Listening: conversations at school
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| gist/dʒɪst/ | gist |
| suggestion/səˈdʒestʃn/ | suggestion |
| infer/ɪnˈfɜː/ | infer |
"Great, another test"
- A student sighs and says, "Great, another test on Friday." Does she think it is great? No.
- In conversations, how people say things matters as much as the words. TOEFL Junior asks about that too.
"Great, another test on Friday," she says with a sigh. How does she feel?
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The tone and the sigh show she does not think it is great.
The second kind of talk
- Short conversations between two students, or a student and a teacher, about school life: a project, a club, a lost card, a late essay.
- Each conversation has three or more questions. You hear it once, then read the questions in your test book.
How many questions follow each conversation in this part?
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Each conversation has three or more questions.
Which topics could appear in a TOEFL Junior conversation? Choose all that apply.
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Conversations are about school life.
You hear each conversation once, then read the questions in the test book.
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Each conversation plays once.
Gist first
- The first question is often "What are the speakers mainly discussing?" That asks for the gist 大意: the topic of the whole conversation.
- The topic is usually set in the first two or three lines. Catch it before the details start.
Listen to Nina and Omar. What are they mainly talking about?
What are Nina and Omar mainly discussing?
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The whole conversation is about finishing, printing and putting up the poster.
Where is the topic of a conversation usually set?
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Catch the gist early.
Problems, reasons and plans
- Most conversations have a problem (the printer is broken), a suggestion 建议 (ask Mr Lee) and a plan (meet at ten past four).
- Questions ask Why…? and What will the boy do next? The plan is usually near the end.
- Problem: Omar can't print the poster title because the library printer is broken.
- Suggestion: Nina says Mr Lee has a printer in the art room. Plan: they meet at the library door at 4:10.
Problem, suggestion or plan?
Answer gist, detail, reason and next-step questions about one conversation
Why does Nina mention the art room?
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The library printer is broken, so she suggests Mr Lee's printer in the art room.
When will they put up the poster?
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Nina has choir until four, so they meet at ten past four. Omar prints the title after maths.
What is Omar's problem?
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He needs to print the title, but the library printer is broken.
When does the reading club meet?
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"Yes, Thursday after lunch."
What does Nina suggest?
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"Mr Lee has a printer in the art room. Why don't you ask him?"
Match each part of the conversation to its job.
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Problem, suggestion, plan is the usual shape.
When will Omar go to see Mr Lee?
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"I'll go after maths."
Feelings and attitudes
- Some questions ask how a speaker feels, or why they say something. You have to infer 推断: work it out from tone and words.
- "Again? That's the third time." → annoyed. "Perfect!" → pleased. "Oh no." → worried or disappointed.
Boy: "I can't come to practice today." Girl: "Again? That's the third time this month." How does the girl feel?
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Again and the third time show she is unhappy with him.
Girl: "The museum trip is full." Boy: "Then I'll put my name on the waiting list." What will the boy probably do next?
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The trip is full, so he plans to wait for a free place.
When Omar says "Perfect", how does he feel about meeting at ten past four?
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"Perfect!" shows he is pleased with the plan.
"Again? That's the third time this week." How does the speaker feel?
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"Again" and "third time" show annoyance.
To answer a feeling question, you sometimes have to infer from tone, not from a word like "happy".
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Speakers rarely name their feelings directly.
Common mistakes
- Choosing an option because it names a place from the talk (the library) but gives the wrong reason.
- Mixing up who says what. Keep track of the two speakers, for example the boy wants to put the poster up today and the girl has choir until four.
Match each detail with the speaker it belongs to.
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Keep track of who says or does what; traps swap people and details.
Why can't Nina help until ten past four?
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"I have choir until four."
Recap
- Gist from the opening lines; then follow the problem, suggestion and plan.
- Why? questions: listen for because, so and suggestions. Next? questions: listen to the end.
- Feelings come from tone and small words like again, oh no, perfect.
Official sources
- Format checked on 15 November 2026 in the TOEFL Junior Test Taker Handbook (ETS, PDF).
- More conversations: Listening Comprehension sample questions (ETS). The recording here is original.