CliffsTestPrep TOEFL CBT PRACTICE TEST 1 READING PASSAGE 1

CliffsTestPrep TOEFL CBT

PRACTICE TEST 1

READING PASSAGE 1

Directions: This section measures your ability to read and understand written English similar to that which one may expect in a college or university setting. Read each passage and answer the questions based on what is stated or implied in the passage. Circle or mark the correct answer in the book or write it on a separate piece of paper.

 

Passage 1

Even a muddy pond contributes to the ecosystem that affects the environment. A vernal or springtime pool is only a few feet deep and lasts only from March until midsummer but yields a considerable number of diverse life forms. Like all of nature, there are predators and victims, and a particular living being may be one or the other, depending on its age and characteristics. One may find masses of spotted salamander eggs floating just under the surface of the pond, left behind by adults who entered the pond early in the season before predators arrived. Other amphibians and reptiles return to the recurrent pond year after year to reproduce, as their ancestors have done for years. Various forms of algae grow well in the murky water, if there is sufficient sunlight. They in turn produce and transmit oxygen to the salamander embryos and other young that are not yet able to survive outside of water. Diving beetles feast on eggs and larvae deposited in the pond by the salamanders and other amphibians that have called it home. Tadpoles are born in the late spring and feed on the algae. The pond also invites wood frogs staking their territory and courting potential mates, calling as loud as quacking ducks. By the end of the short season, the pond dries to spongy mud and then dries further, becoming covered with leaves and debris, until the following spring when the process repeats itself.

 

1	The word vernal in the second sentence means most nearly the same as A.       springtime. B.       pool. C.       deep. D.       transitory.	7	Which sentence in the first paragraph indicates that life forms continue to act in the same way as the same life forms did previously? A.        A vernal or springtime pool is only a few feet deep and lasts only from March until midsummer but yields a considerable number of diverse life forms. B.        Like all of nature, there are predators and victims, and a particular living being may be one or the other, depending on its age and characteristics. C.        One may find masses of spotted salamander eggs floating just under the surface of the pond, left behind by adults who entered the pond early in the season before predators arrived. D.        Other amphibians and reptiles return to the recurrent pond year after year to reproduce, as their ancestors have done for years.
2	What is the author’s purpose stated in the first sentence: Even a muddy pond contributes to the ecosystem that affects the environment? A.        To explain that a vernal pool is very muddy B.        To describe how the vernal pool fits into the larger environmental picture C.        To explain that mud is important to environment D.        To show how algae grows	8	The word murky in the first sentence of the second paragraph means most nearly the same as A.       clear B.       cloudy C.       cold D.       life-producing
3	The word yields in the third sentence means most nearly the same as A.       produces. B.       contributes to. C.       kills. D.       harms	9	The word they in the second sentence of paragraph two refers to A.       salamander embryos B.       young C.       forms of algae D.       sunlight
4	The word diverse in the third sentence means most nearly the same as A.       distinct B.       living C.       numerous D.       primiitive	10	Which of the following does the author imply in the first two sentences of paragraph two? A.       The life forms in the pool live in water their entire lives. B.       Some of the life forms live in water first and later on land. C.       The life forms found in the pool do not require oxygen to live. D.       Algae is strictly a food source.
5	The word its in the fifth sentence refers to A.       predator B.       pond C.       living being D.       nature	11	The word recurrent in the last sentence of paragraph one means most nearly the same as A.       moving B.       recurring C.       stagnant D.       warm
6	Which sentence in the first paragraph indicates that a young life form might be prey to an older life form? A.       A vernal or springtime pool is only a few feet deep and lasts only from March until midsummer but yields a considerable number of diverse life forms. B.       Like all of nature, there are predators and victims, and a particular living being may be one or the other, depending on its age and characteristics. C.       One may find masses of spotted salamander eggs floating just under the surface of the pond, left behind by adults who entered the pond early in the season before predators arrived. D.       Other amphibians and reptiles return to the recurrent pond year after year to reproduce, as their ancestors have done for years.

 

ANSWER KEY

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