PREPARATION FOR

TEST OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

(TOEFL)

TOEFL strategies is intended for students who are preparing for the TOEFL as it is administered
in the United States or at international sites. This preparation courses will also be a valuable asset in
addressing students needs and providing realistic exercises for practice.
Furthermore, this book includes strategies and practice for all three required TOEFL sections:
LISTENING COMPREHENSION, STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION, and READING
COMPREHENSION.

CHAPTER 1. LISTENING COMPREHENSION

The topics in the Listening Comprehension section do not require special knowledge of any
specific subject. They are based on daily activities that occur in most public places, such as libraries,
school/colleges/universities, banks, offices, shops, and parks.
The three most frequent listening tasks on the TOEFL have been:
1. Understanding idiom, conversational expressions, and two- or three- words verbs
2. Discerning implied meaning, and
3. Answering questions about the specific content of a conversation or short talk.
There are three parts in the Listening Comprehension section of the test, and you are faced with
three different listening tasks:
1. Responding to one question that follows a short exchange between two speakers (part A)
2. Answering several questions about a longer conversation between two speakers (part B)
3. Answering specific questions about information contained in a short lecture, which is similar
to the task you have to perform when listening to a professor in a lecture class (part C).
PART A. SHORT DIALOGUES

Strategies
1. Focus on the Last Line
Part A includes 30 very short dialogues between two (or sometimes three) speakers. In most of
these exchanges, each speakers one time. THE MOST IMPORTANT IS USUALLY STATED BY THE
SECOND SPEAKER. For this reason, you should pay more attention to the second speakers turn than to
the first.
Example:
(Man)

: the children are being so loud today.

(Woman)

: you should have heard them yesterday!

QUESTION

: what does the woman mean?

The four possible answers for this short dialogue might be:
(A) The children werent there yesterday
(B) The children were louder yesterday than they are today
(C) The man heard the children yesterday and today

(D) The man thinks the spoken were loud yesterday

In this dialogue, you need to focus on the tone and/or the word stress used by the second
speaker. Usually, a word, phrase, or statement spoken with a falling or a rising tone has a special
meaning. In the example above, the clue is the tone the speaker uses when saying the word
YESTERDAY. This is the key word in the second statement.
The second speaker says, ...you should have heard them yesterday with a special stress on
yesterday implying that the children were even louder yesterday than they are today. Therefore (B) is
correct.
2. Choose Answer with Synonyms
Often the correct answer in a short dialogue is an answer that contains synonyms (words with
similar meanings but different sounds) for key words in the conversation.
Example:
(Woman)

: why is Barbara feeling so happy?

(man)

: she just started working in a real estate agency.

(narrator)

: what does the man say about Barbara?

In your test book, you will read:

(A) She always liked her work in real estate.
(B) She began a new job.
(C) She just bought some real estate.
(D) She bought a real estate agency.
In this dialogue, the key word started means began, and the key word working refers to job. The best
answer to this question is therefore answer (B).
3. Avoid Similar Sound
Often the incorrect answer in the short dialogue are answer that contain words with similar
sounds but very different meanings from what you hear on the recording. You should difinitely avoid
these answers.
Example:
(man)

: why couldnt Mark come with us?

(woman)

: he was searching for a new apartment.

(narrator)

: what does the woman say about Mark?

In your test book, you read:

(A) He was in the department office.
(B) He was looking for a place to live.
(C) He was working on his research project.
(D) He had an appointment at church.
The key words in the last line of the dialogue are searching and department. In answer (C) and (D), the
words research and church sound like search, so these answer are incorrect. In answer (A) and (D), the

words department and appointmen sound like apartment, so these answer are incorrect. The best answer
is therefore answer (B).
4. Listen for Emphatic Expressions of Surprise
Emphatic expression of surprise are common in the short dialogue, so you should become
familiar with them. When surprise is expressed, it implies that the speaker did not expect something to be
true.
Example:
(Woman)

: did you see Paul driving around in his Mustang?

(Man)

: Then he DID get a new car.

(narrator)

: what had the man thought?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Paul would definitely get a Mustang.
(B) Paul did not know how to drive.
(C) Paul did not like Mustangs.
(D) Paul would not get a new car.
In this dialogue the emphatic form HE DID GET is used to show the mans surprise that Paul got a new
car. In means that the man expected that Paul would not get a new car, so the best answer is answer (D).
5. Listen for Idioms
Idioms appear in some questions in the short dialogues. Idioms are special expressions in a
language that all speakers of the language know; these special expressions describe one situation in life
but are applied to many different areas of life. Idiom questions can be difficult for students because they
seem to be describing one situation when they are really describing a different situation.
Example:
(Man)

: Tom is a full-time student and is holding down a full-time job.

(Woman)

: Hes really burning the candle at both ends.

(Narrator)

: What does the woman say about Tom?

In your test book, you read:

(A) Hes lighting a candle.
(B) Hes holding the candle at the top and the bottom.
(C) Hes doing too much.
(D) Hes working as a firefighter.
In this question, the idioms burning the candle at both ends has nothing to do with candles and nothing to
do with burning or fires, it is used in a situation when someone is trying to do more than he or she really
can do, so answers (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect. The best answer is (C).
Every question in part A begins with a question word such as what, when, where, and more rarely
why, which, who, how. The question more frequently asked are:
What does the man/woman mean?
Where does this conversation take place/ occur?

 What can be said about the man/woman?

Idioms and two- and three- word verbs are often included. Because all dialogues are limited to
THE KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE DAILY IN COMMAN PLACES
(STORES, RESTAURANTS, ETC), academic vocabulary is rarely found in this part.
PART A
1. (A) We have 40 minutes to spare.
(B) We have to be there in 14 minutes.
(C) We had a hard time parking the car.
(D) The parking lot is around the corner.
2.

(A) Im wearing his shoes.

(B) He needs a new broker.
(C) I broke my shoe strap.
(D) The manager made investments.

3.

(A) She can go right in.

(B) She can arrive by herself.
(C) He can't let her in my house.
(D) He doesn't have a key for her.

4.

(A) Seventy flavors are sold regularly.

(B) Vanilla is the favorite flavor
(C) Ice cream was created in the past decade.
(D) Vanilla accounts are 70 percents accurate.

5.

(A) She should buy a new desk light.

(B) She had to think new headline.
(C) She is having trouble with her car.
(D) She should talk to the new hires.

PART B. LONG DIALOGUES

Part B consists of two types of listening selections: long dialogues between two speakers and
short lectures. Usually, you will hear two dialogues with three or four questions each. On rare, you will
hear only one listening selection, with seven or eight questions.
The topics are somewhat more academic than in part B and can include HISTORY, SCIENCE, or
UNIVERSITY ORGANISASION.
The questions will usually begin with question words: what, how, where, why, who, and whom.
For example:
What is the main topic of this conversation?
Where does this conversation take place?
What will the man/woman probably do next?
STUDY TIP 2. In part B, the questions always follow the order in which information is presented in the
long dialogue or the lecture. To answer most of the questions following the text, you need to understand
the overall meaning of what the speakers said.
PART C. LONG DIALOGUES
In part C you will hear short lectures that are usually called talks. Many of the talks often
contain information presented in UNIVERSITY SESSION FOR NEW STUDENTS, DESCRIPTIONS
OF COURSE and ATTENDANCE POLICIES, or ACADEMIC LECTURES. Talks include the material

found in radio programs or news reports. A good vocabulary is necessary for the talks in part C because
the speakers frequently use different words and phrases to express similar meaning.
In many cases, the first question that follows the listening selection is: WHAT IS THE MAIN
IDEA/TOPIC of the talk? Because the topic of a dialogue or lecture is rarely stated directly, you need to
rely on the information presented to determine the main idea.
In addition to such general question, specific inference questions may also appear?
Who is the speaker
What is the speaker occupation?
Where does this talk/lecture probably take place?
STUDY TIP 3. In this long dialogues, you need to use your knowledge of idioms, as well as your ability
to infer (figure out) meanings that are not directly stated. You need to concentrate on the numbers and
comparisons used in a dialogue.

Strategies for Part B and C

6. Anticipate the Questions
It is very helpful to your ability to answer individual questions with the long conversations if you
can anticipate what the questions will be and listen specifically for the answer to those question.
Example:
(A) In the airport
(B) In the library
(C) In the dormitory
(D) In the travel agents office
You try to anticipate the question:
Where does the conversation probably take place?
7. Determine the Topic
As you 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:
(Man)

: you cant believe what I just got!

(Woman)

: I bet you got that new car youve always wanted.

(Man)

: Now, how in the world did you figure that out?

You think:
The topic of the conversation is the new car that the man just got.
8. Draw Conclusions about Who, What, When, Where
As you listen to each long conversation, you should be trying to set the situation in your mind.
You should be thinking the following thoughts:

Who is talking

When does the conversation probably take place?

Where does the conversation probably take place?

What is the source of information for the conversation?

Example:
(Man)

: why do you have so many books?

(Woman)

: I need them for my paper on George Washington. Do you know how I can check them
out?

(Man)

: yes, you should go downstairs to the circulation desk and fill out a card for each book.

You think:
Who is probably talking?

(two studenys)

Where are they?

(In the library)

What course are they discussing?

(American History)

Example:
(Woman)

: the next stop on our tour of Atlanta will be the original home of Coca-Cola, at 107
Marietta Street. Coca-Cola was manufactured at this location until early in September
of 1888.

You think:
Who is probably talking?

(a tour guide)

Where are they?

(in Atlanta)

When does the talk take place?

(in the middle of a tour)

9. Listen for Answers in Order

There are two possible methods to use while you listen to the talks.

You can just listen to the talk (and ignore the answer).

You can follow along with the answer while you listen.

Example:
(woman)

: The Great Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871, and according to legend began
when a cow knocked over a lentern in Mrs. OLearys barn. No matter how it began, it
was a disastrous fire. The preceding summer had been exceedingly dry in the Chicago
area, and the extreme dryness accompanied by Chicagos infamous winds created an
inferno that destroyed 18,000 buildings and killed more than 300 people before it was
extinguished the following day.

You will hear:

(narrator):
1. According to legend, where did the Great Chicago Fire begin?
2. Which of the following is not true about the Great Chicago Fire?
In your test book, you read (same time):
1. (A) In barn
(B) In Mrs. OLearys home

(C) In a cow pasture

(D) In a lantern factory
2. (A) The dry weather prior to the fire made it worse.
(B) it happened during the summer.
(C) Chicagos winds made it worse.
(D) it killed many people.
PART B
6. (A) At a county fair
(B) In the woods
(C) On a sidewalk
(D) On a playground
7.

(A) In the evening

(B) In the morning
(C) In the fall
(D) In the spring

8.

(A) They shed their leaves in the fall.

(B) There are fewer daylight hours.
(C) Young trees require a blanket.
(D) Red and yellow are prettier than green.

9.

(A) She doesn't care about his explanation

(B) She doesn't understand scientific fact
(C) She doesnt the man
(D) She doesn't like autumn

CHAPTER 2. STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Section 2 of the TOEFL, structure and written expression, contains 40 sentences with multiplechoice responses. In part A you need to find the word or phrase that correctly complates the sentence. In
part B, you need to identify which one of the underlined words or phrases is incorrect in the sentence.
One of the most important differences between part A dan B is that in part a you must choose what is
correct, and in part B you must choose what is wrong.
The structures most frequently tested on the TOEFL have been:
1. The form and the function of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
2. Parallel structure
3. Subordinate clauses, adjective, adverb, noun clauses, and
4. Subject and verb presence and agreement.
Other frequently tested areas include:
5. The active and passive voice,
6. Gerunds and infinitives
7. Prepositions, repeated meaning, verb tenses, and complete clauses.
NOUNS AND NOUN PHRASES
In 1848, Elizabeth Stanton organized the first------right convention in the united states.
a. Woman
b. Women
c. Womens
d. Womans

The answer is (C). The plura; possessive noun womens indicates right that belong to women.
VERB and VERB PHRASES
In some religions, people fasts for a period of mourning.
A
B
C
D
The answer is (B), because people is a plural noun, the verb fast should reflect the plural subject.
ADJECTIVE and ADJECTIVE PHRASES
Sweetly smelling perfumes are added to soap to make it appealing.
A
B
C
D
The answer is (A). The adjective smelling requires an adjective, sweet, to describe it, not an adverb.
ADVERB AND ADVERB PHRASES
Art critics and historians alike claim that Van Goghs art----from that of his contemporaries.
a. Is aconsiderable difference
b. Is considerably different
c. The difference is considerable
d. Was considerably and differently
The answer is (B). In the sentence, the preposition from is a part of the adjective-and-preposition structure
different from.
PARALLEL STRUCTURE
Before any food is canned, t is thoroughly----or sliced.
a. Clean cut
b. Cleaned and cut
c. Clean and cut
d. Cleaned or cut
The answer is (B). Only (B) and (D) are possible in this sentence because these choices contain
passive verbs, cleaned and cut and cleaned or cut, parallel to sliced. A structure containing two
conjunction, ---or ---or, as in (D) is not used in most parallel structure.
EXERCISE
PART A
1. Still other hurdles remain before... suitable for private cars.
(A) Fuel cells
(B) Become
(C) Fuel cells become
(D) That fuel cells become
2. Patty Berg, the top tournament winner in womens golf,...eighty-three golf tournament from 1935
through 1964.
(A) She won
(B)Winning
(C)Won
(D) Who won
3. Among the most revealing aspects of mining towns... their paucity of public open space.
(A) Was
(B)Were
(C)It was
(D) So
4. Presidentials ... held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
(A) Electing
(B)Elections are
(C)Differrences have

(D) Differences
5. Those who favor the new law say that the present law does not set spending limits on lobbyists
gifts to politicians, nor .... statewide funds.
(A) It limits
(B)Limits it
(C)Does it limit
(D) Does it
PART B
6. Other interesting aspect of tachistopic training in recent years has been the newfound use by
A
B
professional teams.

7. Pittsburgh has reduced its smog by requiring more complete oxidation of fuel in cars, and others
A
B
cities can do the same thing.
D
8. Alike all other mammals, dolphins have lungs.

A B C
D
9. Because the plan that was made yesterday is no longer feasible, the manager had to choose
A
B
C
another alternatives.
D
10. One another surprising method of forest conservation is controlled cutting of trees.
A

11. The author Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald is better know as F. Scott Fitzgerald.
A

C D

12. The development of permanent teeth, alike that of deciduous teeth, begins before birth.
A

13. Color blindness may exist at birth or may occur later in life as a result for disease or injury.
A

14. The occurrence edema indicates the presence of a serious illness.

A

15. Plants that sprout, grow, bloom, produce seeds, and die within one year are clasiffied for annuals.
A

CHAPTER 3. READING COMPREHENSION

The topics of reading passages are usually academic, typical of those you will find in
text-books for introductory courses in a university. Most frequently, the passages come from
texts on biology, chemistry, geography, physics, American history, biography, economics, social

sciences, and the arts. Some questions will ask you to find main idea, stated detail, unstated details,
implied detail, vocabulary in context, and where questions.
MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
The Main Idea Question can be identified from the following type of questions :
1.

What is the topic of the passage ?

2.

What is the subject of the passage ?

3.

What is the main idea of the passage ?

4.

What is the authors main point in the passage ?

5.

What is the author primarily concerned ?

6.

Which of the following would be the best title ?

The answer to this type of question can generally be determined by looking at the first sentence of each
paragraph.
To answer the question you must follow these steps :
1.

Read the first line of each paragraph.

2.

Look for a common theme or idea in the first line.

3.

Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to check that you have rally found the topic
sentence(s).

4.

Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.

STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS

The Stated Detail Question can be identified from the following type of questions :
1.

According to the passage

2.

It is stated in the passage

3.

The passage indicates that

4.

Which of the following is true ?

The answers to this type of question are found in order in the passage.
To answer the question you must follow these steps :
1.

Choose a key word in the question.

2.

Skim in the appropriate part of the passage for the key word or idea.

3.

Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.

4.

Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best answer from the remaining choices.

FIND UNSTATED DETAILS QUESTIONS

The Find Unstated Detail Question can be identified from the following type of questions :
1.

Which of the following is not stated ?

2.

Which of the following is not mentioned ?

3.

Which of the following is not discussed ?

4.

All of the following are true except ?

The answers to this type of question are found in order in the passage.
To answer the question you must follow these steps :
1.

Choose a key word in the question.

2.

Scan the appropriate place in the passage for the key word (or related idea).

3.

Read the sentence that contains the key word or idea carefully.

4.

Look for answers that are definitely true according to the passage. Eliminate those answers.

5.

Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed in the passage.

IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS

Implied detail question can be identified from the following type of questions :
1.

It is implied in the passage that

2.

It can be inferred from the passage that

3.

It is most likely that

4.

What probably happened ?

The answer to this type of question can generally be determined by looking at the first sentence of each
paragraph.
To answer the question you must follow these steps :
1.

Choose a key word in the question.

2.

Scan the appropriate place in the passage for the key word (or related idea).

3.

Carefully read the sentence that contains the key word.

Look for an answer that could be true, according to that sentence.

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT QUESTIONS

The Vocabulary In Context Question can be identified from the following type of questions :
1.

What is the meaning of X in line Y ?

2.

The word X in Y could best be replaced by

Information to help you understand the meaning of a vocabulary word can often be found in the context
surrounding the word.
To answer the question you must follow these steps :
1.

Find the word in the passage.

2.

Read the sentence that contains the word carefully.

3.

Look for context clues to help you understand the meaning.

4.

Choose the answer that the context indicates.

WHERE QUESTIONS
The Where Question can be identified from the following type of question :
Where in the passage
The answer to this type of question can be in any of the lines listed in the answers to the question.
To answer the question you must follow these steps :
1.

Choose a key word or idea in the question.

2.

Skim the appropriate part(s) of the passage looking for the key word or idea.

3.

Choose the answer that contains the key word or idea.

EXERCISE

READING 1
Line (1)
Both in what is now the eastern and the southwestern United States, the peoples of the
Archaic era (8,000-1,000 B.C) were, in a way, already adapted to beginnings of cultivation
through their intensive gathering and processing of wild plant foods. In both areas, there was a
well-established ground stone tool technology, a method of pounding and grinding nuts and other
(5)
plant foods, that could be adapted to newly cultivated foods. By the end of the Archaic era,
people in eastern North America had domesticated certain native plants, including sunflowers;
weeds called goosefoot, sumpweed, or marsh elder; and squash or gourds of some kind. These
provided seeds that were important sources of carbohydrates and fat in the diet.
The earliest cultivation seems to have taken place along the river valleys of the Midwest and
(10)
the Southeast, with experimentation beginning as early as 7,000 years ago and domestication
beginning 4,000 to 2,000 years ago. Although the term Neolithic is not used in North American
prehistory, these were the first steps toward the same major subsistence changes that took place
during the Neolithic (8,000-2,000 B.C.) period elsewhere in the world.
Archaeologists debate the reasons for beginning cultivation in the eastern part of the
(15)
continent. Although population and sedentary living were increasing at the time, there is little
evidence that people lacked adequate wild food resources; the newly domesticated foods
supplemented a continuing mixed subsistence of hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants,
Increasing predictability of food supplies may have been a motive. It has been suggested that
some early cultivation was for medicinal and ceremonial plants rather than for food. One
(20)
archaeologist has pointed out that the early domesticated plants were all weedy species that do
well in open, disturbed habitats, the kind that would form around human settlements where
people cut down trees, trample the ground, deposit trash, and dig holes. It has been suggested that
sunflower, sumpweed, and other plants almost domesticated themselves, that is, they thrived in
human disturbed habitats, so humans intensively collected them and began to control their
distribution. Women in the Archaic communities were probably the main experimenters with
(25) cultivation, because ethnoarchaeological evidence tells us that women were the main collectors of
plant food and had detailed knowledge of plants.
1. The passage mainly discusses which of the
following aspects of the life of Archaic
peoples?
(A) The principal sources of food that
made up their diet
(B) Their development of ground stone
tool technology
(C) Their development of agriculture
(D) Their distribution of work between
men and women
2. The word these in line 12 refers to
(A) seeds
(B) river valleys
(C) the Midwest and the Southeast
(D) experimentation and domestication
3. According to the passage, when did the
domestication of plants begin in North
America?

(A) 7,000 years ago

(B) 4,000 to 2,000 years ago
(C) Long after the Neolithic period
(D) Before the Archaic period
4. The word adequate in line 16 is closest
in meaning to
(A) sufficient
(B) healthful
(C) varied
(D) dependable
5. According to the passage, which of the
following was a possible motive for the
cultivation of plants in eastern North
America?
(A) Lack of enough wild food sources
(B) The need to keep trees from growing
close to settlements

(C) Provision of work for an increasing

population
(D) Desire for the consistent availability
of food
6. The phrase rather than in line 19 is
closest in meaning to
(A) in addition to
(B) instead of
(C) as a replacement
(D) such as
7. The plant sump weed is mentioned in
line 22 in order to
(A) contrast a plant with high nutritional
value with one with little nutritional
value
(B) explain the medicinal use of a plant
(C) clarify which plants grew better in
places where trees were not cut down
(D) provide an example of a plant that was
easy to domesticate
8. The word thrived in line 23 is closest in
meaning to

(A) stayed
(B) originated
(C) grew well
(D) died out
9. According to the passage, which of the
following is true about all early
domesticated plants?
(A) They were varieties of weeds.
(B) They were moved from disturbed
areas.
(C) They succeeded in areas with many
trees.
(D) They failed to grow in trampled or
damaged areas.
10. According to the passage, it is thought that
most of the people who began cultivating
plants were
(A) medical workers
(B) leaders of ceremonies
(C) women
(D) hunters

ANSWER KEY (FOR STUDENTS)

1. Listening
Part A.
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. C

2. Structure
1. C
2. C
3. A
4. B
5. C
6. A
7. C
8. A
9. D
10. A

3. Reading
1. C
2. D
3. B
4. A
5. D
6 .B
7. D
8. C
9. A
10. C

Part B.
6. B
7. C
8. B
9. A

11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

C
A
D
A
D