at the groups of answer choices to try to guess what
the questions will be. Then you’ll be
ready to listen for the answers.
What do you
think the conversation will be about?
(A)
The price of textbooks.
(B) History
(C)
The university bookstore.
(D)
Ways to sell used books.
(A) He
desperately needs the money.
(B) Reading
doesn’t interest him.
(C)He’s
finished using them.
(A)He’d
rather have cheaper books.
The
question will probably be…. Why is the man interested in selling his
books?
(A)
The bookstore doesn’t want to buy them.
(B)
He wouldn’t get enough money.
(C)
He doesn’t like the bookstore’s advertisements.
(D)
It’s too late to sell them to the bookstore.
The
question will probably be…. Why doesn’t the man want to sell the books to
the bookstore?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_kb7Kj7WDo
SKILL
19:
ANTICIPATE
THE QUESTION
In
these conversations we will try to guess what the possible answers can be based
on the answers we have in the answer sheet, so watch the video and practice and
try to guess some of the questions based on the main ideas of the conversation.
In your book you read:
Topic
(A) The
price of textbooks.
(B) History
(C)
The university bookstore.
(D)
Ways to sell used books.
(A) He
desperately needs the money.
(B) Reading
doesn’t interest him.
(C)He’s
finished using them.
(A)He’d rather
have cheaper books.
The
question will probably be…. Why is the man interested in selling his
books?
(A)
The bookstore doesn’t want to buy them.
(B)
He wouldn’t get enough money.
(C)
He doesn’t like the bookstore’s advertisements.
(D)
It’s too late to sell them to the bookstore.
The
question will probably be…. Why doesn’t the man want to sell the books to
the bookstore?
- More information here:
SKILL
20:
DETERMINE
THE TOPIC
You
should be thinking about the topic (subject) or main idea for each
conversation. since the first one or two sentences generally give the topic,
you should be asking yourself what the topic is while you are listening
carefully to the first part of the conversation.
On the
recording you hear:
(Man) You
cannot believe what i just got!
(Woman) I
bet you got that new car you have always wanted.
(Man) Now, how in the world did you figure that out?
As
you can notice the topicin this conversation is the new car that
the man just got.
More
information here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQzMxjwBWEY
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