Part 1  

Detail questions will always ask about an important conceptual detail. The answer will always be
explicitly stated in the listening conversation or lecture. The sad news is, if you missed the detail, you're
going to have to guess the answer.

Okay...So I have to basically remember every deail to make sure I can answer all detail questions?
Well...You will not be expected to memorize trivial details , such as whether something happened in
1977 or 1978, but you must remember important ideas, examples, terms, and relationships in order to
answer a detail question.

However, relying on your memory is not the best strategy. You should practice taking notes on all
important details so you WON'T forget. Let's look at an example, so you can get an idea of what a detail
question looks like.

First, listen to a lecture.

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Professor: If you recall, I had said that at some point during this semester I wanted you to attend an
exhibit at the Fairy Street Gallery and subsequently write a paper about it. The exhibit is on currently
and will be at the gallery for the next month, so I want to give you the details of this next assignment.

The exhibiting artist's name is Rose Frantzen. She's a pretty young artist so you might not have heard of
her before. Her style, which she calls Realistic-Impressionism, is rather unusual and different in
comparison to the styles we've studied so far. You should have studied both the Realism and
Impressionism movements separately in art history, so can someone please summarize each of these
styles?

Student: Surfacing in the late 19th century, the Impressionism movement differs greatly from the styles
that preceded it in that the subjects and scenes don't reflect a fully realistic or exact model of real life.
Painters of the Impressionist style generally created works on canvas that had rough textures by using
thick paint and large brushstrokes.

Professor: Ok, and what did the subject matter consist of?

Student: Impressionist artists opted to paint scenes depicting everyday life such as people living,
walking, sitting in the cafe, and nature scenes, particularly landscapes.

Professor: Right. So, when you go to the exhibit, you'll see a painting as soon as you enter and I ask
that you examine it closely. It really emphasises the Impressionist side of Frantzen's style, with the broad
brushstrokes and blurry lines depicting an everyday outdoor scene. With the sky painted pinkish-yellow
and the fence blue, the colors are kind of unrealistic. You're left with an impression of a chilly, bleak
winter's day on a farm.

Also, an interesting note about Frantzen; she lived abroad for a while, and when she moved back to
Iowa, she would frequent the Sales Barn - a place where local farmers sold their cattle and farm animals-
 among other places like dance halls and the like, to watch how people moved, stood still, and what their
different postures looked like. She did this because it helped her understand how bodies move so she
could be a better artist.

Question:
What does the professor point out about Frantzen's farm scene painting?

A. It looks like a photograph

B. It might be her most well-known painting
C. Frantzen painted it in the impressionist style.
D. Frantzen painted it while she was living abroad.

Can you show me the strategy?

Yes! Absolutely!

Use the following techniques to help answer a detail question.

1. TAKE NOTES!

Unfortunately, there is no easy way around this. You need to take notes while you listen. To effectively
takes notes on main ideas and key relationships, you need to practice quicker note-taking using
symbols and only listen for important concepts and relationships between ideas like examples,
comparisons, contrasts, and cause & effect.

Also, you need to be aware that important concepts are usually mentioned multiple times by the
professor. If you get confused when you first hear it, just relax because the professor will probably give
some examples to clarify his or her point. So what you should do is quickly write down the new concept,
even though you may or may not understand it or know how to spell it. Next, pay close attention because
the professor will eventually clarify and explain the new concept and you will want to write that down,
as well. In this case, it is the impressionism style that has been mentioned many times in the lecture.

Here it is the note for this lecture:

Rose Frantzen = Realistic-Impressionism artist
Impressionism = paint on canvas, trick paint, large brushstroke, every day life scene
a paining at exhibit = Impressionism style, Frantzen's painting, a winter day on a farm.

2. Avoid tricky wrong answers

There will be only 1 correct answer and the other 3 incorrect answers will be worded to try and trick
you, although, normally 1 answer choice is obviously wrong. Some common tactics to trick you are:

1. Stating an idea that is false, but using words similar to the correct answer.
2. Stating an idea that is true, but is not related to the question.

3. Make an educated guess

You can make an educated guess based on your understanding of the audio, using common sense and
 making inferences on the information and notes you have. 'Connect the dots' or the pieces of the puzzle
of the notes you have put together during the time you listened to the speaker.

I'm ready to see the answer.

The answer is (C) Frantzen painted it in the impressionist style.

(A) and (B) can be quickly eliminated as they don't contain any key words from the audio.

(A) refers to a photograph – this word is never mentioned in the audio, although the listener
may be tricked as the speaker does refer to the word realistic.

(B) is wrong as the lecturer never mentions a best-known or most famous painting.

(D) is the trickiest answer choice as there is a reference by the speaker of the painter living
abroad – however, he never mentions that this paining was done during her travels abroad.

Review Exercise (1/2)  

Now let's practice.

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Question:

What do birds typically do when they are putting on a "distraction display", according to the
lecture?

 (A) They imitate other animals

 (B) They fly circles around the nest

 (C) They use their wings to cover their nest

 (D) They pretend that they are injured or ill

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Alright! Let’s get started! I want to continue our discussion about birds’ parenting behaviors.
Now, imagine you’re a bird and a predator came near, what would you do? One thing is
certain, and that is that you would definitely want to attract as little attention to yourself as
possible, am I right?
Now, some species of birds take a different approach, and in fact, they do quite the opposite;
they actually take steps to draw the predator’s attention to it. Why? Well.. the reason for this
behavior is to deter the predator from their nest and away from their babies or eggs. As a
matter of fact, there are many different activities that birds do that are intended to distract
predators and they are referred to as “Distraction Displays”.

Typically, the bird will try to give the impression of one of two things: one being that it is injured,
and the other that it is sick or exhausted. The idea is to convince the predator that it is an easy
meal so it will be drawn away from the nest.

Now, let’s look at an example: the “broken wing display”. It is among the most common
distraction display. This is where the bird opens its wing, or tail, and drags it along the ground,
slowly moving in a different direction than the nest. As a result, the predator will usually be
drawn to this “easy meal” and away from the nest.

Now, a bird will also distract their enemies by pretending to be a mouse or some small animal
scurrying along the ground. The “purple sandpiper”, for example, often engages in this type of
distraction display by dragging its wings in such a way to make them look like legs, raising its
feathers to appear to be a coat of fur, making a squealing sound, and running along the ground
scurrying left and right. From afar, it just looks like a small animal fleeing. This is another way
the bird makes itself appear to be an easy meal to the predator.

Now, you need to understand that birds perform these distraction displays differently at
different periods in their offspring’s life span. What I mean by this is that when their young
reach the age just before they are self-sufficient, the birds will perform their absolute best
displays to distract the predator. Whereas, when the birds have just laid eggs, they might not
make as much of an effort. This is because they have not made nearly the investment in
parenting their eggs as they have by the time their offspring are able to care for themselves.

As you can probably imagine, some baby birds are basically helpless when they hatch, while
others are nearly able to care for themselves right after they hatch. For these latter offspring,
the parent will put on the most conspicuous display, just before the birds hatch. For the babies
that are helpless upon hatching, the parent will have saved its top performance until just before
their feathers have grown in.

done That's right! Correct answer is "(A),(D)".

Answer explanation:
To answer a detail question, use the following techniques to help you find the correct answer.

1. Read the question and answers carefully

Firstly, read or listen to the question carefully. In this detail questions, we’re begin asked that
is the action or behaviour of birds that is described as a ‘’distraction display’’.

As usual, ensure you have taken detailed notes during the audio. Write down key words or
unusual titles such as ‘’distraction display’’. As you answer the question, examine your notes.
Read through the answer options and find the link between those choices and your notes of
the audio.

2. Listen for and take note of key words

 There is reference to the key words, ‘’a distraction display’’, from early in the speaker’s talk.
The person continues to describe a variety of behaviours. Once you’ve identified these key
words, take note of the different actions or behaviour of birds, writing down key verbs or nouns
as you’ll be pressed for time. When you go through your notes, these key words will help you
answer the question.

In this case, the speaker talks about the ‘’broken wing display’’ and injured appearances, as
well as imitation of a mouse on the ground. All these key nouns can help you identify (D) and
(A) as the correct answers.

3. Eliminate wrong choices

Eliminate choices that you know are wrong as soon as possible. There won’t be time to go
back and check again!

Be cautious regarding key words that appear in the answers which seem to reflect information
from the audio. This doesn’t mean these answers are right.

(B) and (C) are deceptive because they both refer to the nest, which is referred to by the
speaker during the audio. However, there is no mention of bird ‘’circling’’ or ‘’covering’’ the
nest, so we can eliminate these answers.

4. Make an educated guess

If you doubt your choice, make an educated guess based on your understanding of the audio,
using common sense based on the information and notes you have. ‘Connect the dots’ of the
notes you have written down to pinpoint the best answer.

Review Exercise (2/2)  

Now let's practice.

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Question:

Why does the professor bring up other examples of shrub expansion, such as in the
grasslands?

 (A) To evidence that new shrubland may not turn back into tundra

 (B) To explain how shrubland expands in warm climates

 (C) To provide an example of how some shrubs in semi-arid grassland and tundra
environments are similar

 (D) To provide an explanation of how a biological loop can cause a shrub

expansion
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Professor: Alright! Let’s review an interesting case of how global climate change affects the
ecosystem in Alaska. Over the course of the last 30 years or so, the temperature in Arctic part
of Alaska has increased approximately a half of a degree Celsius every ten years, and
scientists have reported a noticeable change in the surface vegetation. They have witnessed
an increase in the growth of shrubs in the “tundra” of Arctic Alaska.

So as we know, the tundra is very flat land where a limited number of species of plants can
actually grow due to the cold temperatures and low precipitation. It consists of two layers: the
top layer, called the active layer, and the second layer, referred to as “permafrost”. The top,
active layer stays frozen during the winter and spring, but thaws in the summertime, while the
permafrost layer remains frozen all year long and is impermeable to water. So it makes sense
that the plants that can grow there do not develop deep roots.

So! This partly explains why shrubs can grow and spread in the Arctic environment. You see..
Shrubs are short and low to the ground, so this protects them from the wind and the cold of the
Arctic. Normally the permafrost would prevent the growth of plants because they cannot
establish roots, but since the shrubs’ roots don’t grow very deep anyways, the permafrost
doesn’t impact their growth at all. But, the shrubs are growing at increased rates with rising
temperatures in Arctic Alaska, and this has confounded many scientists.

You'd think that warmer temperatures would lead to accelerated growth in the vegetation all
around. Well, it’s not quite so straightforward here. What we’ve found is .. there has been a
noticeable climb in the temperature during the winter and spring, but not during the summer,
and interestingly, the increase in the growth of shrubs has occurred mainly in the summer. So
why? Why are the shrubs growing at an accelerated rate in the summer when the
temperatures are increasing only in the winter and spring?

Perhaps, it can be attributed to biological processes that take place in the soil during the
winter? Think about this. Mcrobes, which are microscopic organisms that live in the soil, allow
the soil to have higher nitrogen levels, which plants require to survive. These microbes stay
fairly active in the winter and the reason for this is twofold; the first reason is that the microbes
reside in the top, active layer which holds water that doesn’t get into the permafrost. The
second reason is that most of the Arctic’s precipitation is in the form of snow, which covers the
ground in the winter and has an insulating effect on the soil below it. The ensures that the soil
below stays warm enough for the microbes to remain active. Thus, over the course of the
winter, the production of nutrients spikes, and this whole process has caused the increased
growth of the shrubs in the summer and their expansion in the tundra. The largest increase in
shrub growth correlates with these areas that are more nutrient-rich.

Amy: Ok, but when the snow melts during spring runoff, will the nutrients not get washed
away? I thought the spring thaw washed away the soil?

Professor: You see, most of the soil often stays frozen during peak runoff time, and the
nutrients stay deep in the active layer. They’re not up at the top near the surface which is the
part of the active layer that’s affected most by the runoff.

Anyways, there’s more to it. Snow gets trapped by the shrubs when it’s blown around by the
wind, as the tundra is very windy. This causes deep drifts to surround the shrubs. Of course,
this means that the insulating effect of the snow is greater where this occurs, so it keeps these
areas warmer, which causes increased microbial activity. And of course, as mentioned, more
microbial activity means more food and nutrients for the shrubs, which leads to more shrub
growth, and then more snow accumulates around them, and so on. It’s a cycle, a biological
loop. And it seems that the tundra is transforming into a shrubland due to this cycle, which is
brought on by higher temperatures in winter and spring.

Amy: So will it be stay like this for a long time? Won’t the shrubs stop and it will turn back into
tundra?

Professor: I’d like to say so, but there are cases of shrub expansion in other environments,
such as semi-arid grassland and tall grass prairies, and it appears that the expansion in these
areas does continue, almost to the extent of creating a major change. It seems that shrub land
survives and thrives after it establishes itself, especially in the Arctic because these particular
shrubs take advantage of nutrient-rich soil better than any other Arctic plants.

clear Not quite. "(A)" is the correct answer.

Answer explanation:
To answer a detail question, use the following techniques to help you find the correct answer.

1. Read the question and answers carefully

Firstly, read or listen to the question. We understand that we’re looking for the reason the
professor refers to other examples of shrub expansion, which is brought up at the very end of
the audio.

Make sure you have taken detailed notes about shrub land and the tundra as you listen and
then, review your notes Read through all the answer options and try to see the connection
between these choices and your notes of the audio.

2. Listen for and take note of key words

Keep an ear out for key words to connect the dots.

There is reference to the tundra from early in the audio and it is referred to again by the
student towards the end of the dialogue. The student wonders if the shrub land will turn back
into tundra and the lecturer answers her, referring to the grasslands and why this example
of shrub land expansion may indicate that it will not turn back into tundra.

As you review your notes, these key words will help you connect the meaning of expanded
shrub land and to connect the professor’s answer to the student’s question.

3. Eliminate wrong choices

As there is no way to check your answers again (you won’t have a chance to listen to the audio
another time), aim to eliminate choices that you know are incorrect.
Be wary of key words that appear in the answers and seem to reflect information from the
audio. For example, answer (C) may appear to be the correct answer as the professor could
simply be referring to a similar example of shrub expansion. However, if you have listened to
the details, you will know that this answer (C) does not answer the student’s question about
shrub land turning back into tundra. Therefore, we can eliminate it.

(B) and (D) are easier to eliminate. (B) is evidently wrong as the professor has spent most of
the lecture explaining the shrubs grow faster in colder (not warmer) temperatures. (D) is
obviously incorrect as there is no reference to the loophole and the grasslands in the same
part of the dialogue.

(A) is clearly the only answer that correctly answers the student’s question.

4. Make an educated guess

You can make an educated guess based on your understanding of the audio, using common
sense and making inferences on the information and notes you have. ‘Connect the dots’ or the
pieces of the puzzle of the notes you have put together during the time you listened to the
speaker.