A.

INTRODUCTION TO LISTENING
1. LISTENING COMPREHENSION
Listening comprehension is set in the first section. It has 50 questions for about 35
minutes which is divided in three parts; Part A Short Dialogues 30 questions, Part B Long
Conversation 8 to 10 questions, Part C Mini talks and Extended Conversations 10 to 12
questions.
1. Short Dialogues are two-line dialogues between two speakers, each followed by a multiple
choice question.
2. Long Conversations are 60-90 second conversations on casual topics between students,
each followed by a number of multiple choice questions.
3. Talks are 60-90 second talks about school life or academic subjects, each followed by a
number of multiple choice questions.

2. STRATEGIES FOR LISTENING

• Be familiar with the directions. The directions on every paper TOEFL test are the same. So
it is not necessary to spend time reading the directions carefully when you take the test.
• Listen carefully to the passages. You should concentrate fully on what the speakers are
saying on the recording because you will hear the recording one time only.
• Know where the easier and the more difficult questions are generally found within each
part of the Listening Comprehension section on the paper test.
• Be familiar with the pacing of the test. You have twelve seconds between each question on
the recording. So you must answer each question within twelve seconds and then be
prepared for the next question on the recording.
• Never leave any answers blank on your answer sheet. Even if you are not sure of the
correct response, you should answer each question.
• 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.

B. SHORT DIALOGUES
1. LISTENING PART A: DIALOGUES, QUESTIONS, AND ANSWER CHOICES
THE DIALOGUES
Most of the dialogues in Part A involve a man and a woman. Each speaker usually
speaks one or two sentences. Many dialogues (approximately 25 percent) are about facets of life
at American universities: attending classes, talking to professors, writing research papers, and
taking tests. Other dialogues are about more general activities: shopping in grocery stores,
looking for housing, taking vacations, and going to meetings and parties. The tone of the
dialogues is informal. Idioms, first names, and contractions (I’m, doesn’t, can’t) are often heard.
Some of the items test your ability to understand various language functions. For example, you
must be able to determine if a speaker is agreeing or disagreeing with the other speaker or if
one speaker is accepting or rejecting the other speaker’s offer.

THE QUESTIONS
Most of the questions about the dialogues focus on what the second speaker says.
However, it is usually necessary to understand the entire dialogue to choose the correct
answer.

Preparation for Academic English Test 2

 Common Part A Question Types
1. Meaning questions:
 the most common questions
(approximately 50 percent)
 ask for a restatement of what the second
speaker or both speakers say
 may be general questions or ask what the
speakers say about some specific topic
 often contain idioms
2. Inference questions:
 the second most common Part A questions
(approximately 20 percent)
 answers are not directly stated in the
dialogue, but they can be inferred
(concluded) from what the speakers say
3. Questions about suggestions:
 In general, the first speaker talks about a
problem or asks for advice.
 The second speaker makes a suggestion for
solving the problem.
4. Questions about future actions:
 ask what one or both of the speakers will
do next or in the near future, or what one
or both are planning to do
5. Topic questions:
 ask about the subject of the dialogue.
6. Questions about opinions:
 ask how one or both of the speakers feel
about some topic
7. Questions about assumptions:
 ask what the second speaker thought
(assumed) before he or she spoke to the
first speaker
8. Questions about questions:
 The first speaker makes a statement; the
second speaker asks a question to get more
information
9. Questions about reasons:
 ask why one or both of the speakers did
something
10. Questions about problems:
 ask about some trouble one or both of the
speakers are having.
THE ANSWER CHOICES
Correct answers are seldom stated word for word by either of the speakers. Correct
answers often contain synonyms (words with the same meaning) for words in the dialogues
and use different sentence structures.
Examples
“What does the man/woman mean?”
“What do the speakers say about ________?”
“What does the man/woman imply?”
“What can be inferred from the conversation
about ________?”
“What can be concluded from the conversation
about ________?”
“What does the woman suggest the man do?”
“What does the man suggest they do?”
“What does the woman suggest?”
“What does the woman think the man should
do?”
“What will the man do?”
“What will they probably do next?”
“What are the speakers planning to do?”
“What are they talking about?”
“What are they discussing?”
“How does the man/woman feel about
________?”
“What is their opinion of ________?”
“What had the man assumed about ________?”
“What had the woman previously assumed?”
“What does the man want to know?”
“Why did the man/woman ________?”
“Why did they ________?”
“What problem is the man having?”
“What is the problem?”
Preparation for Academic English Test 3
 Question Types and Examples Usual Form of Answer Choice and Examples
1. Meaning questions: 1. Complete sentences:
“What does the man mean?” (A) He prefers coffee to tea.
(B) He’d like some lemon in his tea
2. Questions about inferences:
“What does the woman imply about the (A) She will probably read it today.
article?” (B) She wasn’t able to find it in the library.
3. Questions about suggestions: 2. Incomplete sentences beginning with simple
“What does the woman suggest John do?” forms of verbs or -ing forms
“What does the man suggest?” (A) Call his cousin
(B) Take his cousin home
(A) Taking a bus to campus
(B) Walking to class
4. Questions about future actions:
“What will the speakers probably do (A) Park their car
next?” (B) Get some gasoline

5. Topic questions: 3. Noun phrases:

“What are the speakers discussing?” (A) The man’s new schedule
(B) A homework assignment
6. Questions about opinions: 4. Complete sentences or adjective phrases:
“What was their opinion of the play?” (A) They didn’t enjoy it very much.
“How does the man feel about the (B) They liked it more than they thought they would.
announcement he heard?” (A) Angry
(B) Enthusiastic
7. Questions about assumptions: 5. Complete sentences often containing the
“What had the man assumed about auxiliary verbs would or had:
Kathy?” (A) She had already finished the paper.
(B) She wouldn’t finish the research on time.
8. Questions about questions: 6. Incomplete sentences beginning with the
“What does the woman ask about word if or one of the wh- words:
Professor Tolbert?” (A) If she is still in her office
“What does the man ask about the (B) Where her office is
department store?”
(A) Its location
(B) Its hours of operation
9. Questions about time: 7. Prepositional phrases of time:
“When will the man play the piano?” (A) At the party
(B) Before the ceremony
10. Questions about reasons: 8. Complete sentences or incomplete sentences
“Why did Jerry miss the party?” beginning with infinitives (to + simple form):
“Why did Linda talk to Professor (A) He didn’t receive an invitation.
Delgado?” (B) He had other plans for the evening.

(A) To ask him about a grade

(B) To explain why she missed class

Preparation for Academic English Test 4

 An example of a short dialogue from the paper TOEFL test.
On the recording. you hear:
(man) Have you finished studying for the math test?
(woman) Not quite.
(narrator) What does the woman mean?
In your test book, you read:
(A) She is quite finished with her studies.
(B) She thinks it is quite a difficult test.
(C) She has a little more studying to do.
(D) She has not finished the math test.

In the dialogue, the man asks if the woman has finished studying, and the woman says
“Not quite”. This means that she has not quite finished studying and that she has a little more
studying to do. Answer (C) is therefore the best answer to this question.

TIPS FOR THE SHORT DIALOGUES

1. As you listen to each short dialogue. 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 dialogue. Think of possible restatements.
3. Keep in mind that certain structures and expressions are tested regularly in the short
dialogues. Listen for these structures and expressions: restatements, negatives, suggestions,
passives, who and where, and agreement.
4. Keep in mind that these questions generally progress from easy to difficult. This means that
questions 1 through 5 will be the easiest and questions 26 through 30 will be the hardest.
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 dialogue, you can still find the correct answer.
 If you only understand 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 dialogue, 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 dialogue.
7. Be prepared for the next question. You have only 12 seconds between questions.

2. LISTENING STRATEGIES FOR SHORT DIALOGUES

a. FOCUS ON THE LAST LINE
It is important to understand that the answer to this type of question is most 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.
(narrator) 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.
Preparation for Academic English Test 5