TOEFL Q2: Household Chores

DIRECTIONS

In this lesson, your tutor will help you go over question two from the TOEFL speaking test. Read
the question below out loud with the tutor.

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should receive money for doing
household chores. Include specific details and reasons in your response.

Preparation time: 15 seconds l Response time: 45 seconds

WARM-UP

Choose a question at random from the list below. Answer the question right away without
making notes. Try to speak for at least 10 seconds.

● What kinds of chores do you usually do? ​I usually clean my room and take out the
garbage.
● How can paying children to do chores motivate them to work harder?
● Why do you think some parents do not pay their children for doing chores?

BRAINSTORM
Use the following pointers as a guideline to refine your answer.

1. Brainstorm before you choose your position

○ Agree:
■ money is a reason to work hard
■ children do not like doing chores
○ Disagree:
■ everybody should help out
■ adults don’t get paid for doing chores
2. Choose your position
○ Agree:​ Children should get paid for doing household chores
3. Come up with 2 reasons to back up your argument
○ Children usually do not have a chance to learn the value of hard work
○ Teaches about rewards
4. ​Give a concrete example of one of the reasons
○ For instance, my parents gave me an allowance for cleaning up my room. I
learned how to organize my room and also learned the value of hard work.
5. Conclude with your argument
○ It is important to teach children about the value of hard work.

SAMPLE ANSWER

Reading great sample answers is one way to improve. Go over the sample answer with your
tutor. Ask questions if you have any.

Sample Answer

Agree​: I agree that children should receive money for doing household chores. First, giving
money to children for doing chores can encourage them to work hard. Not many children like
doing chores. Paying children gives them a reason to help out. Children can also learn about the
idea of rewards. Children learn that doing work allows them to get financial rewards. This is a
very important lesson in life, so it is important to teach children about the value of hard work.

Disagree​: To me, parents should not have to reward their children money for doing chores. First
of all, children must learn that everyone in the family needs to take responsibility for doing
 chores. They need to understand that all family members need to contribute. Paying children for
chores is giving them special treatment. Adults also do chores but do not receive any financial
reward. Therefore, children should not receive money for doing chores.

FURTHER STUDY

Got more time? Here is a list of common vocab words related to the text you studied today. Go
over each one with your tutor.

Additional Expressions

chore (n) a small job that is done

regularly

e.g. The children were each

assigned different household
chores.​

dusting (n) the act of making something

clean by brushing or wiping
away dirt and dust from the
surface

​ usting​.
e.g. The table needs d
sweeping (n) an act of cleaning an area
with a broom or brush

e.g. The porch needs a good

sweeping​.

laundry (n) clothes, towels, sheets, etc.,

that need to be washed or that
have been washed

e.g. There’s a pile of dirty

laundry​ in the laundry basket.

making bed (idiom) to restore order to the

bedclothes on one’s own bed

e.g. Jimmy, you are old enough

to ​make your own bed​.

mop (n/v) a tool for cleaning floors

that has a bundle of cloth or
yarn or a sponge attached to a
long handle; to clean (a floor)
with a mop
 e.g. The kitchen floor needs to
​ opped.​
be m

vacuuming (n) to clean (something) with a

vacuum cleaner

e.g. I ​vacuumed​ [=(Brit)

hoovered] the living room.

do someone a favor (idiom) to perform a helpful

service to someone

​ id me a favor
e.g. My neighbor d
by lending me his car.

run errands (idiom) to take a short trip to do

a specific thing; to complete an
errand

e.g. John is r​ unning some

errands.​ He’ll be back shortly.

allowance (n) chiefly US : a small amount

of money that is regularly given
to children by their parents
e.g. Each of their children gets a
weekly ​allowance​ of five dollars.