Lesson 38 of 41 in the Test Ninjas TOEFL course: Take an Interview, Speaking. In questions 2 to 4 of Take an Interview, you're asked for a preference, a reaction to a claim, or a view about a change.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
Lesson at a glance
Detail
This lesson
Module
Take an Interview (Speaking)
English focus
Giving reasons, examples, comparisons and hypotheticals in speech (because, for example, compared with, I'd rather … than, If I were …, I'd …)
Task skill
Supporting an opinion: a clear position developed with one real reason and a specific example or imagined case
Time
About 55 minutes
Access
Included in the TOEFL plan
What this lesson teaches
In questions 2 to 4 of Take an Interview, you're asked for a preference, a reaction to a claim, or a view about a change. A clear position is only half the answer: the listener also needs to know why, and to see it happening.
This lesson teaches the spoken English that carries support:
- reason signals (because, since, the main reason is that)
- example signals (for example, take…, in my case)
- comparisons (cheaper, not as … as, whereas)
- preference frames (I’d rather… than…, I prefer X to Y)
- imagined cases (If I had…, I’d…)
Then it shows you how to answer a preference or claim question in 45 seconds with one real reason and one example the listener can picture.
By the end of the lesson, you can
Give a reason that explains (because…, since…, the main reason is that…) and an example that shows it (for example…, take…, in my case…, or a short story with a time and a number).
Compare options and imagine cases correctly: I'd rather + verb (than + verb), I prefer X to Y, comparatives and whereas, and If + past simple with would + verb.
Answer preference and agree/disagree questions with a clear position, one developed reason, a specific example and, where useful, a concession, and deal with the claim’s cost or scope word as well as your position.
What’s inside
Around the 3 teaching cycles below, the lesson opens with a quick check and closes with applied practice, a Check and a debrief. How every course lesson is built.
Teaching cycles in lesson 38
Cycle
Focus
What it teaches
Drills
Cycle 1
English
Reasons and examples in speech
7
Cycle 2
English
Comparing and imagining: would, rather and if
7
Cycle 3
Task skill
Supporting a preference or a view in 45 seconds
7
Word bank
The 10 words and phrases this lesson teaches. They come from the real course questions you practice on in the Apply step, so you meet each one again in context.
trial and error noun phrase
trying different ways until one works
Nobody showed me how to use the coffee machine at work, so I learned by trial and error.
Goes with:
learn something by trial and error
Word family:
by trial and error (the usual phrase)
go along with phrasal verb
to accept a plan or idea, even if you do not love it
I didn't love the new seating plan, but I went along with it to keep the peace.
Goes with:
go along with the group / a plan / a decision
Word family:
went along with, gone along with (past forms)
end up phrasal verb
to finally be in a situation you did not plan
We only meant to stop for coffee, but we ended up talking for three hours.
Goes with:
end up + -ing; end up in / at a place
Word family:
ended up, ending up (verb forms)
committed adjective
willing to give a lot of time and effort to something
Only the most committed runners train in the rain before sunrise.
Goes with:
committed to + noun or -ing; a committed member
Word family:
commit (verb); commitment (noun)
appeal noun
the quality that makes something attractive or interesting
The main appeal of the night bakery shift is that the shop is quiet.
Goes with:
the appeal of + noun; the main appeal
Word family:
appeal to (verb); appealing (adjective)
experiment verb
to try new ways of doing something to see what works
Our team is experimenting with a four-day week this summer.
Goes with:
experiment with something
Word family:
an experiment (noun); experimental (adjective)
take time away from phrase
to use time that you could spend on something else
My weekend job takes time away from studying, but it pays my rent.
Goes with:
take (much) time away from + noun or -ing
Word family:
takes / took time away from (verb forms)
staple adjective / noun
a basic food or item used very often
Beans are a staple in my grandmother's kitchen; she cooks them three times a week.
Goes with:
a staple food; a staple of + noun
Word family:
staples (plural noun)
a large share of phrase
a big part of something
Rent takes a large share of my monthly income.
Goes with:
a large share of the budget / the work
Word family:
share (noun and verb); a small / fair share of
satisfying adjective
giving you a pleased feeling, often because you achieved something or got what you wanted
Fixing the wobbly table myself was more satisfying than buying a new one.
Goes with:
surprisingly satisfying; a satisfying result
Word family:
satisfy (verb); satisfaction (noun); satisfied (adjective: how you feel)
The takeaway: Choose, then prove it: one real reason and one example the listener can picture beat a list of five.
In the full course
Reasons, examples and opinions is part of the full TOEFL course
Unlock all 41 lessons with the TOEFL plan, or try one of the free lessons first.
✓All 3 teaching cycles of this lesson, with 21 drills and feedback on every answer
✓The 10-word bank, each word with a recall drill
✓A walk-through, guided practice and a Check on Take an Interview