2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLListeningInferenceQuestions

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InsidetheTOEFLListening
InferenceQuestions

Peopleinthisvideo

Michael
Narrator
Professor

Intro

[musicplaying]

MICHAEL:
Hi,I'mMichaelfromETS.TodayonInsidetheTOEFLTest,we'regoinginside
theTOEFLiBTListeningsection.Specifically,theinferencequestions.

Onscreen:
InsidetheTOEFLTestListening
InferenceQuestions

Michael:Inferencequestionsaskthelistenertoshowanunderstandingofthe
meaningofsomethingwhenitisnotdirectlystatedinthelectureorconversation.

Onscreen:QuestionStructure
InferenceQuestionsmeaningofsomethingnotdirectlystated

Michael:Youcanrecognizeinferencequestionsbecausetheyusephraseslike
"Whataretheimplicationsof?","Whatdoestheprofessorimply?"or"What
canbeinferred?"

Onscreen:RecognizingtheQuestionType
InferenceQuestions

Whataretheimplicationsof?
Whatdoestheprofessorimply?
Whatcanbeinferred?

Michael:Let'slookatasamplequestionfromaliteraturelectureaboutdetective
novels,includingafamousonecalledTheMoonstone.
First,hereisanexcerptfromthelecture:

Onscreen:SampleQuestions
[imageofprofessorgivingalecturetostudents]
[TheMoonstoneonachalkboard]
[imageofprofessorgivingalecturetostudents]

http://www.ets.org/s/toefl/flash/34236_toefl2016l7_transcript.html 1/3
2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLListeningInferenceQuestions

PROFESSOR:
Um,soinTheMoonstone,asIsaid,uh,Collinsdidmuchtoestablishthe
conventionsofthedetectivegenre.Uh,I'mnotgonnagointotheplotatlength,
but,youknow,thebasicsetupis...um,there'sthisdiamondofgreatuh..of
greatvalue,uh,acountryhouse,uh,thediamondmysteriouslydisappearsinthe
middleofthenight,um,thelocalpolicearebroughtin,inanattempttosolvethe
crime,andtheymessitupcompletely,uh,andthenthetrueheroofthebook
arrives.That'sSergeantCuff.
Now,Cuff,thisextraordinarilyimportantcharacterum...well,letmetrytogive
youasenseofwhoSergeantCuffis,byfirstdescribingtheregularpolice.Anduh
thisisthedynamicthatyou'regoingtoseethroughoutthehistoryofthedetective
novel,um,whereyouhavetheregularcopswhoarewellmeaning,butofficious
andbumblinglyineptanduhtheyarecounteredbyafigurewho'seccentric,
analytical,brilliant,and...andabletosolvethecrime.So,uhfirsttheregular
policegetcalledintosolvethemysteryUm,inthiscase,detective,uh,
SuperintendentSeegrave.WhenSuperintendentSeegravecomesin,uhheorders
hisminionsaround,uhtheybumble,andtheyactuallymakeamessofthe
investigation,uhwhichyou'llseerepeatedum,you'llseethispatternrepeated,
particularlyintheSherlockHolmesstoriesofafewyearslaterwhere,uh,
InspectorLestrade,thiswellmeaningidiot,isalwayscountered,uh,bySherlock
Holmes,who'sagenius.

MICHAEL:
Now,let'slookatthequestion.

NARRATOR:
Whatdoestheprofessorimplywhenhesaysthis:
PROFESSOR:
Well,letmetrytogiveyouasenseofwhoSergeantCuffis,byfirstdescribing
theregularpolice.

Onscreen:
Whatdoestheprofessorimplywhenhesaysthis:

a.SergeantCuffisunliketheregularpoliceinTheMoonstone.
b.Theauthor'sdescriptionofSergeantCuffisveryrealistic.
c.SergeantCufflearnedtosolvecrimesbyobservingtheregularpolice.
d.DifferencesbetweenSergeantCuffandSherlockHolmesarehardto
describe.

MICHAEL:
Wecanseethatthisisaninferencequestionbecauseitusestheword"imply"and
asksthelistenertounderstandthemeaningofsomethingthatisnotdirectlystated
bytheprofessor.

Onscreen:
Whatdoestheprofessorimplywhenhesaysthis:

a.SergeantCuffisunliketheregularpoliceinTheMoonstone.
b.Theauthor'sdescriptionofSergeantCuffisveryrealistic.
c.SergeantCufflearnedtosolvecrimesbyobservingtheregularpolice.
d.DifferencesbetweenSergeantCuffandSherlockHolmesarehardto
describe.

Michael:Whentheprofessorsaysthis:
http://www.ets.org/s/toefl/flash/34236_toefl2016l7_transcript.html 2/3
2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLListeningInferenceQuestions

PROFESSOR:Well,letmetrytogiveyouasenseofwhoSergeantCuffis,by
firstdescribingtheregularpolice.

MICHAEL:
Heishintingthatthereisadifferencebetweenthebehavioroftheregularpolice
andthatofSergeantCuff.

Thiscontrastissupportedinotherpartsofthepassage.Forexample,thespeaker
describestheregularpoliceas"bumblinglyinept."Healsosaysitiscommonin
detectivenovelsforthemtobecounteredbyaspecificcharacter,inthiscase
SergeantCuff,whois"brilliant".

Takentogether,wecanseethatthebestanswerisA,SergeantCuffisunlikethe
regularpoliceinTheMoonstone.

Onscreen:
[greencheckmarkappearsnexttoansweroptionA]

Whatdoestheprofessorimplywhenhesaysthis:

a.SergeantCuffisunliketheregularpoliceinTheMoonstone.
b.Theauthor'sdescriptionofSergeantCuffisveryrealistic.
c.SergeantCufflearnedtosolvecrimesbyobservingtheregularpolice.
d.DifferencesbetweenSergeantCuffandSherlockHolmesarehardto
describe.

Michael:Here'satipforimprovingyourlisteningskills:
Listentorecordingsoftwospeakerswithdifferentviewpointsaboutthesame
topic.Whatwordsdothespeakersusetosupporttheirideas?Arethewords
mainlypositiveornegative?Thenlookathowtheyimplypositiveornegative
ideaswithoutsayingthemdirectly.

Onscreen:SkillBuildingTipListenforInferences

Arethewordspositiveornegative?
Howdotheyimplypositiveornegativeideas?

Michael:TherearelotsofwaystoimproveyourEnglishskills.Whateveryoudo,
keeppracticing.AndgoodluckonyourTOEFLtest.

Onscreen:FormoreinformationabouttheTOEFLtestandtoregister,visitthe
TOEFLwebsiteatwww.toeflgoanywhere.org

[END]

Totallengthofvideo:4:46

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