TOEFL iBT LISTENING SECTION

Michael: Let’s look at some sample gist-content and gist-purpose questions. First we’ll listen to part of a conversation between a coach and a student catching up on what happened while the student was away.

MALE COACH: Hi, Elizabeth.
FEMALE STUDENT: Hey, Coach. I just thought I’d stop by to see what I missed while I was gone.
MALE COACH: Well, we’ve been working real hard on our plan for the next game . . . I’ve asked Susan to go over it with you before practice this afternoon, so you’ll know what we’re doing.
FEMALE STUDENT: Okay.
MALE COACH: By the way, how did your brother’s wedding go?
FEMALE STUDENT: Oh, it was beautiful. And the whole family was there. I saw aunts and uncles and cousins I hadn’t seen in years.
MALE COACH: So it was worth the trip.
FEMALE STUDENT: Oh definitely. I’m sorry I had to miss practice, though. I feel bad about that.
MALE COACH: Family’s very important.
FEMALE STUDENT: Yep. Okay, I guess I’ll see you this afternoon at practice, then.
MALE COACH: Just a minute. There are a couple of other things I need to tell you.
FEMALE STUDENT: Oh, okay.
MALE COACH: Uh . . . First, everybody’s getting a new team jacket.
FEMALE STUDENT: Wow. How did that happen?
MALE COACH: A woman who played here about 20, 25 years ago came through town a few weeks ago and saw a game, and said she wanted to do something for the team, so . . .
FEMALE STUDENT: So she’s buying us new jackets?
MALE COACH: Yep.
FEMALE STUDENT: Wow, that’s really nice of her.
MALE COACH: Yes, it is. It’s great that former players still care so much about our school and our basketball program . . . Anyway you need to fill out an order form. I’ll give it to you now, and you can bring it back this afternoon. I’ve got the forms from the other players, so as soon as I get yours we can order. Maybe we’ll have the jackets by the next game.
FEMALE STUDENT: OK.
MALE COACH: Great. And the next thing is, you know Mary’s transferring to another college next week, so we’ll need someone to take over her role as captain for the second half of the season. And the other players unanimously picked you to take over as captain when Mary leaves.
FEMALE STUDENT: Wow. I saw everybody this morning, and nobody said a word.
MALE COACH: They wanted me to tell you. So, do you accept?
FEMALE STUDENT: Of course!

So an example of a gist-content question for this passage is:
What are the speakers mainly discussing?

1. How the woman should prepare for the next game
2. The woman’s responsibilities as team captain
3. Things that happened while the woman was away
4. The style of the new team uniforms

Michael: And an example of a gist-purpose question is:
Why does the student go to see the coach?

1. To see how the woman should prepare for the next game
2. To find out the woman’s responsibilities as team captain
3. To find out what had happened while the woman was away
4. To discuss the style of the new team uniforms

Michael: Whichever question is asked, you can figure out the answer by focusing on the main point of the conversation or lecture.

Michael: The female student tells us her reason for going to see the coach in the early part of the conversation when she says this:

FEMALE STUDENT: I just thought I’d stop by to see what I missed while I was gone.

MICHAEL: That tells us both the main idea of the conversation and why she went to see the coach.
So for both questions, the best answer is C.

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Now let’s look at a sample Detail question. First, here’s an excerpt from a conversation between a coach and a student who are catching up on what happened while the student was away.

FEMALE STUDENT: Okay, I guess I’ll see you this afternoon at practice, then.
MALE COACH: Just a minute. There are a couple of other things I need to tell you.
FEMALE STUDENT: Oh, okay.
MALE COACH: Uh . . . First, everybody’s getting a new team jacket.
FEMALE STUDENT: Wow. How did that happen?
MALE COACH: A woman who played here about 20, 25 years ago came through town a few weeks ago and saw a game, and said she wanted to do something for the team, so . . .
FEMALE STUDENT: So she’s buying us new jackets?
MALE COACH: Yep.
FEMALE STUDENT: Wow, that’s really nice of her.

MICHAEL: An example of a Detail question is:
Who is buying new jackets for the team?
Again, a Detail question will always be a fact that is directly stated in the listening passage.

1. The coach
2. The captain of the team
3. A former player
4. A group of basketball fans

Answer:The coach explicitly tells the woman that a former player is the one who is buying the team new jackets, which makes option C the correct answer.

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Now let’s look at a sample question from a conversation between a coach and a student who are catching up on what happened while the student was away.

MALE COACH: Hi, Elizabeth.
FEMALE STUDENT: Hey, Coach. I just thought I’d stop by to see what I missed while I was gone.
MALE COACH: Well, we’ve been working real hard on our plan for the next game . . . I’ve asked Susan to go over it with you before practice this afternoon, so you’ll know what we’re doing.
FEMALE STUDENT: Okay.
MALE COACH: By the way, how did your brother’s wedding go?
FEMALE STUDENT: Oh, it was beautiful. And the whole family was there. I saw aunts and uncles and cousins I hadn’t seen in years.
MALE COACH: So it was worth the trip.
FEMALE STUDENT: Oh definitely. I’m sorry I had to miss practice, though. I feel bad about that.
MALE COACH: Family’s very important.
FEMALE STUDENT: Yep. Okay, I guess I’ll see you this afternoon at practice, then.

What does the man mean when he says “Family’s very important.”
When looking at the answer options, think about the context of the conversation.

a. He hopes the woman’s family is doing well.
b. He would like to meet the woman’s family.
c. The woman should spend more time with her family.
d. The woman had a good reason for missing practice.

Michael: So when the coach asks about the wedding, and says things like, “so it was worth the trip” and “family is very important,” you can conclude that the coach understands and agrees with her decision to miss practice. So D is the correct answer.

Michael: There are lots of ways to improve your English skills. Whatever you do, keep practicing. And good luck on your TOEFL test.

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Now let’s look at a sample attitude question from a literature lecture about detective novels, including one titled The Moonstone. First, listen to the excerpt:

PROFESSOR:
Today I’d like to introduce you to a novel that um some critics consider the finest detective novel ever written. Um, it was also the first. We’re talking about The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Now, um, there are other detective stories that preceded The Moonstone historically—Um, notably uh the work of Poe . . . um, Edgar Allen Poe’s stories, such as “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and . . . um, “The Purloined Letter.” Now these were short stories that featured a detective . . . uh, probably the first to do that. But The Moonstone, which follows them by about twenty years—it was published in 1868—uh, this is the first full-length detective novel ever written. Now, in The Moonstone—if you read it as . . . uh, come to it as uh, a contemporary reader— what’s interesting is that most of the features you find in almost any detective novel are in fact already present. Um, it’s hard at this juncture to read this novel and realize that no one had ever done that before, because it all seems so strikingly familiar. It’s, it’s really a wonderful novel and I recommend it, even just as a fun book to read, if you’ve never read it.Now, here’s attitude question.

What attitude does the professor express when he says this:

1. He is impressed by the novel’s originality.
2. He is concerned that students may find the novel difficult to read.
3. He is bored by the novel’s descriptions of ordinary events.
4. He is eager to write a book about a less familiar subject.

NARRATOR:
What attitude does the professor express when he says this:

PROFESSOR:
Um, it’s hard at this juncture to read this novel and realize that no one had ever done that before, because it all seems so strikingly familiar.

Different attitudes are expressed in all of the answer choices.
But you can tell that the speaker’s attitude toward the book is positive because he states, “it’s really a wonderful novel and I recommend it”. You can also tell the speaker thinks the book is original because he mentions multiple times that the novel is the ‘first’ of its kind. For example, when he says “this is the first full-length detective novel ever written.” Therefore the correct answer is A.

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Now let’s look at a sample question. The question is from a literature lecture about detective novels, including one titled The Moonstone. The passage focuses on an important character from The Moonstone named Sergeant Cuff who is trying to solve a crime.

Here is an excerpt from the lecture:

PROFESSOR:
So, now Cuff arrives. Cuff is the man who’s coming to solve the mystery, and again he has a lot of the characteristics that future detectives throughout the history of this genre will have. He’s eccentric. Um, He has a hobby that he’s obsessive about—in this . . . uh, in this case, it’s the love of roses. He’s a fanatic about the breeding of roses; and here think of Nero Wolfe and his orchids, uh Sherlock Holmes and his violin, uh a lot of those later classic detective heroes have this kind of outside interest that they uh . . . they go to as a kind of antidote to the evil and misery they encounter in their daily lives.
Now, these detective heroes. they have this characteristic of being smart, incredibly smart, but of not appearing to be smart. And most importantly, from a kind of existential point of view, these detectives see things that other people do not see. And that’s why the detective is such an important figure, I think, in our modern imagination. In the case of The Moonstone—I don’t want to say too much here and spoil it for you—but the clue that’s key to . . . the solving of the crime is a smeared bit of paint in a doorway. Um, of course, the regular police have missed this paint smear or made some sort of unwarranted assumption about it. Cuff sees this smear of paint—um this paint, the place where the paint is smeared—and realizes that from this one smear of paint, you can actually deduce the whole situation . . .um, the whole world. And that’s what the hero in a detective novel like this . . . brings to it that the other characters don’t— it’s this ability to see meaning where others see no meaning and to bring order . . . to where uh it seems there is no order.

Here’s an example of an organization question:
Why does the professor mention a smeared bit of paint in a doorway in The Moonstone?

1. To describe a mistake that Sergeant Cuff has made
2. To show how realistically the author describes the crime scene
3. To exemplify a pattern repeated in many other detective stories
4. To illustrate the superior techniques used by the police

• Choice A can be ruled out because the professor directly states that noticing the smeared paint is the key to solving the crime, not a mistake.
• For option B to be correct, there would have been a pattern of discussing details from the crime scene. But the smeared paint is the only visual detail from the crime scene that is mentioned. So option B is not correct.
• Option D can be eliminated because the professor states that the police officers didn’t notice the smeared paint.
• Option C is the best answer because the professor talks about hero detectives in mystery novels and the characteristics they have in common. The professor indicates that there is a pattern when he says this: These detectives see things that other people do not see.

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Now let’s look at a sample connecting content question. The question is from a conversation between a coach and a student who are catching up on what happened while the student was away.

Here is an excerpt from the conversation.

MALE COACH: And the next thing is, you know Mary’s transferring to another college next week, so we’ll need someone to take over her role as captain for the second half of the season. And the other players unanimously picked you to take over as captain when Mary leaves.
FEMALE STUDENT: Wow. I saw everybody this morning, and nobody said a word.
MALE COACH: They wanted me to tell you. So, do you accept?
FEMALE STUDENT: Of course! But Susan’s a much better player than I am. I’m really surprised they didn’t pick her.
MALE COACH: They think you’re the right one. You’ll have to ask them their thoughts.
FEMALE STUDENT: Okay . . . I guess one of the first things I’ll have to do as captain is make sure we get a thank-you card out to the lady who’s buying us the jackets.
MALE COACH: Good idea. I have her address here somewhere.
FEMALE STUDENT: And I’ll make sure the whole team signs it.
MALE COACH: Good. That’s all the news there is. I think that’s it for now. Oh, let me get you that order form.

Now let’s look at the sample question. Note that for this one, you will choose 2 of the 4 answers. So why is the woman surprised? Remember this part of the conversation:

Why is the woman surprised to learn that she has been chosen as the new team captain? Click on 2 answers.

1. She is not the best player on the team.
2. Her teammates did not tell her about the decision.
3. She does not have many friends on the team.
4. She has missed a lot of practices.

MALE COACH: And the other players unanimously picked you to take over as captain when Mary leaves.
FEMALE STUDENT: Wow. I saw everybody this morning, and nobody said a word.

It’s clear that “everyone” refers to the other team members and “no one said a word” means that no one on the team said anything about having picked her to be their new captain. So B is one answer.
The second answer is explained when the student says this:

FEMALE STUDENT: But Susan’s a much better player than I am. I’m really surprised they didn’t pick her.

MICHAEL:
By saying someone else on the team is a better player that means that she is not the best player. So A is the other correct answer.

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Let’s look at a sample question from a literature lecture about detective novels, including a famous one called The Moonstone.
First, here is an excerpt from the lecture:

PROFESSOR:
Um, so in The Moonstone, as I said, uh, Collins did much to establish the conventions of the detective genre. Uh, I’m not gonna go into the plot at length, but, you know, the basic setup is . . . um, there’s this diamond of great value, uh, a country house, uh, the diamond mysteriously disappears in the middle of the night,  the local police are brought in, in an attempt to solve the crime, and they mess it up completely, uh, and then the true hero of the book arrives. That’s Sergeant Cuff.
Now, Cuff, this extraordinarily important character um . . . well, let me try to give you a sense of who Sergeant Cuff is, by first describing the regular police. And uh this is the dynamic that you’re going to see throughout the history of the detective novel, um, where you have the regular cops—who are well-meaning, but officious and bumblingly inept—and uh they are countered by a figure who’s eccentric, analytical, brilliant, and . . . and able to solve the crime. So, uh first the regular police get called in to solve the mystery—Um, in this case, detective, uh, Superintendent Seegrave. When Superintendent Seegrave comes in, uh he orders his minions around, uh they bumble, and they actually make a mess of the investigation, uh which you’ll see repeated—um, you’ll see this pattern repeated, particularly in the Sherlock Holmes stories of a few years later where, uh, Inspector Lestrade, this well-meaning idiot, is always countered, uh, by Sherlock Holmes, who’s a genius.

Now, let’s look at the question.

What does the professor imply when he says this: Well, let me try to give you a sense of who Sergeant Cuff is, by first describing the regular police.

1. Sergeant Cuff is unlike the regular police in The Moonstone.
2. The author’s description of Sergeant Cuff is very realistic.
3. Sergeant Cuff learned to solve crimes by observing the regular police.
4. Differences between Sergeant Cuff and Sherlock Holmes are hard to describe.

We can see that this is an inference question because it uses the word “imply” and asks the listener to understand the meaning of something that is not directly stated by the professor.

He is hinting that there is a difference between the behavior of the regular police and that of Sergeant Cuff.

This contrast is supported in other parts of the passage. For example, the speaker describes the regular police as “bumblingly inept.” He also says it is common in detective novels for them to be countered by a specific character, in this case Sergeant Cuff, who is “brilliant”.

Taken together, we can see that the best answer is A, Sergeant Cuff is unlike the regular police in The Moonstone.

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