Understanding Gist Questions in TOEFL iBT®

Identify the main point or purpose of the conversation or lecture.

The gist of something refers to its main point or key idea. In the TOEFL iBT® test, there are two types of gist questions:

  1. Gist-Content Questions: These ask you to identify the main topic or idea of a listening conversation or lecture.
  2. Gist-Purpose Questions: These ask you to determine the main purpose of the conversation or lecture.

You can identify gist-content and gist-purpose questions by phrases like “mainly about,” “mainly discussing,” “why does the student,” or “what is the main purpose.”

  • Gist: Main point or key idea
  • Gist-Content: Main idea
  • Gist-Purpose: Why is this happening?

Recognizing the Question Type:

  • Gist-Content

  • Gist-Purpose

  • Mainly about
  • Mainly discussing
  • Why does the student…?
  • What is the main purpose…?

TIPS

Listen to academic lectures in English as often as you can. Make sure to listen to lectures from different fields such as science, social science, business, arts, and literature. Many universities offer free lectures online, so you can search for those. Begin with short lectures on topics you know well, and gradually move to longer lectures on unfamiliar topics. If necessary, listen to the same lecture multiple times.

 

https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/about/content/listening.html

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