So what are we listening for?
A comparison of the English listening constructs
in the Japanese National Centre Test and TOEFL® iBT


Appendix I: Sample TOEFL® iBT
information connecting questions

6. Understanding organization: Listen to a professor's lecture on bureaucracies



[part of a statement made by the professor]
There's this committee I'm on . . . Th-the name of the thing and it's probably, well, you don't have to take notes about this, um, the name of the thing is academic standards.

Q: Why does the professor tell the students that they do not have to take notes?
The information is in their books.
The information may not be accurate.
She is going to tell a personal story.
They already know what she is going to talk about.
7. Connecting content: Listen to a professor's lecture on Neptune



Q: What does the professor imply about the orbits of Triton and Nereid?
They used to be closer together.
They might provide evidence of an undiscovered planet.
They might reverse directions in the future.
They might have been changed by some unusual event.
8. Making inferences: Listen to a professor's lecture



Q: What does the professor imply about the philosophy of the Dada movement?
It was not taken seriously by most artists.
It varied from one country to another.
It challenged people's concept of what art is.
It was based on a realistic style of art.