Conversations are between two ore more people. They are often between a student and an employee or professor of the school.
Office hours are conversations in a professor’s office between the professor and student. They could be about a range of topics, but usually the student is asking for advice or permission from the professor. An example could be a student asking for help finding research materials for a major project.
Service encounters are conversations between a student and an administrative employee, like a librarian or administrator.
The conversation portion asks you questions similar to the rest of the TOEFL listening section:
- Comprehension
- Pragmatic Understanding
- Connecting Information
Comprehension Questions
Content questions check if you understand the main idea in the conversation. Here are some common examples:
- What is the woman’s problem?
- What are the speaker’s discussing?
Purpose questions check if you understand the reason someone says or does something. They could look like these:
- Why does the student visit the professor?
- Why does the student visit the computer lab?
Detail questions check if you understand key details of the conversation. Here are some examples:
- When will the student submit the assignment?
- Why does the student want to drop the class?
Numbers and dates are common in detail questions.
Pragmatic Understanding Questions
Function questions check if you understand the purpose of what someone says. These question types will replay part of the conversation. They could look like these:
- What does the professor imply when she says _______?
- What can be inferred from the student’s response?
The function of what is said is not identical to the words. You must make inferences or discover implied meanings.
Attitude questions check if you understand how people feel about a topic. Sometimes these questions will replay part of the conversation. They could look like these examples:
- How does the student feel about _____?
- What is the professor’s opinion of ______?
Connecting Information Questions
Organization questions check if you understand how someone organizes information.
- How does the librarian explain the book reserve policy?
Connecting content questions check if you can see the relationship between ideas.
- How does the computer policy relate to the student’s ideas?
Inferences questions check if you can make inferences about implied information.
- What does the professor imply about the assignment?
- What will happen next?
More TOEFL Listening Lessons
Ready for more practice for the TOEFL listening section? Increase your score with these lessons:
TOEFL Listening Overview
TOEFL Listening Lectures
TOEFL Listening Conversations
TOEFL Listening Strategies