READING
COMPREHENSION
The third section of the TOEFL test is the Reading Comprehension section. This
section consists of fifty questions (some tests mav be longer). You have fifty-five
minutes to complete the fiftv questions in this section.
In this part of the test 5'ou rvill be given reading passages, and you will be
asked two tvpes of questions about the reading passages:
l. Reading Comprehension questions ask vou to answer questions about the
information given in the reading passages. There will be a varietv of ques-
tions about each reading passa-qe, including main idea questions, directly
ansrvered detail questions, and implied detail questions.
2. Vocabulary questions ask vou to identifi,'the meanings of vocabulary rvords
in the reading passages. To ansrl,er these questions, y-ou may have to know
the meanings of the words. You can also identifi' the meanings of some of
the words bv understandine the context surroundins the rvords.
GENERAL STRATEGIES
1. Be familiar with the directions. The directions on every TOEFL test are the same, so
it is not necessary to spend time reading the directions carefully when you take the
test.You should be completely familiar with the directions before the day of the
test.
2. Do not spend too much time reading the passages!You do not have time to read
each reading passage in depth, and it is quite possible to answer the questions
correctly without first reading the passages in depth. Some students prefer to
spend a minute or two on each passage reading for the main idea before starting
on the questions. Other students prefer to move directly to the questions without
reading the passages first.
3. Do not worry if a reading passage is on a topic that you are unfamiliar with. All
of the information that you need to answer the questions is included in the
passages.You do not need any background knowledge to answer the questions.
4. Never leave any questions blank on your answer sheet. Even if you are unsure of
the correct response,you should answer the question.There is no penalty for
guessing.
154
READING COMPREHENSION 155
THE READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
The Reading Cornprehension section of the TOEFL test consists of five reading
passages, each follou,ed bv a number of reading comprehension and vocabulary
questions. Topics of the reading passages are varied, but they are often informa-
tional subjects that rr-right be studied in an American university: American history
literature, art, architecture, geology, geographv, and astronomy, for example.
Tir-ne is definitelv a factor in the Reading Comprehension section. Manv stu-
dents u'ho take the TOEFL test note that they are unable to finish all the ques-
tions in this section. Thereiore, vou need to make the most efficient use of your
time in this section to -qet the l-righest score. The following method is the best way
of attacking a reading passage to get the most questions correct in a limited
amount of time.
STRATEGIES FOR THE READTNG COMPREHENSTON QUESTTONS
1. Skim the reading passage to determine the main idea and the overall
organization of ideas in the passage. You do not need to understand every detail
in a passage to answer the questions correctly. lt is therefore a waste of time to
read the passage with the intent of understanding every single detail before you
try to answer the questions.
2. Look ahead at the questions to determine what types of questions you must
answer. Each type of question is answered in a different way.
3. Find the section of the passage that deals with each question. The question type
tells you exactly where to look in the passage to find correct answers.
. For main idea questions, look at the first line of each paragraph.
. For directly and indirectly answered detail questions, choose a key word in the
question, and skim for that key word (or a related idea) in order in the passage.
. For vocabulary questiont the question will tell you where the word is located in
the passage.
. For where questians, the answers are found anywhere in the passage.
4. Read the part of the passage that contains the answer carefully. The answer will
probably be in the same sentence (or one sentence before or after) the key word or
idea.
5. Choose the best answer to each question from the four answer choices listed in
your test book. You can choose the best answer according to what is given in the
appropriate section of the passage, eliminate definitely wrong answers, and mark
your best guess on the answer sheet.
The following skills rvill help voll to implement these strategies in the Reading
Comprehension section of thc' TOEFL test.
156 READINGCOMPREHENSION
Srcrr 1: MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
Almost every reading passage on the TOEFL test r,iill have a question about the
main idea of a passage. Such a question mav be worded in a variety of ways; you
may, for example, be asked to identify the topic, sttbject, title, primnry idea, or ttnilt
idea. These questions are all reallv asking rvhat primarv point the author is trv-
ing to get across in the passage. Since TOEFL passages are generallv rvritten in a
traditionallv organized manner, it is not difficult to find the main idea bv studying
the topic sentence, u,hich is most probabll' found at the beginning of a paragraph.
If a passage consists of onlv one paragraph, vou should studv the beginning of
that paragraph to determine the n-rain idea.
Example I
The passage:
Basketball uras invented in 1891 bv a nhvsical education
inst@rsachusetts, tyin" name of James
Naismith. Because of the terrible rr,eather in u'inter, his phvsical
Line edtcation students were indoors rather than outdoors. They
(5) reallv did not like the idea of boring, repetitirre exercises and
preferred the excitement and challenge of a game. Naismith
figured out a team sport that could be piayed indoors on a
gvrnnasium floor, that invoh,ed a lot of running, that kept all
team members involved, and that did not allow the tackling and
(10) phvsical contact of American-stvle football.
The question:
What is the main idea of this passage?
(A) The life of James Naismith
(B) The histor-1,- of sports
(C) Phl,sical education and erercise
(D) The origin of basketball
The first sentence of this passage discusses the inveriion of'basketball, so this is
probably the topic. A quick check of the rest of the sentences in the passage con-
firms that the topic is in fact the beginnings of the sport of basketball. Now vou
should check each of the ansrt'ers to determine which one comes closest to the
topic that you have determined. Ansrru,er (A) mentions James Naismith but not
basketball, so it is not the topic. Ansu,'er (B) is too general; it mentions sports but
does not mention basketball. Ansrver (C) is also too general; it mentions physical
education but does not mention basketball. The best ansr,ver is therefore ansu,er
(D); the origin of basketball n-reans that the invention of basketball is going to be
discussed.
READING COMPREHENSION 157
Ifa passage consists of more than one paragraph, vou should studv the begin-
ning of each perragraph to determine the main idea.
Example II
The passage:
Earl)' maps of the North American continent showed a
massivt' rivcr that began in the RlrcLI Mountair.rJl,r*"d into
tt-re Creat Silt Lake, and from there continued r,r,estr,vard into
Line the Percific Ocean. This rir,er, named the Buenaventura River, on
(5) some maps rivaled the great Mississippi River.
Ihi:g:th&g!_ifqrg1[q,I{se does not exist. Perhaps zrn
ea.h-rru.p-aker hr,'fx,thJsizrd ihat strcn a river probablv
existed; perhaps a smaller rir.er u,as seen and its patlr from the
Rockies to the Pacific \\,as assumed. As late as the middle of the
(10) nineteenth centuln', this river rr",as still on maps and explorers
u,erc still searchins for it.
The question:
Which of the following r,r'ould be the best title for this passage?
(A) Earlv M:rps of Norlh America
(B) A \qlEtitt"lt $\'cr on 41pt
(C) A Comparisorr of the Buenaventura and the Mississippi
Rir,ers
(D) Rivers in Mvthologv
In a passage r,vith more than one paragraph, you should be sure to read the first
sentence of each paragraph to determine the subject, title, or main idea. In this
example, the first sentence of the first paragraph indicates that the first paragraph
is about a river on earlv nnps of North Arnerica. If you look at onlv the first para-
graph, you might choose the incorect answer (A). The first sentence of the second
paragraph indicates the river does not eri.s/. Answer (C) is incorrect because a com-
parison with the Mississippi River is onlv one small detail in the first paragraph.
Ansrver (D) is incorrect because this passage is not about mythologv. The best
answer to this question is anslr,er (B); the first paragraph sa-vs that the ritter is ort
ntaps, and the second pzrragrapl-r savs that Ihe river does trct exist.
158 READINGCOMPREHENSION
The following charl outlines the kev information that you should remember about
main idea questions.
MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
HOW TO IDENTIFY What is the topic of the possage?
THE QUESTION What is the subject of this passage?
What is the main idea of the passageT
What is the author's main point in the passage?
With what is the author primarily concerned?
Which of the followinq would be the best title?
WHERE TO FIND The answer to this type of question can generally be determined
THE ANSWER by looking at the first sentence of each paragraph.
HOW TO ANSWER
'1. Read the first line of each paragraph.
THE QUESTION
2. Look for a common theme or idea in the first lines.
3. Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to check
that you really have found the topic sentence(s).
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best
answer from the remaininq choices.
TOEFL EXERCISE 1: Studv each of the passages, and choose the best answers to
the questions that follow. In this exercise, each paragraph is follorved bv rrlo main
idea, topic, or title questions so that voll can practice this type of question. On
the TOEFL test, one passage u,ould probably not have trvo such questions because
thev are so similar.
PASSAGE ONE (Qtrcstions 1*2)
Most of the ice on the Earth, ciose to 90 pelcent of it, is covering the surface of the
continent Antarctica. It does not snow very much in Antarctica, but vnhatever snow does
fall remains and grorvs deeper and deeper. In some areas o{'Antarctica, the ice has perhaps
been around for as much as a million vears ancl norv is more than two miles deep.
1. The main iclea of the passage is that 2. 'f he best title for the passage is
(A) the Earth is a cold planet (A) Snorvfall in Antarctica
(B) most of the Earlh s ice is found in (B) The Ic1' Earth
Antarctica (C) The Cold, Cold Snor,r,
(C) it snows more in Antarctica than (D) The Cattses of Antarctica's Ice
in anv other place on E,arth Pack
(D) Antarctica is onlv trvo nriles rvide
but is 90 oercent ice
READING COMPREHENSION t)v
PASSAGE T1,l!O (Que.stiorts 3-4)
'fhe ertrenlelv hot irncl htrmid weather that occurs in the Unitecl States in
Julv ancl
August is commonh'called the "dog da1''s" o[ sumrner. This name comes from the star
Sir-ir.rs, u'hich is knt>rt'n as the Dog Star. Sirius is the brightest visible stzr4 and in the hot
Lirte summer monlhs it rises in the east at approximately the same time as the Sun. As
(.5) ancient people sar,u'this star rising r,iith the Sun u,hen the rveather was at its hottest,
thev be'lieved tl"rat Sirius rt'as tlre cause of the additional heat; ther,'belier-ed that this
bright star added i1s heat to the heat of the Sun, and these tu,o together macle summer
u'eathc-r' .so unbearabl', hot.
3. The topic of this passage is 4. The main idea of this passage is that
(A) horv dogs like to plzw'dr"rring the (A) the name for the sunrmer davs
sunlffler carne fror-n Sirius, tlre Dog Star
(B) the callses ol'hot and hrrmid (B) dogs generallv prefer hot sumnrer
r,'u,eathet' cla.\,s
(C) rvhv the hot sumlner dar.s are (c) the l-rottest da'us occur- in the
knon'n as the "dog davs" sllmmer because oltthe
(D) the davs that dogs pr-efer movements of the Strn and
stars
(D) Sirir.rs rises at almost the same
time as the Sun during the
sunlmer rrronths
PA.SS.IGE THREE (Questions 5-6)
The term "primitive art" has been used in a varietv of r,r,al,s to describe rvorks ancl
stvles rlf at't. One 'u'n'al that this term has been usecl is to describe the earlv pc.riocl u,itlrin
the development of a cet'tain st1'le of art. Another \\'av that this term has been usecl is to
Line dc'scribe at'tists rvho hale rcceivecl little professional training and u,ho demonstrate a
(5) nontraditional naivete in their u'ork.
A u'onderfttl example' of this second trpe of primitive artist is Grandma Moses, l,lrc->
spent all herr Iifc living on a farm and wnrking at tasks normallv associated rvith t'arnr
liFe. She did not begin paintir-r-e until she reached the age of ser,entv-sir. rvhen she
sr,i'itched to painting ll-om embloiderv because the ar-tl'rritis in her hands macle
(10) embroiden'too difficult. Totalh'without formal education in art, she began creating
panclranlic images of everydav life on the farm that have achieved international fame.
5. The strbject of this passage is 6. Which of the {ollou'ing best expresses
(A) an example of one of the 11,pes of the main idea of the passage?
primitive art (A) Grandma Moses spent her life on
(B) Grandma Mosesi life on the t-arm a farnr.
(C) horv primitive art differs from (B) Art critics cannot come to anv
formal art agl'eement on a definition of
(D) Grandrna Moses's prinriti vc primitir,'e ar-1,.
Ii festr4e (C) Grandma Moses is one tvpe of
plirnitive artist because of hcr
lack of for-mal trnining.
(D) Manv arlists rc.cciver little
prolcss ion:il training.
160 READINGCOMPREHENSION
PASSAGE FOLIR (Questiorts 7-8)
In the first half of the nineteenth centurn a Neu, York nervspapc'r, the Netv Yctrk Sun,
successfullv carried out a hoax on the American public. Because of this trick, readership
of the paper rose substantiallv
Line On August 25. 1835, the Srrrz published repor.ts that some r,r,onderful nerv discoveries
(5) had been made on the moon. The article described strange, never-before-scen animals
and temples covered in shining jervels. Many members of the American public were
iooled by the story even some prominent members of the scientific community.
The effect of the false stor v- on sales of the paper '"vas dramatic. Paper sales
increased considerablv as people eagerlv searched out details of the neu, discoveries.
( l0) Later, the nervspaper companv announced that it had not been trying to trick the public;
instead, the companv explained the moon stories as a tvpe of literar',* satire.
7. Which of the follorving best states the 8. The main point of the passage is that
topic oF the passage? (A) the Iley'York Serrr ."vas one of the
(A) A nineteenth-centurT discoven, earliesl. American nc\\ spapers
on the moon (B) the Sl.nl increased sales rvhen it
(B) The llery York Sun tricked the public u'ith a false
(c) A hoax and its effect story
(D) The success of a newspaper (C) a newspaper achieved success bv
rvriting about the moon
(Dt in 1835 somc amazins nerv
discoveries ll,.ere made about
the moon
Sxru 2: STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS
A stated detail question asks about one piece of information in the passage rather
than the passage as a whole. The ansrvers to these questions are generally given in
order in the passage, and the correct answer is often a restatement of what is
given in the passage. This means that the correct ansrver often expresses the same
idea as r,r'hat is rvritten in the passage, but the u'ords are not exactlv the same.
