List three strategies to improve fluency during speaking tasks without sacrificing accuracy.

• A. Speak as fast as possible; practice no planning; ignore punctuation
• B. Practice speaking with a timer to reduce hesitation; use filler phrases sparingly; plan a quick outline before answering; then expand with details
• C. Focus only on accuracy; avoid timing
• D. Memorize a script and recite exactly

Answer: (B)

Striking a balance between how fast you speak and how accurately you express your ideas is what this item targets. Practicing with a timer helps you start talking sooner and keep the pace steady, which reduces awkward long pauses and makes your delivery more fluent. Using filler phrases sparingly keeps the rhythm natural without turning speech into unreliable crutches that break flow or obscure meaning.

Planning a quick outline before you answer gives you a clear path for what you’ll say, so you can hit the main points confidently and use correct grammar and structure as you expand. Then you can add details and examples to flesh out your response, which sustains fluency while preserving accuracy.

Short on planning or relying on a memorized script, by contrast, tends to derail true fluency: rushing without structure muddles meaning, while reciting exact lines won’t adapt well to variations in prompts or needed nuance. Focusing only on accuracy without timing can make you overly cautious and slow, hindering natural speech.