TOEFL - STRATEGIES TO USE FOR LISTENING COMPREHENSION, STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION, READING COMPREHENSION.

TOEFL

TEST of ENGLISH as a FOREIGN LANGUAGE

PART II

STRATEGIES TO USE FOR LISTENING COMPREHENSION,

STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION,

READING COMPREHENSION.

SECTION 1

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

To prepare for Section 1 listen to radio and television newscasts and weather reports, television documentaries, lectures on educational stations, and free lectures sponsored by clubs and universities. Attend movies in English or watch video in English.

Part A Short Sentences

For each item in Part A you will hear a short sentence. You must listen carefully because each sentence is spoken only one time. You will have 15 seconds to make your choice and fill in the space on your answer sheet. There are 20 items in Part 1.

1. Concentrate on the statement.

Focus all your attention on the statement you are listening to. Do not try to read answers at the same time you are listening. Do not work on previous items when the statement is being spoken. Do not think about other items.

2. Listen for meaning.

A wrong answer may confuse you by having words that have the same pronunciation but different spelling and meaning (homophones). When you hear a statement, you must know the meaning of words. You must be able to recognize the meaning of the homophones from the context of the statement. Look at this examples :

(A) The moss is on the wall.

(B) The moth is on the wall.

"Moss” and “moth” may be confused because they are similar in sound.

3. Listen for structure.

A wrong answer may confuse you by being slightly different in word order or in the words used.

(A) Never have I been so worried.

(B) I have never been so worried.

Although both sentences include a negative adverb and the same subject and verb, they do not mean the same. The first sentence means “I have never been this worried before”. The second sentence means “Nothing has ever worried me”.

Negative words and phrases at the beginning of a statement express emphasis.

In some statements on Part A, you will hear negatives at the beginning. When you hear a statement, you must be able to restate the information.

(C) What a sweet little girl !

(D) What’s a sweet little girl doing ?

Exclamations express strong feelings and often begin with how, what, but they are not questions. Exclamations end with an exclamation point.(!)

In some statements on part A you will hear exclamations. When you hear a statement, you must be able to restate the information.

It will help you to wait until the end of a statement before deciding whether it is a question or an exclamation.

4. Listen for information.

In some statements on Part A you will hear two or three names. When you hear a Statement you must remember how each person was referred to.

It will help you to listen for a profession, activity, or family relationship when you hear a name.

5. Choose the best answer.

Remember that the best answer restates the original statement. That means the correct answer will say the same thing but in different words.

6. Know what works for you.

If you are uncertain which answer is correct, you can do one of two things:

(A) Use your intuition (instincts)

(B) Guess.

Sometimes you do not know the answer but have an unexplained feeling that one of the answers is correct. You have no other reason to believe it is correct. This is your intuition.

Sometimes students answer intuitively and then change their answers. Check yourself while getting ready for the test. If your first answer is usually the correct one, don’t change your answers on the TOEFL.

Remember that wrong answers will not count against you. If you don’t know the answer and have no feeling about which of the four choices may be correct, use a guess letter. You are more likely to get some correct answers if you use one letter consistently than if you use all letters randomly.

7. Use every second wisely.

Don’t lose time thinking about something you don’t know. Answer the question, and then prepare yourself to concentrate on the next item.

Part B Short conversations.

In part B you will hear short conversations. After each conversation you will hear a question about what was said. You will have 15 seconds to make your choice and fill in the space on your answer sheet. There are 15 questions in Part B.

1. Concentrate on the conversation.

Focus all your attention on the conversation you are listening to. Each speaker speaks only once in a short conversation. Do not try to read answers at the same time you are listening. Do not work on previous items when the conversation is being spoken. Do not think about other items.

2. Listen for meaning.

The wrong answers may be similar to information heard in the conversation either in sound, vocabulary, structure, or meaning, but they do not answer the question. For examples of these kinds of confusions, see strategies from Part A

Concentrate on chronological events.

Chronological events are events that take place in time relationship to each other.

When you hear a statement, you must remember which event took place first, second, and so on. It will help you to listen for time words like before, while, during, after, and later.

3.Concentrate on who, what, where.

Many of the questions concern what the speakers are doing, what the speaker’s job or profession is, and where the conversation is taking place.

When you hear a conversation between the speakers, you must listen for information that will help you draw a conclusion about where the conversation most probably took place.

It will help you if you prepare to listen for place information when you see four places as the possible answers in you test book. Look at this example:

Man I’ll need a dozen three-penny nails and six wood screws, too.

Woman The screws come in packages of ten for ninety-nine cents. I hope that’s right.

Narrator Where does the conversation most probably take place.

Answer At the hardware store.

4. Concentrate on the context.

The first speaker often sets the context, and the question often relates to how the second speaker responds. Look at this example:

Man I’ve just locked my car keys in the trunk.

Woman Don’t worry. I’ve got mine.

Narrator Why isn’t the woman concerned ?

In this conversation the man sets the context – he’s locked his keys in the car. The woman’s response indicates that she is not concerned about the incident because she has a set of keys to the car as well.

Such conversations may be called IMPLIED. You will hear words and phrases or intonations that will suggest how the speakers felt, what they will probably do, or what kind of work or activity they were involved in. Look at this example:

Man Could you please book me the next flight out to Los Angeles?

Woman I’m sorry, sir. Continental doesn’t fly into Los Angeles. Why don’t

You try Delta or Trans World ?

Narrator What will the man probably do ?

Answer He will probably get a ticket for a flight on Delta or Trans World.

5. Concentrate on computation conversations.

In some conversations you will have to add, subtract, multiply, or divide in order to answer the problem correctly. In other conversations you will be giben all the information, and you will NOT need to add, etc.

When you hear a conversation, you must decide whether it is necessary to compute the answer to the question. If you need to make a computation, you must be very accurate. Look at this example :

Woman How many stamps do I need to send this package airmail ?

Man Well, that’s not going to be expensive. Airmail postage is 50 cents for the first half – ounce and 45 cents for additional half – ounce, up to two ounces. You have one ounce here.

Narrator How much will it cost the woman to mail her package ?

Answer $.95

And again use your intuition or guess, if you are uncertain which answer is correct.

Part C Mini – Talks

Each passage begins with a spoken statement identifying the question numbers that correspond to it and a statement that sets the context. For example, you will hear :

“Questions 38 –41. Listen to a talk given by a college math instructor.”

1. Concentrate on the passage.

Focus all your attention on the talk. Do not try to read answers at the same time you are listening to. Remember that all the information in the answer choices may be mentioned in the passage. You do not want to get the choices confused with what is actually stated.

2. Concentrate on WHO, WHAT, WHEN, and WHERE.

Many of the questions concern what the people are talking about (the topic of the conversation), who the person is (what his or her job or profession is), and where and when the conversation is taking place. Concentrate on the details and clues that reveal this information

3. Concentrate on the context and content.

The speaker often gives the context, and the first sentence of a talk usually gives the topic. The language in the talks is more formal and frequently concerns an academic topic. It is not necessary to have previous knowledge of the subject discussed in the talks. All the information needed to answer the questions is included within the talks. Try to remember the details in the context so as not to get confused.

4. Concentrate on the question.

All correct and incorrect answers include details mentioned in the passage. An incorrect answer may contain information that is true according to the talk but which does not answer the question. Sometimes an incorrect answer contains Information that has been stated in a way that changes its meaning and, therefore, does not answer the question. Keep the question in your mind as you read the four choices.

When you hear a talk, you must be able to summarize the important ideas and remember WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY. So you will be able to answer questions that begin with these words.

And again use your intuition or guess if you are uncertain which answer is correct.

5. Use every second wisely.

Don’t lose time thinking about something you don’t know. Answer each question quickly but if you fail, immediately switch your attention to listening carefully to the next question, otherwise you will miss it. You might, most probably, have time to come back to the unanswered question.

Immediate identification of the topic will help you to anticipate the information you will hear and need to retain to answer the question. So it is very important to be able to PREDICT the TOPIC from the FIRST STATEMENT.

SECTION 2

STRUCTURE and WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Section 2 uses two types of questions. Questions 1 – 15 are incomplete sentences. You must decide which of the four choices best completes the sentence. Although all four answers may be grammatically correct independently of the incomplete sentences, only one is grammatically correct in the context of the sentence. There are 15 items to complete. Spend no more than 40 seconds on each item.

In questions 16 – 40 each sentence has four words or phrases underlined and labeled (A), (B), (C), and (D). One of those items is incorrect. You should spend your time analyzing parts of the sentence. You do not need to correct the error, so move on quickly to the next item. There are 25 items to complete. Spend no more than 40 seconds on each one.

If you do not know the answer, do not leave a blank space. Answer it using your intuition or guess. Mark the item you are unsure of . If you have time, you can go back and think about marked item. If you change any answer, be sure you thoroughly erase your first answer.

Strategies to use for questions 1 –15.

1. Read the incomplete sentence first.

2. Read all the choices.

Once you have decided what is needed to complete the sentence, read all the choices. More than one of the choices may contain the structure you are looking for. Examine those choices to determine which one completes the sentence correctly.

3. Use your time wisely.

Do not look for mistakes within the answers. All answers may be grammatically correct. However, only one is correct when placed in the sentence.

Strategies to use for questions 16 – 40.

1. Read the complete sentence.

If you can’t identify the incorrect word or phrase after you read the sentence, look at each underlined word. Think about its position in the sentence and what may be incorrect.

2. Remember that the error will always be underlined.

Do not look for errors in the other parts of the sentence. Look at the rest of the

sentence for CLUES to help you find the error.

3. Do not correct the sentence.

You do not have to correct the sentence. Therefore, do not lose time thinking about hoe to correct it. Go on to the next item.

Strategies to use for questions 1 – 40.

Errors, used in the Test, frequently concern the following problems:

1. Problems with the Point of View.

It means to maintain a point of view, either present or past. Look at this example:

Incorrect: She closed the door and hurries away to class.

Correct: She closed the door and hurried away to class.

2. Problems with Agreement.

Remember that there must be agreement of subject and verb. Avoid using a verb that agrees with a phrase of accompaniment instead of with the subject itself. Look at this example:

Incorrect: The guest of honor, along with his wife and two sons, were seated at the first table.

Correct: The guest of honor, along with his wife and two sons, was seated at the first table.

Remember that there must be agreement of noun and pronoun. Avoid using a pronoun that does not agree in number with the noun to which it refers.

Incorrect: Al is interested in mathematics and their application.

Correct: Al is interested in mathematics and its application

Remember that there must be agreement of subject pronoun and possessive pronouns that refer to the subject.

Incorrect: Those of us who are over fifty should get their blood pressure checked regularly.

Correct: Those of us who are over fifty should get our blood pressure checked regularly.

Remember that there should be agreement of indefinite subject pronoun and possessive pronouns that refer to the subject.

Incorrect: Whoever called did not leave their name and number.

Correct: Whoever called did not leave his name and number.

Remember that there must be agreement of impersonal pronouns in a sentence. Avoid using you, your, they, their to refer to the impersonal pronoun one.

Incorrect: If one does not work hard, you cannot expect to succeed.

Correct: If one does not work hard one cannot expect to succeed.

3. Problems with Parallel Structure.

Parallel structure means expressing ideas of equal importance with the same grammatical structures. Avoid expressing ideas in a series by different structures.

Incorrect: Jane is young, enthusiastic, and she has talent.

Correct: Jane is young, enthusiastic, and talented.

Incorrect: He is not only intelligent but also he is creative.

Correct: He is not only intelligent but also creative.

Incorrect: The patient’s symptoms were fever, dizziness, and his head hurt.

Correct: The patient’s symptoms were fever, dizziness, and headaches.

4. Problems with Redundancy.

Redundancy means using more words than necessary. Avoid using an adjective with such phrases as in character or in nature. Avoid using words with the same meaning consecutively in a sentence.

Incorrect: It was a problem which was very difficult in character and very delicate in nature.

Correct: The problem was difficult and delicate.

Incorrect: The new innovations at the World’s Fair were fascinating

Correct: The innovations at the World Fair were fascinating

Incorrect: Steve he plans to go into business with his father.

Correct: Steve plans to go into business with his father.

5. Problems with Word Choice.

Word choice means choosing between similar words to express precise meanings.

The following pairs of verbs can be confused. Remember that a transitive verb is a verb that takes a complement. An intransitive verb is a verb that does not take a complement.

Transitive Intransitive

Raise (raised, raised) Rise (rose, risen)

Lay (laid, laid) Lie (lay, lain)

Set (set, set) Sit (sat, sat)

Incorrect: The landlord has risen the rent.

Correct: The landlord has raised the rent.

Incorrect: The smoke that is raising from the oil refinery is black.

Correct: The smoke that is rising from the oil refinery is black.

Incorrect: Her coat was laying on the chair.

Correct: Her coat was lying on the chair.

Incorrect: Linda always forgets where she lies her glasses.

Correct: Linda always forgets where she lays her glasses.

Incorrect: Their house sets on a hill overlooking a lake.

Correct: Their house sits on a hill overlooking a lake.

Incorrect: Please, sit the telephone on the table by the bed.

Correct: Please, set the telephone on the table by the bed.

6. Problems with Parts of Speech.

Remember although it is usually very easy to identify the parts of speech, word families can be confusing. Each word in the family is a different part of speech.

Incorrect: The agreeing is not legal unless everyone signs his name.

Correct: The agreement is not legal unless everyone signs his name.

Incorrect: The develop of hybrids has increased yields.

Correct: The development of hybrids has increased yields.

Incorrect: Even young children begin to show able in math.

Correct: Even young children begin to show ability in math.

7. Problems with Subjunctives.

Some verbs, nouns, and expressions require a subjunctive. A subjunctive is a change in the usual form of the verb.

Remember that the following verbs are used before that and the subjunctive clause to express importance.

Ask Propose

Demand Recommend

Desire Request

Insist Require

Prefer Suggest

Urge

Incorrect: The doctor suggested that she will not smoke.

Correct: The doctor suggested that she not smoke.

Incorrect: The law requires that everyone has his car checked at least once a year.

Correct: The law requires that everyone have his car checked at least once a year.

Remember that the following nouns derived from subjunctive verbs are used in this pattern:

Demand Recommendation

Insistence Request

Preference Requirements

Proposal Suggestion

Incorrect: She ignored the suggestion that she gets more exercise.

Correct: She ignored the suggestion that she get more exercise.

Incorrect: The committee refused the request that the prerequisite shall be waived.

Correct: The committee refused the request that the prerequisite be waived.

PART 3

Reading Comprehension

1. Previewing

Research shows that it is easier to understand what you are reading if you begin with a general idea of what the passage is about. Previewing helps you to form a general idea of the topic in your mind.

To preview, read the title, if there is one, the first sentence of each paragraph, and the last sentence of the passage. Remember, you are not reading for specific information, but for an impression of the TOPIC.

2. Reading for Main Ideas

By previewing, you can form a general idea of what a reading passage is about; that is, you identify the TOPIC. By reading for main ideas, you identify the point of view of the author – that is, what the writer’s thesis is.

Specifically, what does the author propose to write about the topic? If you could reduce the reading to one sentence, what would it be ?

Questions about the main idea can be worded in many ways. For example, the following questions are all asking for the same information: (1) What is the main idea ? (2) What is the subject ? (3) What is the topic? (4) What would be a good title ?

3. Using the Contexts for Vocabulary

Before you can use a context, you must understand what a context is. In English, a context is the combinations of vocabulary and grammar that surrounds a word. Context can be a sentence or a paragraph or a passage. Context helps you make a general PREDICTION about meaning. If you know the general meaning of a sentence, you also know the general meaning of the words in a sentence.

Making predictions from context is very important when you are reading a foreign language. In this way, you can read and understand the meaning of a passage without stopping to find out what a new word means.

3. Scanning for Details

After reading a passage on the TOEFL, you will be expected to answer about ten multiple – choice questions. First, read the question and find the important content words. Content words are usually nouns, verbs, or adjectives, They are called content words because they contain the content or meaning of a sentence.

Next, let your eyes travel quickly over the passage for the same content words or synonyms of the words. This is called SCANNING. By scanning, you can find a place in the reading passage where the answer to a question is found.

Finely, read those specific sentences carefully and choose the answer that corresponds to the meaning of the sentences you read.

4. Making Inferences

Sometimes, in a reading passage, you will find a direct statement of fact. This is called evidence. But other times you will not find a direct statement. Then you will need to use the evidence you have to make an inference. An inference is a logical conclusion based on evidence. It can be about the passage itself or about the author’s viewpoint.

Exercise:

Directions: First, read this passage. Then, read the questions following the passage, and make inferences. Can you underline the evidence for your inference in the reading passage?

When an acid is dissolved in water, the acid molecule divides into two parts,

a hydrogen ion and another ion. An ion is an atom or a group of atoms that

has an electric charge. The charge can be either positive or negative. If

hydrochloric acid is mixed with water, for example, it divides into hydrogen

ions and chlorine ions.

A strong acid ionizes to a great extend, but a weak acid does not ionize so

much. The strength of an acid, therefore, depends on how much it ionizes,

not on how many hydrogen ions are produced. It is interesting that nitric acid

and sulfuric acid become greatly ionized whereas boring acid and carbonic

acid do not.

1. What kind of acid is sulfuric acid?

2. What kind of acid is boric acid?

Answer:

…A strong acid ionizes to a great extend, but a weak acid does not ionize so much…

sulfuric acid become greatly ionized…….boric acid…….do not.

Conclusion: 1. Sulfuric acid is a strong acid.

2. Boric acid is a weak acid.

5. Restating

Like most languages, English has more than one grammatical structure to express the same meaning. On the TOEFL, you will be asked to find the best RESTATEMENT for a given sentence. In other words, you must look for grammatical structures that express the same meaning.

Example:

Each of the sentence has another sentence printed below it. The second sentence is not complete. Can you complete the second sentence with a grammatical structure that will express the same meaning as the first sentence?

Can you make a restatement?

1. Dog teams still pull sleds over the ice and snow in Alaska.

Sleds _________ by dog teams over the ice and snow in Alaska.

Answer: Sleds are still pulled by dog teams over the ice and snow in Alaska.

2. The landscape in North Carolina is not unlike the landscape in Scotland.

The landscape in North Carolina is ________ the landscape in Scotland.

Answer: The landscape in North Carolina is like the landscape in Scotland.

3. Florida has more lakes than any other state.

Other states have _______ lakes than Florida.

Answer: Other states have fewer lakes than Florida.

4. Despite the rocky soil, a great deal of farming is done in Vermont

_______ the soil is rocky, a great deal of farming is done in Vermont.

Answer: Although the soil is rocky, a great deal of farming is done in Vermont.

5. If a small number of men had not held fast in Alamo, Texas might now belong to Mexico.

Texas does not belong to Mexico _________ a small number of men held fast at the Alamo.

Answer: Texas does not belong to Mexico because a small number of men held fast at the Alamo.

6. Phrasing

It has been shown in many studies of reading comprehension that reading one word at a time not only causes you to read slowly but also causes you to confuse the meaning. By the time you reach the end of a very long sentence or passage, you have forgotten the beginning.

To read better as well as faster, you should not let your eyes stop at each word. You should let your eyes move over a phrase before stopping.

As you practice this skill, you will increase your reading speed and your reading comprehension.

Exercise.

In the following passage, the phrases are clearly marked for you. Can you it by focusing your eyes on phrases instead of words?

The Supreme Court

of the United States

is the highest judicial body

in the nation.

One of its most important functions

is to determine whether

federal, state, and local governments

are acting

in accordance with

the United States Constitution.

Because the Constitution

is stated in general terms,

it is responsibility

of the Supreme Court

to interpret the meaning

by deciding specific legal cases.

Once a decision

has been made

by the court,

all of the other courts

throughout the United States

are required

to follow the decision

on the similar cases.