TOEFL REVIEW EXERCISES (1-7) READING LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

READING

TOEFL REVIEW EXERCISES (1-7)

TOEFL REVIEW EXERCISE (Skills 1-7): Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-8)

The Mason-Dixon Line is often considered by American to be the demarcation between the North and the South. It is in reality the boundary that separates the state of Pennsylvania from Maryland and parts of West Virginia. Prior to the Civil War, this southern boundary of Pennsylvania separated the nonslave states to the north from the slave states to the south. The Mason-Dixon Line was established well before the Civil War, as a result of a boundary dispute between Pennsylvania and Maryland. Two English astronomers, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, were called in to survey the area and officially mark the boundary between the two states. The survey was completed in 1767, and the boundary was marked with stones, many of which remain to this day.

1	The best title for this passage would be		5	The passage states all of the following about Mason and Dixon EXCEPT that
	A	Dividing the North and the South		A	they came from England
	B	The Meaning of the Mason-Dixon Line		B	they worked as astronomers
	C	Two English Astronomers		C	they caused the boundary dispute between Pennsylvania and Maryland
	D	The History of the Mason-Dixon Line		D	they surveyed the area of the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland
2	Look at the word It in paragraph 1. Click on the word/phrase that it refers to.		6	The passage indicates that the Mason-Dixon Line was identified with
				A	pieces of rock
				B	fences
				C	a stone wall
				D	a border crossing
3	Click on the drawing that shows the location of the Mason-Dixon Lline		7	Click on the paragraph that explains why the Mason-Dixon Line was established
	A
	B
	C
	D
4	It can be inferred from the passage that before Civil War		8	The paragraph following the passage most probably discusses
	A	Pennsylvania was south of the Mason-Dixon Line		A	where the Mason-Dixon Line is located
	B	Pennsylvania was a nonslave state		B	the Mason-Dixon Line today
	C	the states south of the Mason-Dixon Line had the same opinion		C	the effect of the Civil War on slavery
	D	the slave states were not divided from the nonslave states		D	what happened to Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 9-14)

Manic depression is another psychiatric illness that mainly affects the mood. A patient suffering from this disease will alternate between periods of manic excitement and extreme depression, with or without relatively normal periods in between. The changes in mood suffered by a manic-depressive patient go far beyond the day-to-day mood changes experienced by the general population. In the period of manic excitement, the mood elevation can become so intense that it can result in extended insomnia, extreme irritability, and heightened aggressiveness. In the period of depression, which may last for several weeks or months, a patient experiences feelings of general fatigue, uselessness, and, in serious cases, may contemplate suicide.

9	The paragraph preceding this passage most probably discusses		12	The passage indicates that most people
	A	when manic depression develops		A	never undergo mood changes
	B	a different type of mental disease		B	experience occasional shifts in mood
	C	how moods are determined		C	switch wildly from highs to lows
	D	how manic depression can result in suicide		D	become highly depressed
10	The topic of this passage is		13	Look at the word it in the passage. Click on the word or phrase it refers to
	A	various psychiatric illnesses
	B	how depression affects the mood
	C	the intense period of manic excitement
	D	the mood changes of manic depression
11	Click on the drawing of the person who is most likely a manic-depressive patient in a manic phase.		14	The passage implies that
	A			A	changes from excitement to depression occur frequently and often
	B			B	only manic-depressive patients experience aggression
	C			C	the depressive phase of this disease can be more harmful than the manic phase
	D			D	suicide inevitable in cases of manic depression

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 15-23)

Unlike earlier campaigns, the 1960 presidential campaign featured a politically innovative and highly influential series of televised debates in the contest between the Republicans and the Democrats. Debates that could be viewed by such a wide audience had never before been part of the presidential campaigns, and through these debates, the far-reaching medium of television showed how effective it could be in influencing the outcome of an election. The two parties to face off in the election selected very different candidates. John Kennedy, a young senator from Massachusetts without much experience and recognition in national politics, established an early lead among democratic hopefuls, and was nominated on the first ballot at the Los Angeles convention to be the representative of the Democratic party in the presidential elections. The older and more experienced Richard Nixon, then serving as vice president of the United States under Eisenhower, received the nomination of the Republican party. Both Nixon and Kennedy campaigned vigorously throughout the country and then took the unprecedented step of appearing in face-to-face debates on television. Experts in the politics of presidential elections contend that the debates were a pivotal force in the elections. In front of a viewership of more than 100 million citizens, Kennedy masterfully overcame Nixon’s advantage as the better-known and more experienced candidate and reversed the public perception of him as too inexperienced and immature for the presidency. In an election that was extremely close, it was perhaps these debates that brought victory to Kennedy

15	The paragraph preceding the passage most likely discussed		20	Which of the following is NOT mentioned about Richard Nixon?
	A	presidential elections prior to 1960		A	He was serving as vice president.
	B	planning for the 1960 election		B	He was the Republican party’s candidate for president.
	C	the history of television prior to 1960		C	He campaigned strongly all over the country.
	D	the outcome of the 1960 presidential election		D	He was nominated on the first ballot.
16	Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?		21	The passage states that in the debates with Nixon, Kennedy demonstrated to the American people that he was
	A	Kennedy defeated Nixon in the 1960 presidential election.		A	old enough to be president
	B	Television debates were instrumental in the outcome of the 1960 presidential election.		B	more experienced than Nixon
	C	Television debates have long been a part of campaigning		C	better known than Nixon
	D	Kennedy was the leading Democratic candidate in the 1960 presidential election.		D	too inexperienced to serve as president
17	Look at the word it in paragraph 1. Click on the word or phrase that it refers to		22	The pronoun ‘him’ in line 17 refers to
				A	John Kennedy
				B	Richard Nixon
				C	Eisenhower
				D	the better-known and more experienced candidate
18	The passage implies that Kennedy		23	Click on the paragraph that describes the two candidates in the election
	A	was a long shot to receive the Democratic presidential nomination
	B	won the Democratic presidential nomination fairly easily
	C	was not a front runner in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination
	D	came from behind to win the Democratic presidential nomination
19	The passage states that the television debates between presidential candidates in 1960
	A	did not influence the selection of the president
	B	were the final televised debates
	C	were fairly usual in the history of presidential campaigns
	D	were the first presidential campaign debates to be televised

ANSWER KEY

1	D	11	A	21	A
2	Mason-Dixon Line	12	B	22	A
3	A	13	mood elevation	23	P2
4	B	14	C
5	C	15	A
6	A	16	B
7	P2	17	medium (of television)
8	B	18	B
9	B	19	D
10	D	20	D