2020-11-04 TOEFL: R inference, S 4

Homework: p. 9-11 of the Reading Inference handout - exercise 3.1
1 B - The sentence only says that this particular method would be recognized. Other parts of metalworking may have changed a lot.
2 C
3 C
4 C
5 A - We can’t infer information about the comparison between turtle brains and other animals, only about the visual area compared to the rest of the brain.
6 B - We can infer that oak roots are deeper, but not that they’re 50 times deeper. We also know that pines are between beeches and oak for safety, so they must also be between them for depth.
7 A
8 C - Half of his books were set there (that’s where the story happened), but we don’t know where they were written.
9 B - We can’t infer the “because” in C. Fish are bright because coral reefs are bright. Coral is also in warm water, but the temperature isn’t necessarily related to the color.
10 A
11 B
12 A
13 C
14 C
15 A - Good screwdrivers usually don’t last a lifetime because they’re used in place of (for the purpose of) other tools.
---
Incorrect inference choices are often too strong. For example, the sentence in 13 says “may”, and the two incorrect choices basically say “always” and “almost always”.
---
Speaking Section: third section of the test, after the break; 4 tasks, 3m45s of speaking time; you record your responses on the computer, you don’t sit face-to-face with anyone
1 (old 2) independent, choice question - 15 seconds to prepare / 45 seconds to speak
2 (old 3) integrated reading/listening/speaking, campus announcement and conversation - 30/60
3 (old 4) integrated R/L/S, academic text and lecture - 30/60
4 (old 6) integrated L/S, academic lecture - 20/60
(The TOEFL changed in 2019 and eliminated the old speaking tasks 1 and 5.)
---
Task 4
When you listen, make sure to note the main topic and the two points or examples the professor gives about the topic.
- topic = visual elements in painting
- first point = color
	warm colors like red are connected with strong emotions like anger
	cool colors like blue have a calming effect
- second point = texture (in some art you can touch it, but in paintings it’s visual)
	rough - strong emotions/strength
	smooth - calming and less emotional
(Combining these can give a stronger impression from the painting.)
---
During your time to prepare, you can cross out details you won’t include and underline or circle the most important examples.

another element is texture
smooth/rough/soft
	sometimes you can touch it
	in painting it’s visual
	rough - strong emotions/strength
	smooth - calming and less emotional
---
When you organize your response, you can use a similar outline to question 3.
1 Introduction: state the main topic the professor is discussing
2 Lead-in: state what type of points the professor makes (“The professor gives two examples of visual elements.”)
3 First point (“First, she talks about colors.”)
4 detail/example (“Warm colors like red can…”)
5 Second point (“Second, she talks about texture.”)
6 detail/example (“Rough texture can…”)
(7 Conclusion - if you have time - “Painters can combine these elements, for example using warm colors and a rough texture, to make the emotional effect even stronger.”)
---
You should keep your recordings of speaking responses, even if they’re terrible. It’s useful to identify why they’re terrible, and you’ll be able to identify more vocabulary and grammar mistakes if you listen multiple times. In addition, when you improve later, you can build confidence by re-listening to bad responses.
---
BREAK
---
https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/resources/improve-skills - Suggestions for improving your TOEFL skills.
---
Record your responses to the ETS Guide practice questions.
Send the least bad response to me at greg.malivuk@gmail.com
---
“Listener effort” is a key idea for pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar in speaking responses. If your mistakes require additional effort for the listener to understand, it will affect your score more.
---
The speaker in the “better” response about children learning art often uses “it” to refer to an indefinite child, which is incorrect. There are solutions to this problem:

A child can express their emotions. - Very common, but some people say it’s wrong in writing.
A child can express his emotions. - Common in the past, but seems old-fashioned and sexist.
A child can express his or her emotions. - Correct, but can be awkward if repeated too much.
Children can express their emotions. - Always correct (if it’s possible to use the plural).
(If you talk about a particular child in an example, you can also solve the problem by specifically choosing the child’s gender: “A girl who wants to express pride can…”)
---
(Classes tomorrow will be at the school. TOEFL will finish at 3:15 due to a teachers’ meeting at 3:30.)

Next week, starting Tuesday, TOEFL will be 3:05-5:10 EST (GMT-5)
	(I believe this is 11:05pm - 1:10am in Moscow.)