These questions follow dialogs that involve people talking about what they are doing. They are a kind of inference question because the activity itself is not mentioned in the dialog. Instead, you must determine the activity from the special vocabulary used by the speakers.
∇ Sample Items
You will hear:
F1: Is there room for that box up there?
M1: I can fit it in the trunk. And this suitcase should fit in the back seat.
M2: What are the speakers probably doing?
You will read:
(A) Boarding an airplane.
(B) Unpacking a box.
(C) Loading a car.
(D) Buying a suitcase.
The answer is (C). The words box, trunk, suitcase, and back seat all indicate that the speakers are putting things into a car.
These questions follow dialogs in which two speakers discuss what one or both of them are going to do in the future.
∇ Sample Items
You will hear:
F1: Are you going to go to Boston with Michael this summer?
M1: Wish I could, but if I want to graduate next year, I’ve got to stay here and take a couple classes.
M2: What does the man plan to do this summer?
You will read:
(A) Graduate.
(B) Attend classes.
(C) Visit Michael.
(D) Go to Boston.
The answer is (B). The man indicates that he must stay where he is and take classes in order to graduate next year.
The third speaker asks what the other two speakers are talking about. The topic is not usually mentioned directly in the dialog; it must be inferred from a general understanding of the dialog. The topic can be a person, a thing, or an activity.
∇ Sample Items
You will hear:
F1: Have you seen this letter from the bursar’s office?
F2: Oh, no, not another increase! If you ask me, we’re already spending too much to go to school here.
M2: What are these speakers talking about?
You will read:
(A) Higher tuition costs.
(B) A poor grade.
(C) Higher postage rates.
(D) A letter from a relative.
The answer is (A). From the fact that the letter comes from the bursar’s office (the financial office of a university) and that the second woman is upset about an increase and feels they are spending too much to go to school, it is clear that they are talking about an increase in tuition.
These questions follow dialogs in which the speakers are discussing some trouble one or both of them are having. The third speaker asks what the problem is.
∇ Sample Items
You will hear:
M2: Gordon, what happened to your window?
M1: When I was painting the house last week, I hit it with the ladder.
M2: What problem does Gordon probably have?
You will read:
(A) His house needs painting.
(B) He broke his ladder.
(C) He spilled some paint.
(D) His window is broken.
The answer is (D). Gordon, the second speaker, says that he hit the window with the ladder when he was painting the house. The logical result–a broken window.