Wikiboard

I. Listening

General strategies: Conversations 1. Focus on the 2nd (or last) line of the conversation. The answer to the question is most probably here. 2. Remember the correct answer is probably a restatement of a key word or idea in the last part of the conversation. 3. Remember structures and expression are tested (e.g. passives, negatives, wishes, conditions), functional expressions (e.g. agreement, uncertainty, suggestions, surprise), and idiomatic expressions (2-3 part phrasal verbs and common idioms). 4. Remember questions progress from easy to more difficult. 5. Read the answers to the questions as you listen to the conversations and choose the best one. 6. Even if you don't understand the entire conversation, you can still find the correct answer by applying the strategies above.

Short Dialogue Strategies 1. Scan the question and examine the answers as you listen. 2. Listen to the first line of the conversations. If you understand, great! If not, don't worry. It probably doesn't contain the correct answer. 3. Focus on the 2nd (or last line). This is where the answer most likely is. Repeat the 2nd (last line) of the conversation in your mind as reexamine the answers.

4. Focus on //who, what,// and //where// as you listen. Exs.: Who is probably talking? What will she probably do next? Where is the conversation probably taking place?

II. Reading

General Strategies

1. Don't read the passage. Examine key words in questions and answers and use these as your guide. Remember: with the excption of main idea/purpose, tile questions--which test your skimming abilities--these kinds of reading exams test your //scanning// abilities. 2. Don't worry if the topic of the passage is not familiar. All the information you need is //in// the passage, and you can still find the correct answers to questions.. 3. Never leave a question blank.

4. Scan the passage to determine the main idea and overall organization. 5. Look ahead at the questions to determine the //type// of question you need to answer. 6. Find the section of the passage that deals with each question. The question //type// tells exactly //where// to look in the passage to find the correct answer. Exs: Main idea questions generally deal with the first sentence (sometimes the last). Direct and indirect detail questions deal with //key word// scanning. Vocabulary and pronoun reference questions tell you where the word is in the passage. 7. Read the part of the passage that contains the answer carefully. 8. Eliminate answers that are too general, too specific, or irrelevant.