TOEIC Listening Skills 4: Part 4 and Review

Summary

This video script focuses on strategies for the short talk section of the TOEIC listening test. It emphasizes the importance of active listening, quickly processing information, and understanding the format of the talk to identify key details. The speaker advises on using the beginning of the passage to focus thoughts, leveraging signal words and adverbs, and avoiding common tricks in answer choices. The script also suggests practice techniques, such as purposeful listening, engaging with different accents, and using resources like NPR and Voice of America to improve listening skills.

Takeaways

• 🎯 The video focuses on strategies for the short talk section of the TOEIC test, emphasizing the importance of active listening and quick information processing.
• 📢 The speaker discusses the challenges of eliminating answer choices due to the use of partially correct information and distractors in the test.
• 👂 The importance of paying attention to the beginning of the listening passage is highlighted, as it sets the context and helps in focusing on the rest of the passage.
• 📝 Note-taking is not allowed during the actual test, so strategies for memorizing and processing information are crucial for success.
• 🗣️ The monologue format of the short talk section is similar to everyday encounters, such as weather bulletins or business announcements.
• ❓ The questions in the test are designed to focus on important details and follow the organization and sequence of the talk.
• 🕒 Time is of the essence in this section, and the video suggests that the beginning of the listening passage can provide key information to guide the rest of the listening.
• 🔍 Active listening involves identifying key ideas and using synonyms or synonymous language, which is important for understanding the answer choices.
• 📑 The video script provides an example of a service announcement to illustrate how to approach listening and understanding in the short talk section.
• 🧐 The speaker advises against looking at the answer choices first, as they may contain common tricks like partially correct information or too many options.
• 📈 To improve listening skills for the test, the video recommends purposeful listening practice, engaging with a variety of accents, and using resources like NPR and Voice of America.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video script?

The video script focuses on strategies for solving the short talk section of the TOEIC listening test, including how to handle partially correct information and distractors.

Why is it difficult to eliminate answer choices in longer listening selections?

It becomes more difficult due to the use of partially correct information and many distractors that can confuse the test-taker.

What is the format of the short talk section in the TOEIC test?

The short talk section consists of a monologue by a single speaker, followed by three questions about the content, with answer choices provided.

How many times are the talks spoken in the short talk section of the TOEIC test?

The talks are spoken only one time in the short talk section.

What is the purpose of the service announcement in the provided example?

The purpose of the service announcement is to inform customers about ongoing power failures, expected restoration times, and to apologize for the inconvenience caused.

What is the significance of the beginning of the listening passage in the TOEIC test?

The beginning of the listening passage helps to set the context and provides initial information that can guide the listener's focus for the rest of the passage.

Why is it important to pay attention to the format of the talk in the TOEIC listening test?

The format of the talk helps in understanding where information will be located and aids in identifying the main points and structure of the message.

What is the role of signal words and adverbs in the TOEIC listening test?

Signal words and adverbs help in identifying where important information will be discussed and can indicate changes in direction or connections between ideas.

How can test-takers improve their performance in the TOEIC listening test?

Test-takers can improve by practicing active listening, focusing on key ideas, using synonymous language, and employing memory and test-taking strategies such as repeating questions and visualizing the situation.

What are some resources that can help improve listening skills for the TOEIC test?

Resources such as National Public Radio, Voice of America, BBC, Canadian broadcasts, Australian Broadcasting, and various podcasts available on iTunes can help improve listening skills and familiarize test-takers with different accents.

What is the final advice given in the script for improving performance on the TOEIC listening test?

The final advice is to practice purposeful and active listening daily, engage with more resources, and improve overall English language skills, including vocabulary, to enhance performance on the test.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to TOEIC Listening Strategies

This paragraph introduces the focus of the video on the short talk section of the TOEIC test, emphasizing the challenges of eliminating answer choices due to the use of partially correct information in longer listening selections. The speaker guides viewers to analyze a sample service announcement transcript from the TOEIC test, highlighting the importance of understanding the format and content of monologues commonly encountered in daily life or business settings. The paragraph also mentions the test's requirement to answer questions based on the talk without the aid of note-taking.

05:00

🔍 Analyzing the Structure and Content of a Recorded Message

The second paragraph delves into the specifics of analyzing a recorded message from a power company, discussing the importance of focusing on the beginning of the listening passage to set the context for the rest of the information. It explains how the format of the talk can assist in locating important information and suggests that the questions, while not always helpful, follow the organization and sequence of the talk. The paragraph also touches on the characteristics of a recorded message, such as an apology and information about an event, and how to use these characteristics to better understand the message's purpose and content.

10:01

🎧 Active Listening and Processing Information in TOEIC

This paragraph discusses the concept of active listening in the context of the TOEIC test, stressing the need to quickly identify key ideas and synonymous language as they relate to the answer choices. It explains the importance of rephrasing information in one's own words to better remember and understand the passage. The speaker also warns about common tricks in the test, such as using partially correct information and providing too many options, and advises on how to avoid these pitfalls by focusing on the main points and using memory and test-taking strategies effectively.

15:02

📉 Dealing with Tricky Questions and Answer Choices

The fourth paragraph continues the discussion on how to handle tricky questions and answer choices in the TOEIC listening test. It provides insights into how to process information quickly and logically, using the example of a service announcement to illustrate how to infer and deduce the correct answers. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of not being misled by the exact words from the listening passage and instead focusing on the broader meaning and context to select the best response.

20:06

🌐 Expanding Listening Skills and Resources for TOEIC Preparation

The final paragraph offers advice on how to improve listening skills for the TOEIC test, suggesting purposeful listening activities and engagement with various resources. It encourages the use of different accents in practice and highlights the importance of daily practice. The speaker also recommends several resources, such as National Public Radio, Voice of America, and international broadcasts, to familiarize oneself with various accents and listening contexts. The paragraph concludes with a reminder that improving English proficiency is key to test success and that listening is an active, not passive, activity.

Keywords

💡TOEIC

The TOEIC, which stands for Test of English for International Communication, is a standardized test designed to measure the English language proficiency of non-native speakers in a professional or business setting. In the video, it is the focus of the discussion, with strategies being shared to help viewers prepare for different sections of the test.

💡monologue

A monologue is a speech or discourse delivered by a single person. In the context of the video, it refers to the format of the short talk section of the TOEIC where a single speaker delivers a message, which is a common format for announcements or speeches that one might encounter in everyday life or business.

💡distractor

A distractor in the context of a test is an incorrect answer choice that is designed to mislead the test-taker. The video script mentions that as listening selections become longer, the use of partially correct information in distractors makes it more challenging to eliminate incorrect answer choices.

💡active listening

Active listening is the process of fully concentrating, understanding, and responding to the information being presented. The video emphasizes the importance of active listening in processing the content of the passage quickly, especially in identifying key ideas and synonymous language that may be used in the answer choices.

💡synonymous language

Synonymous language refers to the use of different words or phrases that have the same or nearly the same meaning. The script highlights the importance of recognizing synonymous language in the answer choices of the TOEIC test, as they may not use the exact words from the listening passage.

💡format

The format of a talk refers to its structural arrangement, such as the beginning, middle, and end. The video script discusses how understanding the format of a talk can help in identifying where important information will be located, which is crucial for answering questions correctly.

💡signal words

Signal words are words or phrases that indicate the organization of information or the relationship between ideas. In the script, signal words like 'although' and 'however' are mentioned as tools to help identify where important information will be found in the listening passage.

💡adverbs of time

Adverbs of time are words that indicate when something happens or is expected to happen. The video script uses 'early this evening' and 'tomorrow evening' as examples of adverbs of time that help in understanding the sequence of events being discussed in the listening passage.

💡memory strategies

Memory strategies refer to techniques used to improve the ability to remember information. The video script suggests using memory strategies such as repeating questions and answer choices to oneself and visualizing the situation to improve performance on the TOEIC listening test.

💡test-taking strategies

Test-taking strategies are methods used to approach and answer test questions effectively. The script mentions that due to the nature of the TOEIC listening test, where notes cannot be taken and information is given only once, traditional elimination strategies may not apply, and alternative strategies such as focusing on main points and using synonymous language are necessary.

💡practice

Practice, in the context of the video, refers to the act of repeatedly engaging in an activity to improve one's skills. The script emphasizes the importance of daily practice in listening to improve performance on the TOEIC test, suggesting that listening to various resources and engaging in purposeful listening activities can enhance listening skills.

Highlights

Part 4 focuses on the short talk section of the TOEIC test, which involves listening to monologues and answering questions based on the content.

The talks are not printed in the test book and are spoken only once, requiring active listening and quick information processing.

Speakers are advised to focus on the beginning of the listening passage to help them focus their thinking for the rest of the passage.

The format of the talk, such as a recorded message, can help predict where information will be located and identify the characteristics of the message.

Questions in the short talk section tend to focus on the main points rather than minor details, guiding listeners to concentrate on key information.

Active listening involves processing the content quickly, identifying key ideas, and thinking about synonyms or synonymous language for the answer choices.

The use of signal words, adverbs of time, and intensifiers can help identify important information within the listening passage.

Test-takers should be aware of common tricks in the answer choices, such as partially correct information or words that are similar in meaning but not exact.

The importance of not looking at the answer stem first to avoid confusion, and focusing on the questions to understand the format and problem of the talk.

Repeating questions and answer choices quietly while listening can help with memory retention and quick response.

Closing eyes during the listening passage and visualizing the situation can enhance concentration and understanding.

Engaging in more purposeful listening outside of the test, such as listening to news broadcasts or podcasts, can improve listening skills and vocabulary.

Keeping a journal of new vocabulary words encountered during listening practice can reinforce learning and retention.

The necessity of practicing with different accents to prepare for the variety of English accents that may be present on the TOEIC test.

The reminder that listening is a purposeful activity requiring discipline and active attention, and that daily practice is essential for improvement.

Resources for improving listening skills, such as National Public Radio, Voice of America, BBC, and podcasts available on iTunes, are recommended for practice.

The final thoughts emphasize the importance of continuous practice, active listening, and improving overall English proficiency as the key to success on the TOEIC test.

Transcripts

in the previous video we looked at part

three conversations and discuss the

strategies necessary to solve that part

of the test we also learned that as the

listening selections become longer the

ability to eliminate answer choices

becomes more difficult due to the use of

partially correct information and many

of the distractors and we'll see this

again in part 4 so in our final video

we're looking at the short talk section

of the test now once again we'll be

using sample information from the TOEIC

download but please do not look at the

download right now we'll be analyzing

the transcript a little bit later in

this video

also remember that there's no

note-taking on the actual test so the

directions of this section you will hear

some talks given by a single speaker you

will be asked to answer three questions

about what the speaker says a nice jog

select the best response to each

question and mark the letter a B C or D

on your answer sheet again the talks

will not be printed in your test book

and will be spoken only one time now

we're going to go ahead and jump right

into this listening activity so go ahead

and find a piece of paper and number 71

through 73 on that paper on that piece

and we will place the questions and

answer choices on the screen during the

listening passage so that way you'll get

the full experience of what it's like on

the test so here are the questions I'll

give you just a couple of seconds to

look at them

now let's begin thank you for calling

central electric services your local

power company we are still experiencing

problems with power failures caused by

the recent storm we expect service to be

back up in most areas early this evening

although some homes and the Northwest

will be without electricity until

tomorrow morning and it may be tomorrow

evening before service is fully restored

in all areas we apologize for the

inconvenience this has caused our

customers and we thank you for your

continued patience as we work to resolve

these problems this service announcement

will be updated throughout the day it

was last updated at 6 o'clock a.m. on

Sunday April 3rd number 71 where would

this announcement be heard

number 72 what is the purpose of the

announcement

number 73 when is the problem expected

to be completely resolved okay let's go

ahead now and check the answers so

number 71 where would this announcement

be heard

well again the idea here is that this

was a recorded announcement so most

likely we would hear this on the

telephone and calling the company number

72 the purpose of the announcement was

to provide information about electric

services which is choice B and number 73

when is the problem expected to be

completely resolved again the key word

here is completely and the answer is d

tomorrow evening

so first off let's talk about what we

notice the talk itself is a monologue

which means basically one person

speaking and it's something that we

could possibly encounter every day so

for example a weather bulletin a traffic

alert perhaps again a phone message from

a company it also could be involving a

business event we're attending so for

example if it's a meeting where one

person is speaking perhaps a conference

or a lecture given at a business

conference or a sales talk perhaps given

by a manager to his or her sales team

now the questions themselves if you

notice the questions didn't necessarily

give us a lot of information they really

were there just to help focus our

thinking so they kind of focus more on

just the important details of the

passage so for example what type of

announcement but notice we were not

asked about the company's name so minor

details this would be an example of a

minor detail and we noticed that they

also follow the organization and

sequence of the talk now this brings us

to our first TOEIC hint and the idea

here is that time of course is very

precious on this part of the test so we

will notice that it's the beginning of

the listening passage that will really

help give us some information to help

focus our thinking during the rest of

the passage so often what I tell

students is to pay attention

specifically to the beginning now this

kind of connects back to something we

discussed in the Reading Series for the

TOEIC which is kind of the idea that the

format of the talk will also help us

understand where information will be

located so in this case we should be

able to guess that from the first couple

of lines at the beginning of the passage

now the questions themselves may also

help but I think you will find that they

will not always help so it really would

be helpful to kind of think about those

first two lines so what we're going to

do now just for a moment is listen again

just to the first two lines and see

again if we can discuss what's the

format of the talk thank you for calling

central electric services your local

power company we are still experiencing

problems with power failures caused by

the recent storm

so as we noticed and noted in the

answers to the questions

it is a recorded message from a power

company now the question is for us to

kind of help us in the video is to think

about what are the characteristics of a

recorded message and what specific type

of recorded message is this well first

off we have to really think that it

actually was an apology of sorts as well

as explaining information about a

particular event so if we think about

how do we actually organize an apology

message well let's look again and think

about the organization of the format so

actually I'm going to go ahead and put

the transcript up on the screen but

listen again as we read it and as we

follow along we're going to be

highlighting specific things that are

being indicated in the format thank you

for calling central electric services

your local power company we are still

experiencing problems with power

failures by the recent storm we also

expect service to be back up in most

areas early this evening although some

homes in the Northwest will be without

electricity until tomorrow morning

and it may be tomorrow evening before

service is fully restored in all areas

we apologize for the inconvenience this

has caused our customers and we thank

you for your continued patience as we

work to resolve these problems this

service announcement will be updated

throughout the day it was last updated

at 6 o'clock a.m. on Sunday April 3rd

now as we mentioned earlier the

questions follow the order of the

conversation but since we can't take

notes the idea here is that it would be

unfair for the test to have us focus on

too much unnecessary or unimportant

information so really we need to start

thinking about where the problem and the

solutions are being discussed well let's

kind of think about in terms of format

where do we put important information

well we have to think about those

important places and ideas where

information will be given so for example

we need to

think about that there will be a sort of

formal beginning a middle and some sort

of end or conclusion to the talk also

signal words will be very helpful in

having us identify where important

information will be and along with that

we're kind of separating out adverbs

especially adverbs of time or any

intensifiers that we might see so as we

go back through the transcript again

notice that the idea here is the

beginning middle and end are certain

places where questions were being asked

and part of that is because of our

attention span obviously a question

given at the beginning will address

something at the beginning of the

passage we might have a question that

will address information given in the

middle and this part this one is

probably going to be one of the most

difficult ones because oftentimes this

is where students lose attention during

the passage and then of course the end

well it would make sense that maybe the

last question will ask about something

after that now let's look a little more

carefully though notice for example we

have a lot of these transition words

words that might change direction or

indicate how things connect although

some homes in the Northwest so we can

notice this is kind of a trick tomorrow

evening before service is fully restored

so notice it says tomorrow evening is

when those that service will probably be

fully restored now notice some of the

adverbs still experiencing problems we

expect them to be back up in most areas

early this evening until tomorrow

morning and maybe tomorrow evening now

of course the sequence of ideas is what

we have to follow it's tomorrow evening

which seems logical that all service

would be restored and this would be

sense because it's a later time than the

two times mentioned before so this kind

of brings us back to the idea of active

listening

if you recall in the previous video we

discussed that active listening involves

processing the content of the passage

quickly so really for this section of

the test it means that we need to

identify three to four key ideas while

thinking about Sennett synonyms or

synonymous language and that's

especially important when we look at the

answer choices so if we think about the

three or four key ideas that were being

discussed in the passage well first off

the basic idea was we have an electric

company that's still having power

failures because of a storm service will

be back up this evening but some homes

not until tomorrow full service and

that's the key full service is tomorrow

evening

so as we're listening we could pick up

on those particular words and they're

sorry and they're trying to fix the

problem now notice as we're trying to

remember these ideas we're rephrasing

them as we listen in other words we're

trying to get a lot more active using

the vocabulary that's given in the

passage but then having us kind of

paraphrase information in our own words

so we can notice for example apologize

well instead of saying apologize let's

think about well we're sorry for this

it's an inconvenience and we work to

resolve the problem

so notice resolving the problem

basically means to fix it now why is

this helpful

well because as we saw in the previous

video the answer choices don't always

involve words that are the same so

that's why we're trying to use synonyms

or synonymous ideas to keep us more

active as we're listening because the

answers themselves may not always have

the same words or language so this gets

us to think about the tricks again we

said in the previous video don't look at

the answer stem the answer stem itself

is probably going to include a lot of

these common tricks that we've seen now

as we mentioned in part 3 you are

allowed to see the questions and the

answer choices but and the question

should help you focus on the most

important information and in fact could

give you a quick way to identify the

format and problem of the talk though

not always

but remember there are these the common

the usual TOEIC ways that they're going

to try to confuse or trick you look

again at the questions and answer stems

so notice one of the most common tricks

again is to use partially correct

information so notice here in the

underlined words these were all words

and ideas they directly stated in the

passage so again notice in 71 they did

mention company as a power company they

did mention that there was a storm but

again the power company wouldn't tell

you about a storm that's approaching the

storm already happened notice apologized

that was the almost the exact same word

they used it was the exact same were

they used in the passage shortages or

shortages were not referring to staffing

they were referring to electrical

shortages or shortages in power and then

of course again the word company was

mentioned so part of the ideas we have

to kind of guess the information using

our own sort of thought process so for

example in 71 we have to sort of infer

the idea that it's from the telephone

and that's because we do hear the idea

that it's a service announcement it

sounds very much like a recorded message

and B notice it says just to provide

information about electric services and

remember that's because this is the more

expansive idea we said in the previous

video that the answer choice is going to

be more expansive not just using the

same words but using words that are kind

of similar in meaning so again sometimes

the answers themselves are going to be

the expansive answer choices words that

don't necessarily involve specific words

but kind of explain the basic idea in 73

notice in this one and this is a fairly

common trick on this part of the test

we're almost given too many options in

the comp and the talk

and then 473 this is a pretty common

trick on this part of the test is to

think about the fact that they gave us

too many options in the talk they gave

us all of these or at least most of them

the question was could we processed the

information quickly now even just by

looking at the answer choices we could

probably guess first off in 73 they say

that it needs to be completely resolved

well again they did not use the words

completely resolved they just said that

they hope to have have full service or

to have complete service so in this case

we had to kind of think about well what

would make the most sense well it seems

as we follow the listening the last idea

that was mentioned was tomorrow evening

and that does seem to be a pretty good

choice but we had to actively process

that information so for example perhaps

they didn't eat what if they didn't even

mention tomorrow evening we would still

have to be able to guess from the

information given here so again part of

the problem is we have to be able to

process information quickly as we listen

so as you can see looking at the answer

stem first can confuse and even distract

you but the questions almost always

address the most important points of the

talk and finally if you see many dates

days times or numbers these are probably

there to trick you so it's likely that

at least one of the questions will

involve this situation so as we

mentioned in the first video and have

been discussing throughout the series

there are four parts to the listening

comprehension section the photograph

section the question and response

conversations and the short talks and

all of this will take basically around

45 minutes to complete in the

photographs section we mentioned that

you have to be able to see information

in a photograph and recognize

information that you can prove not

necessarily what we think might be

important in the picture memory or

test-taking strategies are going to be

necessary because information is not

repeated

and remember the most common tricks

involves similar sounding words or parts

of words and partially in partially

correct information that can be seen in

the photo itself and recall that you

cannot see the questions or answer

choices in the question and response we

basically discussed a lot of the same

tricks similar sounding words or words

or ideas that make sense in other

contexts we also mentioned that since

these are questions we have to be able

to recognize the specific

characteristics of each type of question

and that refers to yes-or-no questions

question words and tag questions and

remember you cannot see anything on this

part of the test

so those memory test-taking strategies

will definitely be needed here

in part 3 in the conversations we recall

that they are not actually real

conversations they're mainly

opportunities for one speaker to help

explain a problem or situation and the

other speaker to help kind of move the

conversation along the questions that we

were given often involve the main ideas

or details about the conversation and

the correct answers often involve

choices that use synonymous language not

the exact words from the listening and

remember you can see both the questions

and the answer choices during the

listening but it's probably better to

focus only on the questions before you

listen and think about that many of the

same tricks from the first two parts

apply here as well in our video today we

talked about the idea that this part of

the test really involves your ability to

process information quickly in the order

you hear it the format of the talk will

also help you in identifying where

important information will be located

and in signal words and adverbs will

also help remember the questions will be

about the main points of the

conversation not minor or unimportant

details and the correct answers will

often involve choices that use

synonymous language not exact words from

the listening now we discussed memory

and test-taking strategies well again

two problems that the test presents at

this point is that we cannot take notes

and the listening passage and questions

and answers are given only one

so our traditional sort of process of

elimination strategies will not

necessarily apply here instead we have

to use a combination of memory and

alternative test-taking strategies to

improve performance now recall that we

said one strategy was to repeat the

questions and answer choices to yourself

quietly in the order that you hear them

as they're being given and this is

especially true for parts 1 & 2 since we

can't see the questions or answers now

while doing this one idea we discussed

was positioning your pencil over the

answer choices to help focus your

attention and to move the pencil each

time the answer choice is given this way

you'll be able to fill in the answer

quickly because you don't have a lot of

time in between questions now another

strategy one that we haven't discussed

and this is especially helpful I think

for parts 2 through 4 is to actually

close your eyes during the listening

passage and visualize the people in the

situation now at this point in the

series it's probably a good idea to

discuss how we can continue to improve

for this part of the test well part of

the idea is students often think that

listening is just turning on a TV or

radio in the background that's not true

we really need to engage in more

purposeful listening because listening

does require discipline and active

attention so take time out of the day to

listen to not just to watch the news on

the radio or on the internet there are

lots of resources that contain both a

listening event and the transcript and

then try listening to the event even

before you look at the transcript you

also might want to think about testing

your ability to remember and summarize

what is being said in this listening

activity so you know for example if

after you listen just take a few minutes

and talk to yourself however I do think

that it might be helpful to take notes

now obviously we can't do this for the

test but I do think that this skill will

help you in learning about which

information is important which is not

another idea is to keep a separate

journal of new vocabulary words that you

learn every day we need to be more

purposeful in the words that we're

learning

and make sure you're practicing with

different accents obviously I couldn't

do different accents on this video

series but the truth is on the TOEIC you

will hear speakers from different

countries British English American

English Australian English even Canadian

English so don't just focus on American

English and try to engage in more

conversation with other people

and finally this is the most important

thing this is something you have to

practice again listening is a purse but

purposeful activity so try to do this a

little bit every day so practice

practice practice

now some resources and I will list these

below the video as well on the YouTube

channel

National Public Radio is a good resource

they are available you can listen to

them obviously from your local radio

station or from WWMT org or you can

download the NPR app from iTunes or the

Android Market you can also obtain

transcripts of almost all the stories

you hear on NPR Voice of America is

another good resource especially there

learn English link and they also do have

a new mobile app that you can use on

your smart phone there are also a lot of

great international websites the BBC for

example Canadian broadcasts and even

Australian Broadcasting just to help you

get used to the different accents you

may hear on the test and finally iTunes

has a lot of podcasts that might be

helpful that you might want to listen to

so our final thoughts improving

listening can occur a little bit faster

than reading obviously we have to listen

almost every day so it becomes even

easier when you get more comfortable

with the accents of the speakers now the

one thing I need to stress and I stress

this in the reading series as well is

that learning more English is ultimately

the only way to improve on the test

improving your vocabulary improving your

listening skills there's only so much

test preparation that you can do and

remember listening is not a passive

activity it does require attention and

active thought

finally to remind you that there are

lots of great materials out there for

preparing for the test

the official TOEIC website the great

series by grant true from Oxford

University Press and our new TOEFL TOEIC

preparation website thanks for watching

this video series we'll see you in 2013

for the TOEIC speaking skill series

you