| TOEFL - Speaking Question 5 |
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Directions: For this task, you will listen to a dialogue. You will hear a
question about it. You will then have 20 seconds to prepare your response
and 60 seconds to speak.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Question
Narrator:
Listen to a conversation between two students.
Student 1(female):
Hey, Barry. How’s your study group going?
Student 2(male):
Not so good. I don’t know if you can really call it a study group. We never
study.
Student 1:
What do you mean?
Student 2:
Well, when we meet after class to study, all my group-mates do is talk about who
likes who, what movies they want to go see, what parties they went to over the
weekend. We never even mention our Physics class.
Student 1:
Oh yeah, aren’t all the other members of your study group roommates? They all
know each other and hang-out outside of class too.
Student 2:
Yeah. I didn’t do very well on the last exam because we didn’t study so much.
Student 1:
Why don’t you talk to your group-mates and see if you can get them to actually
study? Maybe they didn’t do so well on the last exam too.
Student 2:
That’s an idea. But I don’t want to sound like a parent, “You all need to stop
talking so much and study!”
Student 1:
How about you talk to your professor and see if he will let you change your
group?
Student 2:
Hmmm, I don’t know. I think I heard that last semester somebody wanted to switch
study groups in the middle of the semester, and he told them it was too late.
Student 1:
Well, if you don’t want to fail another exam, you’d better think of something.
Narrator:
Now get ready to answer the question.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Answer
The man isn’t doing well in his class. He did poorly on the test because his study group didn’t do any studying. All of the other group members know each other outside of class, they all do things together outside of class, and they all live together! When they all get together to study, the roommates all talk about other things and don’t study. I think the man should talk to the teacher first and see if he can change groups. Sometimes it can be a little difficult to tell your peers, or classmates, to do something. If the professor says he can change groups, that is great. But if the professor says no and the group members find out, then that could be very, very embarrassing when they have their next study group.