long conversations

Part B of the Listening Comprehension section of the TOEFL test consists of two long conversations, each followed by a number of questions. You will hear the conversations 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

On the recording, you hear:

(narrator) Questions 1 through 4. Listen to a conversation between two people who are decorating an apartment.

(woman)   :  Hey, Walt. Do you think you could help me hang these pictures on  the wall? There are only

                    two of them.

(man)       :  Sure, Monica. Where do you want them to go?

(woman)  :  I’d like the picture of the mountains over the fireplace, and I’d like  the picture of my family over the sofa What do you think?

(man)      :  I think they’ll look fine there. How about if you hold the pictures  while I hammer the nails into the wall?

(woman)  :  Okay. Let’s start with the picture of my family.

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.
  
3. On the recording, you sear:

    (narrator) Where is the picture of the woman’s family going?

    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) What is Walt probably going to do next?

     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.

Analysis:

• 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 (D), putting some pictures on the 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 question asks where the family picture is going. The woman says that she would like the family picture over 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).