Listening Section

Overview (Pages 115-121)

2 or 3 conversations with 5 questions per conversation.

General listening strategies: conversations and lectures.

Strategy 1: listen actively.

think about what you hear. to get the right information, it helps to ask
yourself the right questions before you begin listening.
Ask yourself:

Strategy 2: anticipate key points based on the main idea.

If you are hearing about space, you must ask yourself what kind of
thinks does the space have… and this feature make it easier to answer
the questions.

Strategy 3: Try to infer meaning whenever possible.

Understand unstated ideas. A correct inference is always based on a
stated idea.

Strategy 4: Write notes in fragments, abbreviations, initials,

symbols, and acronyms.
Strategy 5: Use your own words instead of copying the speaker
exactly.
Undertand is part of active listening, so, keep it simple.

Strategy 6: Don’t try to record everything in notes.

Listen, think, and understand. you won’t write everything.

Strategy 7: After the main idea, focus on key supporting points, not
minor ones.
Focus on what really matters in the listening discussion or topic

Strategy 8: Connect details to the main idea and supporting points.

There are a lot of minor ideas that has to be ignored.

Strategy 9: Pay attention to cohesive devices.

cohesive devices are use to make connections among the various ideas
in a sentence and a paragraph. this include pronouns, adjectives,
articles, transitions, synonyms, repetition, and variations of word
form.

Strategy 10: Be prepared for the unique elements of spoken English.

This could include interruptions, confusion and clarification, self-
correction, and sentence fragments.

Interruptions:

Confusion and clarification

Self-Correction
Fragments

Be prepared to get quickly the information.

Strategy 11: Avoid answer choices that repeat too many words
exactly from the lecture or conversation.

OVERVIEW
S1. Always listen actively.

The tone/feeling of what they are talking about.

GENERAL LISTENING STRATEGIES: CONVERSATIONS (121-123)
General important when you listen to a conversation during the TOEFL

Strategy 1: Pay attention to organization

Principle of conversations is TURN. When a person speaks and the other
responds.

Strategy 2: Be prepared for delayed answer in conversations.

(Delayed, detain, make late, slow up/down)

Sometimes the turn does not respond to the question immediately, it

takes more than one turn.

Strategy 3: Create one column for each speaker in your notes to

avoid confusion when you read them.

Connect ideas of every speaker.

Ideas Ideas

Speaker 1 Speaker 2

xxxx sssss

xxxss ssxxssxx

Strategy 4: Focus on the student’s need or desire.

Active listening.

Strategy 5: Listen for the official or teacher’s suggestions or

comments.

Strategy 6: Listen for complicating factors.

Strategy 7: Use the questions of each speaker as clues to anticipate
information.

Strategy 8: Pay attention to any conclusions or final decisions.

Recognizing the end of any decision or choice depends on your

knowledge of what the student is asking or looking for.

OVERVIEW

Sometimes the information comes after many turns.

GENERAL LISTENING STRATEGIES: LECTURES

Specially important when you are listening a lecture.

Strategy 1: Use typical organization of a lecture to help you follow

the lecture and connect ideas.

A lecture is organized into paragraphs.

1st paragraph=Introduction.

Middle paragraphs= body paragraphs

Last paragraph = conclusion

Strategy 2: For a lecture with comments, use turns as clues to key

points.

Sometimes the lectures are between a professor and some students, so

there are questions and answers. It is used as clues to topic shifts and
new supporting points.

Strategy 3: Be prepared to stop taking notes during dense parts of a

lecture or discussion.

During this parts, rely on memory and focus on understandings the

concepts.

OVERVIEW
Question type 1: Main ideas questions (125-130)

Ask about the overall (general) focus of a conversation or lecture.

Strategies

Strategy 1: be familiar with some of the possible topics and the

related vocabulary.

Conversation
Anticipate at least some of the possible topics by thinking about the
common reasons to see a professor and by thinking about the various
services available at a college or university.
Lecture
The main idea of the lecture is how the lecturer discusses it.

All these lecture can vary, depending on the speaker.

Strategy 2: Use the opening remarks, or hook, as a close, but don’t

confuse the hook and the main topic.

The hook is use to attract people’s attention, but sometimes the hook
is to introduce the main topic, so, don’t confuse it.
Strategy 3: Listen for a thesis statement after the hook as a clue to
the main idea and supporting points of a lecture.

If the thesis involves the hook and it has a parallel structure, then is a
clue to the topics of the body, for instance:

Strategy 4: Use a student’s opening request or question as a clue to

the main idea of a conversation.

In conversations, normally, you don’t have a hook or a thesis to discuss

with, but you have a polite greeting, then, possible phrases will help
you to discover the main idea of the topic.
Strategy 5: Anticipate key points and details based on the
introduction.

Imagine an environment for every topic you’r hearing since the

introduction

Strategy 6: Note the type of lecture or academic discussion.

Strategy 7: Follow repeated and related vocabulary to understand

the main idea.

Sometimes the conversation has a reasonable word that is repeated

many times, nevertheless, just a word, is not a statement of the
situation.
Strategy 8: Don’t confuse the supporting points/detail with the main
idea.

The supporting points just help you to establish an idea but it’s not the
main idea, because is just key points to help the main idea be reliable.

Questions forms

Distracters

Distracter 1: The answer choice is too specific

The correct main idea must include all the key points, the distracter
just repeat the exact same words as those in the conversation or
lecture.

Distracter 2: The answer choice is too general or vague

Refers to a topic that resembles (look like) the correct one, but is more
general than the correct one. Sometime is recognized because the
topic would be impossible to discuss in a few minutes.

Distracter 3: The answer choice refers to the wrong kind of passage.

Distracter 4: The answer choice rearranges ideas from the

conversation or lecture.

Rearranges subjects, objects, descriptions, comparisons, causes and

effects, times and locations, among others.
Distracter 5: The answer choice is the opposite of the correct one.

OVERVIEW
Question type 2: Purpose question

Purpose: intention.

ask about the speakers’ purpose, or what the speaker hopes to

accomplish (achieve, succeed in) in the conversation

Strategies

Strategy 1: Understand the main idea

Strategy 2: Recognize the kind of passage

Often the purpose is simply an infinitive form of the passage type. For
example, if a lecturer gives an argument, then her purpose is “to
argue”

Strategy 3: Place the lecture in a broader context.

Strategy 4: Be prepared to identify the purpose as an infinitive
phrase.
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/modifier.htm

Question forms
Distracters

Distracter 1: The infinitive refers to the wrong action or state.

Distracter 2: The purpose is too specific

Too specific infinitive phrase could be a trap, includes specific part of

the topic but not the passage as a whole.

Distracter 3: The purpose is too general

Is to general, closest to another context.

Distracter 4: The purpose rearranges ideas

Repeats familiar ideas from the passage and rearranges their

relationship with each other.

Distracter 5: The purpose reverses a positive or negative, or uses

antonyms

carelessly: without attention, carelessly

If you skim the choice too quickly and carelessly, you might miss
the addition or omission of a negative, such as no or not, which is a
small difference that can change an answer immensely.

OVERVIEW
Question type 3: Detail Questions (135-139)

ask ‘bout places, things, definitions, description, and reasons

mentioned in the conversation or lecture.

Strategies

Strategy 1: Be familiar with the various types of detail and the

related vocabulary.
Strategy 2: Identify the main idea, and anticipate the subpoints or
supporting points
Based on the opening remarks and the introduction, you should always
try to anticipate how the speaker might or will support the
conversation or lecture.

Focus in active listening and comprehension

Strategy 3: Focus on the most important details, not minor ones.

Minor details are those that are not related to main idea

Strategy 4: Use the turns in a conversation or academic discussion to

identify important points and details.

Questions are excellent clues, because if you ask like "who" , the
answer will be a name or a person, so, be aware of the type of "wh"
questions

Strategy 5: Relate a detail to the main idea

How details are introduced to the main ideas, if you ask for a books,
how is book will help to the main topic

Strategy 6: Listen for key words

Keywords that are related to the main idea.

Distracters

Distracter 1: The answer choice repeats exact vocabulary, phrases,

and clauses from the passage.

Be aware because some places, people or names are difficult to

paraphrase

Distracter 2: The answer choice rearrages details

Distracter 3: The answer choice doesn't match the main idea.

OVERVIEW

How the details support, play a role in a lecture or conversations. They

ask very specifically.

Definitios of a noun, numbers are about of hystorical, ratios, x*y.

measures, gauge, approximate. contrasts are looking for diferrences,
inequal to, locations are to a place, direction, times: order or
secuence, late or later, beging or start, go on, finish, weeks, a date in
partiucalr.

A word is important if supports the main idea.

Rhetorical function type 1 questions: Introduction and strategies (146-

156)

Is understand why it is said, understand how the statements or ideas in

a conversation or lecture relate to each other.

Type 1: Organization of details

Strategies

Strategy 1: Be prepared to infer

Speakers don’t always specify why they say something, so don’t rely on
key words or structures

Strategy 2: Pay attention to the context

Strategy 3: Recognize the attitudes of the speakers

Think about what kind of feelings the speakers seem to be showing

through intonation and vocabulary.

Strategy 4: Distinguish between rhetorical and interrogative

questions.

Interrogative questions are all about gather information and rhetorical

questions are about influence the listener. You don’t expect answer
when a rhetorical questions is asked.
Strategy 5: Be familiar with the types of detail and their related
vocabulary.

you must be able to recognize descriptions, descriptions, definitions,

examples, comparisons, contrasts, locations, times and explanation.

Strategy 6: Distinguish literal and metaphorical language.

Literal is about true meanings and metaphorical is about second-

language meaning.

Strategy 7: Distinguish between the real and the hypothetical.

Strategy 8: Use key words to recognize the unreal or hypothetical.

Strategy 9: Be aware of the possible rhetorical actions and their
meanings.
Strategy 10: Be prepared to think about rhetorical function in two
related ways:

“Infinitive + object” and “by + gerund”

Distracters

Distracter 1: the answer choice repeats vocabulary, but it is

impossible or highly unlikely

The use of words from the records or ideas like that, means that is
away from the real context.

Distracter 2: The answer choice is a possible rhetorical function in a

different context.

Distracter 3: The answer choice uses an incorrect infinitive or

incorrect gerund

OVERVIEW

how the ideas of a conversation or lecture are related.

Rhetorical questions doesn’t need an answer.
Rhetorical function type 2 questions: Introduction and strategies (159-
162)

Type 2: organization of a passage

ask about how the speakers organize the whole passage. More common
for lectures.

Strategies

Strategy 1: Be familiar with the possible methods of organizing a

conversation or lecture.
Strategy 2: Be prepared to infer.

Though it is possible, a speaker will no probably do it for you, so infer

and make it by your own.

Strategy 3: Remember the basic outline of conversations and lecture

as you take notes

some conversations doesn’t have a recognizable organization,

therefore, as the speaker takes its turn you will make it.

Strategy 4: Listen for key words.

Strategy 5: Take notes on key points, not every detail.

Supporting details are clue to the organization.

Strategy 6: Look for paraphrased ideas in the answer choices, not

repeated vocabulary.

Distracters

Distracter 1: The answer choice reverses the correct organization

Distracter 2: The answer choice refers to an unrelated idea that

might seem connected but is out of context.

Distracter 3: The answer choice uses minor details.

Question type 6: Drag ´n Drop-Sequencing questions

Drag´n drop sequencing questions require you to understand the

relationships between pieces of information in a passage, such as
causes and effects or steps in a process. To answer them, you must drag
information into a list and correctly order the terms.
Strategies

Strategy 1: Listen actively

Strategy 2: Take notes on major points, not minor details

Strategy 3: Pay special attention to sequence

Anytime you hear or recognize an order, you should anticipate a

question about it.

Strategy 4: Be prepared to infer

OVERVIEW
Question type 7: content relationship questions (170-172)

Requires you to relate, compare, contrast information, rather than

simply remember what the speaker said.

Strategies

Strategy 1: Listen actively

Strategy 2: Take notes on major points, not minor details

Strategy 3: Pay attention to categorization

Categories are important, you may recognize between kind or types.

Strategy 4: Pay special attention to multiple details

Match between options, for example:

Global warming.
 Solution 1

Solution 2

….

Solution n-1

Solution n

Distracters

Distracter 1: the answer choice rearranges incorrectly several ideas

repeated from the passage.

Distracter 2: the answer choice refers to ideas that are not

mentioned in the passage

These are plausible ideas that are not correct, because doesn’t have
relationship among the passage.
Distracter 3: The answer choice adds or removes a negative, or uses
antonyms for the ideas from the passage.

Question type 8: inference questions (174-177)

Infer is the understanding of unspoken ideas based on logic and facts.

Strategies

Strategy 1: listen actively

Strategy 2: think critically about details

Details are essential for inference. Therefore, use the tenses,

descriptions, numbers, comparison, contrasts, times, places, reasons
and think about what else is true but not mentioned.

Strategy 3: use context to infer correctly

Strategy 4: recognize and use idioms

Strategy 5: think about details together, not individually

Strategy 6: be prepared to perform some action to connect details

correctly.
Distracters

Distracter 1: the answer choice is illogical or impossible

Distracter 2: The answer choice is the opposite of the correct

inference

Distracter 3: The answer choice is too extreme or takes an inference

too far.
Pay attention to degree in vocabulary

Distracter 4: The answer choice uses an incorrect meaning of a word

or phrase.

Distracter 5: the answer choice rearranges detail from the passage

Improve-your-score strategies

Strategy 1: Expand your knowledge

Assess your own level of knowledge about toefl-related fields, and

improve your weaknesses by focusing your practice in certain areas

Strategy 2: Practice the strategies from this book

Strategy 3: Watch the T.V.

Travel shows, the news, and history.

Strategy 4: Join the library

Strategy 5: go to movies

Movies based on Charles dickens, Ernest Hemingway or Jane Austen.

Famous movies about Picasso or Mozart

Strategy 6: Do a variety of activities

Strategy 7: Communicate with others