TOEFL Reading Test Structure
In the reading section of the TOEFL you are being tested on
your ability to understand texts found in an academic setting. This means that
you must have a large vocabulary and the capacity to understand complex ideas.
Let's take a closer look at the TOEFL reading test structure and contents of
the test, a test sample and some extra strategies and tips to help you improve.
Test Structure
This
section of the TOEFL will provide you with 3 - 5 texts of about 700 words.
There are about 12 -14 questions per text for you to answer. The test is 60 to
100 minutes in length.
Reading Content
The
content of the texts are comprised of arguments, expositions and historical
subjects. All of the texts are academic and so you should expect to read about
things that one comes across at the college and university level. You do not
need to have a background in history, science or any other subject. All the
information you need to answer the questions properly is provided for you.
Question Types
You
will read texts and be asked to look for the main idea in them. You need not
know every vocabulary word in the texts. You will see words that you do not
know but these definitions are often given to you in a helpful glossary. You
are expected to be able to do the following:
• Read a text and learn from it
• Read a text and understand it in a general way
• Read a text and locate specific information and facts
Test Sample
The
very best way to relax about this section of the test is to have a look at a
sample of the exam itself. This way you will know what to expect.
Reading Section
Directions:
These sample questions in the Reading section measure your ability to understand
academic passages in English. You will read one passage and answer questions
about it. In a real test, you would have 20 minutes to read the passage and answer
the questions. Candidates with disabilities may request a time extension.
Meteorite Impact and Dinosaur Extinction
There is increasing evidence that the impacts of meteorites
have had important effects on Earth, particularly in the field of biological evolution.
Such impacts continue to pose a natural hazard to life on Earth. Twice in the twentieth
century, large meteorite objects are known to have collided with Earth.
If an impact is large enough, it can disturb the environment
of the entire Earth and cause an ecological catastrophe. The best-documented such impact
took place 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period of geological
history. This break in Earth’s history is marked by a mass extinction, when as many as half
the species on the plane became extinct. While there are a dozen or more mass
extinctions in the geological record, the Cretaceous mass extinction has always intrigued
paleontologists because it marks the end of the age of the dinosaurs. For tens of
millions of years, those great creatures had flourished. Then, suddenly, they disappeared.
The body that impacted Earth at the end of the Cretaceous
period was a meteorite with a mass of more than a trillion tons and a diameter of at least
10 kilometers. Scientists first identified this impact in 1980 from the worldwide layer of
sediment deposited from the dust cloud that enveloped the planet after the impact. This
sediment layer is enriched in the rare metal iridium and other elements that are
relatively abundant in a meteorite but very rare in the crust of Earth. Even diluted by the
terrestrial material excavated from the crater, this component of meteorites is easily identified.
By 1990 geologists had located the impact site itself in the Yucatán region of Mexico. The
crater, now deeply buried in sediment, was originally about 200 kilometers in diameter.
This impact released an enormous amount of energy,
excavating a crater about twice as large as the lunar crater Tycho. The explosion lifted about
100 trillion tons of dust into the atmosphere, as can be determined by measuring the
thickness of the sediment layer formed when this dust settled to the surface. Such a
quantity of material would have blocked the sunlight completely from reaching the surface,
plunging Earth into a period of cold and darkness that lasted at least several months.
The explosion is also calculated to have produced vast quantities of nitric acid and melted
rock that sprayed out over much of Earth, starting widespread fires that must have
consumed most terrestrial forests and grassland. Presumably, those environmental disasters
could have been responsible for the mass extinction, including the death of the dinosaurs.
Several other mass extinctions in the geological record have
been tentatively identified with large impacts, but none is so dramatic as the
Cretaceous event. But even without such specific documentation, it is clear that impacts of
this size do occur and that their results can be catastrophic. What is a catastrophe for one
group of living things, however, may create opportunities for another group. Following each
mass extinction, there is a sudden evolutionary burst as new species develop to fill the
ecological niches opened by the event.
Impacts by meteorites represent one mechanism that could
cause global catastrophes and seriously influence the evolution of life all over the
planet. According to some estimates, the majority of all extinctions of species may be due to
such impacts. Such a perspective fundamentally changes our view of biological evolution. The
standard criterion for the survival of a species is its success in competing with other
species and adapting to slowly changing environments. Yet an equally important criterion is
the ability of a species to survive random global ecological catastrophes due to
impacts.
Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to
random violent events that were unsuspected a few decades ago. In 1991 the United States
Congress asked NASA to investigate the hazard posed today by large impacts on Earth.
The group conducting the study concluded from a detailed analysis that impacts from
meteorites can indeed be hazardous. Although there is always some risk that a large
impact could occur, careful study shows that this risk is quite small.
1. The word “pose” on line 2 is closest in meaning to
a. claim
b. model
c. assume
d. present
2. In paragraph 2, why does the author include the
information that
dinosaurs had flourished for tens of millions of years and
then suddenly
disappeared?
a. To support the claim that the mass extinction at the end
of the
Cretaceous is the best-documented of the dozen or so mass
extinctions in the geological record
b. To explain why as many as half of the species on Earth at
the time
are believed to have become extinct at the end of the
Cretaceous
c. To explain why paleontologists have always been intrigued
by the
mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous
d. To provide evidence that an impact can be large enough to
disturb
the environment of the entire planet and cause an ecological
disaster
3. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3
about the
location of the meteorite impact in Mexico?
a. The location of the impact site in Mexico was kept secret
by
geologists from 1980 to 1990.
b. It was a well-known fact that the impact had occurred in
the
Yucatán region.
c. Geologists knew that there had been an impact before they
knew
where it had occurred.
d. The Yucatán region was chosen by geologists as the most
probable
impact site because of its climate.
4. According to paragraph 3, how did scientists determine
that a large
meteorite had impacted Earth?
a. They discovered a large crater in the Yucatán region of
Mexico.
b. They found a unique layer of sediment worldwide.
c. They were alerted by archaeologists who had been
excavating in
the Yucatán region.
d. They located a meteorite with a mass of over a trillion
tons.
5. The word “excavating” on line 25 is closest in meaning to
a. digging out
b. extending
c. destroying
d. covering up
6. The word “consumed” on line 32 is closest in meaning to
a. changed
b. exposed
c. destroyed
d. covered
7. According to paragraph 4, all of the following statements
are true of
the impact at the end of the Cretaceous period EXCEPT:
a. A large amount of dust blocked sunlight from Earth.
b. Earth became cold and dark for several months.
c. New elements were formed in Earth’s crust.
d. Large quantities of nitric acid were produced.
8. The phrase “tentatively identified” on line 36 is closest
in
meaning to
a. identified after careful study
b. identified without certainty
c. occasionally identified
d. easily identified
9. The word “perspective” on line 46 is closest in meaning
to
a. sense of values
b. point of view
c. calculation
d. complication
10. Paragraph 6 supports which of the following statements
about the
factors that are essential for the survival of a species?
a. The most important factor for the survival of a species
is its
ability to compete and adapt to gradual changes in its
environment.
b. The ability of a species to compete and adapt to a
gradually
changing environment is not the only ability that is
essential for
survival.
c. Since most extinctions of species are due to major
meteorite
impacts, the ability to survive such impacts is the most
important factor for the survival of a species.
d. The factors that are most important for the survival of a
species
vary significantly from one species to another.
11. Which of the sentences below best expresses the
essential information in the
following sentence?
Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to
random violent
events that were unsuspected a few decades ago.
Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or
leave out essential
information.
a. Until recently, nobody realized that Earth is exposed to
unpredictable violent impacts from space.
b. In the last few decades, the risk of a random violent
impact from
space has increased.
c. Since most violent events on Earth occur randomly, nobody
can
predict when or where they will happen.
d. A few decades ago, Earth became the target of random
violent
events originating in outer space.
12. According to the passage, who conducted investigations
about the
current dangers posed by large meteorite impacts on Earth?
a. Paleontologists
b. Geologists
c. The United States Congress
d. NASA
13. Look at the four letters (A, B, C, and D) that indicate
where the
following sentence could be added to the passage in paragraph
6.
This is the criterion emphasized by Darwin’s theory of
evolution by natural selection.
Where would the sentence best fit?
Impacts by meteorites represent one mechanism that could
cause
global catastrophes and seriously influence the evolution of
life all
over the planet. (A) According to some estimates, the
majority of all
extinctions of species may be due to such impacts. (B) Such
a
perspective fundamentally changes our view of biological
evolution.
(C) The standard criterion for the survival of a species is
its success
in competing with other species and adapting to slowly
changing
environments. (D) Yet an equally important criterion is the
ability of
a species to survive random global ecological catastrophes
due to
impacts.
Choose the place where the sentence fits best.
a. Option A
b. Option B
c. Option C
d. Option D
14. An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the
passage is
provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE
answer choices that express the most important ideas in the
passage.
Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they
express
ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor
ideas in the
passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Write your answer choices in the spaces where they belong.
You can
write in the number of the answer choice or the whole
sentence.
Scientists have linked the mass extinction at the end of the
Cretaceous with a
meteorite impact on Earth.
•
•
•
Answer choices
(1) Scientists had believed for centuries that meteorite
activity influenced
evolution on Earth.
(2) The site of the large meteorite impact at the end of the
Cretaceous
period was identified in 1990.
(3) There have also been large meteorite impacts on the
surface of the
Moon, leaving craters like Tycho.
(4) An iridium-enriched sediment layer and a large impact
crater in the
Yucatán provide evidence that a large meteorite struck Earth
about
65 million years ago.
(5) Large meteorite impacts, such as one at the end of the
Cretaceous
period, can seriously affect climate, ecological niches,
plants, and
animals.
(6) Meteorite impacts can be advantageous for some species,
which
thrive, and disastrous for other species, which become
extinct.
Key to Reading Section:
1. d
2. c
3. c
4. b
5. a
6. c
7. c
8. b
9. b
10. b
11. a
12. d
13. d
14. 4,5,6
Reading Strategies
To
prepare for this test section you should read often, read about many subjects
and use a vocabulary journal to keep track of your new words. It is really
important to read topics like the news, science, geography, and politics.
Ensure the level of English is advanced.
Vocabulary improvement is essential for mastering the TOEFL and doing well
in English at the academic and professional level. The formal English one
encounters at university is mirrored in TOEFL texts. As such, you will need to
keep track of new words and phrases, study them, remember them and most importantly:
use them.
This may seem like a lot of work but a personal vocabulary journal allows
you to learn words, keep track of them and use them in a time efficient and
organised manner.
What is a personal vocabulary journal?
A personal vocabulary journal is a notebook used to keep track of new words
and phrases for students studying TOEFL and English. It is also a self-study
tool and when used correctly allows the student to learn new words each day
through revision and practice. The journal is a technique that can be applied
to TOEFL preparation to greatly improve one's memory for many new words. Using
this journal does not require more than 15 minutes of study each day.
How should I organize my journal?
Organize each page of the journal in numerical order. Divide the page into 4
columns. Use a chart on each page. Your page should look like this:
New Word Definition Definition in your native
language A sentence
using the word
1
2
3
What is the best way to use my journal?
• Each day, write down 3 to 7 new words in your journal. Do not add more
than about 7 word because this will be too many to learn and remember.
• At the end of your day when you are preparing homework for the TOEFL,
spend 10 to 15 minutes completing the chart.
• Review and study all the old words on your list and complete the new ones.
In this way you will study the list on a daily basis and remember them!
• You will notice that after one month you have a large list of words. Also,
you will see that by the end of the month that you have studied the first words
you entered for about 30 days, the second words you added for about 29 days and
so on for the rest of the list.
What you are doing here is studying new words and phrases each day for a
short period of time and reviewing them over and over again. You will master
your knowledge of your list easily this way!
Quick Tips
•
Ensure that you take practice tests. Get them marked by a teacher. Find out
what your score is as soon as possible. Compare this score to the score you
need to get on the real TOEFL test.
•
If you get a low score on the test then ask your teacher for suggestions
about what to read.
•
Reading books, magazines, and news sites online like The New York Times,
The Washington Post, and The Guardian are a good start.
•
Go to the library and ask a librarian to suggest books for you to read. Good
luck!
sumber:
- https://benchprep.com/blog/toefl-reading-test-structure-content-and-samples/
- https://benchprep.com/blog/toefl-study-tips-no-1-your-personal-vocabulary-journal/
