Practical Guide to the NEW TOEIC® Test

There are several different types of photos that are used on the TOEIC test, including people, action, location and object..  Listen to the entire question before you make a choice on y

Lesson 1 　Listening: Part 1　　15

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Section i LiStening comprehenSion StrategieS

Part 1 : Photographs

Focus: Photographs of People (1)

A picture is worth a thousand words On the TOEIC test, a picture can be worth

valuable points Having an understanding of how these pictures and questions work

will make this part of the test a breeze

There are several different types of photos that are used on the TOEIC test, including

people, action, location and object In this section, we’re going to look at the photos

featuring people When there are more than one person in the picture, choices

may describe their interactions, positions, appearances, and so on We need to pay

attention to lots of things

Tips  Before the recording starts, take a few seconds to look at the picture

 Listen to the entire question before you make a choice on your test paper

Who-Questions, Subjects & Advertisements

Listening Section

　 Question Types Focus

　　　Part 1: Photographs  Photographs of People (1)

　　　Part 2: Question-Response  Who-Questions 　　

　　　Part 3: Short Conversations  Who-Questions 　　

　　　Part 4: Short Talks  Announcements on Transportation

Reading Section

　 Question Types Focus

　　　Part 5: Incomplete Sentences  Grammar: Subjects

　　　Part 6: Text Completion  Grammar: Subjects

　　　Part 7: Reading Comprehension  Reading Text: Advertisements

16　　Practical Guide to the NEW TOEIC® Test

1 Avoid being influenced by distracters

Throughout the TOEIC test, there are answers that are known as distracters In the photo section, there are four answers for each question Out of the four answers, there are three distracters and one correct answer The purpose of the distracter is to blur your focus, or distract your attention away from the correct answer When it comes to photograph questions, there are two common types of distracting answers:

1 Misrepresentation of activity

These sorts of distracters will give an incorrect activity for the person(s)

Sample 1

In this portion of the test, you will only see pictures You will hear four

statements per picture Choose the best answer according to what you see

Here is an example of what you will see and hear on the test

What you will see:

What you will hear:

(A) The family is enjoying a meal together

(B) The kids are playing hide-and-seek

(C) The women are setting the table

(D) The waitress is serving the food

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Choice (A) is the correct answer.

The family is all sitting around the table and in front of them are various

dishes This is a meal that they are all enjoying

Choice (B) is incorrect; it is a distracter There are children in the picture, but

they are not playing a game together The answer uses the words kids and

playing to distract the listener.

Choice (C) is incorrect and is another example of a distracter There are two

women in the picture, but they are seated at the table To set a table is to put

down the plates, forks, and napkins before the meal is served In this picture,

the table is already set and ready for a meal

Choice (D) is incorrect because there isn’t a waitress in the picture

2 Wrong characteristics of physical appearance

Distracters of this sort give opposite characteristics of the people pictured in

the photo That is to say, the answers may give the characteristics or physical

appearance of one person to another Keep in mind the position of the person and

also the genders of the people in the picture

Sample 2

What you will see:

18　　Practical Guide to the NEW TOEIC® Test

(A) The father and mother are sitting next to each other

(B) The daughter is typing on her laptop

(C) The boy is looking at his father

(D) The mother is surfing the Internet

Choice (B) is the correct answer.

In front of the girl is a laptop computer and she’s typing on it

Choice (A) is incorrect because the father and mother are sitting across from one another

Choice (C) is incorrect; it is a distracter It is the mother, not the boy, who

is looking at the father The boy is looking at something he is holding in his hands

Choice (D) is incorrect and is another example of a distracter The description of surfing the Internet may fit the daughter, not the mother The mother doesn’t have a computer in front of her