PREPARATION FOR

TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

(TOEFL)

ENGLISH TRAINING CENTER

2020
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TOEFL strategies is intended for students who are preparing for the TOEFL as it is administered
in the United States or at international sites. This preparation courses will also be a valuable asset in
addressing students’ needs and providing realistic exercises for practice.
Furthermore, this book includes strategies and practice for all three required TOEFL sections:
LISTENING COMPREHENSION, STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION, and READING
COMPREHENSION.

CHAPTER 1. LISTENING COMPREHENSION

The topics in the Listening Comprehension section do not require special knowledge of any
specific subject. They are based on daily activities that occur in most public places, such as libraries,
school/colleges/universities, banks, offices, shops, and parks.
The three most frequent listening tasks on the TOEFL have been:
1. Understanding idiom, conversational expressions, and two- or three- words verbs
2. Discerning implied meaning, and
3. Answering questions about the specific content of a conversation or short talk.
There are three parts in the Listening Comprehension section of the test, 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 the task you have to perform when listening to a professor in a lecture class (part
C).

PART A. SHORT DIALOGUES

Strategies
1. Focus on the Last Line
Part A includes 30 very short dialogues between two (or sometimes three) speakers. In most of
these exchanges, each speakers one time. THE MOST IMPORTANT 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.
Example:
(Man) : the children are being so loud today.
(Woman) : you should have heard them yesterday!
QUESTION : what does the woman mean?

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The four possible answers for this short dialogue might be:
(A) The children weren’t there yesterday
(B) The children were louder yesterday than they are today
(C) The man heard the children yesterday and today
(D) The man thinks the spoken were loud yesterday

In this dialogue, you need to focus on the tone and/or the word stress used by the second
speaker. Usually, a word, phrase, or statement spoken with a falling or a rising tone has a special
meaning. In the example above, the clue is the tone the speaker uses when saying the word
YESTERDAY. This is the key word in the second statement.
The second speaker says, ‘...you should have heard them yesterday with a special stress on
yesterday implying that the children were even louder yesterday than they are today. Therefore (B) is
correct.
2. Choose Answer with Synonyms
Often the correct answer in a short dialogue is an answer that contains synonyms (words with
similar meanings but different sounds) for key words in the conversation.
Example:
(Woman) : why is Barbara 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 will 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.
In this dialogue, the key word started means began, and the key word working refers to job. The best
answer to this question is therefore answer (B).
3. Avoid Similar Sound
Often the incorrect answer in the short dialogue are answer that contain words with similar
sounds but very different meanings from what you hear on the recording. You should difinitely avoid
these answers.
Example:
(man) : why couldn’t Mark come with us?
(woman) : he was searching for a new apartment.
(narrator) : what does the woman say about Mark?

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In your test book, you read :

(A) He was in the department office.
(B) He was looking for a place to live.
(C) He was working on his research project.
(D) He had an appointment at church.
The key words in the last line of the dialogue are searching and department. In answer (C) and (D), the
words research and church sound like search, so these answer are incorrect. In answer (A) and (D),
the words department and appointmen sound like apartment, so these answer are incorrect. The best
answer is therefore answer (B).
4. Listen for Emphatic Expressions of Surprise
Emphatic expression of surprise are common in the short dialogue, so you should become
familiar with them. When surprise is expressed, it implies that the speaker did not expect something to
be true.
Example:
(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 test 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.
In this dialogue the emphatic form HE DID GET is used to show the man’s surprise that Paul got a
new car. In means that the man expected that Paul would not get a new car, so the best answer is answer
(D).
5. Listen for Idioms
Idioms appear in some questions in the short dialogues. Idioms are special expressions in a
language that all speakers of the language know; these special expressions describe one situation in life
but are applied to many different areas of life. Idiom questions can be difficult for students because they
seem to be describing one situation when they are really describing a different situation.
Example:
(Man) : Tom is a full-time student and is holding down a full-time job.
(Woman) : He’s really burning the candle at both ends.
(Narrator) : What does the woman say about Tom?

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In your test book, you read:

(A) He’s lighting a candle.
(B) He’s holding the candle at the top and the bottom.
(C) He’s doing too much.
(D) He’s working as a firefighter.
In this question, the idioms burning the candle at both ends has nothing to do with candles and nothing
to do with burning or fires, it is used in a situation when someone is trying to do more than he or she
really can do, so answers (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect. The best answer is (C).
Every question in part A begins with a question word such as what, when, where, and more
rarely why, which, who, how. The question more frequently asked are:
• What does the man/woman mean?
• Where does this conversation take place/ occur?
• What can be said about the man/woman?
Idioms and two- and three- word verbs are often included. Because all dialogues are limited to
THE KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE DAILY IN COMMAN PLACES
(STORES, RESTAURANTS, ETC), academic vocabulary is rarely found in this part.
PART A
1. (A) Rich students don't take math.
(B) Rich didn’t know much math.
(C) Rich is taking a math course.
(D) Rich should take math next year.

2. (A) They wanted to know if they could buy the picture.

(B) They were wandering around looking for a picture.
(C) They stopped by the picture gallery to ask questions.
(D) They thought that the picture was wonderful.

3. (A) He spent 15 minutes reading,

(B) He talked for 50 minutes.
(C) He found the magazine.
(D) He enjoyed the article.

4. (A) He's looking for a new apartment.

(B) He decided to buy a new car
(C) He doesn't have the figures
(D) His apartment is better than hers.

5. (A) The police stop most drivers.

(B) The speed limit is unreasonable.
(C) Drivers don't watch the traffic carefully.
(D) Few people drive within the speed limit.

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PART B. LONG DIALOGUES

Part B consists of two types of listening selections: long dialogues between two speakers and
short lectures. Usually, you will hear two dialogues with three or four questions each. On rare, you will
hear only one listening selection, with seven or eight questions.
The topics are somewhat more academic than in part B and can include HISTORY, SCIENCE,
or UNIVERSITY ORGANISASION.
The questions will usually begin with question words: what, how, where, why, who, and whom.
For example:
• What is the main topic of this conversation?
• Where does this conversation take place?
• What will the man/woman probably do next?

STUDY TIP 2. In part B, the questions always follow the order in which information is presented in
the long dialogue or the lecture. To answer most of the questions following the text, you need to
understand the overall meaning of what the speakers said.

PART C. LONG DIALOGUES

In part C you will hear short lectures that are usually called ‘talks’. Many of the talks often
contain information presented in UNIVERSITY SESSION FOR NEW STUDENTS, DESCRIPTIONS
OF COURSE and ATTENDANCE POLICIES, or ACADEMIC LECTURES. Talks include the
material found in radio programs or news reports. A good vocabulary is necessary for the talks in part
C because the speakers frequently use different words and phrases to express similar meaning.
In many cases, the first question that follows the listening selection is: WHAT IS THE MAIN
IDEA/TOPIC of the talk? Because the topic of a dialogue or lecture is rarely stated directly, you need
to rely on the information presented to determine the main idea.
In addition to such general question, specific inference questions may also appear?
• Who is the speaker
• What is the speaker occupation?
• Where does this talk/lecture probably take place?
STUDY TIP 3. In this long dialogues, you need to use your knowledge of idioms, as well as your
ability to infer (figure out) meanings that are not directly stated. You need to concentrate on the
numbers and comparisons used in a dialogue.

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Strategies for Part B and C

6. Anticipate the Questions
It is very helpful to your ability to answer individual questions with the long conversations if
you can anticipate what the questions will be and listen specifically for the answer to those question.
Example:
(A) In the airport
(B) In the library
(C) In the dormitory
(D) In the travel agent’s office
You try to anticipate the question:
Where does the conversation probably take place?
7. Determine the Topic
As you listen to each long conversation, 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.
Example:
(Man) : you can’t believe what I just got!
(Woman) : I bet you got that new car you’ve always wanted.
(Man) : Now, how in the world did you figure that out?
You think:
The topic of the conversation is the new car that the man just got.
8. Draw Conclusions about Who, What, When, Where
As you listen to each long conversation, you should be trying to set the situation in your mind.
You should be thinking the following thoughts:
• Who is talking
• When does the conversation probably take place?
• Where does the conversation probably take place?
• What is the source of information for the conversation?
Example:
(Man) : why do you have so many books?
(Woman) : I need them for my paper on George Washington. Do you know how I can check
them out?
(Man) : yes, you should go downstairs to the circulation desk and fill out a card for each
book.

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You think:
Who is probably talking? (two studenys)
Where are they? (In the library)
What course are they discussing? (American History)
Example:
(Woman) : the next stop on our tour of Atlanta will be the original home of Coca-Cola, at 107
Marietta Street. Coca-Cola was manufactured at this location until early in September
of 1888.
You think:
Who is probably talking? (a tour guide)
Where are they? (in Atlanta)
When does the talk take place? (in the middle of a tour)
9. Listen for Answers in Order
There are two possible methods to use while you listen to the talks.
• You can just listen to the talk (and ignore the answer).
• You can follow along with the answer while you listen.
Example:
(woman) : The Great Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871, and according to legend began
when a cow knocked over a lentern in Mrs. O’Leary’s barn. No matter how it began,
it was a disastrous fire. The preceding summer had been exceedingly dry in the
Chicago area, and the extreme dryness accompanied by Chicago’s infamous winds
created an inferno that destroyed 18,000 buildings and killed more than 300 people
before it was extinguished the following day.
You will hear:
(narrator):
1. According to legend, where did the Great Chicago Fire begin?
2. Which of the following is not true about the Great Chicago Fire?
In your test book, you read (same time):
1. (A) In barn
(B) In Mrs. O’Leary’s home
(C) In a cow pasture
(D) In a lantern factory
2. (A) The dry weather prior to the fire made it worse.
(B) it happened during the summer.
(C) Chicago’s winds made it worse.
(D) it killed many people.

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PART B
6. (A) Mostly for herself
(B) Primarily for her children
(C) To guard the house
(D) To lake it to Scotland

7. (A) They are disciplined and reliable.

(B) They cannot stay alone at home
(C) Children can take them to school
(D) Fifteen collies can herd cattle.

8. (A) Golden retrievers

(B) Cocker spaniels
(C) Terriers
(D) Foxhounds

9. (A) Terriers have thick brown coats.

(B) The family has little time to spend with it.
(C) She should take of her children, instead of the dog.
(D) Her children didn't like terriers as pets

CHAPTER 2. STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Section 2 of the TOEFL, structure and written expression, contains 40 sentences with multiple-
choice responses. In part A you need to find the word or phrase that correctly complates the sentence.
In part B, you need to identify which one of the underlined words or phrases is incorrect in the sentence.
One of the most important differences between part A dan B is that in part a you must choose what is
correct, and in part B you must choose what is wrong.
The structures most frequently tested on the TOEFL have been:
1. The form and the function of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
2. Parallel structure
3. Subordinate clauses, adjective, adverb, noun clauses, and
4. Subject and verb presence and agreement.
Other frequently tested areas include:
5. The active and passive voice,
6. Gerunds and infinitives
7. Prepositions, repeated meaning, verb tenses, and complete clauses.

NOUNS AND NOUN PHRASES

In 1848, Elizabeth Stanton organized the first------right convention in the united states.
a. Woman
b. Women
c. Women’s
d. Woman’s

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The answer is (C). The plura; possessive noun women’s indicates right that belong to women.
VERB and VERB PHRASES
In some religions, people fasts for a period of mourning.
A B C D
The answer is (B), because people is a plural noun, the verb fast should reflect the plural subject.
ADJECTIVE and ADJECTIVE PHRASES
Sweetly smelling perfumes are added to soap to make it appealing.
A B C D
The answer is (A). The adjective smelling requires an adjective, sweet, to describe it, not an adverb.
ADVERB AND ADVERB PHRASES
Art critics and historians alike claim that Van Gogh’s art----from that of his contemporaries.
a. Is aconsiderable difference
b. Is considerably different
c. The difference is considerable
d. Was considerably and differently
The answer is (B). In the sentence, the preposition from is a part of the adjective-and-preposition
structure different from.

PARALLEL STRUCTURE
Before any food is canned, it is thoroughly----or sliced.
a. Clean cut
b. Cleaned and cut
c. Clean and cut
d. Cleaned or cut

The answer is (B). Only (B) and (D) are possible in this sentence because these choices contain
passive verbs, cleaned and cut and cleaned or cut, parallel to sliced. A structure containing two
conjunction, ---or ---or, as in (D) is not used in most parallel structure.

EXERCISE
PART A
1. A microscope can reveal vastly _____ detail than is visible to the naked eye.
(A) than
(B) than more
(C) more than
(D) more

2. February normally has twenty-eight days, but every four year,... has twenty-nine.
(A) there
(B) its
(C) is a leap year
(D) A leap year, it

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3. Narcissus bulbs _____ at least three inches apart and covered with about four inches of well-
drained soil.
(A) should be planted
(B) to plant
(C) must planting
(D) should plant

4. Color and light, taken together, ______ the aesthetic impact of the interior of a building.
(A) very powerfully influence
(B) very influence powerfully
(C) powerfully very influence
(D) influence powerfully very

5. Total color blindness, _____, is the result of a defect in the retina.

(A) a rare condition that
(B) a rare condition
(C) that a rare condition
(D) is a rare condition

PART B

6. Every human typically have twenty-three pairs of chromosomes in most cells.

A B C D
7. There was four groups of twenty rats each involved in the test.
A B C D

8. Gone With the Wind, the epic novel about life in the South during the CiviI War period, took ten
A B C
years write.
D

9. The United States receives a large amount of revenue from taxation of a tobacco products.
A B C D

10. The capital of the Confederacy was originally in Mobile, but they were moved to Richmond.
A B C D

11. In the Milky Way galaxy, the most recent observed supernova appeared in 1604.
A B C D

12. Never in the history of humanity there have been more people living on this relatively small
A B C D
planet.

13. None two butterflies have exactly the same design on their wings.
A B C D

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14. In a solar battery, a photensitive semiconducting substance such as silicon crystal is the source of
A B C
electrician.
D

15. In early days hydrochloric acid was done by heating a mixture of sodium chloride with iron
A B C D
sulfate.

CHAPTER 3. READING COMPREHENSION

The topics of reading passages are usually academic, typical of those you will find in
text-books for introductory courses in a university. Most frequently, the passages come from
texts on biology, chemistry, geography, physics, American history, biography, economics,
social sciences, and the arts. Some questions will ask you to find main idea, stated detail, unstated
details, implied detail, vocabulary in context, and ‘where’ questions.
MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
The Main Idea Question can be identified from the following type of questions:
1. What is the topic of the passage?
2. What is the subject of the passage?
3. What is the main idea of the passage?
4. What is the author’s main point in the passage?
5. What is the author primarily concerned?
6. Which of the following would be the best title?
The answer to this type of question can generally be determined by looking at the first sentence of each
paragraph.
To answer the question you must follow these steps:
1. Read the first line of each paragraph.
2. Look for a common theme or idea in the first line.
3. Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to check that you have rally found the topic
sentence(s).
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.
STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS
The Stated Detail Question can be identified from the following type of questions:
1. According to the passage…
2. It is stated in the passage…
3. The passage indicates that…
4. Which of the following is true…?
The answers to this type of question are found in order in the passage.

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To answer the question you must follow these steps:

1. Choose a key word in the question.
2. Skim in the appropriate part of the passage for the key word or idea.
3. Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.
FIND “UNSTATED” DETAILS QUESTIONS
The Find “Unstated” Detail Question can be identified from the following type of questions :
1. Which of the following is not stated…?
2. Which of the following is not mentioned…?
3. Which of the following is not discussed…?
4. All of the following are true except…?
The answers to this type of question are found in order in the passage.
To answer the question you must follow these steps:
1. Choose a key word in the question.
2. Scan the appropriate place in the passage for the key word (or related idea).
3. Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.
4. Look for answers that are definitely true according to the passage. Eliminate those answers.
5. Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed in the passage.
IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS
Implied detail question can be identified from the following type of questions:
1. It is implied in the passage that…
2. It can be inferred from the passage that…
3. It is most likely that…
4. What probably happened…?
The answer to this type of question can generally be determined by looking at the first sentence of each
paragraph.
To answer the question you must follow these steps:
1. Choose a key word in the question.
2. Scan the appropriate place in the passage for the key word (or related idea).
3. Carefully read the sentence that contains the key word.
Look for an answer that could be true, according to that sentence.

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VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT QUESTIONS

The Vocabulary In Context Question can be identified from the following type of questions :
1. What is the meaning of “X” in line Y?
2. The word “X” in Y could best be replaced by…
Information to help you understand the meaning of a vocabulary word can often be found in the context
surrounding the word.
To answer the question you must follow these steps:
1. Find the word in the passage.
2. Read the sentence that contains the word carefully.
3. Look for context clues to help you understand the meaning.
4. Choose the answer that the context indicates.
“WHERE” QUESTIONS
The “Where” Question can be identified from the following type of question:
Where in the passage…
The answer to this type of question can be in any of the lines listed in the answers to the question.
To answer the question you must follow these steps :
1. Choose a key word or idea in the question.
2. Skim the appropriate part(s) of the passage looking for the key word or idea.
3. Choose the answer that contains the key word or idea.

EXERCISE
READING 1
Line (1) By the mid-nineteenth century, the term "icebox" had entered the American language,
but ice was still only beginning to affect the diet of ordinary citizens in the United States. The
ice trade grew with the growth of cities. Ice was used in hotels, taverns, and hospitals, and by
some forward-looking city dealers in fresh meat, fresh fish, and butter. After the
(5) Civil War (1860-1865), as ice used to refrigerate freight cars, it also came into household
use. Even before 1880, half the ice sold in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and
one-third of that sold in Boston and Chicago, went to families for their own use. This had
become possible because a new household convenience, the icebox, a precursor of the
modern refrigerator, had been invented.
(10) Making an efficient icebox was not as easy as we might now suppose. In the early
nineteenth century, the knowledge of the physics of heat, which was essential to a science of
refrigeration, was rudimentary. The commonsense notion that the best icebox was one that
prevented the ice from melting was of course mistaken, for it was the melting of the ice that
performed the cooling. Nevertheless, early efforts to economize ice included wrapping
(15) the ice in blankets, which kept the ice from doing its job. Not until near the end of the
nineteenth century did inventors achieve the delicate balance of insulation and circulation
needed for an efficient icebox.

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But as early as 1803, an ingenious Maryland farmer, Thomas Moore, had been on the
right track. He owned a farm about twenty miles outside the city of Washington, for which
(20) the village of Georgetown was the market center. When he used an icebox of his own design
to transport his butter to market, he found that customers would pass up the rapidly melting
stuff in the tubs of his competitors to pay a premium price for his butter, still fresh and hard
in neat, one-pound bricks. One advantage of his icebox, Moore explained, was that farmers
would no longer have to travel to market at night in order to keep their produce
(25) cool.

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

(A) The influence of ice on the diet
(B) The development of refrigeration
(C) The transportation of goods to market
(D) Sources of ice in the nineteenth century

2. According to the passage, when did the word "icebox" become part of the language of the United
States?
(A) In 1803
(B) Sometime before 1850
(C) During the Civil War
(D) Near the end of the nineteenth century

3. The phrase "forward-looking" in line 4 is closest in meaning to

(A) progressive
(B) popular
(C) thrifty
(D) well-established

4. The author mentions fish in line 4 because

(A) many fish dealers also sold ice
(B) fish was shipped in refrigerated freight cars
(C) fish dealers were among the early commercial users of ice
(D) fish was not part of the ordinary person's diet before the invention of the icebox

5. The word "it" in line 5 refers to

(A) fresh meat
(B) the Civil War
(C) ice
(D) a refrigerator

6. According to the passage, which of the following was an obstacle to the development of the icebox?
(A) Competition among the owners of refrigerated freight cars
(B) The lack of a network for the distribution of ice
(C) The use of insufficient insulation
(D) Inadequate understanding of physics

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7. The word "rudimentary" in line 12 is closest in meaning to

(A) growing
(B) undeveloped
(C) necessary
(D) uninteresting

8. According to the information in the second paragraph, an ideal icebox would

(A) completely prevent ice from melting
(B) stop air from circulating
(C) allow ice to melt slowly
(D) use blankets to conserve ice

9. The author describes Thomas Moore as having been "on the right track" (line 18-19) to indicate
that
(A) the road to the market passed close to Moore's farm
(B) Moore was an honest merchant
(C) Moore was a prosperous farmer
(D) Moore's design was fairly successful

10. Where in the passage does the writer mentioned that Moore’s icebox was better than his competitor?
(A) line 1-2
(B) line 4-6
(C) line 11-13
(D) line 20-22

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ANSWER KEY (FOR STUDENTS)

1. Listening

Part A. Part B.
1. C 6. B
2. A 7. A
3. D 8. C
4. A 9. B
5. D

2. Structure
1. D 11. C
2. D 12. B
3. A 13. A
4. A 14. D
5. B 15. B
6. B
7. A
8. A
9. D
10. C

3. Reading
Reading 1
1. B
2. B
3. A
4. C
5. C
6. D
7. B
8. C
9. D
10. D

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