TOEIC Part 2 Tips: Why the Right Response Often Doesn't Answer the Question
TOEIC Part 2 plays 25 questions or statements, each followed by three spoken responses, and prints none of them. A common mistake is waiting for a reply that answers the question word for word. In eng-test.com's 378 Part 2 practice questions, 180 correct answers (48%) are indirect, and only 24 of the 102 yes/no-type questions have a correct answer that opens with “Yes” or “No”. This guide shows which prompt types work that way, the three traps behind 86% of the bank's wrong options, and six practice items with answers.
What is TOEIC Part 2 and how does it work?
TOEIC Part 2, officially Question-Response, is the second part of the Listening section. It has 25 questions: you hear a question or statement, then three responses, (A) to (C), and choose the best one. The prompts and responses aren't printed, each item is spoken once, and ETS's sample script leaves 5 seconds before the next.
Those figures come from ETS itself. The official TOEIC sample test includes its audio script: one voice reads the question, another reads the three responses, and the speakers are American, British, Canadian and Australian. The IIBC format page, from ETS's partner in Japan, gives the same count.
Part 2 used to be longer: ETS's 2017 document on the updated test cut it from 30 questions to 25. A book or free PDF with 30 Part 2 items uses the old format. For where Part 2 sits in the whole exam, see the TOEIC test guide.
| Feature | TOEIC Part 2 |
|---|---|
| Questions | 25 (numbers 7–31) |
| Responses per question | 3, labelled (A)–(C) |
| Printed in the test book | Only the directions and a “Mark your answer” line for each number |
| How many times it plays | Once |
| Pause after each item (ETS sample script) | 5 seconds |
| What you hear first | A question or a statement |
Part 2 is the only Listening part with no photo or printed question to preview. Use the spoken directions before item 7 to settle in, and start each item fresh: a missed item is one of 100 Listening questions, so don't let it cost you the next one too.
What kinds of questions are in TOEIC Part 2?
Part 2 prompts fall into five families: (1) wh-questions, (2) yes/no-type questions, (3) choice questions, (4) requests, offers and suggestions, and (5) statements. In eng-test.com's 378 Part 2 practice questions, 162 are wh-questions (43%) and 102 are yes/no-type (27%), counting tag, negative and indirect forms. Requests, offers and suggestions make up 45, statements 42 and choice questions 27.
| Prompt family | Example | Questions in eng-test's bank |
|---|---|---|
| Wh-question (who, what, when, where, why, how) | “When does the new manager start?” | 162 (27 for each wh-word) |
| Yes/no question | “Have you seen the updated schedule?” | 33 |
| Tag question | “The store opens at nine, doesn't it?” | 24 |
| Indirect question | “Do you know where the conference badges are?” | 23 |
| Negative question | “Didn't you order more toner last week?” | 22 |
| Choice (A or B) | “Should we meet in the morning or after lunch?” | 27 |
| Request | “Could you check these figures for me?” | 15 |
| Offer | “Would you like me to call a taxi?” | 15 |
| Suggestion | “Why don't we ask the supplier for a discount?” | 15 |
| Statement | “The elevator is out of order again.” | 42 |
These proportions are eng-test's own design; ETS doesn't publish a breakdown of Part 2 prompt types that we could find. The official sample's four Part 2 items include two wh-questions, one yes/no question and one statement.
Each family has its own kind of correct answer, as the next sections show. So on every item, your first job is to name the family from the first two or three words, before the responses start.
Why does the right answer in Part 2 often not answer the question?
Part 2 tests whether a reply makes sense in a real conversation, not whether it echoes the question. In eng-test's 378 Part 2 questions, 180 correct answers (48%) are indirect. Of the 102 yes/no-type questions, only 24 have a correct answer that opens with “Yes” or “No”; three in four are answered some other way.
ETS's own sample works the same way. Someone asks a colleague whether he is driving to a client meeting. The keyed response is not “Yes, I am” but “Oh, would you like a ride?”, a reply that only makes sense if the answer is yes.
| Prompt family | Correct answers that are indirect | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Statement | 42 of 42 | 100% |
| Negative question | 19 of 22 | 86% |
| Choice (A or B) | 22 of 27 | 81% |
| Suggestion | 11 of 15 | 73% |
| Yes/no question | 22 of 33 | 67% |
| Indirect question | 15 of 23 | 65% |
| Request | 9 of 15 | 60% |
| Offer | 7 of 15 | 47% |
| Tag question | 11 of 24 | 46% |
| Wh-question | 22 of 162 | 14% |
Indirect answers come in a few shapes you can learn to recognise. Once you know them, you will stop discarding the right answer because it didn't say yes:
- A fact that implies the answer: “Have you booked the flights for the trade fair?” → “I'm comparing prices now.” (Not yet.)
- A question back: “Can I change my booking to Friday?” → “What time would suit you?”
- Passing it to someone else: “Could you approve this invoice?” → “Ms. Patel handles invoices now.”
- Not knowing yet: “When will the new printer arrive?” → “The supplier hasn't confirmed a date.”
- A third option: “Should we meet on Monday or Tuesday?” → “How about Wednesday instead?”
- Accepting or declining with a reason: “Would you like a copy of the slides?” → “Thanks, but I took notes.”
The working rule: don't wait for a response that matches the question's grammar. For each option, ask whether a real colleague would plausibly say it next. When exactly one option passes that test, choose it, however indirect it sounds.
What traps do the wrong responses in Part 2 use?
In eng-test's bank, three traps produce most wrong responses. Of the 756 wrong options in its 378 Part 2 questions, 303 (40%) use a word that sounds like one in the question, 191 (25%) repeat or reshape a word from it, and 153 (20%) answer a different wh-word. Together, these three traps account for 647 of the 756, or 86%.
| Trap | What it does | Wrong options | Share of 756 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Similar sound | Uses a word that sounds like one in the question (lunch → launch) | 303 | 40% |
| Repeated word | Repeats a word from the question, or a form of it (post → posted) | 191 | 25% |
| Wrong wh-word | Answers a different question word (a time for “where”) | 153 | 20% |
| Related word | Uses a word from the same topic without answering | 41 | 5% |
| Yes/no to a wh-question | Opens with Yes or No when the question asks for information | 34 | 4.5% |
| Wrong tense | Talks about the past when the question is about the future, or the reverse | 16 | 2% |
| Yes/no to a choice question | Answers “A or B?” with Yes or No | 14 | 2% |
| Wrong subject | Talks about the wrong person or thing | 4 | 0.5% |
The official ETS sample packs two of these traps into a single item. The question asks where the new fax machine is, and the right response names a place. One wrong response reuses the word fax, and the other gives a day, which would answer “when”.
Sound-alikes are the largest trap group in eng-test's bank, and all of these pairs appear in it:
- price / prize and hire / higher
- lunch / launch and walk / work
- close / clothes and date / data
- flight / light and copy / coffee
- storage / store and recycle / bicycle
When an option has a word that sounds like one in the question, slow down and check what the option means; don't pick it or reject it for the sound alone. Does “The launch went well” answer “Where is lunch?” No. The sound got your attention, and the meaning decides. Reading has the same kind of trap, in TOEIC's confusing word pairs.
Should you rule out any response that repeats a word from the question?
No; a repeated word is not a reason to rule an option out on its own. In eng-test's 378 Part 2 questions, 84 correct answers (22%) reuse a content word from the question, the same rate as wrong answers: 164 of 756, also 22%.
A repeat alone tells you almost nothing. In the 162 questions where exactly one option repeats a word, that option is the right answer in 48, about 3 times in 10, close to the 1 in 3 you would get by guessing. Judge the meaning instead. Right answers repeat words naturally: “Should we take the stairs or the elevator?” → “The stairs. It's only one floor.”
The popular rule “never pick an option that repeats a word” sounds safe but doesn't hold up. (Method: eng-test counted exact repeats of words of three or more letters, leaving out function words such as the, you and will. That is why 164 differs from the 191 options labelled “repeated word” in the trap table: 133 options are in both, the label also covers changed forms such as post → posted, and a few exact repeats carry another label, such as wrong tense.)
How do you use the first word of a wh-question?
Listen hardest to the first few words: they decide what a direct answer must contain. In eng-test's bank, 140 of the 162 wh-questions (86%) have a direct correct answer, and 128 of the 162 include a wrong option that answers a different wh-word. No correct answer to a wh-question opens with Yes or No, while 34 wrong options do.
| If you hear… | A direct answer gives… | Typical decoy |
|---|---|---|
| Where…? | A place or a direction | A time (“By Friday”) |
| When… / What time…? | A time, day or date | A place (“In the lobby”) |
| Who…? | A person, a job title or a department | A thing or a place |
| Why…? | A reason, usually without “because” | A time or a place |
| How…? | A method or a manner (“By train”) | A reason or a time |
| How long / How often / How much…? | A length of time, a frequency or an amount | The wrong measure (a price for “how long”) |
| What…? | Whatever the next noun asks for (“What floor…?” → a floor) | An answer that ignores that noun |
Why-questions show just how direct this family is. In eng-test's bank, 26 of the 27 correct answers to why-questions simply state a reason, and none of them uses the word “because”. So listen for the reason itself (“The roads were closed after the storm”) rather than for a signal word.
When does the first-word trick fail?
Three kinds of prompt break the first-word rule:
- “Why don't we…?” and “Why not…?” are suggestions. The right response accepts or declines (“Good idea”), so an option that answers the why literally (“Because…”) is the trap.
- “How about…?” and “What about…?” are suggestions too, and are answered the same way.
- “Do you know where…?” and “Can you tell me when…?” start like yes/no questions, but the useful answer is the place or the time. None of the 23 indirect questions in eng-test's bank has a correct answer that opens with yes or no.
Even a genuine wh-question can take an indirect answer: 22 of the 162 in eng-test's bank do. Some say the information isn't known yet or offer to check, some point to where it can be found, and some ask a question back. If no option gives the information directly, look for the one that still moves the conversation forward.
How do you answer statements, choice questions and requests?
Pick the reply a colleague would naturally say next, because these prompts often get an indirect answer. In eng-test's bank, the correct answer is indirect for all 42 statements, 22 of the 27 choice questions and 27 of the 45 requests, offers and suggestions. Usually it reacts, offers help, asks a follow-up or proposes something else.
Statements
A statement asks nothing, so work out what the speaker wants: sympathy, help, a decision or information. To “The elevator is out of order again”, a good reply is “Let's take the stairs, then” or “I'll call maintenance”, not an option that repeats elevator or order. ETS's sample has one: a speaker says a colleague is retiring, and the correct reply comments on how long she has worked there.
Choice questions
A choice question needn't be answered by naming A or B. In eng-test's bank, 22 of the 27 correct answers are indirect. By eng-test's own sorting, 9 pick one by giving a reason (“I'm only free in the morning”), 7 offer a third option, and the rest ask a question back, reject both, accept either (“Whichever is quicker”) or put the choice off. Another 14 wrong options answer with Yes or No, which none of the 27 correct answers does.
Requests, offers and suggestions
These prompts use polite modal verbs (Could you…, Would you like…, Shall I…, Why don't we…), the same ones Reading tests in TOEIC modal verbs. The right response accepts, declines with a reason or asks a practical follow-up (“Sure, when do you need it?”). The traps are the usual ones: of the 90 wrong options for these prompts in eng-test's bank, 42 use a sound-alike and 35 a repeated word, and only 2 answer “Why don't we…?” with “Because…”.
TOEIC Part 2 sample questions with answers
Try these 6 practice items, written for this article rather than taken from any test. Read each prompt and its options aloud, or have someone read them to you, and allow 5 seconds per item, as on the real test. Each answer names the trap behind every wrong option.
1. Wh-question: “Where's the client lunch being held?”
- (A) At the Italian place on Fifth Street.
- (B) The launch went very well.
- (C) At about twelve thirty.
Answer: (A), because it names a place. (B) is a sound-alike trap: launch sounds like lunch. (C) gives a time, which would answer “when”, not “where”.
2. Yes/no question: “Have you sent the contract to the lawyers yet?”
- (A) A two-year contract, I think.
- (B) They're a very large firm.
- (C) I'm still waiting for Ms. Chen to sign it.
Answer: (C), which says “not yet” without the word no. (A) repeats contract but doesn't say whether it was sent. (B) is a related-word trap: it talks about the law firm, not about the contract.
3. Statement: “The quarterly sales figures are lower than we expected.”
- (A) A lower shelf, please.
- (B) Maybe the holiday closures affected them.
- (C) On the sales floor.
Answer: (B). It reacts to the news with a likely cause, which is what a colleague would say. (A) repeats lower in a different meaning. (C) repeats sales and answers a where-question that nobody asked.
4. Choice question: “Do you want the draft as a PDF or a Word file?”
- (A) Could you paste it into an e-mail instead?
- (B) Yes, I've read the draft.
- (C) I filed the invoices yesterday.
Answer: (A), a third option. (B) answers an either-or question with yes and just repeats draft. (C) is a sound trap: filed echoes file, but invoices have nothing to do with the draft.
5. Suggestion: “Why don't we hold the training in the larger room?”
- (A) Because the trainer was late.
- (B) A training manual for new staff.
- (C) Good idea. I'll book it this afternoon.
Answer: (C), because it accepts the suggestion. (A) treats “Why don't we” as a real why-question and gives a reason. (B) repeats training and answers nothing.
6. Tag question: “You're going to the food expo in Bangkok next week, aren't you?”
- (A) It was a great expo.
- (B) Only for the first two days.
- (C) About three hundred people.
Answer: (B), an indirect yes with a limit. (A) uses the past tense for an event that is next week. (C) answers “how many”, which the question did not ask.
How should you practise TOEIC Part 2?
Practise in short sets: play each item once, as on the real test, and take about 5 seconds to choose. Then review every wrong option, not just the ones you picked. eng-test.com has 378 Part 2 questions in 63 sets of 6; after each set you can replay the audio and read the prompt, options and Thai and English explanations.
- Do one set of 6 at full speed. The site allows two plays per question: answer after the first, as on the real test, and keep the second for checking what you missed. Practice is free with an account from the eng-test home page.
- Before you check your answers, write down the prompt family of each item: wh-question, yes/no, choice, request, offer, suggestion or statement.
- On the result page, give each wrong option its trap: sound-alike, repeated word, wrong wh-word, yes/no mismatch or wrong tense.
- Read the correct responses aloud and copy their rhythm. Replies you have said yourself are easier to recognise by ear.
- A few days later, do a new set and see whether the same traps still catch you.
Part 2 sits between Part 1 photographs and Part 3 conversations; eng-test has 180 Part 1 and 78 Part 3 practice questions too, but no Part 4 yet, so no full Listening mock test. For a target, see what counts as a good TOEIC score; for how Listening compares with Reading, see how hard the TOEIC really is. The workplace words in the 100 most common TOEIC words help in both sections.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in TOEIC Part 2?
- There are 25, numbered 7 to 31, each with three spoken responses, (A) to (C). The test book prints only the directions and a “Mark your answer on your answer sheet” line for each number. Before ETS updated the test, Part 2 had 30 questions, so older books may show 30.
How long do you have to answer each TOEIC Part 2 question?
- About 5 seconds. In ETS's official sample script, each Part 2 item is followed by a 5-second pause before the next prompt. Choose as soon as the third response ends, mark your answer and get ready for the next item.
Can a TOEIC Part 2 prompt be a statement instead of a question?
- Yes. ETS's official sample includes one, and 42 of eng-test's 378 Part 2 practice questions start with a statement. The correct reply reacts to the statement, for example by agreeing, offering help or asking a follow-up question.
Can a Yes or No response be correct for a wh-question in Part 2?
- Rarely. A who, what, when, where, why or how question asks for information, so a response that opens with Yes or No is usually a trap. In eng-test's Part 2 bank, 34 wrong options do this and no correct answer does.
Do you need to understand every word in TOEIC Part 2?
- No. You need the prompt family from the first few words, the main idea, and enough of each response to judge whether it fits. Nearly half the correct answers in eng-test's bank are indirect, so understanding the situation matters more than catching every word.
What should you do if you miss a TOEIC Part 2 question?
- Mark your best guess and move straight on. The next prompt begins about 5 seconds later, so if you keep thinking about the missed item, you may lose the next one as well.