TOEFL Outlines ( 1 – 50 ) TOEFL question #46: Some students prefer to study alone. Others prefer to study with a group of students. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. I. There are those students who like to study alone and others who like to study with a group. In general, I prefer to study with a group because you can get many different perspectives, you can share the work and you can feel more confident. II. Get many different perspectives a. Everyone has different opinions. When you study in a group, all the students can voice opinions. b. Hearing other opinions lets you think more deeply and analytically about a subject c. Example: you have to read a difficult passage and you can discuss the meaning all together and help each other understand it better III. Share the work a. Example: you do a project with two other people .everyone can do one-third of the research rather than 100% b. Example: each person read one chapter from the textbook and summarize it for the others. c. Example: one person take notes in a lecture one day and another person take notes in a lecture the next day and then share the notes. IV. Feel more confident a. When you share ideas, you feel more sure of yourself b. Example: give opinions and have others agree with you V. In short, studying with a group can be very beneficial. I, personally, enjoy getting different opinions, sharing the work and feeling more confident. TOEFL question #47: You have decided to give several hours of your time each month to improve the community where you live. What is one thing you will do to improve your community? Why? Use specific reasons and details to explain your choice. I. In order to improve the community where I live, I will choose to clean up the environment. There are many reasons for my choice. I want to improve the appearance of my community. I feel a sense of pride in helping to clean up and community involvement is important. II. Improve the appearance a. People throw trash out their windows .it needs to be cleaned up b. Example: clean near the busy roads c. Example: clean in parks III. Sense of pride a. I think cleaning up the community give a sense of pride b. I like my town and I want it to look nice c. You feel good when you do something for others IV. Community involvement is important a. People feel more connected to a community when they help improve it b. Example: if you help clean up you are less likely to make it dirty again c. Example: you feel that you belong when you have helped to make something better V. To conclude, I would help clean up my community in order to enhance the appearance of the community, get a sense of pride and feel involved. I think it is important to care about the community in which you live. TOEFL question #48: When people need to complain about a product or poor service, some prefer to complain in writing and others prefer to complain in person. Which way do you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. I. Complaining about a product or service is necessary sometimes. It is never easy to do this. I prefer to complain in writing because I can be clearer and I feel more comfortable when I write my complaint. II. I can be clearer a. Writing gives me more time to express my ideas b. Example: you can take a long time to write a letter, but if you complain in person, you only have a few minutes. c. Example: I can choose the best words in a letter, but in person sometimes you get nervous and choose the wrong words. III. I feel more comfortable a. I don’t like face-to-face confrontation – it makes me uncomfortable b. I prefer not to see how someone reacts to my complaints c. I don’t mind waiting for my complaint to be solved IV. In conclusion, complaining is not easy and that is why I prefer to complain in writing rather than in person. When I write, I can choose my words carefully and I feel more comfortable. TOEFL question #49: Students at universities often have a choice of places to live. They may choose to live in university dormitories, or they may choose to live in apartments in the community. Compare the advantages of living in university housing with the advantages of living in an apartment in the community. Where would you prefer to live? Give reasons for your preference. I. When students enter university they have many housing options. There are advantages to living in a dormitory and there are advantages to living in an apartment. I would prefer to live in an apartment for a number of reasons. II. Advantages of living in a dormitory a. You don’t have to cook for yourself b. There are always a lot of people around so you won’t feel lonely c. There is usually a laundry room in the basement so you don’t have to go anywhere else to do laundry d. You don’t have to get your own phone, groceries or furniture. e. The dormitory is usually very safe III. Advantages of living in an apartment a. You can cook for yourself and eat any kind of food you want, you do not have to eat only food available in a cafeteria (as you would in a dorm) b. You usually have a lot of space in an apartment (but only one small room in a dormitory) c. There are not so many people around, so it is usually less noisy than a dorm d. You can feel more independent in an apartment (you get your own phone, groceries, furniture, etc.) IV. Overall, I prefer to live in an apartment because I can be more independent. I can cook for myself, have more space, not have so many people around and do more things for myself. TOEFL question #50: People work because they need money to live. What are some other reasons that people work? Discuss one or more of these reasons. Use specific examples and details to support your answer. I. People work for many reasons. The main reason is that they need money in order to live. Other reasons that people work are to feel a sense of accomplishment and to contribute to society. II. Sense of accomplishment a. You feel good when you have done a job well b. Example: as a teacher, you see your students learn and progress c. Example: as a doctor, you help patients get better d. Example: as a carpenter, you build houses and see the people who buy them and enjoy them. e. Example: as a social worker, you help children who have no one else to help them f. Example: as a farmer, you grow crops and feed others III. Contribute to society a. You feel like you are helping society b. You belong to a company which is part of the community (sense of belonging) c. You are a productive member of society (you DO something rather than doing nothing) d. Other people value what you do. They need your services (lawyer, teacher, etc.) IV. In short, people work for many reasons. Besides the need to earn money, people also work to get a sense of accomplishment and to contribute to society. Working makes people feed needed and useful. . TOEFL Outlines ( 1 – 50 ) TOEFL question #46: Some students prefer to study alone. Others. company which is part of the community (sense of belonging) c. You are a productive member of society (you DO something rather than doing nothing) d. Other people