5 MEETING

th
Listening Part B & C:
Long Conversation and Talk
By: Meli Fauziah, M.Pd
 • The questions

• The topic
• The order of the answers

Skills for Long Conversation and

Talks
Part B of the Listening Comprehension section of the paper
TOEFL test consists of two long conversations, each followed
by a number of questions.

The conversations are often about:

1. Some aspect of school (how difficult a class is, how to write a
research paper, how to register for a course)
2. General living (renting an apartment, playing sports, going to
the bank).
3. Topics currently in the news in the United States (desalination
of the water supply, recycling of used products, damage from
a storm or some other type of natural phenomenon).

Listening Part B: Long Conversation

1. Try to 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

3. Detail questions are generally answered in order in the conversation,

and the answers often sound the same as what is said on the recording.

4. You should guess even if you are not sure. Never leave any answers
blank.

5. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the questions
that follow.

Procedures for Long Conversation

It is very helpful to your Example
ability to answer In your test book, you read:
individual questions (A) On Monday
accompanying the long (B) Next week
(C) Tomorrow
conversations if you can
(D) After class
anticipate what the
 
questions will be and
You try to anticipate the
listen specifically for question:
the answers to those When will something
questions. happen?

Skill 7: The Questions

As you listen to each conversation in listening part
B, 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.

Skill 8: The Topic

On the recording, you hear:
 
(Narrator) : Listen to the conversation between two
students.
(Man) : What did you think of the history exam?
(Woman) : That was the hardest exam I’ve ever seen.
(Man) : And it wasn’t just hard. It was long, too
 
You think:
The topic of the conversation is a very long and difficult
history exam

Example
The answers in listening part B are generally
found in order in the conversation. This
means that as you listen to the conversation,
you should be thinking about the answers to
the questions in the order that they are listed
in the test book.

Skill 9: The order of the answers

On the recording, you hear:
(Narrator) : Question 1 and 2. Listen to two students on a university campus.
(Man) : Can you help me? I am lost
(Woman) : Sure. Where are you trying to go?
(Man) : I have a class in Stanfield Hall at 3:00. I thought I knew where I was going,
but I guess I was wrong.
(Woman) : You certainly are lost. Stanfield Hall is on the other side of the university. I’m
heading in that direction. Come on with me and I’ll show you the way.
(Man) : Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.

On the recording, you hear:

(Narrator) 1. What problem does the man have?
2. Where is Standfield Hall
In your test book, you read (at the same time)
(A)He’s sick (A) directly in front of them
(B) He’s lost (B) to the left
(C) He’s tired (C) quite nearby
(D)He’s broke (D) on the other side of campus

Example
Part C of the Listening Comprehension section of
the paper TOEFL test consists of three long talks,
each followed by a number of questions. Like the
conversations in Listening Part B, the talks are
often about some aspect of school life or topics
currently in the news. It is also very common for
the talks to be shortened versions of lectures from
courses taught in American colleges and
universities.

Listening Part C: Talks

1. 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.

3. Detail questions are generally answered in order in the talk, and the
answers often sound the same as what is said on the recording.

4. You should guess even if you are not sure. Never leave any answers
blank.

5. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the questions
that follow.

Procedures for the long talks

 • Example
It is very helpful to your
ability to answer individual In your test book, you read:
questions accompanying the (A) For a week
long talks if you can (B) Since yesterday
anticipate what the (e) For two days
questions will be and listen (D) Since 10:00 this morning
specifically for the answers  
to those questions (as you You try to anticipate the
did with the long question:
conversations). • How long has (something)
been going on?

The Question

As you listen to each long
talk, you should be thinking
about the topic (subject) or
main idea for each talk (as
you did in the long
conversations). Since the
first sentence is generally a
topic sentence, you should
be asking yourself what the
topic is while you are
listening carefully to the
first part of the talk.
The Topic
• Example  
On the recording, you hear:
(narrator): Listen to a talk at the start
of a meeting.
(woman): I'd like to call this meeting
to order now. This is the third
monthly meeting of the
Science Club this semester,
and today we need to discuss
the upcoming science fair.
 
You think:
• The topic of the talk is a meeting of
the Science Club to discuss the
science.
The answers to questions accompanying long talks
are generally found in order in the talks (as they
were with the long conversations). This means that
as you listen to a talk, you should be thinking
about the answers to the questions in the order that
they are listed in the test book.

The order of the answers

On the recording, you hear:
 
(narrator) Questions 1 through 3. Listen to a talk about cats.
(woman) Many people are allergic to cats. lf they come in contact with cats, they sneeze, their skins turn red, and
their eyes begin to burn. However, it’s not only people who suffer from allergies. Cats may also be allergic to
pollen, dust, and perfumes, many of the same agents that cause allergies in people. Perhaps your cat is sneezing
and has watery eyes. If you think that your cat has some allergies, a veterinarian can prescribe medication to
help solve the problem.
 
On the recording, you hear:
 
(narrator) 1. What happens to people who suffer from allergies?
2. What is mentioned about cats?
3. What can someone do?

In your test book, you read (same time):

(A) They shout. (A) They often wear perfume. (A) Do nothing
(B) They drive red cars. (B) They can have allergies (B) Bathe it frequently
(C) They sneeze. (C) They don’t ever suffer (C) Put it outside
(D) They close their eyes.  (D) They like dust and pollen (D) Give it medicine

Example