由于托福听力考试要求的特殊性，与雅思的听力考试不同，托福考生不能通过预览听力考题来对听力材料中的重要内容作一个预先判断，故而，掌握如何在托福听力材料中定位重要信息的能力对于托福考生来说显得至关重要。
除了听力中几乎"百发百中"的转折原则外，问答原则也是在听力材料中定位出题信息的一个重要原则。无论是在对话还是讲座当中，问答情境的出现通常都是对听力材料中涉及的重要问题的明确与深入探讨，对于问题的回答往往就是对听力主线内容的进一步阐释说明，故而一问一答的内容往往就是出题点所在，此部分的信息是考生解题的重要线索与依据，需要重点关注。
下面将以TPO真题中的具体实例说明问答原则如何能够帮助考生在托福听力中定位重点出题信息。
Conversation篇
托福听力中conversation涉及的主要是学生求助他人解决实际问题或授课内容疑难点的场景，问答原则在对话中的主要体现在于一、明确学生的主要问题 --- conversation必考的主旨题往往是在学生与教授或工作人员的问答中得以体现，其中：对话的目的主旨往往直接就是学生的问题所在，对话的大意主旨也都是在对话双方的不断应答中得以揭示的；以及二、探讨、解决问题过程中的重要环节与步骤，在对话中基于不同问题或疑惑的解答往往是涉及对话主线的重要信息，通常在听力中会以细节题的形式进行考察。
例1：TPO6 Conversation1当中，学生因不明确校园招聘会具体面向什么学生群体而特意前去咨询，此处涉及的是对对话目的主旨的考察。
TPO-6 Conversation-1
Narrator
Listen to a conversation between a student and an employee in the university's
career services office.
Student
Hi, do you have a minute?
Employee
Sure, how can I help you?
Student
I have a couple of questions about the career fair next week.
Employee
OK, shoot.
Student
Um ...well, are seniors the only ones who can go?（Q1） I mean, you know, they are
finishing school this year and getting their degrees and everything. And, well, it
seems like businesses would wanna talk to them and not first year students
like me.
Employee
No, no, the career fair is opened to all our students and we encourage anyone
who's interested to go check it out.
1. Why does the student go to the career service's office?
● to confirm the date and time of the career fair
● to learn the location of the career fair
● to find out he is allowed to attend the career fair
● to get advice about interviewing at the career fair
例2：TPO8 Conversation1当中，学生去办理学位证，但因不明白办理的具体要求，学生遇到了一些麻烦。
TPO-8 Conversation-1
Stu
Hi, I'd like to drop of my graduation form; I understand you need this in order to process my diploma.
Reg
Ok, I will take that. Before you leave, let's me check our computer. Looks like you are OK for graduation, and actually, I am getting a warning fly on your academic record here.
Stu
Really?
Reg
Yeah. Let's see was what. Are you familiar with your graduation requirements?（Q2）
Stu
Yes, I think so
Reg
Then you know you need 48 credits in your major field to graduate and at least 24 credits in the intermediate level or higher. Also, after your second year, you have to meet with your department chair to outline a plan for the rest of your time here.(Q2) In the past, we also issue letters before students' final year began to let them know what they needed to take in the final year to be OK, but we don't do that anymore.
Stu
I definitely met with my chair person 2 years ago; he told me that I need 8 more courses at the intermediate level or higher in the last 2 years to be OK. So I am not sure what the problem is, I make sure I got these credits.
2.According to the registrar, what step is currently taken to ensure that students fulfill their graduation requirements?
●Academic records are regularly checked by the registrar's office
●Students meet with a department chairperson to plan their course work
●Students receive letters listing the courses that they still need to take
●Warning letters are sent to students who have fallen behind in their course work
例3：TPO14 Conversation2当中，学生想转新闻专业，老师向其解释学校并没有设置新闻专业，且就读新闻专业并不是要成为记者的必要条件。
Student:
Yeah… anyway, I am glad you schedule this meeting because I want to change my
major to journalism now.
Advisor:
Um，the university doesn't offer a major in journalism.
Student:
Oh no…
Advisor:
But….
Student:
I… I mean… should I transfer to another school, or major in English?
Advisor:
Er… wait a minute. Let me explain why the major isn't offered. Editors at newspapers… editors… um… I mean when you apply for a reporting job, editors look
at the two things(Q2)--- they want to see clips, you know, some of your published articles(Q3), though also want you to try out, though give you an assignment like… covering press conferences of some other event, then see if you can craft the story about it, accurately, on dead line(Q3).
3. According to advisor, how do newspaper editors evaluate an applicant for a
reporting position?
Clickon 2 answers.
They ask the applicant to present ideas for news stories.
They ask the applicant to write a news story.
They review the applicant's university course work.
They review a sample of the applicant's published articles.
Lecture篇
在以答疑解惑为逻辑主线的lecture当中，问答原则的作用显得尤为突出。无论是在讨论型还是独白型的lecture当中，问答情境出现的地方往往都是涉及课程主题重难点的重要信息，通常是老师针对学生的疑问进行详细阐明的情境，因这些重要的概念与说明往往围绕上课主线展开，故而也都是出题点密集分布的精华部分。
例1: TPO6 Lecture1 教授询问学生是否知道郁金香的原产地，在学生回答错误之后，最终给出了正确的答案。
TPO-6 Lecture-1
Professor
Exactly. For instance, do you have any idea where tulips are from? Originally I
mean.
Student
Well, the Netherlands, right?
Professor
That's what most people think, but no. They are not native to the Netherlands,
or even Europe. Tulips actually hail from an area that Chinese call the Celestial
Mountains in Central Asia（Q8）.
8. According to the professor,where did tulips originate
● the mountains of central Asia
● the region around Istanbul in Turkey
● the sandy soils of the Netherlands
● the forests of northern Europe
例2：TPO6 Lecture4学生因对教授的一处推理过程有疑，教授在解答学生疑问的过程中，列举了三个使推理成立的重要依据。
TPO-6 Lecture-4
Student
But how is that proved that the Sahara used to be a lot wetter? I mean the
people who painted those hippos, well, couldn't they have seen them on their
travels?
Professor
Okay, in principal they could, Karl. But the rock paintings aren't the only
evidence. Beneath the Sahara are huge aquifers, basically a sea of fresh
water, that's perhaps a million years old filtered through rock layers.
And…er…and then there is fossilized pollen, from low shrubs and grasses that
once grew in the Sahara. In fact these plants still grow, er…but hundreds of
miles away, in more vegetated areas. Anyway, it's this fossilized pollen along
with the aquifers and the rock paintings, these three things are all evidence
that the Sahara was once much greener than it is today(Q13), that there were hippos
and probably elephants and giraffes and so on.
13.Not long ago, the Sahara had a different climate. What evidence does the professor mention to support this(3)
● Ancient pollen
● Bones from large animals
● Rock paintings
● Agriculture in ancient Egypt
● Underground water
例3：TPO15 Lecture4教授在课上解释一本看起来平凡无奇的书在拍卖会上拍得天价的真实原因。
TPO-15 Lecture-3
Professor
But in 1998, a book of prayers from the Middle Ages(Q9) sold in an art auction for a lot of
money, more money than anyone would pay for a damaged book from the 12th century. Beautiful or not, why? It had been discovered that the book was a palimpsest, and beneath the surface writing on the manual script laid, guess what? Mathematical theorems and diagrams from Archimedes(Q9)
9. What type of book became known as the Archimedes palimpsest?
A history book.
A physics book.
A prayer book.
An artist's book.