LISTENING COMPREHENSION

SECTION

PART A
LISTEN TO SHORT DIALOGUES ON THE PAPER TOEFL TEST

PROCEDURE FOR THE SHORT DIALOGUES

1. As you listen to each short dialogue, focus on the second line of the
conversation. The answer to the question is generally found in the
second line.

2. Keep in mind that the correct answer is probably a restatement of

a key word or idea in the second line of the dialogue. Think of possible
restatements.

3. Keep in mind that certain structure and expressions are regularly

tested in the short dialogues. Listen for these structures and
expressions.
 Structures (negatives, passives)
 Functional expressions (agreement and restatement)

4. Keep in mind that these questions generally progress from easy to

difficult. This means that questions 1 through 5 may be the easiest and
questions 26 through 30 will be the hardest.

5. Read the answers and choose the best answer to each question.
Remember to answer each question even if you are not sure of the
correct response. Never leave any answer blank.

6. Even if you do not understand the complete dialogue, you can still
find the correct answer.
 If you understand a few words or ideas in the second line,
choose the answer that contains a restatement of those words or
ideas.
 If you do not understand anything at all in the second line of
the conversation, choose the answer that sounds the most different
from what you heard.
 Never choose an answer because it sounds like what you
heard in the dialogue.

7. Be prepared for the next question. You have only 12 seconds

between questions.

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EXAMPLE FOR SHORT DIALOGUE
On the recording, you will hear:
EXPLANATION:
Man That exam was just awful.
Woman Oh, it could have been You learn from the conversation that
worse the man thought the exam was very
Narrator What does the woman difficult and that the woman disagreed
mean? with the man. The best answer to the
question, “what does the woman
In your test book, you read: mean?” is D, “It wasn’t that hard.”
Therefore the correct answer is D.
A. The exam was really awful.
B. It was the worst exam she had
ever seen.
C. It couldn’t have been more
difficult.
D. It wasn’t that hard

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PART B
LISTEN TO LONG CONVERSATIONS ON THE PAPER TOEFL TEST

Two long conversations, each followed by a number of multiple choice

questions, appear in Part B of Listening Comprehension section. You will hear
the conversations and the questions on a recording. You must choose the best
answer to each multiple choice question from the four choices that are written
in your test book.
The conversations are often about some aspect of school life (how
difficult a class is, how to write a research paper, how to register for a course,
or how to get a new bank account). The conversation can also be about topics
currently in the news (recycling of new product, damage from storm or some
other type of natural phenomenon).

PROCEDURES FOR THE LONG CONVERSATIONS

BEFORE LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION
1. If you have time, preview the answers to the questions. While you
are looking at the answers, you should try to do the following strategies.
 Anticipate the topics of the conversations you will hear
 Anticipate the questions for each of the groups of answer.

WHILE LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION

2. Listen carefully to the first line of the conversation. The first line of
the conversation often contains the main idea, subject, or topic of the
conversation, and you will often be asked to answer such question.

3. As you listen to the conversation, draw conclusions about the

situation of the conversation: who is talking, where the conversation
takes place, or when it takes place. You will often be asked to make such
inferences about the conversation.

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 4. As you listen to the conversation, follow along with the answers in
your test book and try to determine the correct answers. Detail
questions are generally answered in order in the conversation, and the
answers often sound the same as what is said on the recording.

5. You should guess even if you are not sure. Never leave any answer
blank.

6. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the

questions that follow.

EXAMPLE FOR LONG CONVERSATION

On recording, you hear:

Narrator Question 1 through 4. Listen to a conversation between a
professor and a student.
Man Hello, Professor Denton. Are you free for a moment? Could I have
a word with you?
Woman Come on in, Michael. Of course I have some time. These are my
office hours, and this is the right time for you to come and ask
questions. Now, how can I help you?
Man Well, I have a quick question for you about the homework
assignment for tomorrow. I thought the assignment was to answer
the first three questions at the top of page 67 in the text, but
when I looked, there weren’t any question. I’m confused.
Woman The assignment was to answer the first three questions at the top
of page 76, not 67.
Man Oh, now I understand. I’m glad I came in to check. Thanks for
your help.
Woman No problem. See you tomorrow.

Questions:
1. On the recording, you hear:

Narrator: who is the man?

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In your test book, you read:
(A) A professor
(B) An office worker
(C) Professor Denton’s assistant
(D) A student

2. On the recording, you hear:

Narrator: When does the man come to see professor Denton?

In your test book, you read:

(A) During regular class hours
(B) Just before class time
(C) As soon as class is finished
(D) During office hours

3. On recording, you hear:

Narrator: why does the man come to see Professor Denton?

In your test book, you read:

(A) To turn in an assignment
(B) To ask a question
(C) To pick up a completed test
(D) To explain why he did not attend the class

4. On recording, you hear:

Narrator: what incorrect information did the man have?

In your test book, you read:

(A) The date the assignment was due
(B) The page number of the assignment
(C) The length of the assignment
(D) The numbers of the assignment questions

Explanation:

1. The first question asks you to determine who the man is. Since the man
opens the conversation with Professor Denton and he asks about the page
number of an assignment for tomorrow, he is probably a student. The best
answer to this question is D.

2. The second question asks about when the man comes to see the
professor. The professor says that These are my office hours, so the best
answer to this question is D.

3. The third question asks why the man comes to see the professor. Since
the man says I have a quick question for you, the best answer to this
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 question is B.

4. The last question asks what incorrect information the man had. The
man thought that the assignment was on page 67 and not on page 76, so
he was mistaken about the page number of the assignment. The best
answer to this question is B.

PART C
LISTEN TO LONG TALKS ON THE PAPER TOEFL TEST

Three talks, each followed by a number of multiple choice questions, appear in

Part C of Listening Comprehension section. You will hear the talks and the
questions on a recording. You must choose the best answer to each multiple
choice question from the four choices that are written in your test book.
Like the conversations in part B, the talks are often about some aspect
of school life (how difficult a class is, how to write a research paper, how to
register for a course, or how to get a new bank account). The conversation can
also be about topics currently in the news (recycling of new product, damage
from storm or some other type of natural phenomenon). It is also very common
for the talks to be shortened versions of lectures from courses taught in
American colleges and universities.
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PROCEDURES FOR THE LONG TALKS
BEFORE LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION
1. If you have time, preview the answers to the questions. While you
are looking at the answers, you should try to do the following strategies.
 Anticipate the topics of the conversations you will hear
 Anticipate the questions for each of the groups of answer.

WHILE LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION

2. Listen carefully to the first line of the conversation. The first line of
the conversation often contains the main idea, subject, or topic of the
conversation, and you will often be asked to answer such question.

3. As you listen to the conversation, draw conclusions about the

situation of the conversation: who is talking, where the conversation
takes place, or when it takes place. You will often be asked to make such
inferences about the conversation.

4. As you listen to the conversation, follow along with the answers in

your test book and try to determine the correct answers. Detail
questions are generally answered in order in the conversation, and the
answers often sound the same as what is said on the recording.

5. You should guess even if you are not sure. Never leave any answer
blank.

6. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the

questions that follow.

EXAMPLE FOR LONG TALK

On recording, you hear
Narrator Question 1 through 4. Listen to a talk about the settlement of
America
Woman The settling of the vast farmlands in central North America was
delayed at least partly because of an error by one man. In the
early nineteenth century. Lieutenant Zebulon Pike of the U.S.
Army was sent out to explore and chart the huge expanse of land

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 in the center of continent. When he returned from his
explorations, he wrote a report in which he erroneously stated
that the vast plains in the central part of the continent were
desertlike, comparable to the Sahara in Africa. In reality,
however, these vast plains contained some of the most fertile
farmland in the world. Because of Pike’s mistake, the maps of
the day depicted the central part of what is today the United
States as a vast desert rather than the excellent and available
Question farmland that it was. This mistaken belief about the nature of
s: those lands caused settlers to avoid the central plains for years.

Narrator
On recording, you hear:
What is the topic of this talk?

In your test book you read:

(A) Zebulon Pike’s career
(B) Mistake that influenced the settlement of America
(C) A report for the army
(D) The farmlands
Narrator
On recording you hear
How did Pike describe the area that be explored?

In your test book, you read:

(A) As a desert
(B) As usable for army purpose
(C) As located in the Sahara
(D) As available for farmland

Narrator On recording you hear

What was this area really like?

In your test book, you read:

(A) It was a vast desert.
(B) It was covered with the farm.
(C) It was excellent farmland
(D) It was similar to the Sahara

Narrator On recording you hear

This talk would probably be given in which of the following
courses?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Agricultural science
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 (B) American History
(C) Geology of the United Stated
(D) Military science

EXPLANATIONS:

1. The first question asks about the topic of the talk. The topic of the talk
is found in the first sentence of the talk. The settling of the vast
farmlands in central North America was delayed at least partly
because of an error by one man. The best answer to this question is B.

2. The second question is a detail question that asks how Pike described
this area. It is stated in the talk that Pike wrote a report in which he
erroneously stated that the vast plains in the central part of the
continent were desertlike, comparable to the Sahara in Africa. The
best answer to this question is A.

3. The third question is an additional detail question that asks what the
area was really like. because the talk indicates that in reality, however,
these vast plains contained some of the most fertile farmland in the
world, the best answer to this question is C

4. The forth question is an inference question. It asks in which the course

this lecture probably be given. The word probably indicates to you that
the question is not answered directly in the talk. You must draw a
conclusion from the information in the talk to answer the question.
Because this talk refers to the early nineteenth century and discusses
the settling of the vast farmlands in central North America, it would
probably be given in an American History course. Therefore the best
answer is B.

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LESSON 1
RESTATEMENTS (PENULISAN ULANG/ SINONIM)
Restatements adalah penulisan ulang (ditulis ulang) apa yang dimaksud
oleh si pembicara. Biasanya jawaban untuk restatements ini bisa kita temukan
berdasarkan pada apa yang diucapkan oleh si pembicara ke 2. Jadi apa yang
diucapkan oleh si pembicara ke 2 tersebut ditulis ulang (restated) dengan
menggunakan kata-kata lain (sinonim) dari kata yang diucapkan tadi.

TRICKS TO THIS LESSON

1) JANGAN GUGUP.
2) Baca pilihan jawaban terlebih dahulu, kemudian fokus pada baris
ke 2 percakapan. Usahakan kecepatan mata dan pendengaran supaya
konsentrasi dengan maksimal.
3) Baris ke 2 dari percakapan mengandung jawaban yang benar,
maka diharapkan kepada peserta TOEFL supaya FOKUS pada BARIS KE
2 dari percakapan.
4) Ulangi percakapan yang tadi didengar dengan memperhatikan
jawaban yang ada dalam buku tes.
5) Pilih jawaban yang mengarah (sinonim) dari percakapan di baris
ke 2 tadi.
6) Hindari/ Jangan memilih jawaban yang memiliki bunyi yang sama
(hampir sama) dari percakapan tadi. Misala dalam percakapan ada
disebutkan kata department, hindari pilihan jawaban dengan akhiran –
ment atau kata department itu sendiri.

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LESSON 2
WHO, WHAT AND WHERE
Pada Lesson 2 ini peserta TOEFL diminta untuk membuat kesimpulan
dari apa yang diucapkan oleh pembicara. Disini juga peserta TOEFL hanya
FOKUS pada pembicara ke 2. Pertanyaan pada Lesson 2 ini berkaitan dengan;
(WHO)Siapakah si pembicara tersebut? , (WHAT) Apa yang akan si pembicara
ke 2 tersebut lakukan selanjutnya?, dan (WHERE) Dimanakah tempat
pembicaraan/ dialog tersebut berlangsung?

TRICKS TO THIS LESSON

1) JANGAN GUGUP.
2) Baca pilihan jawaban terlebih dahulu, kemudian fokus pada baris
ke 2 percakapan. Usahakan kecepatan mata dan pendengaran supaya
konsentrasi dengan maksimal.
3) Baris ke 2 dari percakapan mengandung jawaban yang benar,
maka diharapkan kepada peserta TOEFL supaya FOKUS pada BARIS KE
2 dari percakapan.
4) Kata kunci (clues) diucapkan oleh pembicara ke 2. Perhatikan apa
yang diucapkan oleh pembicara ke 2, kemudian simpulkan dan pilih
jawaban yang benar.
5) Bentuk pertanyaan dari Lesson 2 ini biasanya seperti;
 Who is probably talking?
 What will she/ he probably do next?
 Where does the dialogue probably take place?

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LESSON 3
WHO AND WHAT IN PASSIVE
Dalam Lesson 3 ini peserta TOEFL diminta untuk mampu menganalisa
kalimat aktif dan kalimat pasif yang diucapkan oleh pembicara ke 2. Harus
mampu mengamati percakapan mengenai siapa dan apa yang sedang
melakukan tindakan (action).

TRICKS TO THIS LESSON

1) JANGAN GUGUP.
2) Baca pilihan jawaban terlebih dahulu, kemudian fokus pada baris
ke 2 percakapan. Usahakan kecepatan mata dan pendengaran supaya
konsentrasi dengan maksimal.
3) Baris ke 2 dari percakapan mengandung jawaban yang benar,
maka diharapkan kepada peserta TOEFL supaya FOKUS pada BARIS KE
2 dari percakapan.
4) Jika dialog atau percakapan mengandung pernyataan pasif,
jawaban dari pertanyaan tersebut biasanya sering dalam kalimat aktif.
5) Jika dialog atau percakapan mengandung pernyataan aktif,
jawaban dari pertanyaan tersebut biasanya sering dalam kalimat pasiff.

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LESSON 4
NEGATIVE EXPRESSION
Pada bagian NEGATIVES, peserta TOEFL diminta untuk mendengar
dengan seksama percakapan atau dialog. FOKUS pada pembicara ke 2.
Jawaban yang tepat dari Dialogue Negative Expression ini adalah pernyataan
positif dan mengandung makna bertentangan dengan apa yang diucapkan oleh
si pembicara ke 2 dalam dialog.

TRICKS TO THIS LESSON

1) Pahami bentuk Negative dalam bahasa Inggris.
TYPES OF NEGATIVE EXPRESSION
EXPRESSION EXAMPLE CORRECT ANSWER
Regular Negative : not Tom is not sad about the not sad = happy
or n’t results. not pass = fails
Kim does not pass the
exam.
Other negatives: Nobody arrived on time. nobody…on time =
nobody, none (no one), Sally never works hard. late
nothing, never never works hard =
lazy
Negative Prefixes: un-, The patient was insane. insance = not sane =
in-, dis-, The result is unexpected. crazy
unexpected = not
expected =
disappointed

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 2) JANGAN GUGUP.
3) Baca pilihan jawaban terlebih dahulu, kemudian fokus pada baris
ke 2 percakapan. Usahakan kecepatan mata dan pendengaran supaya
konsentrasi dengan maksimal.
4) Fokus pada pembicara ke 2, kemudian dengar dengan seksama
apa yang diucapkannya, jika pernyataan pembicara ke 2 adalah kalimat
positif, jawaban dari pertanyaan adalah kalimat negative, dan
sebaliknya.

LESSON 5
AGREEMENT
Pada bagian ini, peserta TOEFL diminta untuk mencermati kalimat
yang diucapkan oleh pembicara ke 2. Agreement dalam bahasa Inggris ada 2
pola; positif dan negatif jadi peserta TOEFL diharapkan bisa memahami/
terbiasa dengan kedua pola Agreement tersebut.

TRICKS TO THIS LESSON

1) Memahami pola Agreements
EXPRESSIONS OF AGREEMENT EXAMPLES
POSITIVE 1. So do I 1. A: I love this book. (kal.
AGREEMENT 2. I do too/ Me, too normal)
(pernyataan dalam 3. You can say that
kalimat positif) again! B: So do I/ I do too/ Me, too/

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 4. I’ll say! You can say that again!/ I’ll
5. Isn’t it! or Aren’t say!/Isn’t it!
they!
1. Neither do I 1. A: I do not love this book.
NEGATIVE 2. I don’t either (kal. negatif)
AGREEMENT
(pernyataan dalam
B: Neither do I or I don’t
kalimat negatif)
either

2) JANGAN GUGIUP
3) Baca pilihan jawaban terlebih dahulu, kemudian fokus pada baris
ke 2 percakapan. Usahakan kecepatan mata dan pendengaran supaya
konsentrasi dengan maksimal.
4) Positive agreement berlaku jika pernyataan/ kalimat yang
dinyatakan oleh si pembicara 1 dalam bentuk kalimat positif (kalimat
biasa/ normal).
5) Negative agreement berlaku pernyataan/ kalimat yang dinyatakan
oleh si pembicara 1 dalam bentuk kalimat negatif (kalimat yang
menggunakan NOT (-))
6) Perhatikan respon/ jawaban yang dijawab oleh pembicara ke 2,
kemudian ambil kesimpulan dari pernyataan tersebut dan pilih jawaban
pada pilihan jawaban.

LESSON 6
SUGGESTIONS
Pada Lesson 6, peserta TOEFL harus terbiasa dengan SUGGESTION
EXPRESSIONS. Disini peserta TOEFL juga harus memperhatikan apa yang
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diucapkan oleh pembicara ke 2. Suggestion Expressions berarti ungkapan
saran; Why not…? Why … not…?, Let’s… Ungkapan yang menggunakan kata-
kata tersebut merupakan ungkapan saran atau ajakan.

TRICKS TO THIS LESSON

1) JANGAN GUGUP.
2) Baca pilihan jawaban terlebih dahulu, kemudian fokus pada baris
ke 2 percakapan. Usahakan kecepatan mata dan pendengaran supaya
konsentrasi dengan maksimal.
3) Perhatikan respon/ jawaban yang dijawab oleh pembicara ke 2
dengan seksama tentang apa yang disarankan kepada pembicara 1 tadi.
4) Ambil kesimpulan dari pernyataan pembicara ke 2 dan pilih
jawaban pada pilihan jawaban.

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