TOEFL Reading Comprehension
TOEFL Reading Introduction
The reading section is
the first section of the TOEFL iBT test. It tests your ability to read and
answer questions at an academic level. It contain 3-4 passages with each
passage containing 12-14 questions for a total of 36-56 questions. Each passage
is generally 600 to 700 words long. You'll have 60-80 minutes in which to
finish this section.
When you are taking the
reading test, you can skip answers and come back to them later. You can come
back and change your answers at any time during the reading testing period.
Reading Difficulty Level
The TOEFL reading
difficulty level is equivalent to an introductory undergraduate university
textbook. Most of the passages' context is North American, but you may also see
some international contexts from United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
The passages cover a wide range of topics such as:
· Social
science including anthropology, economics, psychology, urban studies, and
sociology
· Science
and technology including astronomy, geology, chemistry, biology, physics,
engineering
· History,
government, biography, geography, and culture
· Art
including literature, painting, sculpture, drama, and architecture
Even though the reading
passages can be difficult to understand, you don't necessarily have to
understand it all. By learning the strategies to answer each reading question
type, you can get a high TOEFL score without fully understanding the reading
passage. The first thing you need to learn are the different types of TOEFL
reading question types.
The 10 TOEFL Reading Question
Types
The TOEFL reading questions can
be broken down into 10 different reading question types:
1. Vocabulary
2. Reference
3. Inference
4. Purpose
5. Negative
Factual Information
6. Essential
Information
7. Detail
8. Sentence
Insertion
9. Complete
the Summary
10. Complete
the Table
Tips and tricks for answering the reading comprehension problem
1. Answer
main idea questions correctly
A. How to
Identify Question:
- What
is the topic of the passage?
- What
is the subject of the passage?
- What
is the main idea of the passage?
- What
is the author's playing point in the passage?
- With
what is the author primarily concerned?
- Which
of the following would be the best title?
B. Search
for Answers: Answers to this question in general can be found at the first part
of each paragraph.
C. Answer
Questions:
- Read
the first line in each paragraph.
- Look
for a general theme or idea in the first line.
- Take
a quick look at the reading to check if you really are have found the main
topic / idea.
- Eliminate
the existence of inappropriate answers choose the best answer from the
remaining choices
Example:
The passage:
In the philosophy of John Dewey, a sharp distinction is made
between "intelligence" and "reasoning". According to Dewey,
intelligence is the only absolute way to achieve a balance between
Line realism and idealism, between practicality and wisdom of life.
(5) Intelligence involves "interacting with other things and knowing
them," while reasoning is merely the act of an observer, "... a mind
that beholds or grasps objects outside the world of thing.... "
With reasoning, a level of mental certainty can be achieved, but it
is through intelligence that control is taken of events that shape
(10) one's life.
The question:
What is the topic of this passage?
(A) The intelligence ofjohn Dewey
(B) Distinctions made by John Dewey
(C) Dewey’s ideas on the ability to reason
(D) How intelligence differs from reasoning in Dewey’s works
Discussion and answer:
The first sentence in
this passage discusses a difference between the idea of
"intelligence" and "reasoning" in John Dewey's life view,
so this is probably the topic. Quickly check the parts of the sentence in this
reading to ensure that the topic being discussed is a fact of the difference between
"intelligence" and "reasoning". Then, check each answer
option to determine which is most appropriate.
Answer (A) only mentions
intelligence (intelligence), so it is not the topic. Answer (B) mentions the
difference John Dewey made, but does not say specifically what kind of
difference. Answer (C) only mentions reasoning, and is incomplete. Therefore,
the correct answer is (D); The idea of how intelligence differs from reasoning
comes from the first sentence in that reading, which mentions a sharp distinction
is made between "intelligence" and "reasoning".
2. Recognize
the Organization of Ideas
A. How to
Identify Question:
- How
is information in the passage organized?
- How
is the information in the second paragraph related to the information in the
first paragraph?
B. Search
for Answers: Answers to this type of question can generally be determined by
see the first sentence of each paragraph.
C. Answer
Questions:
- Read
the first line of each paragraph.
- See
words that appear to have inter-religious relationships.
- Choose
the answer that has the strongest connection.
Example:
The passage:
If asked who invented the game of baseball, most
Americans would probably reply that it was their belief that
Abner Doubleday did. They believe this because the story
Line about Doubleday is part of the tradition of baseball.
(5) Doubleday was given credit for this invention early in the
twentieth century when sporting-goods manufacturer
Spaulding inaugurated a commission to research the question
of who invented baseball. In 1908, a report was published by
the commission in which Abner Doubleday, a U.S. Army
(10) officer from Cooperstown, New York, was given credit for the
invention of the game. The National Baseball Hall of Fame
was established in Cooperstown in honor of Doubleday.
Today, most sports historians are in agreement that
Doubleday really did not have much to do with the
(15) development of baseball. Instead, baseball seems to be a close
relative of the English game of rounders and probably has
English rather than American roots.
The Question:
In this passage
(A) an idea is presented and then refuted
(B) a concept is followed by examples
(C) a cause is followed by an effect
(D) a belief is supported with reasons
Discussion and answer:
This question is about
how information is arranged in the reading. To answer this question, it is
necessary to pay attention to the main idea every three paragraphs. The main
idea of the first paragraph is found at the beginning of the sentence: namely
"If asked who invented the game of baseball, most Americans would probably
reply that it was their belief that Abner Doubleday did" (if asked who
invented the baseball game, most Americans might answer confidently, Abner
Doubleday). The main idea of the second paragraph was found in the first
line: namely "Doubt was given credit for this invention" (Doubleday
was given an award for his discovery). The main idea of the third paragraph
was found in the first line: "most sports historians are in agreement that
don't have much to do with the development of baseball" (most sports
historians agree that Doubleday doesn't really do much baseball development).
If you study the information on each of the first lines of each paragraph, you
can determine that the third paragraph opposes (refutes) the information
presented at the beginning of the two paragraphs. For this reason, answer (A)
is the most correct for this question.
3. Stated
Detail Questions
A. How to
Identify Question:
- According
to the passage, ....
- It
is stated in the passage ...
- The
passage indicates that ....
- Which
of the following is true ....
- The
author mentions that ...
B. Search
for Answers: The answers are in the reading sequence
C. Answer
Questions:
- Select
keywords from the question
- Filter
the parts that match the key words or reading points
- Read
the sentence that reads the keyword or reading point carefully.
Example:
The passage:
Williamsburg is a historic city in Virginia that was settled
by English colonists in 1633, twenty-six years after the first
permanent English colony in America was settled at
Line Jamestown. In the beginning, the colony at Williamsburg was
(5) named Middle Plantation because of its location in the middle
of a peninsula between two rivers, the York and the James.
The site for Williamsburg had been selected by the colonists
because the soil drainage was better there than at the
Jamestown location, and there were fewer mosquitoes.
The question:
The passage indicates that Jamestown
(A) was settled in 1633
(B) was settled twenty-six years after Williamsburg
(C) was the first permanent English colony in America
(D) was originally named Middle Plantation
Discussion and answer:
This question asks what
readings indicate about Jamestown. So, you know that the answer is immediately
stated in the reading. Take a quick look at the reading sections that discuss
Jamestown. The answer to this question was found in the statement that "Williamsburg
.... was settled by English colonists in 1633, twenty-six years after the first
permanent English colony in America was settled at Jamestown."
(Williamsburg was occupied by British invaders in Th 1633, 26 years after
settling for the first time British colonists in America occupied Jamestown).
Answer (A) is wrong, because Williamsburg was occupied in 1633. Answer (B) is
wrong, because Jamestown was occupied before Williamsburg. The answer (D) is
wrong, because the name Middle Plantation is for Williamsburg. The correct
answer is (C), because the reading directly states that Jamestown was first
occupied by the British colony in America, "... the first permanent
English colony in America ...".
Example of TOEFL reading
DIRECTIONS
In this section you will read
several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. For
questions 1-50, you are to choose the one best answer, (A), (B), (C), or (D),
to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question
and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have
chosen. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.
READ THE
FOLLOWING PASSAGE:
A distinctively American
architecture began with Frank Lloyd Wright, who had taken to heart the
admonition that form should follow function and who thought of buildings not as
separate architectural entities but as parts of an organic whole that included
the land, the community, and the society. In a very real way the houses of
colonial New England and some of the southern plantations had been functional,
but Wright was the first architect to make functionalism the authoritative
principle for public as well as for domestic buildings. As early as 1906 he
built the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the first of those churches that
did so much to revolutionize ecclesiastical architecture in the United States.
Thereafter he turned his genius to such miscellaneous structures as houses,
schools, office buildings, and factories, among them the famous Larkin Building
in Buffalo, New York, and the Johnson Wax Company building in Racine,
Wisconsin.
1. The
phrase “taken to heart” in line 1 is closest in meaning to which of the
following?
(A) Taken seriously
(B) Criticized
(C) Memorized
(D) Taken offence
(A) Taken seriously
(B) Criticized
(C) Memorized
(D) Taken offence
2. In
what way did Wright’s public buildings differ from most of those built by
earlier architects?
(A) They were built on a larger scale.
(B) Their materials came from the southern United States.
(C) They looked more like private homes.
(D) Their designs were based on how they would be used.
(A) They were built on a larger scale.
(B) Their materials came from the southern United States.
(C) They looked more like private homes.
(D) Their designs were based on how they would be used.
3. The
author mentions the Unity Temple because, it
(A) was Wright’s first building
(B) influenced the architecture of subsequent churches
(C) demonstrated traditional ecclesiastical architecture
(D) was the largest church Wright ever designed
(A) was Wright’s first building
(B) influenced the architecture of subsequent churches
(C) demonstrated traditional ecclesiastical architecture
(D) was the largest church Wright ever designed
4. The
passage mentions that all of the following structures were built by Wright
EXCEPT
(A) factories
(B) public buildings
(C) offices
(D) southern plantations
(A) factories
(B) public buildings
(C) offices
(D) southern plantations
5. Which
of the following statements best reflects one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s
architectural principles?
(A) Beautiful design is more important than utility.
(B) Ecclesiastical architecture should be derived from traditional designs.
(C) A building should fit into its surroundings.
(D) The architecture of public buildings does not need to be revolutionary
(A) Beautiful design is more important than utility.
(B) Ecclesiastical architecture should be derived from traditional designs.
(C) A building should fit into its surroundings.
(D) The architecture of public buildings does not need to be revolutionary
Discussion
A
distinctively American architecture began with Frank Lloyd Wright, who had
taken to heart the admonition that form should follow function and who thought
of buildings not as separate architectural entities but as parts of an organic
whole that included the land, the community, and the society. In a very real
way the houses of colonial New England and some of the southern plantations had
been functional, but Wright was the first architect to make functionalism the
authoritative principle for public as well as for domestic buildings. As early
as 1906 he built the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the first of those
churches that did so much to revolutionize ecclesiastical architecture in the
United States. Thereafter he turned his genius to such miscellaneous structures
as houses, schools, office buildings, and factories, among them the famous Larkin
Building in Buffalo, New York, and the Johnson Wax Company building in Racine,
Wisconsin.
1. The
phrase “taken to heart” in line 1 is closest in meaning to which of the
following?
Answer: A → Taken
seriously
Discuss: The phrase taken
to heart is a form of idiomatic expression and means "do it wholeheartedly
/ seriously".
2. In what way did Wright’s public buildings
differ from most of those built by earlier architects?
Answer: D → Their designs
were based on how they would be used.
Discuss: In the sentence
"... that form should follow function ..." indicates that the design
should be based on its function, for what purpose the building will be used and
such an answer is found in choice D.
3. The author
mentions the Unity Temple because, it
Answer: B → influenced the architecture of subsequent churches
Answer: B → influenced the architecture of subsequent churches
Discuss: : In
the sentence "... the story of those churches that are so much to
revolutionize the ecological architecture in the United States" states
that the building greatly influenced the design of the subsequent buildings.
Answers that contain similar ideas are in option B.
4. The
passage mentions that all of the following structures were built by Wright
EXCEPT
Answer: D → southern plantations
Answer: D → southern plantations
Discuss: In the last
sentence it is clear that offices, factories and public building, including
churches are his works. Whereas South Plantations is not the result of his work
because it has been designed by previous people as mentioned in the reading.
5. Which
of the following statements best reflects one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s
architectural principles?
Answer: C → A building
should fit into its surroundings.
Discuss: The sentence
"... as parts of an organic whole that includes land, the community, and
the society" states that the building should be considered as part of the
whole environment and the surrounding community so that in other words the
building must be in accordance with its environment.
References:
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