READING SKILL 3: ANSWER STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

READING

SKILL 3: ANSWER STATED DETAIL QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

A stated detail question asks about one piece of information in the passage rather than the passage as a whole. The answers 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 answer often expresses the same idea as what is written in the passage, but the words are not exactly the same.

Example from the Paper TOEFL Test The passage: Williamsburg is a historic city in Virginia that was settled by English colonicts in 1633, twenty-six years after the first permanent English colony in America was settled at Jamestown. In the beginning, the colony at Williamsburg was named Middle Plantation because of its location in the middle of a peninsula between two rivers, the York and the James. The site of 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 permanent English colony in America D.                was originally named Middle Plantation

This question asks what the passage indicates about Jamestown, so you know that the answer to this question will be directly stated in the passage. You should skim through the passage to find the part of the passage that discusses Jamestown. The answer to this question is 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. The best answer to this question is answer (C) because the passage directly states that Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in America.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about stated detail questions:

TOEFL EXERCISE 3: Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-4)

Ice ages, those periods when ice covered extensive areas of the Earth, are known to have occurred at least six times. Past ice ages can be recognized from rock strata that show evidence of foreign materials deposited by moving walls of ice or melting glaciers. Ice ages can also be recognized from land formations that have been produced from moving walls of ice, such as U-shaped valleys, sculptured landscapes, and polished rock faces.

1	According to the passage, what happens during ice age? A.        Rock strata are recognized by geologists. B.        Evidence of foreign materials is found. C.        Ice covers large portion of the Earth’s surface. D.        Ice melts six times.	3	According to the passage, what in the rock strata is a clue to geologists of a past ice age? A.        Ice B.        Melting glaciers C.        U-shaped valleys D.     Substances from other areas
2	The passage covers how many different methods of recognizing past ice ages? A.       One B.       Two C.       Three D.       Four	4	Click on the drawing that shows the type of valley mentioned in the passage that results from melting glaciers.

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 5-7)

The human heart is divided into four chambers, each of which serves its own function in the cycle of pumping blood. The atria are the thin-walled upper chambers that gather blood as it flows from the veins between heartbeats. The ventricles are the thick-walled lower chambers that receive blood from the atria and push it into the arteries with each contraction of the heart. The left atrium and ventricle work separately from those on the right. The role of the chambers on the right side of the heart is to receive oxygen-depleted blood from the body tissues and send it on to the lungs; the chambers on the left side of the heart then receive the oxygen-enriched blood from the lungs and send it back out to the body tissues.

5	The passage indicates that the ventricles A.        have relatively thin walls B.        send blood to the atria C.        are above the atria D.        force blood into the arteries	7	Click on the drawing that highlights the part of the heart that gets blood from the body tissues and passes it on to the lungs.
6	According to the passage, when is blood pushed into the arteries from the ventricles? A.       As the heart beats B.       Between heartbeats C.       Before each contraction of the heartbeat D.       Before it is received by the atria

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 8-11)

The golden Age of Railroads refers to the period from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of World War 1 when railroads flourished and, in fact, maintained a near monopoly in mass transportation in the United States. One of the significant developments during the period was the notable increase in uniformity, particularly through the standardization of track gauge and time.

At the end of the Civil War, only about half of the nation’s railroad track was laid at what is now the standard gauge of 1.4 meters; much of the rest, particularly in the southern states, had a 1.5-meter gauge. During the postwar years, tracks were converted to the 1.4-meter gauge, and by June 1, 1886, the standardization of tracks was completed, resulting in increased efficiency and economy in the rail system.

A further boon to railroad efficiency was the implementation of standard time in 1883. With the adoption of standard time, four time zoned were established across the country, thus simplifying railroad scheduling and improving the efficiency of railroad service.

8	Click on the drawing that shows the period of the Golden Age of Railroads.	10	The passage mentions that which of the following occurred as a result of uniformity of track gauge? A.        The Civil War B.        Improved economy in the transportation system C.        Standardization of time zones D.        Railroad schedules
9	According to the passage, The Golden Age of Railroads A.       was a result of World War 1 B.       was a period when most of U.S. mass transportation was controlled by the railroads C.       resulted in a decrease in uniformity of track gauge D.       resulted in standardization of train stations	11	The passage indicates that standard time was implemented A.       before the civil war B.       on June 1, 1886 C.       after World War I D.       before standardized track gauge was established throughout the United States

 

ANSWER KEY

1	C	7	C
2	B	8	B
3	D	9	B
4	C	10	B
5	D	11	D
6	A