READING SKILL 2: RECOGNIZE THE ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS

READING

SKILL 2: RECOGNIZE THE ORGANIZATION OF IDEAS

In the reading, section there may be questions about the organization of ideas in a passage. You may be asked to determine how the ideas in one paragraph (or paragraphs) relate to the ideas in another paragraph (paragraphs).

Example from the Paper TOEFL Test The passage: If I 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 about Doubleday is part of the tradition of baseball. 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 officer from Cooperstown, New York, was given credit for the invention of the game. The National Baseball Hall of Fame was establiehed in Cooperatstown in honor of Doubleday. Today, most sports historians are in agreement that Doubleday really did not have much to do with the development of baseball. Instead, baseball seems to be a close relative of the English game of rounders and probably has English rather than Americans 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

 This question asks about the topic of the passage. To answer this question, it is necessary to look at the main idea of each of the three paragraphs. The main idea of the first paragraph is found in the first sentence of the first paragraph: that if asked who invented the game of baseball, most Americans would probably reply that it was their belief that Abner Doubleday did. The main idea of the second paragraph is found in the first line of the second paragraph; that Doubleday was given credit for this invention. The main idea of the third paragraph is found in the first line of the third paragraph; that most sport historians are in agreement that Doubleday really did havemuch to do with the development of baseball. If you study the information in the first line of the paragraphs, you can determine that the third paragraph contradicts or refutes the information that is presented in the first two paragraphs. Answer (A) is therefore the best answer to this question.

TOEFL EXERCISE 2: Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-2)

Conflict within an organization is not always viewed as undesirable. In fact, various managers have widely divergent ideas on the value that conflict can have.

According to the traditional view of conflict, conflict is harmful to an organization. Managers with the traditional view of conflict see it as their role in an organization to rid the organization of any possible sources of conflict.

The interactionist view of conflict, on the other hand, holds that conflict can serve an important function in an organization by reducing complacency among workers and causing positive changes to occur. Managers who hold an interactionist view of conflict may actually take steps to stimulate conflict within organization.

1

How is the information in the passage organized? A.    The origin of ideas about conflict is presented B.    Contrasting views of conflict are presented C.    Two theorists discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their views on conflict D.    Examples of conflict within organizations are presented

2

Click on the paragraph that supports he view that organizational conflict can be beneficial.

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 3-4)

IQ or intelligence quotient, is defined as the ratio of a person’s mental age to chronological age, with the ratio multiplied by 100 to remove the decimal. Chronological age is easily determined; mental age is generally measured by some kind of standard test and is not so simple to define.

In theory, a standardized IQ test is set up to measure an individual’s ability to perform intellectual operations such as reasoning and problem solving. These intellectual operations are considered to represent intelligence.

In practice, it has been impossible to arrive at consensus as to which types of intellectual operations demonstrate intelligence. Furthermore, it has been impossible to devise a test without cultural bias, which is to say that any IQ tests so far proposed have been shown to reflect the culture of the test makers. Test takers from that culture would, it follows, score higher on such a test than takers from a different culture with equal intelligence.

3

What type of information is included in the first paragraph? A.        An argument B.        A definition C.        An opinion D.        A theory

4

Cllick on the paragraph that describes the application of IQ in the real world.

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 5-6)

The largest lake in the western United States is the Great Salt Lake, an inland saltwater lake in northwestern Utah, just outside the state capital of Salt Lake City. Rivers and streams feed into the Great Salt Lake, but none drain out of it; this has a major influence on both the salt content and the size of the lake.

Although the Great Salt Lake is fed by freshwater streams, it is actually saltier than the oceans of the world. The salt comes from the more than two million tons of minerals that flow into the lake each year from the rivers and the creeks that feed it. Sodium and chloride – the components of salt – comprise the large majority of the lake’s mineral content.

The Great Salt Lake can vary tremendously from its normal size of 1,700 square miles, depending on long-term weather conditions. During periods of heavy rains, the size of the lake can swell tremendously from the huge amounts of water flowing into the lake from its feeder rivers and streams; in 1980 the lake even reached a size of 2,400 square miles. During periods of dry weather, the size of the lake decreases, sometimes drastically, due to evaporation.

5

How is the information in the passage organized? A.       Two unusual characteristics of the Great Salt Lake are discussed. B.       Contrasting theories about the Great Salt Lake’s salt levels are presented. C.       The process by which the Great Salt Lake gets its salt is outline. D.       The reasons for the variations in the Great Salt Lake’s size are given

6

Click on the paragraph that explains where the Great Salt Lake gets its salt

ANSWER KEY

1	B
2	P3
3	B
4	P3
5	A
6	P2