You hear:
“Before we print the event posters, could I run the new date by you?”
Which response fits?
A. “Yes, the printer is beside the posters.”
B. “Sure—show me the date you’re considering.”
C. “I already told the club about the old date.”
D. “The event runs for two days.”
The answer is B. It completes the request for a reaction. A, C, and D share words with the prompt, but none performs the requested act.
In the TOEFL iBT format in use from January 2026, Listen and Choose a Response presents a spoken prompt and asks for the most appropriate response. ETS names meaning, intent, and common spoken-English patterns in academic settings. The central lexical decision is: What is the speaker doing, and what response completes that move?
The six expressions here label useful moves. They are teaching examples, not claims about words you will hear. Find more practice in the TOEFL vocabulary practice hub and the broader Exam English hub.
Six speaker moves, in order
1. Bring up
To bring up a subject is to introduce it for discussion or consideration. Mention may only refer to it. The two overlap, so stated intent matters. “Could we bring up the lab schedule at the meeting?” explicitly opens discussion. “Maya mentioned the schedule yesterday” reports a reference and does not itself request discussion.
2. Look into
To look into a problem is to investigate or examine facts. Find out focuses on learning an answer; it can overlap, but it does not always name the process of inquiry. Crucially, “I’ll look into it” promises investigation, not a fix. A response that guarantees a repair adds an outcome the speaker did not offer.
3. Hold off on
To hold off on an action is to delay it without deciding against it. Cancel means it will not happen. If the speaker says “until the safety check is complete,” later action remains possible, so a response about waiting fits and a response about permanent cancellation does not.
4. Run something by someone
To run a plan by someone is to share a formed idea before proceeding so that person can react or give an informal go-ahead. It is more than simply tell: telling can inform without seeking input. The object belongs between run and by: run the plan by her.
5. Follow through on
To follow through on a promise or plan is to take the actions needed to complete or honor it. Agree to marks the earlier commitment; it does not prove completion. A prompt asking whether someone acted on a promise calls for evidence of action, not another statement of intent.
6. Push back
To push back on a request or proposal is to challenge, resist, or renegotiate it while discussion can remain open. Refuse closes the request. The expressions can meet in some situations, so a correct item needs decisive context: a counterproposal shows continued engagement; an explicit final no shows refusal.
Eight original prompts
Choose one response for each spoken prompt. Every item has four options.
1. Raising a topic
Prompt: “Could you bring up the missing lab labels when the committee meets this afternoon?”
A. “Yes, I’ll ask the committee to discuss them.”
B. “The labels are printed in blue.”
C. “I walked past the lab this morning.”
D. “The committee meeting was mentioned online.”
2. Investigating
Prompt: “The room-booking system rejected my request twice. Can you look into why?”
A. “Yes, I guarantee the software will be fixed today.”
B. “No, I found the room comfortable.”
C. “Sure, I’ll check the logs and find out what happened.”
D. “The request form is beside the computer.”
Understanding is only the first step.
Lyra Practice helps you retrieve and use high-value workplace expressions in realistic situations until they feel natural.
Start a practice session →3. Delaying, not ending
Prompt: “Let’s hold off on ordering the chemicals until Professor Chen confirms the quantities.”
A. “Okay, I’ll cancel the order permanently.”
B. “Okay, I’ll wait for her confirmation before ordering.”
C. “Professor Chen teaches chemistry.”
D. “I already mentioned the quantities.”
4. Seeking a reaction
Prompt: “I’ve drafted the survey questions. May I run them by you before I send the form?”
A. “Of course; send me the draft and I’ll comment.”
B. “Yes, tell the students after you send it.”
C. “The survey runs until Friday.”
D. “I know how to draft a survey.”
5. Checking completed action
Prompt: “You agreed to reserve the auditorium last week. Did you follow through on it?”
A. “Yes, I agree that an auditorium is useful.”
B. “I plan to think about it tomorrow.”
C. “Yes, the reservation was confirmed this morning.”
D. “The auditorium follows the library on the map.”
6. Challenging while negotiating
Prompt: “The dean wants the report by noon, but the final data arrive at eleven. Should we push back on that deadline?”
A. “Yes. Let’s ask for 3 p.m. and explain the data timing.”
B. “Yes. Let’s refuse to submit any report.”
C. “The report is about the deadline.”
D. “Noon comes after eleven.”
7. Same topic, different function: investigate
Prompt: “Several students say the library door locks before the posted closing time. Could you find out what is happening?”
A. “I’ll bring up the door at the next meeting.”
B. “I’ll check the lock records and staff schedule.”
C. “I’ll hold off on closing the library forever.”
D. “The posted time is on the door.”
8. Same topic, different function: raise
Prompt: “You confirmed that the library lock schedule is wrong. Will you bring the issue up with the facilities committee?”
A. “Yes, I’ll investigate whether there is an issue.”
B. “Yes, I’ll introduce the confirmed problem for discussion.”
C. “Yes, I’ll cancel the committee.”
D. “The library has several doors.”
Items 7 and 8 share the same topic. The licensed response changes because the function changes. In 7, the facts are not known, so investigation fits. In 8, the error is confirmed, and the request is to open discussion with a named group.
Answer and intent grid
| Item | Intent label | Evidence phrase | Answer | Why the overlap distractor fails |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Raise a topic | “when the committee meets” | A | D repeats committee and mentioned, but reports a reference instead of opening discussion. |
| 2 | Investigate | “look into why” | C | A repeats the problem context but promises a fix; inquiry does not guarantee repair. |
| 3 | Delay | “until…confirms” | B | A treats a temporary wait as permanent cancellation. |
| 4 | Seek reaction | “run them by you before” | A | B only tells others later; it does not seek the listener’s reaction before sending. |
| 5 | Verify completed commitment | “agreed…last week” and “Did you follow through” | C | A repeats agree but gives no completed action. |
| 6 | Resist and renegotiate | “ask for 3 p.m.” is available | A | B turns an open timing problem into a closed refusal. |
| 7 | Investigate | “say” and “find out” show an unverified report | B | A opens discussion before the requested fact check. |
| 8 | Raise a topic | “confirmed” and “with the…committee” | B | A proposes investigating a fact the prompt already says is confirmed. |
At least three traps work through lexical overlap: committee/mentioned in item 1, agree in item 5, and door/time in items 7–8. The answer never depends on an imagined friendly or annoyed tone. It depends on the words supplied.
Weak choice versus precise choice
Prompt: “I promised to send the accessibility notes yesterday. Did I follow through on that?”
Weak choice: “Yes, you agreed to send them.” This only returns to the commitment.
Precise choice: “Yes, you emailed them at 4 p.m.” This gives evidence that the promised action was completed.
The repair names a new fact. It does not win because it “sounds better.”
Common mistakes
- Selecting the option with the most repeated nouns.
- Treating
look intoas a promise to solve the problem. - Treating
hold off onas cancellation. - Reading
run something byas simple notification. - Treating agreement as proof of follow-through.
- Treating every challenge as a final refusal.
- Inventing tone that is absent from the transcript.
Quick check
You hear: “The form is ready, but I want to run the wording by the adviser first.” What happens next?
A. The speaker asks the adviser to react to the wording.
B. The speaker formally obtains a documented approval.
C. The speaker merely tells the adviser the form exists.
D. The speaker sends the form without consultation.
Answer: A. The prompt names a formed object, the wording, and places the check before action. It does not state a formal approval process.
Fresh practice prompt
Write four possible responses to this prompt, with only one appropriate:
“The outdoor tables are wet. Should we hold off on setting up until the rain stops?”
Make one distractor repeat rain, one turn delay into cancellation, and one answer an unrelated factual question. Then explain the correct response using the phrase until the rain stops, not a claim about tone.
Sources
Related
- Run Something By vs. Clear It With vs. Get Sign-Off
- Push Back vs. Decline
- Table vs. Raise vs. Bring Up
- Circle Back vs. Follow Up
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