TOEFL Listening Questions

Take a look at some TOEFL Listening questions, and get yourself to the level you need!

TOEFL Listening Questions

The listening section is the second section of the standard TOEFL Listening section includes 28 questions and is 41 minutes long with 3 lectures and 2 conversations. lectures. Each conversation lasts about 3 minutes and is followed by 5 questions, and each lecture lasts about 4-6 minutes and is followed by 6 questions.

TOEFL Listening 1

First, listen to the conversation between a student and their professor. Get a pen and a piece of paper and get ready to take notes. Then click next to go to the questions.

1 / 27

1. Why does the student go to see the professor?

To ask if she can study abroad in Guatemala

To talk about her paper on farming practices

To discuss her research on agricultural practices and environmental conditions

To see if she can become a Spanish major

2 / 27

Why does Christy want to go to Guatemala? Select two.

She wants to learn more Spanish

Because she has already studied it and wants to learn more in person

The agricultural and economic landscape closely matches what she wants to research

To continue her research on cost-effective farming

3 / 27

3. Why might Christy not be able to go on the trip to Guatemala?

The Spanish department is in charge of this program

There are no more spots left in the program

She is not a Spanish major

She does not speak enough Spanish

4 / 27

4. Why does the professor decide to help Christy? Select two.

Christy is extremely motivated to study abroad in Guatemala

The professor agrees that Guatemala is a good place to do more research

Christy is one of the most intelligent students in the class

Christy knows some Spanish, so it will be easy to convince the Spanish department

5 / 27

5. Why does the professor ask Christy if she has thought of other places to go?

He is curious if Christy can do her research in another country

He wants to know if there are any other countries Christy wants to travel to

He is leading up to suggest a better place for her to study abroad

He does not think Christy will be allowed to go to Guatemala

First listen to the audio of a talk in an astronomy class before clicking next and answering the questions. Get a pen and a piece of paper and
get ready to take notes.

6 / 27

1. What is the professor mainly discussing?

Whether or not the moon was connected to the Earth at one point

Problems with theories about the origin of the moon

The composition of the moon in comparison to Earth

How the moon formed after a giant object impacted the Earth

7 / 27

How is the lecture organized?

The professor compares theories about the moon with other objects in space

The professor introduces an experiment and some possible problems with it

The professor gives a historical account of theories on the origin of the moon

The professor discusses information previously learned before introducing a new idea

8 / 27

What are some problems with the capture theory? Select two.

It is more plausible that the Earth and the moon were never connected

There are too many chemical differences between the Earth and the moon

During entry into the solar system, the moon would have had too much energy to be captured

The moon would have a strange orbital path if it were captured by Earth

9 / 27

Which theory about the moon is most likely true?

The fission theory

The giant impact hypothesis

The sister theory

The capture theory

10 / 27

What does the professor imply about the sister theory?

The density of the moon compared to Earth proves it is true

Modern astronomers do not believe this theory is correct

It explains why the moon is made out of the same materials as Earth

It was less popular than the capture and fission theories

11 / 27

Why is the giant impact hypothesis also problematic?

The impact likely would have caused Earth to break apart into many pieces

There is no way to prove it is correct

There is more proof that the sister theory is correct

The moon is too small for such an impact

Listen to part of a talk in a geology class and take notes before clicking next and going on to answer the questions.

12 / 27

What is the purpose of the lecture?

To explain why geology is an important subject to study

To provide examples of why it is important to have solid research to support scientific theories

To describe how plate tectonics has contributed to the way Earth looks today

To prove that plate tectonics is the reason Pangea broke up into several continents

13 / 27

Why does the professor start the lecture by defining geology?

To compare it to plate tectonics

To introduce the topic of plate tectonics and its relevance

To remind the students what they learned in the previous class

To make sure the students know which class they are in

14 / 27

How is the lecture organized?

The topic is described and then followed by two examples

A problem is introduced followed by a possible solution

The topic is introduced, followed by an example and a historical narrative

Historical views of plate tectonics are compared to current theories

15 / 27

According to the lecture, what is the purpose of plate tectonics?

It allows the earth to cool itself off

To shape the continents

It is a theory explained by continental drift

To create valleys, volcanoes, and mountains

16 / 27

According to the lecture, what evidence did Wegener find to support his theory of Pangea? Select two.

He found similarities in fossils on separate continents

He discovered rare plants in Africa and South America

He identified the continents were similar in shape

He noticed a likeness between animal species living in South America and Africa

Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor, take some notes of the conversation before clicking next and answering the questions.

17 / 27

What do the professor and student mainly discuss?

How the student can improve her grades

Where the student can get access to books

Why the professor has called her into the office

What information must the student read

18 / 27

Why is the student confused?

She believes that she understood the writing assignment

The professor’s instructions for completing the homework were wrong

She misunderstood which books she should read to complete the task

She thought the deadline for submitting her work was later than it was

19 / 27

Listen again to part of the conversation. Why does the student say this?

To prove the professor misworded the assignment instructions

To confirm she has understood what the professor wanted

To give an example of a topic she could discuss in her essay

To ask the professor to explain his expectations again

20 / 27

Listen again to part of the conversation. What does the professor imply when he says this?

A number of students submitted excellent assignments

The student should have asked if something was unclear

Most of the other students understood the assignment

His instructions for the assignment were confusing

21 / 27

What do you think the student is most likely to do next?

Ask another professor to look at her assignment

Start to work on the assignment again

Wait until the weekend to work on the assignment

Submit a formal complaint about the professor

Listen to part of a talk in a psychology class and take some notes about what you here before going onto the next section to answer the questions.

22 / 27

What is the lecture mainly about?

How many hours of sleep should people get each night

Why people need plenty of sleep

What happens when you do not get enough sleep in college

The effects of sleep deprivation on the body

23 / 27

Why does the professor start the lecture talking about circadian rhythms?

To introduce the idea that lack of sleep disrupts our natural sleep cycle

To begin his lecture on this topic, even though he changes the subject

To provide an example of sleep debt

To later compare sleep deprivation to circadian rhythms

24 / 27

Why does the professor mention college students in the lecture?

To highlight the need for his students to sleep more

To show that college students have too much work interfering with their sleep

To prove that sleep debt is an important topic because it is relevant

To show that he empathizes with his students

25 / 27

What does the professor imply about the dangers of sleep deprivation?

The person will probably do a poor job at work and may risk getting fired

It could be as dangerous as driving a car while intoxicated

People could fall asleep no matter what they are doing

It may lead to overconsumption of alcohol

26 / 27

Which one of the following is an indicator that you might suffer from sleep debt?

You fall asleep easily when you lie down during the day

Your age since almost all young people and college students have sleep debt

You wake up multiple times throughout the night

You tend to fall asleep at 10 pm or earlier

27 / 27

Why does the professor say this?

To tell the class how many hours of sleep per day someone over 65 years old gets

To emphasize the idea that older people get less sleep naturally

To prove that people are more sleep-deprived as they age

To give an example of an average night’s sleep for a 65-year-old

Your score is

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter VKontakte

Come and join a course online

TOEFL

Listening Tips
Speaking
Reading

Other info

Class info
inquiry
Home

TOEFL Listening 2

Listen to a conversation between a student and a professor, take notes on the conversation before clicking next and going on to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE

1 / 28

Why does the student want to talk to the professor?

To see if she can join the workshop on Saturday

To tell the professor about her visit to the art gallery

To discuss the assignment about drip art

To get some ideas about what her assignment should focus on

2 / 28

What does the student mean when she says the assignment feels fake?

She feels like she is not properly expressing herself in this assignment

She prefers basing her art on more traditional forms

She does not want to complete the assignment because she does not like drip art

She is having trouble completing the assignment

3 / 28

Listen again to a part of the passage. Why does the professor say this?

The professor wants to encourage the student to continue even though she feels uncomfortable

The professor thinks the student should try harder

The professor purposefully made the assignment difficult

The professor wants the student to start over and make a new piece of art

4 / 28

What suggestions does the professor make to the student? Select two.

To attend the professor’s workshop this weekend

To meet with a friend and work on the project together

To discuss the assignment further after the workshop on Saturday

To get out of her comfort zone and try a lot of different art forms

5 / 28

Why does the professor suggest the student attend his workshop?

So the student can meet other drip artists

To provide the student with a step-by-step demonstration of drip art

To assist with the workshop

So the student can learn more about drip art

Listen to part of a talk in an economics class, take some notes before clicking next and going on to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE.

6 / 28

What is the lecture mainly about?

The pros and cons of public goods

How to tell if something is a private or public good

Why pizza is considered a public good

What public goods are and their characteristics

7 / 28

How is the lecture organized?

The topic is introduced and then described, followed by several examples

The two topics are compared and contrasted

The professor lists the characteristics of the main topic

The professor continues with a topic from the reading and answers questions

8 / 28

What is the professor implying when she says this?

She believes that the students will be confused by these terms

These words might be difficult to say, but their definitions are very easy to understand

Your mouth will be full if you try to say these terms together

She does not really think students should be confused by these words

9 / 28

What is an example of a public good? Select two.

TV channels on basic cable

Produces in a grocery store

Police service

A slice of pizza

10 / 28

What is the professor implying when she says this?

She believes that the students will be confused by these terms

These words might be difficult to say, but their definitions are very easy to understand

Your mouth will be full if you try to say these terms together

She does not really think students should be confused by these words

11 / 28

Why does the professor talk about pizza during the lecture?

To help explain the concept of public goods in a way that is easy for the students to understand

To show the similarities between public and private goods

To keep the students interested in the lecture

To prove that the concept of public and private goods is actually simple

12 / 28

Why does the professor talk about pizza during the lecture?

To prove that the concept of public and private goods is actually simple

To show the similarities between public and private goods

To keep the students interested in the lecture

To help explain the concept of public goods in a way that is easy for the students to understand

Listen to part of a talk in a psychology class, take some notes on the class before clicking next and going on to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE.

13 / 28

What is the lecture mainly about?

What happens when a person loses their ability to make new memories

The information learned from experiments on Henry Molaison

The different areas of the brain that store memory

Muscle memory compared to regular memory

14 / 28

How does the professor organize the lecture?

He describes the importance of one man to the scientific community

He compares different scientific theories of epilepsy

He introduces a topic and then provides a few specific examples

He discusses different types of brain research

15 / 28

What does the professor imply about Henry Molaison’s situation?

Doctors had to remind Henry every day about what had happened to him

Although he was a great help to scientific research, his life was still difficult at times

Scientists should have performed more experiments on Henry before his death

Henry was lucky to have a surgical procedure that successfully stopped his seizures

16 / 28

After his surgery, why would Henry Molaison forget about meeting someone 30 seconds later?

He did not try hard enough to remember

In order to make new memories, he had to be physically active

He lost his ability to make new memories

He had problems with his long-term memory

17 / 28

How was Henry Molaison able to develop new skills?

He took so many tests that he was eventually able to remember some information

He started gaining back his ability to remember certain things

Muscle memory allowed him to remember skills without relying on conscious memory

He was able to regain skills, like playing the piano, that he previously knew how to do

18 / 28

Why does the professor say this?

To give the students some help taking notes

To emphasize the importance of the hippocampus and amygdala in the lecture

To make sure the students know what the professor is talking about

To make sure the students know how to spell the words hippocampus and amygdala

Listen to a conversation between a student and an IT worker and take some notes on the audio before clicking next and going on to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE.

19 / 28

What problem is the student having?

He forgot to back up his computer before it crashed

He cannot print his assignment before class

He thinks his computer may have a virus

He does not want to pay for someone to fix his computer

20 / 28

What does the IT worker imply when she tells the student he is lucky that he backed up his files?

The student will be able to print what he needs for the class since he backed up his files

If the student did not back up his files, then he would have to pay to get them back

The computer files are still available to the student even if the virus erases them

His computer will probably recover since the student backed up his files

21 / 28

Listen again to a part of the passage. What does the student mean when he says this?

He only has to worry about his computer getting fixed now that his printing problem is solved

He is unsure about whether he should have a computer company fix his computer

He is worried the IT worker will not be able to fix his computer

He is glad that the fire in the library is no longer an issue

22 / 28

Listen again to a part of the passage. What does the IT worker imply when she says this?

The student will not have much luck getting his computer fixed

The student should consider having the computer company fix his computer

The student will have to pay a lot of money to have his computer fixed

The student has another option, but he probably will not like it

23 / 28

When will the IT worker be done fixing the student’s computer?

She is unsure, but she will email the student when it is ready

She will have it done by the end of the day

The student can come to get it after his class

She cannot fix the computer, so the student will take it to the computer company

Listen to part of a talk in a sociology class and take some notes on what you here. Then click next to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE.

24 / 28

What is the lecture mainly about?

The power struggle between family members

The different ways sociologists view families and marriage

The role of a family in society

The difference between functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism

25 / 28

Why does the professor discuss sociologist George Murdock?

To distinguish between functionalism and the other perspectives mentioned

To prove that functionalism is important to the lecture

To further explain functionalism

To highlight the different aspects of functionalism

26 / 28

How is the lecture organized?

A problem is presented followed by potential solutions

Different families are compared and contrasted based on various sociological perspectives

The professor lists and describes different ways to examine families

Evidence is presented and the students are asked to choose which is the best perspective

27 / 28

According to sociologist George Murdock, what are the three universal functions of the family?

Sexual, reproductive, and symbolic

Sexual, reproductive, and individualistic

Sexual, reproductive, and traditional

Sexual, reproductive, and educational

28 / 28

Why does the professor say this?

To see if the students were paying attention to the lecture

To highlight the difference between the perspectives she just described

To test if any of the students remember the answer

To encourage the students to think about what she just said

Your score is

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter VKontakte

TOEFL Listening 3

Listen to a conversation between a student and an advisor take some notes on the listening before clicking next and answering the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE

1 / 27

Why does the student want to meet with the advisor?

She needs a job or she will lose her scholarship

She wants to pay off her student loans

She wants to sign up for the work-study program

She needs money in case she loses her scholarship

2 / 27

Listen again to part of the conversation. Why does Mr. Sanders say this?

The student will easily be able to find a job on campus because she has good grades

The work-study program is only for advanced students

Since the student is smart, she will have no problem finding a job

The student is making a good decision by thinking about her future

3 / 27

Why does Mr. Sanders mention the student’s current scholarship?

To remind the student that she will not have a scholarship next year

To distinguish between a scholarship and a loan

To remind the student that it is important to maintain good grades

To emphasize that the student should work as many hours as possible

4 / 27

Why does the student want to work twenty hours a week?

So she can make more money to pay back her loans

She has enough free time to work this long

She has to work twenty hours a week if she is in the work-study program

So that she does not go into debt

5 / 27

What does Mr. Sanders decide to do to help the student?

He is going to let the student work ten hours a week

He will give the student permission to work twenty hours a week

He will give the job center the student’s work-study form

He tells the student to discuss the job further with the job center

Listen to part of a talk in an astronomy class and take notes on what you hear before licking next and going on to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE!

6 / 27

What is the lecture mainly about?

The geocentric versus the heliocentric view of Earth

What happened after Neptune was discovered

The importance of the discovery of Neptune

How ancient astronomers viewed our solar system

7 / 27

Why was Copernicus’ heliocentric idea not accepted until hundreds of years later?

Because there was more scientific evidence to support the geocentric theory

Copernicus could not explain why the planets revolved around the sun

Copernicus’s original research was inaccurate

Because the geocentric view of Earth just made more sense

8 / 27

Why was the discovery of Neptune so important?

Because it led to major scientific advances in the field of astronomy

Because it confirmed that planets revolve around the sun

Because it confirmed that Uranus does revolve around the sun

Because it added further evidence to support the gravitational theory

9 / 27

How does the professor organize the lecture?

She introduces a problem and then provides a solution

She introduces the topic and then provides two examples

She changes the subject halfway through to start talking about Neptune

She compares and contrasts two types of theories

10 / 27

What is the geocentric view of Earth?

Earth is the center of the solar system, and other planets revolve around it

Earth and other planets revolve around the sun

Earth is the only habitable planet in the solar system

The planets move around each other in circular orbits

11 / 27

What is the professor’s opinion on the discovery of Neptune?

It was only helpful to a certain extent because later discoveries were more important

It was an extremely important discovery in the field of astronomy

It was helpful because it answered some questions but also created some problems

It was inevitable that an astronomer would eventually find it

Listen to a conversation between a student and a teacher’s assistant, take some notes with a pen and paper before clicking next and going on to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE!

12 / 27

What does the student want to talk to the TA about?

She wants to drop Professor Stanton’s literature class

She wants to know more about the assignment due next class

She wants to take Professor Stanton’s Shakespeare class next semester

She wants to switch her major to literature

13 / 27

Why does the TA think the student is a freshman?

Professor Stanton’s literature class is for freshman

The student looks and acts like a freshman

He has not seen the student before today

The student just decided to switch her major

14 / 27

Why is the student concerned about taking Professor Stanton’s Shakespeare class?

She is worried it will be too much work

She loves Shakespeare but does not want to take a freshman class next semester

She has to take another class at the same time

She needs to sign up for more classes but is not sure which ones to take

15 / 27

What does the TA suggest the student do? Select two.

Consider other options because the Shakespeare class is a lot of work

Wait to see how well she performs Professor Stanton’s literature class first

Take the Shakespeare class another year when the student will have more time in her schedule

16 / 27

What does the student decide to do at the end of the conversation?

She will talk with the professor about the class

She wants to research other options before deciding

She is going to sign up for the class

She is going to wait another year to sign up

Listen to part of a talk in a world history class, first take some notes on the class before clicking next and going on to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE.

17 / 27

What is the lecture mainly about?

How to conduct historical research on an ancient society

Literary pieces that describe the daily activities of ancient Greeks

Sources of historical information on ancient Greece

What life was like for the ancient Greeks

18 / 27

How does the professor organize the lecture?

He discusses the pros and cons of literary sources of ancient Greek history

He compares and contrasts sources of historical information

He lists several reasons why ancient Greek history is important

He introduces the topic and then provides examples of each concept

19 / 27

Why are Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey not ideal sources for learning about ancient Greeks?

They only account for life in a few cities

They do not reflect a particular time and place in history

They are mostly fictitious

They are too difficult to interpret

20 / 27

What does the professor say are some problems with literary sources of ancient Greek history? Select two.

They have too many elaborate stories that are not historical accounts

They only represent the point of view of wealthy men

These works are penned by people who think highly of their own culture

There are no books that talk about women or slaves

21 / 27

Why does the professor discuss papyri?

To prove that the ancient Greeks were mostly literate

To describe how organized the ancient Greeks were

To illustrate that not all of ancient Greek history was told orally

To provide another example of archeological evidence

22 / 27

What is the professor’s attitude towards studying ancient history?

He likes feeling like a detective and trying to figure out what happened

He personally thinks it is confusing and complicated

He enjoys pointing out missing gaps and what historians misinterpreted

He finds it to be too complex for students to understand

Listen to part of a talk in an astronomy class and take some notes on the class. Take some notes on what you hear before clicking next and going on to answer the questions. LISTEN ONLY ONCE.

23 / 27

What is the lecture mainly about?

Figuring out how life on Earth began

The process of photosynthesis

Research currently being done on the origins of life

The sequence of steps that led to the creation of life

24 / 27

What is the professor’s attitude towards the topic?

She is excited about the topic and the work being done in this field

She is tired of the topic because she has given this lecture many times

She finds this topic interesting but slightly outdated

She is concerned that the students may not understand the topic because it is complex

25 / 27

How does the professor organize the lecture?

She compares and contrasts current research to older findings in the field

She introduces the topic from a previous lecture and then provides several supporting examples

She presents what is known and not known about the creation of life on Earth

She lists a series of events that occurred early in Earth’s history

26 / 27

What had to happen first for life to appear on Earth?

The ozone layer had to be created

Extraterrestrial amino acids and sugars had to come from space

Photosynthesis had to occur

The most basic life forms needed an increased level of sunlight

27 / 27

What does an astrobiologist do?

Tries to figure out the building blocks of life on Earth and in space

Studies of extraterrestrial proteins and sugars

Conducts research in the fields of biology and geology

Studies the biology of the stars

Your score is

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter VKontakte

Join classes today and

put some of your new grammar into action

Click here