Cracking the toefl ibt part 18

Basically, the Speaking section asks to you do the following tasks: ¢ Describe « Summarize ¢ Contrast Let's look at each task and the types of phrases that are appropriate Descriptions S

8 Guillermo read the book

Rewrite: The book was read by Guillermo

Add new information: “Guillermo wrote a paper on the book.”

Possible responses: Guillermo read the book and also wrote a paper on it Guillermo read the book

because he had to write a paper on it The book was read by Guillermo so that

he could write a paper on it

9 Heather forgot her book

Rewrite: The book was forgotten by Heather,

Add new information: “She needed it for class.”

Possible responses: Although she needed it for class, Heather forgot her book Heather forgot her

book although she needed it for class Heather forgot her book even though she needed it for class,

10 Dennis plays the guitar !

Rewrite: The guitar was played by Dennis

Add new information: “Dennis is learning to play the piano.”

Possible responses: Dennis plays the quitar and is also learning to play the piano Dennis is learning

to play the piano, although he can play the guitar already Although he plays the guitar, Dennis is learning to play the piano

The important point from this exercise is seeing that there are many ways of expressing the same idea You'll need to use a variety of sentence structures to score well on the TOEFL You can practice this exercise on your own also Take sentences from a book, magazine, or newspaper article and practice rewriting them in a variety of different ways

Improving and Building Your Vocabulary

As for the vocabulary aspect, certain words are more suitable for certain tasks Basically, the Speaking section asks to you do the following tasks:

¢ Describe

« Summarize

¢ Contrast Let's look at each task and the types of phrases that are appropriate Descriptions

Some tasks ask you to describe a problem, an opinion, or a personal preference If you are describing details, try using the following phrases:

® one aspect of

* one characteristic of

* one quality of

¢ one issue (for describing a problem)

¢ one feature

* one attribute

* one element

se one thing

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For example, you may be asked to do the following on the TOEFL:

Describe a friend of yours, and explain why you consider this person a friend Use details and

examples to support your view

For this, task, we are asked to describe our friend Our response may look like the sample below

(note the descriptions a are in boldface 'ype)

As you cz can see, ugh of the words listed above cant be used whan describing a ‘specific detail, Now

it’s your turn to try answering the above question, using as many of the above phrases as possible

Summaries

Another common task on the TOEFL Speaking section involves summarizing a reading or lecture

When summarizing, try using some of the following phrases:

* according to the reading/lecture/speaker ,

¢ the reading /lecture/speaker states that

« the reading/lecture/speaker argues that

se the reading/lecture/speaker holds that

* the reading /lecture/speaker asserts that

* one reason/explanation presented by the reading/lecture/speaker

* the reading/lecture/speaker claims that

* the ceading/lecture/speaker expresses the point/reason/ opinion

Here's an example of a summary

Read the following passage and then summarize the points made by the author

New research in the field of neuroscience is leading some researchers to change their beliefs

about how the brain forms, An early view of the brain held that intelligence was primarily

determined by genes Now, however, a new sfudy casts doubt on that view Researchers

have discovered that the neurons in the brain develop in the early stages of infancy The more

stimulation these neurans receive, the more connections the neurons make with other neurons

Cognitive scientists believe that intelligence is partly based on the number of connections

between néurens in the brain,

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Now we have to summarize the important parts of the lecture Our response might look like the following (again, with the summarizing terms shown in boldface):

According to the reading, some scientists have to change their views tL in The reaait

that the early view of the brain is wrong One reason given, according to the reading, is that there is a new

study The reading claims that the new study shows that brain development occurs during childhood It als argues that the amount of stimulation a child receives leads to a higher intelligence

Now try your own summary Practice by using the passage on page 281 or parts of some of the other reading passages in this book

Contrasts

The final type of speaking task asks you to contrast ideas Here are some helpful phrases to use when contrasting ideas

* in contrast to

¢ one difference between

e unlike

e one distinction between

® dissimilarly

s _one disagreement between

® one inconsistency between

* one point at issue is

Let's look at a task that requires us to contrast two things

Read the following passage:

For more than three hundred years, the world understood physics as a predictable system

lsaac Newton's three laws of motion allowed physicists to predict the motion of not just falling apples and thrown balls, but comets, planets, and stars as well The amazing degree of accuracy these predictions had convinced scientists that the universe obeyed precise laws, a belief that in many ways was reassuring because it was comforting to think of the universe as

an orderly, predictable place

Now read the following lecture on the same topic:

What would you guys think if | told you | could walk right through that wall over there? You probably wouldn't believe me As you all know from, uh, basic physics, two solid objects cannot occupy the same space But the truth is that is that neither | nor the wall is really solid That's right l am mostly made up of empty space | know it’s weird, but think about it I'm made of atoms, and atoms are mostly empty space And it was in the early um, early twentieth

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century when the discovery was made that atoms can pass through other objects If you shoot

a number of atoms | think itwas Neils Bohr wha did this experimnent at a sheet of metal,

some of them will pass right through it And although the probability is extremely unlikely

because | have so many atoms in my body if | walked into that wall an infinite number of

times, at some point | would pass right through it So our world isn’t as nice and predictable as

we may believe

Explain how the lecture casts doubt on or otherwise relates to the reading

This asks us to contrast the information presented in both selections Here’s a sample response,

with the contrasting te terms shown i in n boldface

Soe if you can an find other things to contrast in the lecture Try to use the contrasting phirases listed

above in your response You can also practice on your own A good place to look for contrasting ideas

is in the editorial pages of your local newspaper Find two articles or opinions on the same topic.and

try fo contrast them

CRACKING THE SPEAKING SECTION: BASIC APPROACH

Now that we've gone over the basic principles, we’re ready to crack the Speaking section To do so,

do the follawing:

Let’s spend some more time on the first step because it is one of the keys to doing well on this

Step 1: LeaRN THE APPROPRIATE TEMPLATES

The following templates are effective ways of organizing your speech Learn them and you will be

less likely to freeze up during the Speaking section Let’s go through the templates one by one,

Template #1: Personal Preference Question

The first speaking task on the TOEFL typically asks you to describe something that you would prefer

to do, see, or experience These tasks may also ask you to talk about something important to you

Regardless of the exact question, these tasks require you to pick the thing, person, or event you are

going to discuss

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Here’s a typical example

Describe a place you would like to visit, and explain why you chose this location Use details and examples to support your position

For this type of question, we'll use the following template:

State personal preference | would like to visit Italy

Reason #1 | would choose to visit Italy because it has a lot of history Specific detail for reason #1 For example, Italy has many interesting Roman ruins, It would be interesting to see these historic sites

Reason #2 Another reason | would like to visit Italy is for the culture Specific detail for reason #2 italy has been home to many great artiste and the museums there contain some of the most famous works of art

Reason #3 Finally, | would like to visit Italy to sample the food

Specific detail for reason #3

| love Italian food and would really like the chance to try some

The boldfaced words are examples of transitions and other phrases you can use in your speech Depending on how fast you speak, you may only be able to provide two reasons in the time given That's acceptable And although this response may appear simple, it is much harder when you are under pressure Now, try to use the template for the following prompt Time yourself Give yourself

15 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to respond

Describe your favorite hobby, and explain why you enjoy it Use details and examples to support your point

State personal preference

Reason #1

Specific detail for reason #1

Reason #2 Specific detail for reason #2

Reason #3

Specific detail for reason #3

Practice using this template on your own Think of your favorite food, color, article of clothing, activity, and so on, and try to provide reasons and details as to why they are your favorites Don’t forget to use transitions

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Template #2: Choose an Option Question

The second type of task on the TOBFL presents you with two options You'll have to decide which

one is best and support your decision Here’s an example

Some universities give financial aid in the form of grants, which don’t have'to be paid back,

whereas others provide financial assistance in the form of loans, which must be paid back

Which option do you think is better and why? Support your decision with reasons and

examples

Here‘s the template we'll use

State option | think It [6 better to offer student@ loans,

Reason #1 | prefer loans becauée they make the student responeible

Specific detail for reason #1 : TH " pay back a loan becomes personally responsible

Reason #2 Furthermore, loans are safer for the school

Reason #3 Lastly, a student with a loar is probably more likely to stay in school,

Specific detail for reason #3 hake teta “owen complete the degree, tt will be harder to "

Try out this template As before, keep track of your time Give yourself 15 secands to prepare and

45 seconds to respond

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Some people believe that universities should require ‘students:to take classes on ethics, whereas others believe a school should focus only on academic issues Which do you think is better? Support your decision with reasons and examples -

State option

Reason #1

Specific detail for reason #1

Reason #2

Specific detail for reason #2

Reason #3

You can try out this template on your own as well Newspaper editorial pages often present two sides of an issue Also, political issues are good practice

Template #3: Summarize an Opinion Question ©

The third type of task requires you to read a brief passage and listen to a conversation about it You'll then have to summarize the opinion or position given in the conversation This task is different from the first two in that it has both reading and listening elements

While reading the passage, you most likely won't need to take notes The passage will usually dis- cuss some sort of campus life issue While listening to the conversation, pay attention to the speaker’s opinion or attitude about the reading You should pay particular attention to the reasons the speaker gives for his or her position Write them down if you can

Here’s an example

Read the following announcement from the university president:

Due to recent budget constraints, the university has decided to close the computer labs during weekends and reduce their operating hours during the week from 8:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m to 9:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m These changes are necessary in order to compensate for an unexpected budget shortfall Without these cutbacks, the school would be forced to reduce service in other important areas, such as the library and the cafeteria

Now listen to two students discuss the announcement

Woman: Did you hear the announcement? They're cutting back the computer lab hours!

Man: Yeah, but it's better that they cut down there than at the library or the cafeteria

W: Maybe for you, but | don’t have a computer | use the computer lab a lot Plus, | need

to have access to a computer for my economics class

M: Well, they'll still be open during the week

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W: | know: But! get most.of my work done during the weekend The labs are usually

empty then They'll probably be filled with students now It's going to make it really

hard for me to get all my class work done

M: Hmm | didn’t really think of that

The woman offers her opinion of the announcement, State what her opinion is and what

reasons she’ gives for having that view

Here's the template for our response

State opinion The woman believes that the decision to reduce the hours of the com-

ee P puter lab is a bad Idea, |

Her first reason for claiming this ig that she needs a computer for Reason #1 her clase work

Details for reason #1 The woman etatee that she donot t have a computer and that some

| of her clasees require her to use one

Reason #2 Also, the woman claims it will be harder to complete all of her work

| | According to the woman, the best time to do work is on the weekends

Detail for reason #2 Now she fears that the labs will be'too full during the week —

As-you can see, all you have to do is basically repeat the reasons given by the speaker You won't

be required to do anything else, Now, it's your turn to try the template with the following example

Give yourself 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to respond

Read the following announcement from the president of a university:

Effective immediately, the university is instituting a new policy on off-campus visitors Any

quests are now required to register with campus security and obtain a guest pass which must

be worn at all times This new policy is necessary in order to keep all the students safe and to

increase Campus safety’s knowledge of who is on carpus

Now listen tothe following conversation about the announcement:

Man: | think the-university’s new policy Is great

Woman: Really? | think it's going to be annoying | have some friends visiting, and they're

W:

going to have to spend all this time registering And what if they lose their passes?

Tru But that's a minor inconvenience It's worth it if the campus is safer Remember that vandalism that took place at the library was done by someone from off-campus

| still think the school is overreacting One bad thing happens, and they go and change the policy

No, there have been other incidents A couple months ago, there were some things Stolen from one of the dorms And the students reported seeing a suspicious figure

| guess you're right

CRACKING THE SPEAKING SECTION HM 287

The man gives his opinion on the announcement State the man’s opinion and provide the

reasons he gives for holding it

State opinion

Reason #1

Details for reason #1

Reason #2

Detail for reason #2

Template #4: Summarize/Contrast Question

The fourth template involves your response to a reading and an academic lecture The goal of this task is to show how the lecture relates to or contrasts with the reading Both the lecture and the reading will present some characteristics of a given topic While reading the passage, note down the characteristics mentioned—typically there will be three to five of them While listening to the lecture, listen for the characteristics and note them down if you can Think about how the characteristics in the lecture agree or disagree with the information in the reading

Here’s a sample

Read the following passage about captive breeding:

Both environmentalists and animal rights activists consider captive breeding a solution to the threat of extinction of certain endangered species In captive breeding, endangered animals

are caught and bred, and the offspring is then released back into the wild Unfortunately, the

results of this program have been mixed In many cases, the animals that are released back

into the wild are unable to survive The time spent in human captivity makes it more difficult for them to acquire food and to fit in with other members of their species

Now listen to a professor lecture about the same topic

Okay, so we've been talking about some problems faced by biologists when they try to

reintroduce species into the wild As we've um ah, talked about, sometimes the animals aren't ready or able to go to fit into their native habitats But there have been some new strategies

used which seem to be, uh, working out For example, biologists recently reintroduced four

lynx—you guys know what a lynx is, right?—into the wild The first time they tried it, the cats

died of starvation—they didn't know how or where to hunt This time, they kept the animals

longer and let them mature They also forced the animals to hunt for food instead of giving

them the food directly And finally, they kept the lynx together in a big pen so they know how to get along with other members of their species,

The professor describes the results of a captive breeding experiment Explain how the results

of the experiment relate to the reading on the topic

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For this response, we need to combine information from the lecture and the reading, so our tem-

plate will be a little different Here’s how we'll do it

Main response The experiment with the lyrx shows that captive breeding can be successful

Characteristic #1 from One problem with captive breeding, according ta the reading, le that.animala

reading do not always survive when reintroduced into the wild

Detail #1 from lecture ra the scientists were able to successfully reintroduce the lynx into the

Characteristic #2 from =| The reading states that a major problem is that the animals don't know

However, for the experiment, blologiste firat taught the animals how te hunt

before releasing them | Characteristic #3 from | Another prablem in the reading is that the animals dort know haw to in

reading teract with other members of the species

Detail #2 from lecture

Scientists were able to get around this, however, by keeping the lynx to- |

For this type of question, it’s acceptable if you ran out of time before you list all of the character-

istics Your goal while speaking is to be as clear as possible, so don’t rush through the details as it

may make you harder to understand

Try the template for the following example You have 20 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to

respond,

Read the following passage about methane:

Methane {sa colorless, odorless gas that occurs naturally as a result of the decomposition of

plant and animal matters Methane is a hydrocarbon like coal and‘oil, and it's all that remains

of long-dead plants, dinosaurs, and other prehistoric animals Although methane can be

produced by volcanic activity, scientists usually connect the presence of methane with the

presence of biological life Many microorganisms excrete methane as a waste product, and

scientists often infer the presence of these creatures by measuring the ammount of methane in

the air

Now listen to a professor give.a talk about the same topic

So, there's been some interesting news for those of you who dream of life on other planets It

turns out that Mars has a pretty high concentration of methane in its atmosphere Now, usually

when we think of life, we associate it with oxygen, right? But that’s because we're kind of

prejudiced A whole host of creatures need no oxygen whatsoever

The reason that this is important is that it looks like Mars has very little geologic activity

Methane can be produced without life, but as far as we know, there are no active volcanoes

on Mars Plus, here’s another interesting point—methane only lasts about 300 years in the

atmosphere So that means the methane we're seeing now is fairly new and it's being

replenished somehow

The professor presents some facts about Mars Explain how these facts may indicate life

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