LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL SKILL 6: ANSWER IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

READING

SKILL 6: ANSWER IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS CORRECTLY

Questions of this type contain the words implied, inferred, likely or probably to let you know the answer to the question is not directly stated. In this type of question, it is important to understands that you do not have to “pull the answer out of thin air.” Instead some information will be given in the passage, and you will draw a conclusion from that information.

Example from the Paper TOEFL Test The passage: The Hawaiian language is a melodious language in which all words are derived from an alphabet of only twelve letters, the five vowels a, e, i,o, u and the seven consonants h, k,l, m, n, p, w. each syllable in the language ends in a vowel and two consonants never appear together, so vowels have a much higher frequency in the Hawaiian language than they do in English. This musical-sounding language can be heard regularly by visitors to the islands. Most Hawaiians speak English, but it is quite common to hear English that is liberally spiced with words and expressions from the traditional language of the culture. A visitor may be greeted with the expression aloha and may be referred to as a malihini because he is a newcomer to the island. The visitor may attend an outside luau where everyone eats too much and be invited afterwards to dance the hula.

The question: Which of the following is probably NOT a Hawaiian word? A.           mahalo B.           mahimahi C.           meklea D.                moana

 

This question asks which word is probably NOT a Hawaiian word. To answer this question, you should refer to the part of the passage where it states that in the Hawaiian language two consonants never appear together. From this, you can draw the conclusion that answer (C), meklea, is probably not a Hawaiian word because the consonants k and l appear together, so the answer (C) is the best answer to this question.

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

TOEFL EXERCISE 6: Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-2)
Eskimos need efficient and adequate means to travel across water in that the areas where they live are surrounded by oceans, bays and inlets and dotted with lakes and seas. Two different types of boats have been developed by the Eskimos, each constructed to meet specific needs. The kayak is something like canoe that has been covered by a deck. A kayak is generally constructed with one opening in the deck for one rider; however, some kayaks are made for two. Because the deck of a kayak is covered over except for the hole (or holes) for its rider (or riders), a kayak can tip over in the water and roll back up without filling with water and sinking. One of the primary uses of the kayak is for hunting. The umiak is not closed over, as is the kayak. Instead, it is an open boat that is built to hold ten to twelve passengers. Eskimos have numerous uses for the umiak which reflect the size of the boat; e.g. the umiak is used to haul belongings from campsite to campsite, and it is used for hunting larger animals that are too big to be hunted in a kayak.
1	It is implied in the passage that if a kayak has two holes, then A.       it accommodates two riders B.       it is less stable than a kayak with one hole C.       it is as large as an umiak D.       it cannot be used on the ocean	2	It can be inferred from the passage that an example of the animals mentioned might be A.        a kangaroo B.        a snake C.        a whale D.        a salmon

  

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 3-5)
Two types of trees from the same family of trees share honors in certain respects as the most impressive of trees. Both evergreen conifers, the California redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and the giant sequoia (Sequoiandendron giganteum) are found growing natively only in the state of California. The California redwood is found along the northern coast of the state, while the giant sequoia is found inland and at higher elevations, along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevadas. The California redwood is the tallest living tree and is in fact the tallest living thing on the face of the earth; the height of the tallest redwood on record is 385 feet (120 meters). Though not quite as tall as the California redwood, with a height of 320 feet (100 meters), the giant sequoia is nonetheless the largest and most massive of living things; giant sequoias have been measured at more than 100 feet (30 meters) around the base, with weights of more than 6.000 tons.
3	It is implied in the passage that A.       the leaves of only  the California redwood turn brown in the autumn. B.       the leaves of only the giant sequoia turn brown in the winter C.       the leaves of both types of trees in the passage turn brown in the winter. D.       The leaves of neither type of tree in the passage	5	Which of the following is implied in the passage? A.       The giant sequoia is taller than the California redwood. B.       The California redwood is not as big around as the giant sequoia. C.       The California redwood weighs more than the giant sequoia. D.       Other living things are larger than the giant sequoia.
4	It can be inferred from the passage that the Sierra Nevadas are A.       a type of giant redwood B.       a coastal community C.       a group of lakes D.       a mountain range

  

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 6-8)
Probably the most recognised 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 opponents to pay exorbitant rents and fees. Although the game is now published in countless languages 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 1993 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 in 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 rights to Monopoly in 1935 and took the first steps toward the mass production of today.
6	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	8	Parker Brothers is probably A.       a real estate company B.       a games manufacturing company C.       a group of Charles Darrow’s friends D.       a toy design company
7	It is implied that Darrow selected Atlantic City as the setting for Monopoly because A.       it brought back good memories B.       his family came from Atlantic City C.       the people of Germantown might have been angered if he has used Germantown D.       Atlantic City was larger than Germantown

ANSWER KEY

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