Reading Comprehension TOEFL
Reading Comprehension TOEFL
Reading Comprehension TOEFL
Types of Questions
Synonyms
• The word “X” in line Y is closest in meaning to ...
• This word could be replaced by ...
• The word “X” in line Y could be described as ...
Clues: connector OR
definition (after IS / ARE)
parallel structure
Mardi Gras, which means “Fat Tuesday” in French, was introduced to America by
French colonists in the early eighteenth century. From that time it has grown in
popularity, particularly in New Orleans, and today it is actually a legal holiday in
Line several southern states. The Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans begins well
(5) before the actual Mardi Gras Day. Parades, parties, balls, and numerous festivities take
place throughout the week before Mardi Gras Day; tourists from various countries
throughout the world flock to New Orleans for the celebration, where they take part in
a week of nonstop activities before returning home for some much-needed rest.
The discovery of such a huge freshwater lake trapped under Antarctica is of interest
to the scientific community because of the potential that the like contains ancient microbes
that have survived for thousands upon thousands of years, unaffected by factors such as
nuclear fallout and elevated ultraviolet light that have affected organism in more exposed
areas. The downside of the discovery, however; lies in the difficulty of conducting
research on the lake in such a harsh climate and in the problems associated with obtaining
uncontaminated samples from the lake without actually exposing the lake to
contamination. Scientists are looking for possible ways to accomplish this.
2. The passage covers how many different methods of recognizing past ice ages?
(A) One
(B) Two
(C) Three
(D) Four
Unstated detail questions
Which of the following is not stated?
Tips:
Choose a key word in the question.
Locate the key word in the passage
Read the sentence carefully.
Eliminate the answers are definitely true according to the passage
Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed in the passage
Blood plasma is a clear, almost colorless liquid. It consists of blood from which
the red and white blood cells have been removed. It is often used in transfusions
because a patient generally needs the plasma portion of the blood more than the
Line other components.
(5) Plasma differs in several important ways from the whole blood. First of all,
plasma can be mixed for all donors and does not have to be from the right blood
group, as whole blood does. In addition, plasma can be dried and stored, while
whole blood cannot.
1. All of the following are true about blood plasma EXCEPT that?
(A) it is a deeply colored liquid
(B) blood cells have been taken out of it
(C) patients are often transfused with it
(D) it is generally more important to the patient than other parts of whole blood
Tips:
• Choose a key word in the question.
• Scan the passage for the keyword (related idea).
• Carefully read the sentence that contains the key word.
• Look for an answer that could be true, according to that sentence.
Probably the most recognized board game around the world is the game of Monopoly. In this
game, players vie for wealth by buying, selling, and renting properties; the key to success in the game, in
addition to a bit of luck, is for a player to acquire monopolies on clusters of properties in order to force
Line opponents to pay exorbitant rents and fees.
(5) Although the game is now published in countless language and versions, with foreign locations
and place names appropriate to the target language adorning its board, the beginnings of the game were
considerably more humble. The game was invented in 1933 by Charles Darrow, during the height of the
Great Depression. Darrow, who lived in Germantown, Pennsylvania, was himself unemployed during
those difficult financial times. He set the original game not as might be expected in his hometown of
(10) Germantown, but in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the site of numerous pre-Depression vacations, where he
walked along the Boardwalk and visited Park Place. Darrow made the first games by hand and sold them
locally until Parker Brothers purchased the right to Monopoly in 1935 and took the first steps toward the
mass production of today.
1. The French version of Monopoly might possibly
include a piece of property entitled
(A) Atlantic City, New Jersey
(B) Germantown, Pennsylvania
(C) Boardwalk
(D) the Eiffel Tower 1. Parker Brothers is probably…
(A) a real estate company
2. It is implied that Darrow selected Atlantic City (B) a game manufacturing company
as the setting for Monopoly because… (C) a group of Charles Darrow’s friends
(A) it brought back good memories (D) a toy design company
(B) his family came from Atlantic City
(C) the people in Germantown might have
been angered if he had used Germantown
(D) Atlantic City was larger than Germantown
Where in the passage…?
1. Where in the passage does the author give the name of a baby beaver?
(A) Line 1
(B) Line 2
(C) Line 3
(D) Line 4
2. Where in the passage does the author indicate why the young beavers must leave
their parents’ home?
(A) Line 1
(B) Line 2
(C) Line 3 – 4
(D) Line 5 – 6
Summary
Types of Questions:
Main Idea 1. The passage mainly discusses…
2. Which of the following would be the best title?
3. What is the author’s main purpose?
4. What is the main idea of the passage?
Vocabulary 1. The pronoun “It” in line 3 refers to
2. The pronoun “they” in line 5 refers to
3. The word “X” in line Y is closest to meaning with ...
4. This word could be replaced by ...
5. The word “X” in line Y could be described as ...
Anticipatory 1. The paragraph following the passage most probably
Paragraph discusses …
2. The subject of the preceding passage was most
likely …
Stated Details 1. According to the passage, …
2. It is stated in the passage that…
3. The passage indicates that…
4. The author mentions that…
5. Which of the following is true…?