TOEFL TPO -1 Writing Task 1 Sample: summarize the points made in the lecture, yes sure to explain how they challenge the specific theories proposed in the reading
Historical user samples and AI evaluation results from an older TOEFL format.
1 archived user samples
Older TOEFL Format
This task is from a previous version of the TOEFL exam. The current TOEFL has a different structure. These archived samples remain available as a reference for practice.
Task Overview
Reading Passage
Lions are the only species of large cats that live in groups. Female lions especially tend to band together, forming prides (extended family groups) with their daughters, sisters, and cousins. This unique evolutionary trait must yield important benefits to the survival of the species. Researchers have identified several possible reasons why lions have evolved to live in groups, when most other cats, such as leopards, tigers, and cheetahs, do not. First, some researchers suggest that female lions have evolved to live in groups because they benefit from feeding their young cooperatively. Within a pride, female lions that give birth around the same time form a nursery group and are almost inseparable for the next one to two years. Long-term observation of lions in the wild confirms that young cubs can nurse (drink milk) from any female in the nursery group, not just their own mother. Second, lions employ hunting tactics that require group cooperation. Research shows that lions perform highly differentiated roles in group hunts. For example, some lions almost always join a hunt only in its final stages, after other lions have begun chasing the prey. Cooperative hunting seems to be precisely coordinated to maximize the chances of catching challenging prey. Living in groups, therefore, may help lions to obtain food more efficiently. Finally, some zoologists have proposed that female lions form social groups to defend their cubs from danger. Adult male lions are the biggest threat to cubs. Sometimes a male lion takes over a female group, and when this happens the male attempts to kill all cubs in the group so that the mothers will be ready to mate and reproduce again. Male lions are larger than females, and it takes several females to chase away a male. If males were able to kill cubs frequently, there might not be enough cubs reaching adulthood, so females form groups to repel takeover attempts by males.
Question
summarize the points made in the lecture, yes sure to explain how they challenge the specific theories proposed in the reading
User Samples & Evaluation Results
User Sample
The reading primarily talks about three reasons to explain why lions have eveloevd to live in groups. However, the listening challenges what is stated in the reading passage by presenting three compelling counterarguments. Firstly, the reading claims that female lions feed the young cooperatively. Conversley, the speaker refutes this point by stating that this theory doesn't go well. That is, the phenomenon that cubs nursed by other female lions rather than the parent lion, is only observed when female lions are asleep. When they wake up, they will chase away cubs that not her own. Hence, cubs don't get real food benefit from the group. Secondly, the reading asserts that lions use hunting strategies that need group cooperation, in order to get food more efficientl . That is, each lion plays a different role in the group hunt. In contrast, the speaker maintains an opposite opinion, arguing that lions don't hunt all kinds of preys in groups. To state it more clearly, lions cooperate to hunt larger and more challenging preys, like zebras, and then share the food. A single lion can undertake the task of hunting smaller animals, for example, wild pigs. Under this circumstance, the lion doesn't have to share with other lions. Finally, the reading contends that female lions defend cubs from invading male lions. Nevertheless, the speaker opposes this idea by mentioning that the theory doesn't fully explain why lions live in groups. Childless female lions with no cubs to defend also live in social groups. Moreover, male lions form groups consisting of seven adult male lions. Hence, both sex appear living in groups. In summary, each theory proposed in the reading to explain why lions live in groups is effectively countered by the listening.
Evaluation Result
1.子项得分 任务完成度：4 组织：4 连贯与衔接：4 语言使用：3
2.预估分数
25. 3.任务完成度
整体来说，你的文章较好地完成了任务要求，概括了听力中的观点，并说明了它们是如何挑战阅读中提出的理论的。但在表达上还有一些不够准确和清晰的地方，需要改进。例如，在描述听力中反驳阅读理论的部分时，可以更具体地引用听力中提到的事实和例子。
示例1（原文）： That is, the phenomenon that cubs nursed by other female lions rather than the parent lion, is only observed when female lions are asleep.
示例1（修改后）： The lecturer points out that cubs only attempt to nurse from other females when those females are asleep, and once they wake up, they chase away any cubs that are not their own.
示例2（原文）： To state it more clearly, lions cooperate to hunt larger and more challenging preys, like zebras, and then share the food.
示例2（修改后）： The lecturer explains that while lions do cooperate to hunt larger prey like zebras, they can also successfully hunt smaller prey such as wild pigs on their own without needing to share the catch with others.
4.文章结构与组织 你的文章结构相对清晰，包括了引言、主体和结论。每个段落都集中在一个特定的观点和支持细节上。然而，可以在段落之间增加一些过渡词或短语，使文章更连贯。
建议1： 在引言部分，可以使用过渡词如“however”、“on the other hand”等来引出听力中的观点。
示例1（原文）： However, the listening challenges what is stated in the reading passage by presenting three compelling counterarguments.
示例1（修改后）： On the other hand, the lecture challenges these theories by presenting three compelling counterarguments.
建议2： 在主体段落中，可以使用过渡词如“firstly”、“secondly”、“finally”等来组织不同的观点。
示例2（原文）： Firstly, the reading claims that female lions feed the young cooperatively. Conversley, the speaker refutes this point by stating that this theory doesn't go well.
示例2（修改后）： Firstly, while the reading claims that female lions feed their young cooperatively, the speaker refutes this point by stating that this theory does not hold up in practice.
5. 语法批改
The reading primarily talks about three reasons to explain why lions have eveloevddeveloped(misspelling) to live in groups. However, the listening challenges what is stated in the reading passage by presenting three compelling counterarguments.
Firstly, the reading claims that female lions feed the young cooperatively. ConversleyConversely(misspelling), the speaker refutes this point by stating that this theory doesn't go well. That is, the phenomenon that cubs nursed by other female lions rather than the parent lion, is only observed when female lions are (Two consecutive spaces)asleep. When they wake up, they will chase away cubs that not her own. Hence, cubs don't get real food benefit from the group.
Secondly, the reading asserts that lions use hunting strategies that need (Two consecutive spaces)group cooperation, in order to get food more efficientlefficient(misspelling) ..(Use of whitespace before comma and before/after parentheses) That is, each lion plays a different role in the group hunt. In contrast, the speaker maintains an opposite opinion, arguing that lions don't hunt all kinds of preys in groups. To state it more clearly, lions cooperate to hunt larger and more challenging preys, like zebras, and then share the food. A single lion can undertake the task of hunting smaller animals, for example, wild pigs. Under this circumstance, the lion doesn't have to share with other lions.
Finally, the reading contends that female lions defend cubs from invading male lions. Nevertheless, the speaker opposes this idea by mentioning that the theory doesn't fully explain why lions live in groups. Childless female lions with no cubs to defend also live in social groups. Moreover, male lions form groups consisting of seven adult male lions. Hence, both sex appear living in groups.
In summary, each theory proposed in the reading to explain why lions live in groups is effectively countered by the listening.
Section Title: 6.文章修订
The reading primarily discusses three reasons to explain why lions have evolved to live in groups. However, the listening challenges what is stated in the reading passage by presenting three compelling counterarguments.
Firstly, the reading claims that female lions feed their young cooperatively. Conversely, the speaker refutes this point by stating that this theory doesn't hold up well. Specifically, the phenomenon of cubs nursing from other female lions rather than their own mother is only observed when the females are asleep. When they wake up, they chase away cubs that are not their own. Hence, cubs don't receive any real food benefit from the group.
Secondly, the reading asserts that lions use hunting strategies that require group cooperation to obtain food more efficiently. Each lion plays a different role in group hunts. In contrast, the speaker maintains an opposite opinion, arguing that lions don't hunt all kinds of prey in groups. To clarify further, lions cooperate to hunt larger and more challenging prey like zebras and then share the food. However, a single lion can undertake the task of hunting smaller animals such as wild pigs without needing to share with others.
Finally, the reading contends that female lions form social groups to defend their cubs from invading male lions. Nevertheless, the speaker opposes this idea by mentioning that this theory doesn't fully explain why lions live in groups. Childless female lions with no cubs to defend also live in social groups. Moreover, male lions form coalitions consisting of up to seven adult males. Hence, both sexes appear to live in groups for reasons beyond protecting cubs.
In summary, each theory proposed in the reading to explain why lions live in groups is effectively countered by points made during the listening portion of the lecture. (298 words)
Revised essay: Section Title: 7.文章批改
The reading primarily talks about discusses three reasons to explain why lions have eveloevd evolved to live in groups. groups (changed "talks about" to "discusses" for a more academic tone). However, the listening challenges what is stated in the reading passage by presenting three compelling counterarguments.
Firstly, the reading claims that female lions feed the their young cooperatively. Conversley, cooperatively (corrected "the young" to "their young" for clarity). Conversely, the speaker refutes this point by stating that this theory doesn't hold up well (rephrased "doesn't go well. That is, well" to "doesn't hold up well"). Specifically, the phenomenon that cubs nursed by of cubs nursing from other female lions rather than the parent lion, their own mother is only observed when female lions are the females are asleep. When they wake up, they will chase away cubs that are not her their own. Hence, cubs don't get receive any real food benefit from the group. group (rephrased "don't get real food benefit" to "don't receive any real food benefit").
Secondly, the reading asserts that lions use hunting strategies that need require group cooperation, in order to get cooperation to obtain food more efficientl . That is, each efficiently (corrected spelling of "efficientl"). Each lion plays a different role in the group hunt. hunts. In contrast, the speaker maintains an opposite opinion, arguing that lions don't hunt all kinds of preys in groups. prey in groups (corrected spelling of "preys"). To state it more clearly, clarify further, lions cooperate to hunt larger and more challenging preys, prey like zebras, zebras and then share the food. A However, a single lion can undertake the task of hunting smaller animals, for example, animals such as wild pigs. Under this circumstance, the lion doesn't have pigs without needing to share with other lions. others (rephrased last sentence for clarity).
Finally, the reading contends that female lions form social groups to defend their cubs from invading male lions. Nevertheless, the speaker opposes this idea by mentioning that the this theory doesn't fully explain why lions live in groups. Childless female lions with no cubs to defend also live in social groups. Moreover, male lions form groups coalitions consisting of up to seven adult male lions. males (changed "groups" to "coalitions" for variety and accuracy). Hence, both sex sexes appear living in groups. to live in groups for reasons beyond protecting cubs (rephrased last sentence for clarity).
In summary, each theory proposed in the reading to explain why lions live in groups is effectively countered by the listening.points made during the listening portion of the lecture (rephrased last sentence for a more natural tone).
Section Title: 8. Mind Map
Below is a mind map containing keywords for the essay's structure and points of the lecture:
1. Introduction
- Reading passage
- Listening passage
- Counterarguments
2. Female lions feeding young cooperatively
- Reading claim
- Speaker's refutation
- No real food benefit
3. Hunting strategies requiring group cooperation
- Reading assertion
- Speaker's opposition
- Different prey, different hunting methods
4. Female lions defending cubs from invading males
- Reading contention
- Speaker's challenge
- Both sexes in groups for other reasons
5. Conclusion
- Summary of counterarguments from listening passage
Section Title: 9. Keywords
| Word | Phonetic Symbol | Part of Speech | English Definition | Simplified Chinese Translation | Sample Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cooperative | /kəʊˈɒpərətɪv/ | adjective | involving mutual assistance in working towards a common goal | 合作的 | The female lions were thought to be cooperative in feeding their young, but the speaker refutes this idea. |
| counterargument | /ˈkaʊntərˌɑːrɡjʊmənt/ | noun | an argument or set of reasons put forward to oppose an idea or theory developed in another argument | 反驳论点 | The listening passage presents three compelling counterarguments to the reading passage's claims. |
| phenomenon | /fəˈnɒmɪnən/ | noun | a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is unclear | 现象 | The phenomenon of cubs nursing from other female lions is only observed when the females are asleep. |
| efficiently | /ɪˈfɪʃəntli/ | adverb | in a way that achieves maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense | 高效地 | Lions use hunting strategies to obtain food more efficiently, according to the reading passage. |
| contend | /kənˈtɛnd/ | verb | assert something as a position in an argument | 声称 | The reading contends that female lions form social groups to defend their cubs from invading male lions. |
| coalition | /kəʊəˈlɪʃən/ | noun | an alliance for combined action, especially a temporary alliance of political parties | 联盟 | Male lions form coalitions consisting of up to seven adult males. |
| prey | /preɪ/ | noun | an animal that is hunted and killed by another for food | 猎物 | Lions cooperate to hunt larger prey like zebras but can hunt smaller animals individually. |
| undertake | /ˌʌndərˈteɪk/ | verb | commit oneself to and begin (an enterprise or responsibility); take on | 承担 | A single lion can undertake the task of hunting smaller animals such as wild pigs without needing help. |
| compelling | /kəmˈpɛlɪŋ/ | adjective | evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way | _引人注目的 | _The listening passage presents compelling counterarguments to the reading passage's claims. |
| conversely | /ˈkɒnvɜːsli/ | adverb | introducing a statement or idea which reverses one that has just been made or referred to | _相反地 | _The reading claims that female lions feed their young cooperatively; conversely, the speaker refutes this point. |
Current TOEFL Format
The TOEFL exam has been updated. Explore the latest format and practice with current question types.
Rooting for Your Goal Score Today!
With LingoLeap, an expert in English exams
Get to Your Dream Score Faster