When I used to tutor folks for the TOEFL, they often wanted to learn "short-cuts" or formats to cheat their way to a better score. I used to say that the best way to do well on the TOEFL was to improve one's English. I still feel that way.
To that end, here are a number of sometimes crazy conversation topics so that you have things to talk about while preparing for the TOEFL speaking section. Ideally, you should get a native speaker to ask you these questions and to correct your grammar mistakes.
If a friend told you that she was pregnant with her
boyfriend’s child, but she didn’t want to keep it and she wasn’t going to tell
him about the abortion, what advice would you give?
Let’s say you were a close friend of the guy. Would you tell
him?
If you could read another person’s mind, would you prefer to read the mind of a
person who hated or liked you?
Doctors can determine the sex of a baby. Do you think that
prospective parents have a right to decide the sex of their baby?
You have two choices of places where you can search for a
boyfriend/girlfriend, a church or a singles bar. Which would you choose?
If your boyfriend left you, would you be more angry if it
was a gay man he left you for or another woman?
Are you a hunter or a gatherer?
What kind of tree would you want to be?
Would you prefer to be invisible or to fly?
An elephant was given to you as a gift…how would you use it?
Should we really have to wear a seatbelt?
Do you wanna play offense or defense?
Why are manhole covers round?
How lucky are you?
Intelligent life in the universe?
Go to Mars?
Why is a tennis ball fuzzy?
Which actress/actor should play you?
Last gift you gave?
Funny thing that happened to you lately.
You are the only survivor of an airplane crash…what do you
do?
You have 2,000 new email messages and only have time to
answer 300. How would you do this?
Too many accessories or too few?
Which magical power do you want?
What kitchen appliance would you be?
What kind of car would you be?
Qualities you least and most like in your friend?
6 months with nothing to do. What do you do?
What special meal would you prepare for a friend of a
friend?
You work at a bank. Would you lend money to your parents?
Be right or be liked?
You win the lottery. Do you still want to work?
If you were offered a new job in Canada, would you take it?
Why/why not? 3 reasons
A friend has bought you a voucher to receive several free
dancing classes. You can choose from 1) ballroom dancing 2)
modern nightclub/techno music dancing
or 3) traditional Chinese dancing. Which type of dancing would you
choose?
When did you get your ears pierced? Why did you want them
pierced? How do you feel about men with pierced ears?
Have you ever tried Facebook? Which Chinese app is most like
Facebook? If you could, would you use Facebook?
What do you like the most about Tik Tok?
Would you enjoy gambling in Macao? How much would you be
willing to lose? Have you tried gambling? How do you feel about the lottery?
Tiger Woods got into a lot of trouble a few years ago
because his wife sneaked a peek at his cell phone messages. Would you ever
sneak a peek at a partner’s cell phone messages?
Do you think that fingerprints and retina scans are better
than ID cards?
China seemed like a very safe country to me. In the USA lots
of people get thrown in jail…what type of criminals go to jail in China?
Tell me a few things about kangaroos.
English is the current world language. Is it a good choice
for world language? Why or why not? 3 reasons.
Would you prefer reading a magazine about your favorite
hobby or topic or reading about it online?
In the USA there are many manicure and pedicure shops. Does
China have these shops as well? Do Chinese women care about decorating their
nails very much?
What do you think of the 16/8 diet? You can eat as much as
you want between 8 hours of every day but must not eat during 16 consecutive
hours.
