One important feature of answering TOEFL Short Conversations successfully is to listen for key vocabulary and phrases that are rephrased in the answers. A first step towards this is looking at synonyms, or similar words.
Example
You will hear:
| man | I think Bob started his new job today, didn't he? |
| woman | Yes, he likes what he does, but he told me that he's quite unhappy with the hours he has to work. |
| narrator | What problem does Bob have with his new job? |
You will read:
- His work is not as good as ours.
- He is unhappy with his new job.
- He dislikes his job, but is satisfied with the hours.
- His schedule is not what he'd hoped for.
Answer (A) is similar in sound. The words "hours" and "ours" have the same pronunciation. Answer (B) is similar in vocabulary. It uses the same words, "quite unhappy" and "new job", but the meaning is not correct. Answer (C) is similar in structure. It has the same basic grammar but the meaning is incorrect because it is reversed. Answer (D) is correct because it has the same meaning, and uses synonyms although the grammar is different.
Exercise
Open the exercise to begin the activity. Follow the instructions in the document.