SKILL 8: FIND DEFINITIONS FROM STRUCTURAL CLUES LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

READING

SKILL 8: FIND DEFINITIONS FROM STRUCTURAL CLUES

When you are asked to determine the meaning of a word in the reading section of either the paper TOEFL test or the computer TOEFL test, it is possible (1) that the passage provides information about the meaning of the word, and (2) that there are structural clues to tell you that the definition of a word is included in the passage. Look at a multiple-choice example from the paper TOEFL test where a structural clue to the meaning of the tested word is included in the passage.

Example from the Paper TOEFL Test The passage: One of the leading schools of psychological thought in the twentieth century is behaviourism – the belief that the role of the psychologist is to study behaviour, which is observable, rather than conscious or unconscious thought, which is not. Probably the best known proponent of behaviourism is B.F. Skinner, who is famous for his research on how positive and negative reinforcement influence behaviour. He came to believe that positive reinforcement such as praise, food, or money were more effective in promoting good behaviour than negative reinforcement, or punishment.

The question: In “behaviourism” in line 2, a psychologist is concerned with A.                   conscious thought patterns B.                   unconscious thought patterns C.                  observable actions D.                                      unobservable actions

This question asks about the meaning of the word behaviourism. To answer this question, you should look at the part of the passage following the word behaviourism. The dash punctuation (-) indicates that a definition or further information about behaviourism is going to follow. In the information following the dash, you should see that the behaviourist is interested in behaviour, which is observable, so the best answer to this question is answer (C).

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about transition structural clues to help you to understand unknown vocabulary words:

 

TOEFL EXERCISE 8: Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-4)

The teddy bear is a child’s toy, a nice soft stuffed animal suitable for cuddling. It is, however, a toy with an interesting history behind it. Theodore Roosevelt, or Teddy as he was commonly called, was president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He was an unusually active man with varied pastimes, one of which was hunting. One day the president was invited to take part in a bear hunt; and inasmuch as Teddy was president, his hosts wanted to ensure that he caught a bear. A bear was captured, clanked over the head to knock it out, and tied a tree; however, Teddy, who really wanted to hunt a bear, refused to shoot the bear and, in fact, demanded that the bear be extricated from the ropes; that is, he demanded that the bear be set free. The incident attracted a lot of attention among journalists. First a cartoon – drawn by Clifford K. Berryman to make fun of this situation – appeared in the Washington Post, and the cartoon was widely distributed and reprinted throughout the country. Then toy manufacturers began producing a toy bear which they called a “teddy bear.” The teddy bear became the most widely recognized symbol of Roosevelt’s presidency.

1	According to line 1 of the passage, what is a “teddy bear”?		3	Look at the word extricated in paragraph 2. Click on another word or phrase in paragraph 2 that is close in meaning to extricated.
	A	A ferocious animal
	B	The president of the United States
	C	A famous hunter
	D	A plaything
2	Look at the word pastimes in paragraph 2. This word could best be replaced by		4	In line 10, a “cartoon” could best be described as
	A	past occurrences		A	a newspaper
	B	previous jobs		B	a type of teddy bear
	C	hunting trips		C	a drawing with a message
	D	leisure activities		D	a newspaper article

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 5-8)

A supernova occurs when all of the hydrogen in the core of a huge star is transformed to iron and explodes. All stars die after their nuclear fuel has been exhausted. Stars with little mass die gradually, but those with relatively large mass die in a sudden explosion, a supernova. The sudden flash of light can then be followed by several weeks of extremely bright light, perhaps as much light as twenty million stars. Supernovae are not very common; they occur about once every hundred years in any galaxy, and in 1987 a supernova that could be seen by the naked eye occurred in the Magellan Cloud, a galaxy close to the Milky Way. Scientists periodically detect supernovae in other galaxies; however, no supernovae have occurred in the Milky Way (the galaxy that includes Earth) since 1604. One very impressive supernova occurred in the Milky Way on July 4, 1054. There was a great explosion followed by three months of lighted skies, and historical chronicles of the time were full of accounts and unusual explanations for the misunderstood phenomenon – may people believed that it meant that the world was coming to an end.

5	A “supernova” in line 1 is which of the following?		7	Look at the expression Milky Way in paragraph 2. The Milky Way is
	A	The iron component of a star		A	part of Earth
	B	The core of a star		B	a galaxy close to Earth
	C	The hydrogen in a star		C	the galaxy that is home to Earth
	D	The explosion of a star		D	a creamy-colored cloud in the sky
6	According to the passage, which of the following best describes the “Magellan Cloud” in line 7?		8	Click on the word in paragraph 2 that is closest in meaning to “unusual occurrence”
	A	A galaxy inside the Milky Way
	B	A cloud composed of hydrogen
	C	A galaxy near Earth’s galaxy
	D	A cloud in the sky above the Earth

ANSWER KEY

1	D
2	D
3	set free
4	C
5	D
6	C
7	C
8	phenomenon