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?
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?
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?
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) Mike shouldn’t skip classes and borrow notes.
(B) Mike always borrows notes from his classmates.
(C) Mike is least likely to skip classes.
(D) Mike needs to get the material taught in class.
Answer : D

2. (A) The office is closed for the day.

(B) The office will return in the morning.
(C) There is an opening at 9 tomorrow morning.
(D) The office is open until 9 o’clock.
Answer : A

3. (A) She is sorry that she ordered that salad.

(B) She didn’t get the salad she ordered.
(C) She is sorry, but this salad is not hers.
(D) This salad does not taste very good.
Answer : B

4. (A) Did Mr. Calvert say something about his back?

(B) Did Mr. Calvert say when he is planning to return?
(C) Mr. Calvert forgot it’s time for him to come back.
(D) Mr. Calvert said he isn’t going to come.
Answer : B

5. (A) The library sells books and postcards.

(B) Postcards are available to library users.
(C) You need to have a card to have your books sent.
(D) The library will let you know when the book arrives.
Answer : D

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.

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.
You think:
Who is probably talking? (two students)
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.

PART B
1. (A) Children‘s shoes
(B) Business trips
(C) Different types of glue
(D) Various types of goods
Answer : C

2. (A) She had to leave early in the morning.

(B) She needed to call her friend.
(C) Her purse had ripped.
(D) Her office didn't supply the hardware.
Answer : C

3. (A) Come to her house

(B) Glue her purse
(C) Suggest an adhesive
(D) Go to a store to buy glue
Answer : C

4. (A)To show that he is a good father.

(B) To display his knowledge.
(C) As an indicator of problems with cement.
(D) As an example of using epoxy
Answer : D

5. (A) He doesn't like to be bothered.

(B) He wants to help the woman.
(C) He wants the woman to like him.
(D) He isn't interested in women’s purses.
Answer : B