6 thoughtful #1 and #2 speaking questions

1. God tells you that you have a choice: you can live life as a homeless beggar or as a wealthy corporate executive whose company will pollute the environment and ruin the lives of its workers. Which life would you choose?

2. Super technologically advanced aliens come to Earth. They need manual laborers on their planet. Even the most brilliant Earthling is not competent to work high level jobs on their planet so you will be stuck at a menial and physical job there, but you will be able to witness a spectacular new world (but not participate in it). Would you stay on Earth or go with the aliens and become a laborer?

3. In an upcoming election both candidates really suck. You can't stand either of them, but you feel you should be a good citizen and vote. How will you decide which person to vote for? Should you not vote at all?

4, You are in a bar and the bar-tender goes into the kitchen. You see a guy walk behind the bar and pour himself a free beer. What will you do? 

5. In a play by Jean Paul Sartre a young man, during World War 2, feels he should fight against the Nazis who have occupied France. Yet, his mother is very ill and needs him to care for her. What should this young man have done - fought or cared for his mother (there was no possibility of hiring someone else to care for the mother)?

6. In the short story Billy Budd, Billy is a young, innocent sailor who accidentally kills a brutal officer who is physically abusing him. You are Captain Vere, captain of the ship. According to naval law, Budd must be executed - there are no exceptions to this: the killing of a first officer requires execution. Yet, most of the crew begs you to show mercy and not execute Budd because he was being abused and the death of the officer was an accident. If you pardon Budd, you may lose your naval career. What will you do?

Please enjoy a crazy video of Steve Goodman singing: Men Who Love Women Who Love Men

Daniel Gauss - the TOEFL King

How to answer TOEFL speaking question 5

Example of a dialogue:

Maggie: Hey Joe, you look so tired.

Joe: I am. I can't get any sleep.

Maggie: What's wrong?

Joe: My dorm roommate asked me for a favor. He said his dad was coming to town to visit him and the dad didn't want to spend money on a hotel.

Maggie: So you agreed to let the dad sleep with the two of you in your dorm room?

Joe: Yes, for one week. He sleeps on a blanket on the floor in our room; we have the two beds. And he snores. He snores like a wild animal! In fact, I think he snores louder than a wild animal. He wakes me up 6 or 7 times a night with his loud snoring. I can't take it any more.

Maggie: Well, just buy some earplugs. It's only for a week. And, you promised to help. Sometimes helping a person requires a little pain and sacrifice.

Joe: I bought some but I hate wearing them at night. They feel so weird in my ears. I have a little trouble going to sleep with that stuff in my ears and then it's hard to hear the alarm in the morning.

Maggie: Well, you look terrible. You have bags under your eyes. You need to tell your roomie to have his dad spend money on a hotel room or you'll just report him to the school and get his dad thrown out. 

Joe: I can't do that. I am stuck with him as a roommate. I don't want to sleep in the same room with a guy who hates me. That would be hell. I need to come back to my room for peace and quiet, not conflict. 

Maggie: Well, do something because you look bad.

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The key to answering a question number 5 is that both choices to solve the problem usually suck, but one choice is often slightly better than the other. Or, sometimes one choice is impossible and the only choice left sucks, but it is the only option.

In this case one choice is impossible: he can't offend his roommate because he lives with the guy. Therefore he cannot get the dad kicked out of the room or ask the dad to leave.

A good format to answer this type of question is: 

State the problem very simply.

State the two suggestions or options very simply (with no reasons)

State which option you'd choose and why (use reasons from the dialogue if you can)

State why you would reject the other option

Possibly make one concluding sentence or sentences

For example:

In this dialogue a student can't get enough sleep. As a favor, he has allowed his roommate's father to sleep for a week in their dorm room and the dad snores very loudly. The snoring wakes the student up a lot.

First his friend recommends that he should wear earplugs.

When Joe is hesitant to do this because earplugs are uncomfortable, she recommends that he simply ask the student to ask his father to leave, or he can report the dad to the school.

If I were Joe I would just wear ear plugs. After all, it is just going to be for a week and he promised the roomie he would help him. (notice you can often get your reason/s from the dialogue itself) Sure the earplugs are uncomfortable but he can sleep with them. He will just have to place the alarm closer to his bed.

Furthermore, the other solution is just a bad idea. He made a promise and if he backs out now his roommate will be very angry. If he reports the roommate to the school, this will create a horrible situation. 

In the meantime, if he suffers through this week, his roomie will really be happy and grateful to him. He just needs to suffer through this.

New 'tricky' element to Speaking Question #5 on the TOEFL

Someone recently told me that when he took his TOEFL recently he noticed something strange about Speaking Question #5.

Instead of the 'friend' offering two pieces of advice, the friend offered one piece of advice and the person with the problem came up with another possible solution.

This should pose no real problem, however.  Instead of saying something like, "...the friend offers two pieces of advice.." you can just say, "...there are two possible solutions offered among these students..." ETS is always throwing these little tricks in. Why?  I don't know either.

So using the format below, after you state the problem in speaking question number 5, you can say, "The friend offers one piece of advice. The friend recommends that...."  Then you can say, "The student, himself, also presents the second piece of advice..."

By the way, please remember to use "recommend" correctly.

The best format for Speaking Question 5

I've been working with students on the TOEFL exam for a few years now and we all tend to agree that this is the best format for question number 5.

1. Briefly state the problem.
2. Simply state the first piece of advice, with no explanation.
3. Simply state the second piece of advice, with no explanation.
4. State which option you would choose and explain why (do NOT mention the other option at all)
5. State the option you reject and explain why (do NOT mention the previous option)


For example, here's a sample dialogue:

M. Hi Beth, you look a little worried.
W. Well, I am. I am having some problems at the Student Job Center, where I work part time.
M. But I thought you were doing a great job there.
W. I have been doing a great job - everybody says so. But apparently I've been doing too well and the director feels that too many students are saying too many good things about me. So she has moved me from the information desk into the back office where I now have to do data entry. It's boring work and I think I was the best information officer this center ever had.
M. So the director feels that you are outshining her work and the work of the center?  Wow, that sometimes happens.  It's called professional jealousy.
W. She's never going to let me work with my fellow students again. She told me other students need to have the experience I was having and the staff has to be rotated, but I can tell she's upset with me. More students have started coming to the center now that I work there.
M. Well, let's problem solve. At this point you have nothing to lose, so go over her head and email her supervisor and just tell the truth. Let it all hang out.  Spill the beans. Tell her boss that she's messing up the job center by removing the best information officer ever.
W. I've thought of that, but I think I'd get fired. My boss is very good friends with her boss and they would just stick together and fire me. That would look bad on my record and I kind of need the money.
M. OK, just stay there then.  My advice would be to do nothing. Just do the data entry and take your check and accept this situation as a learning experience.
W. No. I think I have to do something.  This really seems wrong to me.  I have been removed from my duties because I was doing a great job.  That is insane.

So now let's use our format:

Problem
Advice
Advice
positive
negative

P = The student's problem is that she has been removed from her duties as an information officer because the director of the Student Job Center is jealous of how popular she has become.

A = Her friend recommends that she should protest this by writing to her boss' boss.

A = He also recommends that if this is not a good option, she should just shut up and do the work she is given.

positive = If I were in this woman's shoes, I would definitely email the supervisor's supervisor.  If what the woman is saying is true, this is a terrible injustice and nobody should remain silent for an injustice, regardless of how small it might seem. Furthermore, she is NOT going to get fired.  If the university fires her for bringing a legitimate grievance to their attention, she can take them to court and sue them. 

negative = Furthermore, the other option is just unacceptable.  If she does not say anything she is going to be miserable and she is going to be doing a job that she is not well-suited for.  She hates data entry but loves working with students. It is clear that she not only has a right but also an obligation to speak up.


So, isn't that a good format?

I think it's a good format because usually one option is usually just very unrealistic or even impossible.  Usually there is just one possible option and one impossible or nearly impossible option.

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Yes, I am the guy who reported to the Korean press that pop stars were not being treated as well as I felt they should have been in New York City:

http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20100511000742

http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20100512000682

Daniel Gauss

Unusual (New) TOEFL Speaking Questions - 1 and 2

Today I learned that on last week's TOEFL exam in Manhattan, there were slight changes in the first two speaking questions.  Apparently the questions were not simple one sentence questions. Instead, a situation was described and the TOEFL taker was asked to make a choice and support it in regard to the situation.

For instance:  Let's say that you are accepted to two university graduate programs.  One program is considered prestigious, but they can only offer you a loan to pay for your very expensive tuition, while the other program is an average program, but they are willing to give you a scholarship. Which program would you choose to attend? 

You can handle this type of question using the same format that I recommended for other types of 1 and 2 questions: http://danstoefl.blogspot.com/2013/04/toefl-speaking-topics-1-and-2.html

Intro
Reason 1
Example 1
Reason 2
Example 2
Conclusion, using 'Although..."

An example:

Intro: If I were admitted to a prestigious school, which offered no financial aid other than a loan, or an average school, which offered a scholarship, I would choose the prestigious school for two reasons.

R1: First of all, I want the best educational experience possible.

E1: I think it would be a real shame to choose a school just due to financial considerations.  You only live once and should not allow money to determine your choices.  If I am lucky enough to get into a great school, I would be foolish to turn that experience down.

R2: With great credentials, I can pay off my loans easily.

E2: OK, it's true I'll go deep into debt, but it will be worth it.  I'll learn amazing things, meet amazing people and if the school is really great, everyone will want to hire me and I'll get a job easily and pay off the loan quickly.

Conclusion: Although it's true that living with debt is stressful and we should do what we can to avoid going into debt, education is especially meaningful to me. I want to go to the best school possible regardless of the cost and paying off a loan does not have to be a terrible experience.

Some more CrAzY TOEFL type 1 and 2 speaking topics

If you need some sample questions to work on, please try these.  You will definitely not find these questions on the TOEFL, but these are challenging questions which will make you think and speak quickly. In fact, some of these questions are pretty fun.

To answer these questions, please use this method: http://danstoefl.blogspot.com/2013/04/toefl-speaking-topics-1-and-2.html


1)  In Mexico City there are yellow cabs and pink cabs. The yellow cabs are for everyone. The pink cabs are just for women and are driven by women. This is to help women feel safe while taking a taxi cab. Is this a good idea or does this discriminate against men? Use reasons and examples to support your answer.

2)  Last year a young Brasilian woman, who claimed to be a virgin, auctioned her virginity in order to raise money for her poor village.  A man 'purchased' her virginity for $700,000.  She gave 90% of this to her village and kept 10%. Some people claimed she was a hero while some people claimed she was a prostitute.  Was she a hero or prostitute?  Use reasons and examples.

3)  Last year a 39 year old woman became pregnant. With one month to go before delivering her baby, her boyfriend left her, she became depressed and she tried to kill herself by taking poison. The poison did not kill her, but it killed her unborn baby. Should this woman be arrested for murder?  Why or why not?

4)  In some Asian countries students go to school and after school programs and are away from home and engaged in 'learning' from about 8am to 8pm. Is this a good system or a bad system? Why? Why not?

5)  Let's say that a known terrorist has been arrested and, by torturing him, you might be able to acquire information that would save the lives of 100 people.  He may or may not have useful information. Should this person be tortured?  Why? Why not?

6)  Some people who value the ownership of guns believe that we should used armed guards to protect our schools.  They say that only a good guy with a gun can protect us from a bad guy with a gun.  Do you agree or disagree?

7)  Last year an Italian man, in NY City, forgot to bring his wallet to a restaurant and the restaurant staff had him arrested by the police because he could not pay his bill.  If you were a restaurant manager and a customer did not have his wallet with him, and nobody could bring his wallet to him from his hotel, what would you do?  Support your answer with reasons and examples.

8)  In some European countries there are 'baby boxes.'  If a woman who has given birth wants to, she can place the baby in the box and hospital staff will take the baby and put it up for adoption.  Some people claim that baby boxes encourage mothers to abandon their babies (so hospitals and adoption agencies can make money) while others say these boxes save the lives of unwanted babies.  Should baby boxes exist?  Why? Why not?

9)  In America when you eat at a restaurant you are expected to leave a tip for the waiter/waitress.  Do you think this is a good system?

10)  In the city of Amsterdam, marijuana is legal and no social problems seem to have arisen because of this situation.  Yet, some people say America is different from Holland and significant social problems might occur if a drug like marijuana were legalized.  Do you think marijuana should be legal in the USA?

Advice for TOEFL speaking question #3

Lately my students and I have devised what we feel is a pretty good 'format' for answering the third type of speaking question.

Initially we decided that about 20 seconds should be devoted to the brief reading passage and about 40 seconds to the listening section.  We felt this was necessary because it shows you understood the reading section and it shows good organizational skills.

It also shows you can transition from talking about the reading section to talking about the listening section.

However, we have revised this format and made it a little more precise.

Now, my students are trying to, basically, speak about the reading section in just 3 sentences.

First sentence: In general, what is happening?
Second sentence: Specifically, what is happening?
Third sentence: Why is this happening?

For example, let's say the reading passage is about a change in university policy.  

"Previously professors provided 'incomplete' grades to students who could not finish a class, and this decision was made by the professor, based on the professor's own judgment of a student's situation.  The university has discovered, however, that too many students are not finishing their courses on time and this is causing problems for the students, who have extra work to do during the next term, and professors, who also have extra administrative work to do due to this situation.  From now on students who receive an "incomplete" grade must first provide a written explanation for why they are not able to complete the class on time and they must provide a specific date by which they will submit all final materials to the professor or the date on which they will take their final exam.  Failure to comply with this new policy will mean a grade of "F" in the class.  This written and signed document must be submitted to the professor and approved by his department chairperson." 

So if you want to speak about this reading passage briefly before speaking about the listening section, here's what you can say:

1) A university has decided to change its policy concerning 'incomplete' grades.  2) Specifically, now a student must submit a written and signed document to his/her professor asking for an incomplete grade, and this must be approved by the department chairperson.  3) The university is doing this because too many students have been requesting incomplete grades and this causes problems for the students and their professors.

Now comes the transition.  Usually in the listening passage a student will not like the new policy change.  (Let's say in the listening passage the student provides two reasons against this new policy - you can read the two reasons below in my sample answer.) So your transition can be:

However, in the listening section we learn that a student has very strong reasons for not liking this new policy.

Now comes the body of your answer:

First of all, the student feels that if you don't have enough time to prepare for the final test or hand in a final paper, how will you have time to complete a formal written request to get an incomplete grade?  The student points out that students who need an incomplete grade are already under immense stress and should not have to worry about extra paperwork.  Getting an incomplete grade should not be so formal.

Second of all, the student feels that the old policy is not being abused.  He points out that he has only asked for one incomplete grade in 3 years and that was due to an unusual combination of events.  Most students definitely do not want to take an incomplete grade because it just extends the stress of a class into a new semester.  Most students will do almost everything they can to finish a class on time.

Your conclusion can be something like: So although the university feels that this new policy is necessary, we can see that not every student is happy about it.  Indeed, according to this student the new policy causes more stress and is not even necessary.

Recent speaking question types from the July 2013 test in Manhattan

Someone informed me that TOEFL seems to have changed it's format for Type 1 and Type 2 speaking questions.

He stated that the first question for the Type 1 question provided 3 choices.  i.e. If you were to do volunteer work, which type of work would you choose: 1) Talk to elderly people to make sure they are not lonely. 2) Visit patients in a hospital. Or, 3) (the person could not remember the third choice)

For the second question the person was asked whether he would like to work at a job in which he worked alone, or with a small group of people.

If this information is true, TOEFL does not always provide a 'descriptive' question followed by a 'choice' question.  Therefore you should be aware of that...

Latest TOEFL Speaking Questions (1, 2) from June 2013

Someone informed me that on the latest TOEFL exam in NY City, last weekend, the first two speaking questions were:

1)  If you want to learn about a different country, should you take a university course or should you travel to the country?

2)  If someone donates money to a not-for-profit organization in your neighborhood, and you can either build a garden or a playground, which would you prefer?

I'm a little confused, though, because both of these questions seem to be 'either/or' questions.  Usually one question asks for a type of 'description' while the other asks an 'either/or' question.

Maybe the person was a little confused.  If we want to change the first question to a descriptive question, we can ask:  What do you think the best way to learn about another country might be?  Support your answer with reasons and examples.  My sample answer below would still work for this question.

Sample answers:

1)  Many people feel that it is essential for a person to travel in order to broaden his/her horizons and to develop a more open mind.  Yet, I feel that if I really want to learn about another culture, a university class, taught by an experienced instructor, would be better than traveling, for two reasons.

First, the instructor can give me an overview of the entire culture.  For example, he can provide me with the history, the artistic trends, the politics and the current economic situation of the country.

Second of all, based on his experiences, he can give me insights into the people and culture of that country based on many, many trips and experiences with natives. Let's say I want to learn about Indonesia.  I can't even speak the language.  So if I travel to Indonesia, I will not be able to speak to many natives (unless they can speak English) and I might not really learn much beyond what I can see.

So although some people might say that it is silly or foolish to suggest that studying a country is better than traveling to the country, I disagree.  I want to benefit from the years of study of an expert and gain his/her valuable insights.  Then I can go and see whether what I learned is accurate.

2)  If someone were kind enough to donate money to an organization in my neighborhood for either a garden or a playground, I would prefer that a playground be built for a couple reasons.

First, I feel that it's essential for children to play outdoors in a safe environment.  For example, there is an obesity problem in America.  Children are not getting enough exercise.  If a park were built, children could get some needed exercise every day.

Second of all, children need to socialize with other children to develop important social skills.  If we build a park, this will be a perfect opportunity for the neighborhood's children to get to know each other, develop relationships and learn how to play and cooperate with each other.

Although I would really love a garden as a place where I could relax and enjoy nature, I think our children have needs which are more important than mine.  The park will help them exercise and socialize.

How to use "although" in your conclusion...

I recommend that students use the word "although" as the beginning of their conclusion for speaking topics 1 and 2.  However, using 'although' is kind of tricky.

Basically when you use 'although' you want to introduce a counter-argument or arguments and then briefly reiterate the two reasons you previously mentioned.

Remember, the best format for topic 1 and 2 questions involves:

Intro
Reason 1
Example 1
Reason 2
Example 2
Conclusion (using 'although')

So lets say the topic is "What is your favorite web site?"

I would pick www.craigslist.org   This is a very popular American website through which people can buy things, express their opinions and place their own ads.

My intro would be simple:

Craigslist is one of the most popular websites in the USA. People use it for a variety of reasons.  I like it for 2 basic reasons.

Reason 1:  First, I can post tutoring ads on craigslist.

Example 1:  In fact, the tutoring section is free and I have been able to work with some amazing students from over 35 countries, just through my craigslist ads there alone.  I think I have helped a lot of people.

Reason 2:  Secondly, craigslist has almost everything a person might want!

Example 2: For example, you can find a place to live, you can buy a car, you can meet people for dates and there is even a section where you can post your opinion about current events.

OK, now here's where we'll use 'although.'  We want to think of one or two negative things about craigslist.  For example, people have been scammed (cheated) using this site and, unfortunately, a couple people were murdered because they met strangers through this site.  We want to mention those things, but indicate that, overall, the site is still very helpful if a person takes precautions to be safe.

So our conclusion can be:

Although it's true that craigslist has some problems, for instance the site has been used to scam people out of money and some people have been harmed using it, it can still be useful if a person takes the proper precautions.  By placing ads and using the site to find necessary things, it has really made my life easier.

Sample Speaking Answers to Topics 1 and 2 on the TOEFL

Yesterday a student told me that on a recent TOEFL the first two speaking questions were: 

1) Do you prefer to listen to lectures or do you prefer to self-study?  
2) Which place would be more difficult to work in: a hospital, an office or a police station?

Here are sample answers to these topics using the method I developed:

Intro
Reason #1
Example #1
Reason #2
Example #2
Conclusion (beginning with "Although")

1. Self-study or lecture?

I would prefer self-study for two basic reasons. First, active learning is more effective than passive learning. For example, when I sit in a classroom and listen to lectures, I have a hard time remembering things. But when I am motivated to learn, I remember almost everything. Second, with self-study I can move at my own pace. I tend to learn quickly and lectures bore me. I've noticed that I tend to learn faster and cover more material when I study by myself. Although I understand that the professor is an expert and that I would be wise to attend and listen to lectures which are offered, I still feel that I need to learn actively and can learn faster by doing this.

2.  More difficult: hospital, office or police station?

Of these three locations, I would say working at a hospital would be most difficult for two basic reasons. First, when we see people suffer, we are affected by this. For example, even if I did not know a patient well, just seeing him/her in pain would make me feel a great amount of empathy and sadness. At a hospital this might be my daily experience.  Second, doctors, nurses and administrators all seem to work extra long hours. For example, my roommate is a nurse and she regularly works 12 hour long shifts.  So, even though (or although) office workers and police officers work overtime and face challenges, I do not think these challenges match seeing people suffering  and dying on a daily basis coupled with the constant overtime.

50 Practice Speaking Topic 1 and 2 Questions (To Use with Your Tutor Or Language Exchange Partner)

Here are some (sometimes strange) TOEFL speaking questions for type 1 and type 2 questions.  I hope practicing with these will help you. (It's good to answer strange questions because you never know what will be asked on the test...)

For low-cost TOEFL speaking and writing help, please e-mail me at djg51qu@gmail.com (free initial meeting over the internet).


1)  Should a person shower the night before work or in the morning?
2)  When a man takes a woman to dinner, should he pay or should they go "dutch"? (Each pays for him/herself.)
3)  Do you prefer reading e-books or real books?
4)  Describe something you do during your favorite season.
5)  Which is better to lose weight: dieting or exercising?
6)  Which is better for a history class: online or classroom learning?
7)  Which is the best month for a holiday?
8)  What is good advice for a person who is having trouble falling asleep?
9)  Now that you are in America, should you keep your foreign name or adopt an American name?
10) When you are in a Chinese restaurant, do you use chopsticks or a fork? Why?
11)  Which is better for you, texting someone or calling him/her?
12)  Some people think there should be a tax on soda to encourage people to stop drinking it.  Agree or disagree?
13)  Do you agree:  You should always give a waitress a tip even if her service is bad?
14)  In an airport do you prefer to go through the body scanner or to be "frisked"? (The security guard runs his/her hands over your body.)
15) What's the worst place to take a tourist in your current city?
16)  What's the most stupid holiday you can think of?
17)  What was the most important time in your life?
18)  If you were in Spain and someone gave you tickets to a bullfight, would you go?
19)  Do you think it is important to use capital letters in e-mail messages or is it OK to just use small letters?
20)  Should cell phones be prohibited in schools?
21)  Should bullying be a crime?
22)  Should you give money to people begging in the street or on the subway?
23)  Should we have shorter work weeks and longer hours (i.e. 4 days at 10 hours each day)?
24)  Would you prefer to go to an art museum or a movie?
25)  If you were convicted of a murder, would you prefer the death sentence or life in prison?
26)  Is it better to save your money or to spend it as soon as you get it?
27)  Do you prefer the white meat of a chicken or the dark meat?
28)  Should people be of the same religion when they get married?
29)  Is it better to wake up early in the morning or later in the day?
30)  Do you believe pet animals should be cloned?
31)  Should parents be allowed to choose the sex of their child ahead of time?
32)  Should marijuana be legalized?
33)  Do you think zoos are generally good or bad?
34)  In Mexico there are "pink" taxis, only for women driven by women.  Is this good or bad?
35)  Should really fat (obese) people have to pay more for their plane tickets because they use up more fuel?
36)  An airline had a somewhat abstract painting by Picasso of a nude woman on a wall at an airport and some people complained that it should be taken down.  What do you think?
37)  Describe the worst teacher you ever had.
38)  Describe your morning routine.
39)  Are you more like your mother or father in personality?
40)  Describe the last fashionable piece of clothing you bought.
41)  Is it good or bad that English is becoming the world language?
42) Are tourists generally good or bad for a city?
43) What should you do if your roommate is very noisy and keeps you up at night?
44) What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a smart phone?
45) What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of studying literature as a major in college?
46) What are the advantages and disadvantages of learning English in the USA?
47) What are the advantages and disadvantages of attending a US graduate program?
48) What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing volunteer work?
49) What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a dog?
50)  What are the advantages and disadvantages of just having one very close friend?

OK, there are 50 good and sometimes weird TOEFL questions!!!!!!  Good luck!!!!!

More questions:
http://danstoefl.blogspot.com/2016/07/6-thoughtful-1-and-2-speaking-questions.html

More questions:
http://danstoefl.blogspot.com/2016/07/more-challenging-topic-1-and-2-toefl.html

Please look at other links in this blog - there are many good pieces of advice and examples of how to do well on the speaking section. :)

Oh!  Please buy my e-book!  New York City Sucks But You'll Wanna Live Here Anyway!  It has 22 chapters of really good stories of life in New York City with a huge number of new vocabulary words and grammar reminders.  It's amazing!  Read about it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Sucks-Youll-Wanna-Anyway-ebook/dp/B004TSPAQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301236827&sr=8-1


By the way, some students in Asia can't seem to buy the book from amazon.com.  If this is the case, just send me email at djg51qu@gmail.com and I'll try to send you a free copy of the book via email attachment.  :)  I'm a teacher, not a businessman. :P

A Sample Essay for The Independent Writing Section

Here is a sample essay for the writing section.

Basically, in your intro address the nature of the question, make an argument or a thesis statement and then support it briefly with three reasons.  Use the body paragraphs to explain the reasons.  In your conclusion address the alternative argument and reject it.


Question:  If you had to take a university history class, would you prefer to take it online or in a classroom?  (Let's assume you are from Vietnam.)


Intro:

Although Vietnam is known as a 'developing' country, more and more people are getting hooked up to the internet every year.  This has introduced an interesting question into the field of education.  Should we adopt online learning programs for students, and, if so, how extensive should they be?  I actually believe Vietnam should do this and, for instance, if I had to take a history class, I would want to take it online for 3 reasons: 1) online learning can be more interesting than classroom learning, 2) it would encourage and develop students' abilities to study by themselves and 3) it would provide flexibility for students. 

Body paragraph 1:

We have all had the experience of buying huge textbooks and studying poorly designed texts from these books for hours at a time.  Online learning can be interactive and can present colorful and exciting features.  For example, if I am studying about the French Revolution, I can watch video documentary clips, go to research libraries online, post questions in forums, watch dramas about this era and even engage in chatroom discussions with fellow students.  There is no longer any need for textbooks.  Everything a student might need is online in various formats.

Body paragraph 2:

Furthermore, textbook learning is passive learning.  Everything you need to learn is within one book and some expert has chosen everything for you and you are often absorbing his/her ideas and prejudices instead of developing your own concepts.  With online learning you are free to go in whichever direction you choose and the student learns that the more effort he/she makes, the more interesting things become.  The teacher is more of a coach or guide and the student becomes a true learner.

Body paragraph 3:

Finally,  online learning provides flexibility for students.  Tuition is so high that many students are forced to work part-time or full-time.  With an online learning program you can fit your class around your schedule and not vice versa.  You can study when you feel like it and school now becomes something manageable which can fit into your day.  For example, if you have an emergency, you will not have to miss class.  You can just go online later.  Your attendance will always be perfect!


Conclusion: 

It is true that there are some significant problems with online learning.  For example, it is easily possible that students will cheat by hiring tutors to write papers.  This possibility often exists in real classrooms, however, as well.  Another problem is that the real value of a good teacher is lost in that the "Socratic" classroom method cannot be employed.  This "question and answer" method has been very useful in literature classes in helping students really understand deeper meanings of literary works. Yet, in a history class, there might not be such a need for the Socratic method.  Therefore, I think the benefits of online learning outweigh the disadvantages and I would definitely take a history class online.

How to Handle The "Advantages/Disadvantages" Topic

Last month a student told me that one of the first two speaking topics was a bit different from the normal or traditional TOEFL format. 

Lately ETS has sometimes been asking a question like: What are the advantages and disadvantages of universities allowing students to park on campus?  

Or: What are the advantages and disadvantages of online learning or living on campus or getting married later in life etc.

This type of question is easy to answer. :)  Just list two advantages and two disadvantages with an example for each.  You are probably not going to have time to have a fancy intro or conclusion.  Just mention two advantages with examples (if you have enough time) and two disadvantages with examples (if you have enough time).

Here's how to do it:

Well, the first advantage of letting students drive their cars to campus is that they can stay later at school.  For example, some buses stop running at 10 or 11pm in some cities.  The second advantage is convenience. Obviously if I have a car I can get to school faster and easier at all times and in all types of weather.  A disadvantage is that everyone will want to drive to school and there might not be enough parking spaces.  A student might actually be late for class because he/she has to drive around looking for a spot.  Also, taking public transportation is better for the environment.  The university should discourage students from driving so that they can help protect the environment from the carbon emissions of so many cars.

TOEFL Speaking Topics 1 and 2

TOEFL Speaking Topics 1 and 2:

Usually they ask you to speak for 45 seconds describing something.  Then they ask you to speak for 45 seconds explaining why you like one thing over another.

Lately, however, students have been telling me that they now sometimes ask you to write about "advantages and disadvantages" of something. 

Yet, I recently met someone who took the test in Manhattan and she told me the first 45 second question was something like: Do you prefer to listen to lectures or do you prefer to self-study?   She then said the second was something like: Would it be more difficult to work in a hospital, office or police station?  So this was, basically, the traditional "preference" and "description" format.

What's the best format with which to answer these first two types of questions?

Use the Gauss method :P

Intro
Reason #1
Example #1
Reason #2
Example #2
Conclusion (beginning with the word 'although')


Question Number 1:

Example:  Which do you prefer coffee or tea?

You only have 45 seconds, so come up with brief sentences for each part of the format.

Intro: I always wake up to a good cup of green tea in the morning.  I can't live without it.  So I'd pick tea for two reasons.

Reason #1: Green tea is good for a person's health.

Example #1: For example, I read in the NY Times that if a person drinks 4 cups of green tea per day, his risk of getting a heart attack will be decreased by 45%.

Reason #2: Second of all, I like the way tea tastes.

Example #2:  For instance, coffee has a very strong and bitter taste. If I put a little honey into my green tea, however, it tastes absolutely delicious.  

Conclusion (using 'although'): Although most people wake up to coffee because it has a stronger amount of caffeine and can really wake you up fast, I usually get a good night's sleep so I am more concerned about my health and the taste of my morning drink.

Isn't that a good format?  Practice the althoughs!!!!!!  If you can give your answer a nice tight ending, you'll impress the grader.

But, what if they ask you to describe something? You can use the same format.


Question Number 2:

Example: Describe your favorite building in your hometown.

Intro:  I love older, classic architecture, and so Trinity Church on Broadway and Wall Street is my favorite building for two reasons.

Reason #1: First of all, it has an amazing cemetery surrounding it.

Example #1: The cemetery has graves and tombstones going back to the 1600s.  The tombstones are actually quite scary, with skulls and cross bones and written warnings about living a good life.  The tomb of Alexander Hamilton is also there.

Reason #2:  Second of all, the church looks beautiful in contrast to the surrounding buildings.

Example #2:  Almost every building surrounding Trinity is an office building or skyscraper and most of these buildings are gray or silver.  Trinity is a delicious brown chocolate color and with its neo-Gothic architecture it really stands out!

Conclusion: So although most people think about the Empire State Building or some other tourist attraction when they think of favorite buildings, I like Trinity for its old cemetery and architectural design and color.

Isn't this a great format!!!!!!?