Paper-Based TOEFL Workshop

Listening Part C

Listening Comprehension Skills

Preparation Course for the TOEFL Test

Tutorial prepared by Sudirman

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The Listening Comprehension Section
The Listening Comprehension Section on the TOEFL measures
your ability to understand spoken English, especially in academic
contexts. It has a total of 50 questions, and it lasts 30-40 minutes. It
is divided into three parts:

Part A: Short conversations

(30 dialogs, one question each)

Part B: Long conversations

(2 conversations, several questions each)

Part C: Longer talks

(3 talks, several questions each)

Let’s look at some strategies for doing well on Part C.

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Listening Comprehension Section, Part C
In Part C, you will hear three talks, each about two and a
half minutes long. For each one, you will hear several
questions and choose the best answer from the four choices
written in your test book.
The conversations are usually about school life, academic
subjects, or areas of general interest.
Remember that you are not allowed to take notes while you
listen on the paper-based TOEFL, even though that would
be a very valuable thing to do if you were actually in a class.

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Strategies for Part C
Here’s some advice for doing well on Part C. (These are the
same strategies that work well for Part B.)
• If you have time, look ahead at the answer choices so you
can be ready for what’s coming.
• Listen carefully to the first line of the conversation. It often
contains the main idea, and you will often be asked about
that.
• Try to draw conclusions about the situation of the
conversation—who’s talking and what’s happening.

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Strategies for Part B
• As you listen, follow along with the answers in the test
book and try to figure out the correct answers.
• If you’re not sure about an answer, make your best guess.
Don’t leave any answers blank.
• Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to
the next questions.

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Try to guess 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.

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Try to guess the topic.
Look at these answer choices. What do you think the
conversation will be about?
(A) Becoming a university student.
(B) Managing time.
(C) Majoring in management.
(D) Spending a week in a management training program.
(A) Relaxation techniques.
(B) Homework assignments.
(C) A personal time-management study.
(D) Keeping an appointment calendar.

(A) Make an appointment.

(B) Begin the time study.
(C) Write down how they spend their time.
(D) Attend another seminar.

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Try to guess the topic.
The idea that appears in all three sets of answers is
managing time. We can guess that this might be the topic.
(A) Becoming a university student.
(B) Managing time.
(C) Majoring in management.
(D) Spending a week in a management training program.
(A) Relaxation techniques.
(B) Homework assignments.
(C) A personal time-management study.
(D) Keeping an appointment calendar.

(A) Make an appointment.

(B) Begin the time study.
(C) Write down how they spend their time.
(D) Attend another seminar.

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Try to guess the questions.
You can also try to predict the questions. Look again the answers
for the first question. What do you think the question will be?

(A) Becoming a university student.

(B) Managing time.
(C) Majoring in management.
(D) Spending a week in a management training program.

The question will probably be….

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Try to guess the questions.
You can also try to predict the questions. Look again the
answers for the first question. What do you think the question
will be?

(A) Becoming a university student.

(B) Managing time.
(C) Majoring in management.
(D) Spending a week in a management training program.

The question will probably be….

What is the main topic of this talk?
(That’s usually the first question.)

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Try to guess the questions.
Now look again at each group of answer choices. What do
you think the question will be?

(A) Ninety-six days.

(B) Twenty-four days.
(C) Seven days.
(D) Fifteen minutes.

The question will probably be….

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Try to guess the questions.
Now look again at each group of answer choices. What do
you think the question will be?

(A) Ninety-six days.

(B) Twenty-four days.
(C) Seven days.
(D) Fifteen minutes.

The question will probably be….

How long….?

For example, the question might be “How long should

this study take?”

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Summary
In this section, you have learned the strategies for the
Listening Comprehension Section, Part C:
• Try to guess what the topic will be.
• Try to guess what the questions will be.
• Get the main idea from the first sentence or two.
• Draw conclusions about who, what, when, and
where.
• Listen for the answers in order.
• Stay calm and try not to lose your focus.

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