Listening Comprehension
Listening Comprehension on the Tokushima public high school English examination tests your ability to follow spoken English in short dialogues, announcements, and talks. Items commonly ask you to choose a picture, complete a table, or select the best response. The audio is played once or twice, so previewing the question and options is part of the task.
Core rules and concepts
- Read the question and options before the audio starts; underline differences among options (times, places, prices, actions).
- Listen for discourse markers: however, actually, instead, so, because. They signal corrections and reasons.
- Track numbers and dates against categories: a price is not a time; Saturday hours differ from weekday hours.
- Distinguish similar sounds in context: thirteen/thirty, can/can't, walk/work, and the intonation of tag questions.
- For question-response items, identify the function (invitation, request, apology) before choosing.
Worked example
Audio: "The city library closes at six on weekdays. On Saturdays it stays open until eight. Today is Saturday, so we still have two hours." Question: What time does the library close today? Options: 6:00 / 8:00 / 10:00. Reasoning: "Today is Saturday" selects the Saturday closing time, 8:00. The 6:00 time belongs to weekdays, and 10:00 is a distractor made by adding two hours to 8:00.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing the first number you hear without checking which day or category it belongs to.
- Missing a negation or correction ("not on Sundays," "actually").
- Losing your place after an unknown word; keep listening for the next keyword.
- Not previewing options, so you cannot anticipate the contrast being tested.