<46 USTENING

LONG CONVERSATIONS
(PAPER TOEFL@TEST) III
Part B of the Listening Comprehension section of the paper TOEFL test consists of two
long conversations, each followed by a number of questions. You will hear the conversa-
tions and the questions on a recording; they are not written in your test book. You must
choose the best answer to each question from the four choices that are written in your test
book.
The conversations are often about some aspect of school (how difficult a class is, how
to write a research paper, how to register for a course) or about general living (renting an
apartment, playing sports, going to the bank). The conversations can also be about topics
currently in the news in the United States (desalination of the water supply, recycling of
used products, damage from a storm or some other type of natural phenomenon).

Example from the Paper TOEFL ~ Test •

On the recording, you hear:

(narrator) Questions 1 through 4. Listen to a conversation between two
people who are decorating an apartment.
(woman) Hry, Walt. Do you think you could help me hang these
pictures on the wain There are onl)' two oj them.
(man) Sure, Monica. Where do you want them to go?
(woman) I'd like the picture oj the mountains over thefireplace, and
I'd like the picture oj my jamily over the soja. What do you
think?
(man) I think thry'll lookfine there. How about if you hold the
pictures while 1 hammer the nails into the wall?
(woman) Okay. Let s start with the picture oj my jamily.

Questions:
1. On the recording you hear:
(narrator) What are the man and woman discussing?
In your test book you read: (A) Taking some pictures
(B) Hanging some plants
(C) Taking a trip to the
mountains
(D) Putting some pictures on the
wall

2. On the recording you hear:

(narrator) How many pictures are there?
In your test book you read: (A) One
(B) Two
(C) Three
(D) Four
 LONG CONVERSATIONS(Paper) 47

3. On the recording you hear:

(narrator) Where is lhe picture of lhe woman's family guingr
In your test book you read: (A) In the fireplace
(B) Above the sofa
(C) Home with Walt
(D) To the top of the mountain

4. On the recording you hear:

(narrator) Whal is Wall probably guing /0 do nex/r

In your test book you read: (A) Sit on the sofa

(B) Photograph Monica's family
(C) Hammer the nails into the
wall
(D) Climb the walls

The first question asks what the man and woman are discussing. Since the woman asks the
man to help hang these pictures on the wall, the best answer to this question is answer (0),
putting some pictures on lhe wall. The second question asks how many pictures there are, and
the woman clearly says that there are two, so the best answer is answer (B). The third ques-
tion asks where the family picture is going. The woman says that she would like the family
picture uuer the sofa, so the best answer to this question is answer (B), above the sofa. The last
question asks what Walt is probably going to do. Walt has suggested that he should hammer
the nails into the wall, so the best answer is answer (C).

PROCEDURES FOR THE LONG CONVERSATIONS

(PaperTOEFL~Test) M
I. If you have the time, preview the answers to the questions. While you are looking at
the answers, you should try to anticipate the questions for each of the groups of answers.
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 questions.
3. 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.
4. You should guess even if you are not sure. Never leave any answers blank.
5. Use any remaining time to look ahead at the answers to the questions that
follow.
- -----------------

<f8 USTENING

The following skills will help you to implement these strategies in the long conversations
on the paper TOEFL test.

Skill 7: THE QUESTIONS

It is very helpful to your ability to amwer individual questions accompanying the long con-
versations if you can anticipate what the questions will be and listen specifically for the
answers to those questions.

Example from the Paper TOEFL e Test l1li

In your test book, you read:
(A) On Monday
(B) Next week
(C) Tomorrow
(D) Mter class
You try to anticipate the question:
When wiLLsomething hal'Pen?

In this example, you can be quite certain that one of the questions will be about when
something will happen. Since you are sure that this is one of the questions, you can listen
carefully for clues that will give you the answer. This example shows that a helpful strategy
therefore is to look briefly at the answers in the test book, before you actually hear the con-
versations on the recording, and try to determine the questions that you will be asked to
answer.

EXERCISE 7: Study the following answers and try to determine what the questions ",;11be.
(You should note that perhaps you will only be able to predict part of a question, rather
than the complete question.) If you cannot predict the question in a short period of time,
then move on to the next group of answers. Question 1 has been answered for you.

1. Question: ~Wh~a=t~.~.~.
7'---- _
(A) What the assignment is
(B) How good the professor is
(C) The information in Chapter Six
(D) What questions they should ask the professor

2. Question: _
(A) Six pages
(B) Six chapters
(C) Sixty pages
(D) The sixth chapter
 LONG CONVERSATIONS (Paper) 49

3. Question: _
(A) Whether or not they should read the chapters
(B) Whether or not they should answer the questions
(C) Which chapters they should read
(0) When the professor gave the assignment

4. Question: _
(A) Turn in the assignment
(B) See the professor
(C) Go to class
(0) Talk to a classmate

5. Question: _
(A) A bee stung him.
(B) He saw some bees and hornets.
(C) He was stung by a hornet.
(0) He took some eggs from a nest.

6. Question: _
(A) To liberate bees
(B) To protect their nests
(C) To hatch their eggs
(0) To defend the park

7. Question: _
(A) A hornet's nest
(B) Some bee eggs
(C) A parked car
(0) A swarm of bees

8. Question: _
(A) To stay indoors
(B) To see where the hornet's nest is located
(C) Not to walk in the same location as Greg
(0) To keep away from Greg

9. Question: _
(A) The size of the campus
(B) The city bus system
(C) The length of time for each class
(0) The university bus system

10. Question: _
(A) The entire campus
(B) Part of the campus
(C) The campus and the city
(0) Only the off-campus areas
50 LISTENING

11. Question: _
(A) Nothing
(B) Three dollars
(C) A few cenlS
(D) Fifty cenlS

12. Question: _
(A) Red
(B) Green
(C) Yellow
(D) Blue

Skill 8: THETOPIC

As YOll listen to each long conversation, you should be thinking about the topic (subject)
or main idea for each conversation. Since the first one or two sentences generally give the
topic, you should be asking yourself what the topic is while you are listening carefully to the
first part of the conversation.

Example from the Paper TOEFLIZ Test [II

On the recording, you hear:
(narrator) Listen to the conversation between two students.
(man) What did you think oJthat histary exam~
(woman) That was the hardest exam I've ever seen.
(man) And it wasn't just hard! It was ~ too.
You think:
The topic oj conversation is a very lang and difJicull histary exam.

EXERCISE 8: Listen to the first part of each of the conversations, and decide on the topic
of each conversation.

n Now BEGIN THE RECORDING AT EXERCISE 8.

1. What is the topic of Conversation 1?

2. What is the topic of Conversation 2?

3. What is the topic of Conversation 3?

 LONG CONVERSATIONS (Paper) 51

Skill 9: THE ORDER OF THE ANSWERS

The am-wers to questions accompanying long conversations are generally found in order in
the conversation. This means that as you listen to the conversation, you should be thinking
about the answers to the questions in the order that they are listed in the test book.

Example from the Paper TOEFL~ Test III

On the recording you hear: In your test book, you read (same time):
(narrator) Qpestions 1 and 2. Listen to two 1. (A) He's sick.
students on a university campltS. (B) He's lost.
(man) Can YOlthelp IM~ I'm lost. (e) He's tired.
(woman) Sure. Where are YOlttrying to go ~ (D) He's broke.
(man) I have a class in StanfieUl Hall at
3:00. I thought I knew where I was 2. (A) Directlyin front of them
going, Imt I guess 1was wrong. (B) To the left
. (woman) YOltcertainly are lost. Stanfield Hall (C) Quite nearby
is on the other side of the university. (D) On the other side of campus
I'm heading in that direction. COIM
on with 1M, and I'll show you the way.
(man) Thanks. YOlt'rea lifesaver:

On the recording, you hear:

(narrator) I. What problem does the man have~
2. Where is StanfieUl Hall~

When you read the answers to the first question, you can anticipate that the first question is
about a man and some type of problem he has. As you listen, you hear the man say I'm iost.
Therefore, you can anticipate that the best answer to the first question will be answer (B).
When YOll read the answers to the second question, YOll can anticipate that the second
question is going to ask where somethiQg is. In the conversation, the woman explains that
Stanfield Hall is on the other side of the university. Therefore, as YOll are listening you can
anticipate that the correct answer to the second question is answer (0).
52 LISTENING

EXERCISE 9: Listen to each complete conversation and answer the questions that follow.

n Now BEGIN THE RECORDING AT exERCISE 9.

I. (A) What the assignment is 7. (A) A hornet's nest

(8) How good the professor is (B) Some bee eggs
(C) The information in Chapter Six (C) A parked car
(0) VI'hat questions they should ask (0) A swarm of bees
the professor
8. (A) To stay indoors
2. (A) Six pages (8) To see where the hornet's nest
(B) Six chapters is located
(C) Sixty pages (C) Not to walk in the same location
(0) The sixth chapter as Greg
3. (A) VI'hether or not they should (0) To keep away from Greg
read the chapters 9. (A) The size of the campus
(8) Whether or not they should (B) The city bus system
answer the questions (C) The length of time for each
(C) Which chapters they should class
read (0) The university bus system
(0) VI'hen the professor gave the
10. (A) The entire campus
assignment
(B) Part of the campus
4. (A) Turn in the assignment (C) The campus and the city
(8) See the professor (0) Only the off-eampus areas
(C) Go to class
(0) Talk to a classmate
II. (A) Nothing
(B) Three dollars
5. (A) A bee stung him. (C) A few cents
(8) He saw some bees and hornets. (0) Fifty cents
(C) He was stung by a hornet.
(0)
12. (A) Red
He took some eggs from a nest.
(B) Green
6. (A) To liberate bees (C) Yellow
(B) To protect their nests (0) Blue
(C) To hatch eggs
(0) To defend the park
 LONG CONVERSATIONS (P3per) 53

TOEFL EXERCISE (Skills 7-9): In this exercise, you will use all of the information that
you learned in Ski1ls7 through 9.

n Now BEGIN THE RECORDING AT TOEFL ExERCISE (SKILLS 7-9).

7. (A) 50 million tons

I. (A) Where the woman lives
(B) Where the man can find out the (B) 850 million tons
time (C) 85 million tons
(C) Where the school is located (D) 50 tons
(D) Where the man can mail 8. (A) Cut down more trees
something (B) Use less paper
2. (A) Several streets away (C) Produce more paper
(B) Just over one block away (D) Read more about the problcn.
(C) Four miles away !1. (A) The difficulty in finding some
(D) A great distance books
3. (A) For one hour (B) How far it is to the library
(B) For two hours (C) The alllount of reading they
(C) For four hours must do
(D) For five hours (D) How much they don't like the
books
4. (A) Go buy a package
(B) Go pick up his mail 10. (A) A speed reading class .
(C) Go mail a package (B) An American novels class
(D) Get into his car (C) A library skills class
(D) A class in literary criticism
5. (A) From a textbook
(B) From the television II. (A) Some novels
(C) From a magazine (B) Some short stories
(D) From a lecture (C) A textbook
(D) Some journal articles
6. (A) How trees are grown in America
(B) How paper is made from trees 12. (A) Go to the library
(C) Why paper is used so much (B) Head for class
(D) The amount of paper that (C) Return to the dorms
Americans use (D) Start reading