TOEIC Listening Part 2 gives you one spoken question and three spoken replies, with nothing printed on the page. The trap is consistent: a wrong reply repeats a word from the question or uses a word that rhymes with it. This page drills the first three words of every question type and the indirect answers — I'll check, it's on your desk — that candidates reject because they were waiting for yes or no.
Who, when, where, why, how much, have you, would you. Everything that follows is detail; the opening decides what kind of answer can possibly be right.
After a *where* question, expect a place. You are then listening for a place rather than judging three sentences on general feel.
If the question contains *report* and a reply contains *report* or *support*, treat that reply as suspect. It is occasionally right, but it is wrong far more often than chance.
*I'm not sure*, *Ask Mr Tanaka*, *It hasn't been decided yet* are frequently the correct reply. They answer the question by explaining why a direct answer is unavailable.
There is no time to reconsider. If you hesitate over item 12 you will miss the question of item 13 entirely, which turns one lost point into two.
When the prompt is not a question at all — *We're low on toner* — the right reply offers, agrees or explains: *I'll order some this afternoon.* Do not look for a fact.
The second option arrives with falling intonation. If you hear that fall on a noun, you are being asked to choose, and yes or no is automatically wrong.
A question in the past cannot be answered with a plan for next week. Checking subject and tense alone eliminates a distractor in a large share of items.
If nothing sounded right, put your best guess down immediately and physically move your pencil to the next number. A blank row grows into a misaligned answer sheet.
Not thisQ: How long will the meeting last? — A: About two blocks away.
ThisQ: How long will the meeting last? — A: About an hour.
*How long* asks for duration here, not distance. Candidates who catch only *how* choose whichever measurement they hear first.
Not thisQ: You haven't sent the invoice yet, have you? — A: Yes, I haven't.
ThisQ: You haven't sent the invoice yet, have you? — A: No, not yet. / Yes, I sent it this morning.
In English the yes or no follows the fact, not the form of the question. *Yes, I haven't* is impossible.
Not thisQ: Where did you put the contract? — A: At three o'clock.
ThisQ: Where did you put the contract? — A: In the top drawer.
Mishearing *where* as *when* is the single most common Part 2 error. The two words are short, unstressed and easy to swap.
Not thisQ: Would you like coffee or tea? — A: Yes, please.
ThisQ: Would you like coffee or tea? — A: Tea would be great.
An *or* question cannot be answered yes or no. Listen for the falling intonation on the second option that marks a choice question.
Not thisQ: Who's covering the front desk tomorrow? — A: It's covered in plastic.
ThisQ: Who's covering the front desk tomorrow? — A: Ravi volunteered.
The distractor reuses *cover* in a completely different sense. A repeated word in a different meaning is one of the commonest traps in the part.
Not thisQ: Would you mind sending the file again? — A: Yes, I would.
ThisQ: Would you mind sending the file again? — A: Not at all.
*Would you mind* asks whether something bothers you. Saying yes means refusing, which is almost never the intended reply in a workplace item.
Not thisQ: The copier is out of paper again. — A: It's on the second floor.
ThisQ: The copier is out of paper again. — A: I'll refill it now.
The prompt is a statement about a problem, so the reply should offer or react. Answering a *where* question nobody asked is the classic mismatch.
40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.
2Complete with one word that introduces a starting point in time.
5Complete with one word meaning *both are acceptable*.
7A candidate hears: *Why was the shipment delayed?* Write two different correct replies, one direct and one indirect.
One good answer
Direct: Because the port was closed for a holiday. Indirect: I'm not sure — let me check with the carrier.
8Complete with a two-word phrase meaning *I do not mind*.
10Complete with one word to make a time expression meaning *immediately after*.
13Complete with one word meaning *not up to now*.
15Complete with a two-word phrase meaning *your decision*.
17Explain in one or two sentences why *The report is on the printer* is a better reply to *Where's the quarterly report?* than *I finished the report yesterday*.
One good answer
The question asks for a location, and only the first reply gives one. The second repeats the word *report* but answers a *when* question that was never asked.
18Complete with the past simple of *move*.
22Complete with a two-word phrase that means *I agree to do it*.
24Complete with a two-word phrase meaning *we have too little of*.
26Complete with one noun: *take ___ of* means *deal with*.
29Complete with one word meaning *before that time, no*.
31Complete with the past simple of *expect*.
32A candidate hears the prompt *We're running low on ink cartridges.* Write two correct replies and say what makes them correct.
One good answer
I'll place an order this afternoon. / There's a spare box in the supply closet. Both react to a problem with an offer or with information, because the prompt is a statement, not a question.
34Complete with one preposition.
36Complete with one preposition.
38Complete with a two-word verb meaning *reply later*.
39Explain in one or two sentences why *Let me check the system* is a strong reply to *Is conference room B free at two?*
One good answer
It answers the question by explaining why a direct yes or no is not available yet. Part 2 rewards these indirect replies because they are how the question would really be answered at work.
Note
Pick Two Activity is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the British Council, IDP, ETS, Duolingo or any other exam board. Exam names are trademarks of their owners and are used here only to describe the exam you are preparing for. Every question on this page is original practice written by us: we do not provide, copy or reproduce official exam papers.
No. Treat each of the three options independently; there is no position that is safer than another, and assuming otherwise costs points quickly.
Choose the reply that sounds least like the question. Repetition and rhyme mark most distractors, so eliminating them gives you better than a one-in-three guess.
Because real workplace conversation works that way. The test rewards recognising that *Let me check the system* genuinely answers *Is the room free at two?*
Reset physically between items: eyes up, pencil on the next number. The lapse usually comes from still thinking about the previous question, not from tiredness.
No. The Listening test mixes accents, so practise with more than one. The question types and the distractor patterns stay exactly the same whichever voice reads them.