Educationusa TOEFL Course Listening Comp Handout 1

EducationUSA TOEFL Course – Listening Comp – Handout 1

TOEFL Course – Listening Comp.

The Listening Comprehension Section

This section of the test includes:

2-3 conversations

5 questions for each conversation

4-6 lectures

6 questions for each lecture

The whole section lasts between 60 and 90 minutes and has a total of 34-60 questions.

Types of Listening Comprehension Questions

The questions in the listening comprehension section come in three main categories. They are:

Content questions -

Rhetoric questions -

Inference questions –

In order to do well on the listening comprehension section of the TOEFL test, you will need to recognize what each question is asking you to do, and then you’ll need to develop some

strategies to answer each type of question.

First, let’s talk about each type of question. Then once you understand the different kinds of questions, we will talk about the strategies you need.

Content Questions

The first type of question will check to see if you understood what you heard. The computer will play something.

And then you will see a question like:

1. Why does the student go to see the professor?

(A) To prepare for her graduate school interview

(B) To get advice about her graduate school application

(D) To find out if she was accepted into graduate school

Content questions usually ask you about the main reason why a conversation happened, or about the main idea of a lecture.

Rhetoric Questions

Rhetoric is the study of how language works to achieve its goals.

So these questions ask about the rhetorical reasons why the speakers say what they say, and about how they translate their thoughts into words.

A rhetorical question about the conversation you just heard might look something like this:

2. Why does the professor tell a story about his friend who

went to medical school?

(A) To warn the student about how difficult graduate school can be

(B) To illustrate a point he is making

(D) To change the subject

You see, this type of question isn’t asking just for information about what is said, it is asking why it is said.

Inference Questions

These questions are even trickier because they ask you about what is not said.

Whenever we communicate, we mean much more than we say.

This is true with the speakers on the TOEFL test as well. People can mean something that they didn’t exactly say, and the TOEFL test will ask you to use logic to understand.

3. What does the professor imply about the people who admit students to graduate school?

(A) They often lack expertise in the fields of the applicants

(B) They do not usually read the statement of purpose

(D) They remember most of the applications they receive

Do you see how the speaker didn’t specifically say any of these things? But he meant one of them. You have to understand what he meant by understanding the context of the situation. So what

does he mean when he says this?

Taking Notes

On the new TOEFL iBT, you are allowed to take notes. So do it!

This is great! You get to write down what you hear and look at it later when you answer questions.

When you are listening to the lectures or conversations, keep these things in mind:

DON’T write down everything – If you try to write down too much, you’ll fall behind. Practice will help.

Connections – Pay attention to the speaker’s logic.

Taking Notes on Conversations

When taking notes about a conversation, this is what I recommend doing:

1) Separate your notes into two sides. One side for one speaker. The other side for the other.

2) The problem. Listen for the problem.

3) The reasons. Write down the reasons for that problem.

4) The solution. Listen for the solution to the problem. Usually the second speaker will give the solution.

5) The details. Note the details about how to carry out the solution.

Following this advice, good notes for a conversation would look like this:

(Speaker Speaker) 1/man /(Speaker Speaker) 2/woman

/Problem

- Reason 1

- Reason 2

- Reason 3

Solution

- Detail 1

- Detail 2

______– Listening Comp – Handout 2

Exercise 1: Take notes on the conversation you hear.

Man Woman

Problem:

Solution:

A digression is a part of a conversation or lecture that is not about the main topic. Here the main topic is the student’s research project. The digression is about a doctor’s office visit, not about the research project. Whenever I hear digressions like this, I make a small note. Sometimes there will be questions about them.

This time I wrote down “Memory problem” in the man’s column, and drew an arrow, and then wrote down “Write things down to remember-doc’s office” in the woman’s column. Notice how this

is a nice little mini problem-solution pair.

Exercise 2: Work through the questions with your teacher to develop the strategies you need to answer each one.

1. Why does the man go to see his professor?

(A) To borrow some charts and graphs from her

(B) To ask her to explain some statistical procedures

(D) To discuss a grade he got on a paper

Type of question:

Tip #1:

2. Listen again to part of the conversation then answer the question.

(A) To question the length of the paper

(B) To offer encouragement

(D) To explain a theory

Type of question:

Tip #2:

3. What information will the man include in his report?

For each phrase below, put a checkmark () in the “Include” or the “Not include” column.

Include Not Include

Climate charts

Interviews with meteorologists

Journal notes

Statistical tests

Type of question:

Tip #3:

4. Why does the professor tell the man about the appointment at the doctor’s office?

(A) To demonstrate a way of remembering things

(B) To explain why she needs to leave soon

(D) To emphasize the importance of good health

Type of question:

Tip #4:

5. What does the professor offer to do for the man?

(A) Help him collect more data in other areas of the state

(B) Submit his research findings for publication

(D) Review the first version of his report

Type of question: ______

Taking Notes on a Lecture

Lectures are structured differently than conversations, so you’ll have to take notes in a little different way as well. Here are some guidelines for taking good notes on a lecture:

Main Idea – Write down the main idea. But be careful.

Don’t write it down too soon. The first idea mentioned is not always the main idea.

Examples – Note any examples the professor gives.

Terms – If the professor explains a word or phrase, write it down.

Digressions – If the professor says something that seems off-topic, write it down. It could be important.

Conclusion – At the end of the lecture, what is the professor’s position/opinion?

______– Listening Comp – Handout 3

Exercise 3: Listen to the lecture and take notes.

Subject:

Main idea:

Term 1:

Term 2:

Examples:

Only intrinsic value for all:

Conclusion:

Exercise 4: Answer the questions independently.

1. What is the main purpose of the lecture?

(A) To illustrate the importance of extrinsic values

(B) To explain Aristotle’s views about the importance of teaching

(D) To discuss Aristotle’s views about human happiness

2. The professor gives examples of things that have value for her. Indicate for each example what type of value it has for her.

Place a checkmark () in the correct box. This question is worth 2 points.

Only

Extrinsic

Only

Intrinsic

Both

Teaching

Exercise

Health

Playing a musical instrument

3. Why is happiness central to Aristotle’s theory?

(A) Because it is so difficult for people to attain

(B) Because it is valued for its own sake by all people

(D) Because most people agree about what happiness is

4. According to the professor, why does Aristotle think that fame cannot provide true happiness?

(A) Fame cannot be obtained without help from other people.

(B) Fame cannot be obtained by other people.

(D) People cannot share their fame with other people.

5. Listen again to part of the lecture then answer the question.

(A) Teaching is not a highly valued profession in society.

(B) She may change professions in order to earn more money.

(D) More people would become teachers if the salary were higher.

LISTENING COMPREHENSION TOOLBOX

#1: Take notes

It is very important to take notes. It makes you understand better. And it makes you remember more accurately. When taking notes, remember:

Don’t write everything down

Think about logical connections

For conversations:

Separate your notes into 2 columns

Write down the problem and its reasons

Write down the solution and its details

For lectures:

Write down the main idea

Note all examples

Look out for digressions

Understand the conclusion

#2: Types of questions

The listening comprehension section of the TOEFL test has three

types of questions. They are:

Content questions – understand what is said

Structure questions – understand why the speakers say what they say and how they organize their thoughts

Inference questions – use logic and you understanding of the language to understand what no one says.

#3: Tips for answering questions

We came up with several tips for attacking questions on the listening part of the test. Can you remember what they were?

Use process of elimination – Look for words in each answer choice that don’t make sense.

Understand the speaker’s intent – On inference questions, try to think, “What is the speaker really trying to say?”

Go to your notes – For detailed content questions, it is often best to rely on what you wrote down.

Understand connections – For rhetoric questions, you have to understand the connection between the detail and the main idea.

Exercise 5: Listen to the lecture and take notes.

Subject:

Main idea:

Term 1:

Examples:

Term 2:

Examples:

Conclusion:

______– Listening Comp – Handout 4

1. What is the professor mainly discussing?

(A) The development of motor skills in children

(B) How psychologists measure muscle activity in the throat

(D) A study on deaf people’s problem-solving techniques

2. Listen again to part of the lecture then answer the question.

(A) To give an example of a laryngeal habit

(B) To explain the meaning of a term

(D) To remind students of a point he had discussed previously

3. What does the professor say about people who use sign language?

(A) It is not possible to study their thinking habits.

(B) They exhibit laryngeal habits.

(D) They do not exhibit ideomotor action.

4. What point does the professor make when he refers to the university library?

(A) A study on problem solving took place there.

(B) Students should go there to read more about behaviorism.

(D) He learned about William James’s concept of thinking there.

5. The professor describes a magic trick to the class. What does the magic trick demonstrate?

(A) An action people make that they are not aware of

(B) That behaviorists are not really scientists

(D) A method for remembering locations

6. What is the professor’s opinion of the motor theory of thinking?

(A) Most of the evidence he has collected contradicts it.

(B) It explains adult behavior better than it explains child behavior.

(D) It cannot be completely proved or disproved.

Here are a couple more question sets for practice.

Exercise 6: Listen to the conversation and take notes.

(Speaker) 1/man (Speaker) 2/woman

1. What are the students mainly discussing?

(A) Drugs that are harmful to the human body

(B) Bacteria that produce antibiotics

(D) Genes that protect bacteria from antibiotics

2. Listen again to part of the conversation then answer the question.

(A) To find out if the man has done his assignment

(B) To ask the man to find out if the library is open

(D) To ask if the man has ever met her roommate

3. According to the conversation, why are transposons sometimes called “jumping genes”?

(A) They are able to move from one bacteria cell to another.

(B) They are found in people with exceptional jumping ability.

(D) Their movements are rapid and unpredictable.

4. According to the conversation, what are two ways in which

bacteria cells get resistance genes? Choose 2 answers.

The resistance genes are carried from nearby cells.

The resistance genes are carried by white blood cells.

The resistance genes are inherited from the parent cell.

The resistance genes are carried by antibiotics.

5. What can be inferred about the resistance genes discussed in the conversation?

(A) They are found in all bacteria cells.

(B) They are not able to resist antibiotics.

(D) They are essential to the body’s defenses against bacteria.

Exercise 7: Listen to the lecture and take notes.

Subject:

1. What is the talk mainly about?

(A) A common method of managing water supplies

(B) The formation of underground water systems

(D) Maintaining the purity of underground water systems

______– Listening Comp – Handout 5

2. What is the professor’s point of view concerning the method of “safe yield”?

(A) It has helped to preserve the environment.

(B) It should be researched in states other than Arizona.

(D) It ignores the different ways people use water.

3. According to the professor, what are two problems associated with removing water from an underground system?

Choose 2 answers.

Pollutants can enter the water more quickly.

The surface area can dry and crack.

The amount of water stored in the system can drop.

Dependent streams and springs can dry up.

4. Listen again to part of the lecture then answer the question.

(A) To find out whether the students are familiar with the issue

(B) To introduce a new problem for discussion

(D) To encourage the students to care about the topic

5. What is a key feature of a sustainable water system?

(A) It is able to satisfy short-term and long-term needs.

(B) It is not affected by changing environmental conditions.

(D) It is not used to supply human needs.

6. What does the professor imply about water systems managed by the “safe yield” method?

(A) They recharge at a rapid rate.

(B) They are not sustainable.

(D) They provide a poor quality of water.