Learning Outcomes
After reviewing this article, you will be able to recognize and answer TOEFL Listening questions that test your understanding of a speaker’s attitude, opinion, or certainty. You’ll know the key language cues, question formats, and effective strategies for choosing the correct answers—especially when the attitude is implied rather than directly stated.
TOEFL iBT Syllabus
For TOEFL, you need to handle Listening questions about a speaker’s attitude or opinion. For your revision, this article focuses on:
- Identifying attitude or opinion questions based on wording
- Listening for attitude, opinion, or certainty (explicit and implicit)
- Detecting cue words, tone, and context
- Understanding indirect language and distinguishing facts from opinions
- Selecting correct answers based on implied or stated viewpoint
Test Your Knowledge
Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision.
- What are two common phrasing clues in TOEFL Listening that a question tests speaker attitude or opinion?
- How can a speaker’s tone of voice help you identify their attitude, even if their literal words are neutral?
- Why is it important to distinguish between a speaker’s fact and their opinion when selecting an answer in Listening?
Introduction
TOEFL Listening includes questions about the attitude, opinion, or certainty of a speaker. These test your ability to infer or notice how a person feels about what they’re saying—or to tell if a professor is certain, doubtful, surprised, or joking. Such questions appear after both short campus conversations and longer academic lectures.
Key Term: Attitude/Opinion Question
A Listening comprehension question that asks you to identify what the speaker thinks or feels, how sure they are, or their emotional stance on the content.Key Term: Cue Words
Words or phrases that signal a speaker’s feelings or certainty, such as "I think," "fortunately," "apparently," "I wonder," or "according to research."Key Term: Tone
The speaker’s emotional quality, such as cheerful, disappointed, sarcastic, or enthusiastic, often detected from intonation or delivery rather than the words alone.
Types of Attitude and Opinion Questions
You can recognize these questions because they ask things like:
- What is the professor’s attitude about X?
- What is the student’s opinion on Y?
- What can be inferred about the speaker’s feelings?
- What does the professor mean when she says this?
Some questions specifically ask about speaker certainty with phrases like "How certain is the professor about...?"
Where Do These Questions Occur?
- Brief campus conversations: e.g., Student discussing a problem, advisor offering advice—question may ask “What is the advisor’s attitude toward the student’s plan?”
- Academic lectures or discussions: e.g., Professor explains a scientific process—question might ask “How does the professor feel about the theory discussed?”
Identifying Attitude, Opinion, and Certainty
Speaker attitude or opinion can be explicitly stated (“Personally, I doubt that will work”) or implied (“If you say so,” said with a flat or sarcastic tone).
Look for:
- Direct statements: "I strongly recommend...," "I’m excited to share..."
- Hedges or doubt: "It seems...," "I guess...," "Maybe..."
- Emotional adjectives: "Surprisingly, the results were..." or "It’s unfortunate..."
- Tone and delivery: Fast, excited, flat, bored, sarcastic, annoyed, warm, unsure, etc.
Key Term: Explicit Attitude
A speaker's feelings or opinion stated directly in their words.Key Term: Implicit Attitude
A speaker’s feelings or opinions that are suggested by context, tone, or subtle clues, rather than directly stated.
Question Formats and Cues
Typical phrasing includes:
- What is the speaker’s attitude toward X?
- How does the professor feel about Y?
- What is the speaker’s opinion about...?
- Listen again to part of the talk. What does the professor imply when she says this?
TOEFL Tip: An "attitude" question may involve a replay of a statement—the question asks WHY the speaker said it.
Examining How Attitude Is Conveyed
Speakers may show their attitude by:
- Choice of words: "We should definitely..." (strong attitude), "I suppose..." (weak or reluctant attitude).
- Intensity: Certain, very certain, fairly certain, not sure, speculative.
- Images/examples: "This is a huge breakthrough!" (enthusiastic), "Supposedly." (skeptical).
- Contrasts: "Although this is commonly accepted, I have doubts..." (critical attitude).
Using Tone and Context
Sometimes, even with neutral words, the way something is said reveals the attitude. For instance, "Great idea," spoken flatly, may mean the opposite.
Context matters. A professor saying, "The experiments were, well, interesting" may in context be expressing doubt, disappointment, or sarcasm.
Practice Strategies
- Listen for opinion, emotional evaluation, or uncertainty
- Pay attention to the "how," not just "what"
- Note high- and low-certainty phrases ("Experts agree," vs. "I guess")
Worked Example 1.1
Audio extract (lecture):
Professor: Well, according to most scientists, the model has advantages. Personally, I’m not so convinced—the data, frankly, seem thin so far.
TOEFL Question: What is the professor’s attitude toward the model?
- A) She supports it and trusts the data
- B) She thinks the model has unknown advantages
- C) She is doubtful about the evidence for the model
- D) She is not familiar with the model
Answer:
C) She is doubtful about the evidence for the model
Explanation: The phrase "I’m not so convinced" and "the data, frankly, seem thin" show skepticism.
Worked Example 1.2
Audio extract (conversation):
Advisor: Well, you could try transferring, but honestly, it’s a risky choice. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re sure.
TOEFL Question: What is the advisor’s opinion about transferring?
- A) He strongly supports it
- B) He thinks it is not a good idea for most students
- C) He is indifferent about the decision
- D) He wants the student to decide alone
Answer:
B) He thinks it is not a good idea for most students
Explanation: "Honestly, it’s a risky choice. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re sure" shows reservations.
Exam Warning
Don’t rely on key vocabulary alone—attitude is often carried by tone or context. Choosing an answer just because it repeats a phrase from the audio can lead to mistakes.
Revision Tip
On replay questions, listen to the sample more than once—once for the words, once for the speaker’s feelings.
Summary
Attitude and opinion questions in TOEFL Listening require you to notice not just facts, but what speakers think, feel, or believe. You must pay attention to language, tone, and delivery to determine their position or level of certainty.
Key Point Checklist
This article has covered the following key knowledge points:
- Recognize attitude/opinion question formats in TOEFL Listening.
- Identify speaker attitude by explicit language, cue words, and tone.
- Distinguish between direct and indirect expression of opinion.
- Analyze question phrasing for clues about attitude or certainty.
- Practice listening for emotional, evaluative, or uncertain language.
- Avoid relying only on repeated words in answers—context matters.
- Review worked examples representing authentic TOEFL attitude/opinion tasks.
Key Terms and Concepts
- Attitude/Opinion Question
- Cue Words
- Tone
- Explicit Attitude
- Implicit Attitude