There are four questions in this quiz. You may take notes, and you may use your notes to help prepare your responses. Record your responses. Each response will earn a score of 1, 2, 3, or 4, with 4 the highest score. Add the four scores to obtain your total score.
Time – approximately 15 minutes
At the bottom of the page you will find the audio transcripts. At the real TOEFL iBT test, you do not have access to the transcripts. We’re including them here so you can learn from them, but you should look at them after you complete the tasks.
Question 1
In this question, you will read a short passage about a campus situation, listen to a conversation, and then speak in response to a question about what you have read and heard. After you hear the question, you have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak.
Read the following announcement from a university bulletin board.
Reading Time – 45 seconds
First, set your timer to count down from 45 seconds. Next, click here and read the text.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CONFERENCE
Students are needed to work as volunteers during the university’s 2–day conference on global warming, April 6–7. Volunteer positions are available to set up conference rooms, assist guest speakers, and work at the information booth. Volunteers are asked to work a 2–hour shift on the day before the conference or on either day during the conference. In return, volunteers receive a free conference T–shirt and admission to the reception for guest speakers on April 7. To volunteer, go to the planning meeting on March 15 or talk to Steve in the Environmental Studies office.
Now close the passage and listen to the recording. When you hear the question, begin preparing your response.
Get your timer ready!
Click to see Question 1.
The woman expresses her opinion about volunteering for the conference. State her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
Response Time: 60 seconds
Question 2
In this question, you will read a short passage about a campus situation, listen to a conversation, and then speak in response to a question about what you have read and heard. After you hear the question, you have 30 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak.
Read the following information from a textbook.
Reading Time – 45 seconds
First, set your timer to count down from 45 seconds. Next, click here and read the text.
THE CHASE FILM
The chase film was a popular form of comedy during the silent film era of the early twentieth century. In a chase film, the story was simple to tell and simple for the audience to follow. All that filmmakers needed to do was to establish some offense—a theft, an insult, or a boy’s naughty behavior—and then start a humorous chase after the offender. The chase could be extended for several minutes, through any number of scenes and situations. The fast movement of the chase provided visual excitement, often with the person being chased and the chasers all running forward, past the camera.
Now close the passage and listen to the recording. When you hear the question, begin preparing your response.
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Click to see Question 2.
Define the chase film, and explain how the examples given in the lecture illustrate the definition.
Response Time: 60 seconds
Question 3
In this question, you will listen to a conversation. You will then be asked to talk about the information in the conversation and to give your opinion about the ideas presented. After you hear the question, you have 20 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak.
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Click to see Question 3.
Briefly summarize the problem the students are discussing. Then state which solution you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
Response Time: 60 seconds
Question 4
In this question, you will listen to part of a lecture. You will then be asked to summarize important information from the lecture. After you hear the question, you have 20 seconds to prepare your response and 60 seconds to speak.
Get your timer ready!
Click to see Question 4.
Using points and examples from the lecture, explain some of the common causes of insomnia.
Response Time: 60 seconds Do not look at the transcripts until after you finish the tasks.
Transcript for Question 1
Now listen to two students as they discuss the request for volunteers.
W: What do you think? Are you going to volunteer for the conference?
M: Oh, I don’t know. It’s difficult for me to plan that far ahead. It’s over a month away.
W: I know, but this conference is going to be great. There’ll be a lot of prominent speakers from this country and all over the world, including a couple of scientists who won the Nobel Prize.
M: Really?
W: Yeah, and if we work for just two hours, we get to go to the reception and meet lots of experts on global warming. It’s a great opportunity—kind of exciting for our school, isn’t it? I mean, this conference is a really big event for us, and volunteering is a way to beapartofit.
M: That’s true. But you have to work! Isn’t it better to just attend the conference?
W: Ah, but this is one way to learn how a conference is organized. I’m really interested in knowing how to do this sort of thing since I plan to be involved in environmental issues.
M: And you want the free T–shirt. W: Right!
The woman expresses her opinion about volunteering for the conference. State her opinion and explain the reasons she gives for holding that opinion.
Transcript for Question 2
Now listen to part of a lecture in a film history class.
There were lots of variations on the chase film. One of the most popular chase films was a comedy called Personal. This movie told the story of a wealthy man who is looking for a wife, so he advertises in a personal ad in the newspaper. His ad says that he will meet any potential wives at a famous landmark on a certain day. But when he goes to the place, he finds a crowd of eager women, who then chase him through the streets. This variation was such a hit that other filmmakers quickly copied it.
Another variation was the slapstick police chase made famous by the Keystone Kops. The Keystone Kops were the kings of early silent comedy. They were seven clownish policemen who created confusion and silliness as they chased villains and bank robbers. They dashed off to the chase on foot or hung onto a speeding car. The motion of the film was fast and jerky. A lot of the stunts involved fast–moving cars, tall buildings, and of course, somebody getting a cream pie in the face. All these variations on the chase film had fast action, excitement, and comedy.
Define the chase film, and explain how the examples given in the lecture illustrate the definition.
Transcript for Question 3
Listen to a conversation between two students.
M: Are you still going to transfer to the university in the fall?
W: I want to, but I’ve got a problem. I just talked to my adviser, and it seems I still need one more course to complete my basic requirements.
M: You do?
W: Yeah. I dropped a course a while back and never made it up. My adviser says I have to make up the course this summer, or I won’t be able to transfer to the U.
M: I thought you were sailing to Hawaii this summer.
W: That’s what I was planning to do. I promised my friend I’d go on the sailboat trip, and we’ve already paid a deposit. We were looking forward to it.
M: The sailboat trip sounds great.
W: I know! I really want to go!
M: You can delay going to the university, can’t you? I mean, you don’t have to transfer in the fall. You could start there next spring, right? W: I’m not sure.
M: Oh, hmm. I don’t know. Sailing sounds great, but the university is important too. Maybe you should cancel your trip and take the course you need. You can probably get a refund for the deposit you paid on the sailboat.
W: Maybe.
M: You just have to decide what’s more important to you: going sailing or going to the university. W: Right.
M: Well, good luck with that. W: Thanks.
Briefly summarize the problem the students are discussing. Then state which solution you would recommend. Explain the reasons for your recommendation.
Transcript for Question 4
Listen to part of a lecture in a health class.
Many people experience insomnia, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. There is no single cause of insomnia, as several different factors—emotional, physical, and environmental—can interfere with sleep.
A common cause is emotional distress. This can be related to a single specific event. For example, there might be significant stress caused by a job loss or change, the death of a loved one, or moving to a different place. Insomnia caused by a single event is usually short–term, lasting from days to weeks. Long–term insomnia, on the other hand, is a recurring problem and may be caused by chronic stress, depression, or other health issues.
Insomnia can have physical causes, such as discomfort or pain due to illness or injury. Chronic back pain is a common cause. Also, what you consume can interfere with your sleep— drinking too much coffee, for example, or drinking it too late in the day. Alcohol can affect your sleep patterns. At first, alcohol might make you feel sleepy, but after its effects wear off, it may actually cause you to wake up during the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.
Finally, insomnia can be related to environmental factors such as noise, light, or extreme temperatures. Many people can’t sleep during hot, humid summer weather. Other factors that throw off your normal sleep schedule are jet lag or switching from the day shift to the night shift at work.
Using points and examples from the lecture, explain some of the common causes of insomnia.