“Who” Questions on the TOEIC: Why the Answer Often Isn’t a Name

Welcome to Win in 5 Minutes English. I'm Jason. You call someone at work, and they're not there. It happens every day. We just heard Brian call for Ms. Lee, but she's out, so Sarah takes a message. Now, Brian asked two "who" questions, and neither answer gave him a name. That's important on the TOEIC. In Part 2, where you hear a question and pick the best reply, the correct answer to a "who" question often isn't a person's name.

Let's start with Sarah's first line: "I'm sorry, she's out of the office today." Out of the office means not at work right now. On the test, you might hear "She's not in today" or "She's away this week."

Then Sarah asks, "Can I take a message?" To take a message means to write down what a caller wants to say, and pass it on. You might also hear, "Would you like to leave a message?" Notice that the caller leaves a message, and you take one.

Now the first "who" question: "Who should I talk to if it's urgent?" Sarah says, "Someone in the accounting department can help you with that." No name. Just a department. On the TOEIC, answers like "the accounting team," "our sales manager," or "someone from tech support" are often correct.

Next: "And who's handling our order while she's away?" "Her assistant manager is covering for her today." Again, no name. A job title. To cover for someone means to do their work while they're away. On the test, it might become "filling in for her" or "taking over while she's out."

Then Brian asks, "Could you ask Ms. Lee to call me back tomorrow?" To call someone back means to return their phone call. In the answer choices, you might see "return your call" or "get back to you."

And last: "I'll make sure she gets the message." Make sure means to see to it that something happens. It could also be "I'll pass it on" or "I'll let her know."

So here's the trap. A "who" question can't be answered with "yes" or "no." So if an option starts with "Yes," be careful. And watch out for options that repeat a word from the question, like "urgent." Hearing the same word doesn't mean it answers the question.

Here it is again. Count how many times someone asks "who" and gets an answer with no name in it.

So, did you catch it? Two "who" questions, and not a single name in the answers. Someone in the accounting department. Her assistant manager. Here's one to try today: if you'll be away, tell your team who's covering for you. For example, "My teammate is covering for me on Friday." Ready to test yourself? Today's page has one TOEIC question, plus "Say it another way." The link is below.

Remember, five minutes a day is all you need to win at work, win the TOEIC, and win over your colleagues. And the next time the phone rings and your boss is out, you'll be ready for that call. Bye for now!