Identifying the correct sound, Recognizing questions and statements
7. 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 intu¬ition. Test your intuition while working through the mini-tests in this book by marking items that you answered intuitively. If your intuition is usually correct, trust it when you take the TOEFL test.
Sometimes students answer intuitively and then change their answers. Check yourself while working through the mini-tests in this book. Do you frequently change right answers to wrong ones, or are your changes usually correct? If your first answer is usually the correct one, don’t change your answers on the
TOEFL test.
Remember that wrong answers will not count against you. If you don’t know an answer and have no feeling about which of the four choices may be correct, use a guess letter. A guess letter is one letter (А, В, C, or D) that you can use to answer all items you don’t know. You are more likely to get some correct answers if you use one letter consistently than if you use all letters randomly.
8. 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.
PRACTICE WITH SOUNDS
Many items are difficult because of sound or word confusion. Use Listening Exercises L1-L7 to develop the following skills:
1. Understanding words that sound similar
2. Understanding intonation
3. Understanding words that sound the same as other words but have different meanings
4. Understanding the correct meaning of words that have several different meanings
Exercise LI Identifying the correct sound
Read the following pairs of sentences. Then listen to the spoken sentence. Circle the letter of the sentence with the same meaning as the sentence you heard.
Example You will hear: I saw the pear.
В START
1. (A) Did you see the boat?
(B) Did you see the animal?
2. (A) He gave me something to ring.
(B) He gave me something to pay.
3. (A) I didn’t have any idea.
(В) I didn’t have any paste.
4. (A) The army officer was sitting at his desk.
(B) The city official was sitting at his desk.
5. (A) Where did she put the object to cook in?
(B) Where did she put the object to write with?
Answers to Exercise LI
Exercise LI (p. 31, script on p. 508)
1. В (ship/sheep) 4. В(major/mayor)
2. A (bell/bill) 5. В(pan/pen)
3. A (clue/glue)
L 2. Recognizing questions and statements
Sometimes intonation determines the meaning of a sentence. Listen to the spoken sentence. Write “Q” if you heard a question and “S” if you heard a statement.
Example You will hear: What a good book!
You will write: 5
You should write “S” because the sentence is a statement and not a question.
В START
1.--- 5.---
2.--- 6.---
3.--- 7.---
4.--- 8.---
Answers to Exercise L2
1.Q 3.Q 5.S 7.S
2.S 4.S 6.Q 8.S
L 3. Identifying words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings
Practice with statements
The following pairs of words are pronounced the same but have different meanings. Listen to the spoken sentence and circle the word you heard in the sentence.
Example You will hear: Put the book here.
You will read: (here) hear
You should circle “here” because the word you heard refers to location.
В START
1. right write 4. hour our
2. feet feat 5. heir air
3. weight wait
Keys:Exercise L3
1. right 4. hour
2. feat 5. heir
3. wait
PAUSE
Practice with conversations
The following pairs of words are pronounced the same but have different meanings. Listen to the spoken conversation and circle the word you heard in the conversation.
Example You will hear: (man) Where shall I put this vase?
(woman) Right here on the table.
You will read: (here) hear
You should circle “here” because the conversation refers to location.
В START
6. dye - die
7. breaks - brakes
8. won - one
9. lone - loan
10. hole - whole
Answers to Exercise L3 6. dye 7. brakes 8. won 9. loan 10. hole
L 4. identifying the meaning of the word in the conversation
In your book are the definitions of two words that are pronounced the same but spelled differently. Listen to the word, followed by a short conversation. Circle the letter of the definition of the word as it’s used in the conversation you heard.
Example You will hear: tow
(man) My car broke down on Grand Avenue during rush hour.
(woman) / bet it was expensive to get a tow.
You will read:(?A}) pull
(B) appendage of the foot
You should circle (A) because “pull” is the definition of “tow” used in the conversation. (A “toe” is an appendage of the foot.)
В START
1. (A) encounter
(B) animal flesh
2. (A) exchange of goods for money
(B) sheet of canvas used to catch the wind
3. (A) people who work on a ship or plane
(B) trip on a ship
4. (A) seven days
(B) fatigued
5. (A) letters
(B) man
Answers to Exercise L4 Exercise L4
1. A (meet, not meat) 4. В (weak, not week)
2. В (sail, not sale) 5. A (mail, not male)
3. В (cruise, not crews).
L 5. Identifying which meaning is correct
Practice with statements
Read the following list of words and the four possible meanings for each. Listen to the spoken sentence and circle the letter of the meaning that is used in the sentence you heard.
Example You will hear: He runs a small business.
You will read: runs
(A) meets
(B) moves quickly (?C|) operates
(D) elapses
You should circle (C) because “runs” means “operates” in the spoken sentence.
START
1. simple
(A) easy
(B) plain
(C) innocent
(D) feebleminded
2. board
(A) piece of wood
(B) get on a transportation vehicle
(C) meals supplied on a regular basis
(D) group of people controlling a business
3. kid
(A) baby goat
(B) young child
(C) tease
(D) leather
4. beat
(A) route
(B) rhythm
(C) hit
(D) defeat
5. common
(A) ordinary
(B) ill-bred
(C) general
(D) shared
PAUSE
Practice with conversations
Read the following list of words and the four possible definitions for each. Listen to the spoken conversation and circle the letter of the meaning that is used in the conversation.
Example You will hear: (man) How often do you go skiing?
(woman) About three times a month.
You will read: times
((A)) occasions
(B) multiply
(C) durations
(D) tempos
You should circle (A) because “times” in the conversation means “occasions.”
В START
6. degree
(A) step
(B) academic qualification
(C) angle
(D) level of heat
7. major
(A) army officer
(B) musical scale
(C) more important
(D) a university student’s specialization
8. spring
(A) time of year
(B) stream
(C) leap
(D) coil
9. volume
(A) loudness
(B) large mass
(C) amount of space
(D) one of a set of books
10. sound
(A) noise
(B) healthy
(C) dependable
(D) body of water
Extended practice: Make your own sentences using each of the meanings for these ten words.
Answers to Exercise L5
1. A 3. С 5. D 7. D 9. A
2. С 4. A 6. В 8. D 10. С
Used material: Cambridge Preporation for the TOEFL Test, Second Edition 1996, Jolene Gear, Robert Gear, Cambridge University Press.