Watch out for traps
Trap Number One – unexpected turn
You might hear speaker starting to say one thing and then, suddenly, continuing to something completely different. This is a trap, so make sure you don’t fall for it. The rule here is “Last word counts”. For example, if the speaker says “I want to visit that gallery on Monday. No, wait, I’ve just remembered that it is closed on Monday, so I will go on Wednesday.”, and the question is “when” – the correct answer here is Wednesday, and Monday is a trap.
Trap Number Two – generalizations
You might hear speaker first gives a list of things and then says them all in one word.For example: “Well, I like to swim, hike, and camp – to be involved in outdoor activities.” If the question is “What kind of activities…” the correct answer is “outdoor” and not “swimming”, “hiking” or “camping”.
Trap Number Three – explicit answer choices
Explicit answers choices can be (and mostly will be) traps. The following example demonstrates what I mean:
The tape says: “This course is a must for all first year students, excluding foreign students”.
The Question is “All the first year students have to take this course”, The Answer should be F(alse), because there is an exception – foreign students. All the explicit answers that mean “no exceptions” are suspicious to us and call formore attention.
Check the grammar
If the answer you give is grammatically incorrect – it can not be the right one. Checking the grammar of youranswers will give you an idea whether your answercorrect or not, especially in tasks like:
• Gap-fill
• Sentence completion
Use your time wisely
During the test, you have a little time between passages. Use it to check and complete your answers
Trap Number One – unexpected turn
You might hear speaker starting to say one thing and then, suddenly, continuing to something completely different. This is a trap, so make sure you don’t fall for it. The rule here is “Last word counts”. For example, if the speaker says “I want to visit that gallery on Monday. No, wait, I’ve just remembered that it is closed on Monday, so I will go on Wednesday.”, and the question is “when” – the correct answer here is Wednesday, and Monday is a trap.
Trap Number Two – generalizations
You might hear speaker first gives a list of things and then says them all in one word.For example: “Well, I like to swim, hike, and camp – to be involved in outdoor activities.” If the question is “What kind of activities…” the correct answer is “outdoor” and not “swimming”, “hiking” or “camping”.
Trap Number Three – explicit answer choices
Explicit answers choices can be (and mostly will be) traps. The following example demonstrates what I mean:
The tape says: “This course is a must for all first year students, excluding foreign students”.
The Question is “All the first year students have to take this course”, The Answer should be F(alse), because there is an exception – foreign students. All the explicit answers that mean “no exceptions” are suspicious to us and call formore attention.
Check the grammar
If the answer you give is grammatically incorrect – it can not be the right one. Checking the grammar of youranswers will give you an idea whether your answercorrect or not, especially in tasks like:
• Gap-fill
• Sentence completion
Use your time wisely
During the test, you have a little time between passages. Use it to check and complete your answers
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