UNIT 11

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

The Listening Comprehension section of the test consists of three parts with a
total of 50 questions: 30 in Part A, between 7 and 9 in Part B, and between 11 and
13 in Part C. The time is controlled by the tape and you have between 45 and 47
minutes to complete the entire section – approximately 12-15 seconds to answer each
question, and you are faced with three different listening tasks:
1. Responding to one question that follows a short exchange between two speakers
(Part A).
2. Answering several questions about a longer conversation between two speakers
(Part B).
3. Answering specific questions about information contained in a short lecture,
which is similar to task to the task you have to perform when listening to a
professor in a lecture class (Part C).

GENERAL STRATEGIES
1. Be familiar with the directions. The directions on every TOEFL test are the same,
so it is not necessary to listen carefully to them each time. You should be
completely familiar with the directions before the day of the test.
2. Listen carefully to the conversations and talks. You should concentrate fully on
what the speakers are saying on the tape because you will hear the tape one time
only.
3. Know where the easier and more difficult questions are generally found. Within
each part of the Listening Comprehension section, the questions generally
progress from easy to difficult.
4. Never leave any answers blank on your answer sheet. Even if you are unsure of
the correct response, you should answer each question. There is no penalty for
guessing.
5. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the questions that follow.
When you finish with one question, you may have time to look ahead at the
answers to the next question.

PART A
In Part A, you will hear 30 short dialogues between two speakers. The purpose
in Part A is to test your ability to understand conversations on common, everyday
topics. Academic topics seldom appear is this part of the TOEFL. Because exchanges
between the two speakers are very informal and social.
In conversations between two speakers, the most important information is
usually stated by the second speaker. For this reason, you should pay more attention
to the second speaker’s turn than to the first.
You have approximately 10-12 seconds to answer each question. Every question
begins with a question word such as What, When, and more rarely Why, Which,
Who, How. The questions most frequently asked are:
1. What does the man/woman mean?
2. Where does this conversation take place/occur?
 3. What can be said about the man/woman?
4. What is the man/woman’s occupation/profession?

STRATEGIES:

1. As you listen to each short conversation, focus on the second line of the
conversation. The answer to the question is generally found in the second line.
2. Keep in mind that the correct answer is probably a restatement of a key word or
idea in the second line of the conversation. Think of possible restatements of the
second line of the conversation.
3. Keep in mind that certain structures and expressions are tested regularly in
Listening Part A. Listen for these structures and expressions:
 structures (passives, negatives, wishes, conditions)
 functional expressions (agreement, uncertainty, suggestion, surprise)
 idiomatic expressions (two-part verbs, three-part verbs, idioms)
4. Keep in mind that these questions generally progress from easy to difficult. This
means that questions I through 5 will be the easiest questions and questions 26
through 30 will be the hardest questions.
5. Read the answers and choose the best answer to each question. Remember to
answer each question even if you are not sure of the correct response. Never leave
any answers blank.
6. Even if you do not understand the complete conversation, you can find the correct
answer.
 If you only understood a few words or ideas in the second line, choose the
answer that contains a restatement of those words or ideas.
 If you did not understand anything at all in the second line of the
conversation, choose the answer that sounds the most different from what you
heard.
 Never choose an answer because it sounds like what you heard in the
conversation.

EXERCISE:

1. (A) He doesn’t know how to type. (C) He hasn’t typed the paper.
(B) He doesn’t want to type anymore. (D) He believes they’re out of paper

2. (A) She was not allowed to fight.

(B) Something scared her.
(C) She made a loud noise that frightened some people.
(D) Some loud neighbors had a fight.

3. (A) At a bus stop. (C) In a dentist’s office.

(B) At a school. (D) At a cleaning supply store

4. (A) She’d rather work alone.

(B) Group work is her preference.
(C) She’s working on a project about group preferences.
(D) She projected that group wouldn’t work.

5. (A) He’s in his last week of work. (C) The work isn’t really hard.
(B) He doesn’t expect the work to last. (D) He’s only been working for a week.
6. (A) Amy always studied at the same time as Mel.
(B) Mel studied for the exam before Amy.
(C) Both Amy and Mel studied hard.
(D) Amy thought that Mel would study for the exam.

7. (A) He always watches television from 1:00 to 2:00.

(B) He’ll watch in an hour or two.
(C) He just got a television this week.
(D) He doesn’t see many programs.

8. (A) See the personnel manager immediately.

(B) Wait for the personnel manager to arrive.
(C) Arrange to meet with the personnel manager the next day.
(D) Break her appointment with the personnel manager.

9. (A) A mathematician. (C) An accountant.

(B) A reporter. (D) An arithmetic teacher.

10. (A) She paid more than the man.

(B) She had good fortune when she bought the television.
(C) Fifty dollars is a fortune to her.
(D) Fifty dollars is too much to pay for a television.

11. (A) He'd really like to have something to eat.

(B) Because he's weak, he can't eat.
(C) It's been weeks since he's had anything to eat.
(D) He hasn't felt like eating for weeks.

12. (A) Traffic should not be allowed.

(B) She thinks that the traffic should stay outside.
(C) She agrees that the traffic is noisy.
(D) She'll stay outside with the man.

13. (A) The headings for today's reading assignment. (C) Her reading ability.
(B) The chance to make the headlines. (D) The daily newspaper.

14. A) The bus trip is only five minutes long.

(B) The man missed the bus by five minutes.
(C) The man should hurry to catch the bus.
(D) The bus was five minutes late.

15. (A) It's not possible to pass the class.

(B) She'll definitely fail.
(C) It's always possible.
(D) She shouldn't say anything about the class.
PART B
STRATEGIES:
1. If you have time, preview the answers to the Listening Part B questions. While you
are looking at the answers, you should try to do the following:
 Anticipate the topics of the conversations you will hear.
 Anticipate the questions for each of the groups of answers.
2. Listen carefully to the first line of the conversation. The first line of the conversation
often contains the main idea, subject, or topic of the conversation, and you will often
be asked to answer such questions.
3. As you listen to the conversation, draw conclusions about the situation of the
conversation: who is talking, where the conversation takes place, or when the
conversation takes place. You will often be asked to make such inferences about the
conversation.
4. As you listen to the conversation, follow along with the answers in your test booklet
and try to determine the correct answers. Detail questions are generally answered
in order in the conversation, and the answers often sound the same as what is said
on the tape.
5. You should guess even if you are not sure. Never leave any answers blank.
6. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the questions that follow.

EXERCISE:

31. (A) Motivation.

(B) Research for a management class.
(C) Finding journal articles in the library.
(D) The management professor.

32. (A) He can’t decide on a topic.

(B) He doesn’t have too much time to complete the research.
(C) He doesn’t know where the library is.
(D) He is uncertain how to find references.

33. (A) Both books and journals.

(B) Just references on motivation from the card catalogue.
(C) Only management and business books.
(D) Journal articles only.

34. (A) Begin his research. (C) Write a journal

(B) Go to management and class. (D) Look for a greeting card.

35. (A) Trash orbiting Earth.

(B) A trip by an astronaut to the Moon.
(C) The overabundance of garbage on Earth.
(D) Becoming space scientists.

36. (A) From a lecture. (C) In a book.

(B) In a magazine article. (D) On a television program.

37. (A) 17,000 pounds (C) 3,000 pounds

(B) 3,000 tons (D) 300 tons

38. (A) She will be able to travel in space.

(B) The problem will take care of itself.
(C) Scientists will find solutions to the problem.
(D) The junk will fall to Earth.
PART C
STRATEGIES:
1. If you have time, preview the answers to the Listening Part C questions. While
you are looking at the answers, you should try to do the following:
 Anticipate the topics of the talks you will hear.
 Anticipate the questions for each of the groups of answers.
2. Listen carefully to the first line of the talk. The first line of the talk often contains
the main idea, subject, or topic of the talk, and you will often be asked this type
of question.
3. As you listen to the talk, draw conclusions about the situation of the talk: who is
talking, where or when the talk takes place, which course this lecture might be
given in. You will often be asked to make such inferences about the talk.
4. As you listen to the talk, follow along with the answers in your test booklet and
try to determine the correct answers. Detail questions are generally answered in
order in the talk, and the answers often sound the same as what is said on the
tape.
5. You should guess even if you are not sure. Never leave any answers blank.
6. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the questions that follow.

EXERCISE:

39. (A) The standard grading system.

(B) The difference between required and elective courses.
(C) A special grading system.
(D) The type of courses the must be taken during the graduate program.

40. (A) This student is using the standard grading system.

(B) The student is has passed the course.
(C) This student is taking a required course.
(D) The student has not done acceptable work.

41. (A) One. (C) Three

(B) Two. (D) Four

42. (A) All required courses. (C) All elective courses.

(B) Some required courses. (D) Some elective courses.

43. (A) In winter (C) In summer

(B) In spring (D) In fall 50.

44. (A) Seasonable, with warm summers and cold winters.

(B) Fairly constant and moderate.
(C) Very humid.
(D) Extremely hot year-round.

45. (A) They come from the Southwest.

(B) They come most days of the year.
(C) They are the hardest during the night.
(D) They increase the humidity.

46. (A) Preparing for a trip

(B) Writing a report about the weather
(C) Beginning a study of the weather
(D) Buying warm clothes for a trip