READING TOEFL EXERCISES (12-14) LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

READING

TOEFL EXERCISES (12-14)

TOEFL EXERCISE (Skills 12-14): Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-7)

3A The causes of schizophrenia are not clear, but schizophrenia has long been attributed to faulty parenting. 3B In cases where schizophrenia developed, the parents were often considered responsible. 3C However, recent studies are now pointing to heredity and prenatal environmental factors as the chief culprits in this disease. 3D Recent studies of identical twins have been used to demonstrate that heredity plays a role in the development of schizophrenia. These studies have shown that in cases where one identical twin is afflicted with schizophrenia, the other twin has a 50 percent probability of also suffering from it. 5A However, heredity is not believed to be the only culprit. 5B Studies of the fingerprints of identical twins have lent credence to the theory that prenatal environmental factors are likely contributors to the development of schizophrenia. 5C In studies of pairs of identical twins which one is afflicted with schizophrenia and one is not, abnormalities were found in the fingerprints of one-third of the twins, always in the afflicted twin. 5D Since fingers develop in the second trimester of pregnancy, the hypothesis has been proposed that the abnormalities in the fingerprints were due to a second-trimester trauma that affected only one of the twins and that this same trauma was a factor in the onset of schizophrenia. 5E

1	The author’s purpose in this passage is to		5	The following sentence can be added to paragraph 3. Further research into this hypothesis is ongoing.. Where would it best fit into the paragraph? Click on the square to add the sentence to the paragraph.
	A	enumerate examples
	B	cause the development of schizophrenia
	C	prove that faulty parenting is the main cause of schizophrenia
	D	refute a common misconception
2	Where in the passage does the author discuss the traditionally held view about the cause of schizophrenia?		6	Click on the sentence in paragraph 3 that gives the fraction of twins under study with irregular fingerprints.
	A	Lines 1-2
	B	Lines 3-4
	C	Lines 6-8
	D	Lines 9-11
3	The following sentence can be added to paragraph 1. They were faulted for having been uncaring, or manipulative, or emotionally abusive. Where would it best fit into the paragraph? Click on the square to add the sentence to the paragraph.		7	This passage would probably be assigned reading in which of the following courses?
				A	Criminology
				B	Public Administration
				C	Statistics
				D	Psychology
4	Where in the passage does the author present the idea that people may inherit the tendency for schizophrenia?
	A	Lines 3-4
	B	Line 9
	C	Lines 11-13
	D	Lines 13-16

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 8-13)

10A To Americans, the Pony Express was a fixture of the Old West; most Americans are rather surprised to find out that in reality the Pony Express was in existence for only a short period of time, about a year and a half. 10B A short-lived forefather of “express” mail service, the Pony Express operated between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, a distance of just under 2,000 miles. 10C Letters and small packages could be delivered in under 10 days instead of the 3 to 4 weeks that it had taken prior to the institution of the Pony Express. 10D In 1860, St. Joseph was the westernmost terminal of the country’s railroad system; mail destined for the West Coast could come to St. Joe by train, but the only way to get it farther west was on horseback. The Pony Express service was established on April 3, 1860, to fill this need; a letter carried on horseback with only minimal downtime for changes in horses and riders could cover 200 miles in one twenty-four hour period. The Pony Express system consisted of approximately 80 riders, 400 horses, and 190 stations every 10 to 15 miles along the route. One rider took a mail pouch and carried it for 75 miles changing his tired horse for a fresh one at every station; he then passed the pouch to another rider. Riders travelled day and night, and the nail never stopped. 12A On October 24, 1861, only a year and a half after the start of the Pony Express, the first transcontinental telegraph opened for business, ending the need for the Pony Express. 12B The Pony Express officially closed for business on October 26, 1861. 12C Obviously, its owners were quick to recognize that the need for their services no longer existed. 12D

8	In which course would this passage most likely be assigned reading?		11	Where in the passage does the author mention the technological device that put the Pony Express out of business?
	A	Veterinary Medicine		A	Lines 5-6
	B	Speech Communication		B	Lines 9-11
	C	Audiology		C	Lines 12-13
	D	American History		D	Lines 16-17
9	Where in the passage does the author mention the amount of time it took to deliver a letter before the Pony Express?		12	The following sentence could be added to paragraph 4. Only two days later, the Pony Express went out of business. Where would it best fit into the paragraph? Click on the square to add the sentence to the paragraph.
	A	Lines 1-3
	B	Lines 5-6
	C	Lines 9-11
	D	Lines 12-13
10	The following sentence could be added to paragraph 1. The brief existence started in 1860 and was over before the end of 1861. Where would it best fit into the paragraph? Click on the square to add the sentence to the paragraph.		13	What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
				A	To warn of the dire effects of ending the Pony Express
				B	To describe a little-known reality about a historical subject
				C	To incite readers to action on behalf of the Pony Express
				D	To describe the development of express mail service

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 14-18)

The grand jury is an important part of the American legal system. 16A The grand jury is composed of private citizens who are appointed to serve for a designated period of time. 16B Grand juries, which hold meetings in private, serve one of two functions; charging or investigatory. 16C A grand jury that is serving a charging function listens to evidence presented by the prosecutor and decides whether or not the prosecution had adequate evidence to charge a suspect with a crime; if the grand jury feels that there is adequate evidence, then it issues an indictment, and the suspect must then proceed with a trial. 16D A grand jury that is serving an investigatory function investigates cases of suspected dishonesty, often by public officials. 16E The primary reason for the existence of the grand jury is that it is supposed to ensure that citizens are not subject to unfair prosecution; under the grand jury system, prosecutors must first convince an unbiased group of citizens that there is justification for the charges that they want to bring. However, the grand jury system has come under attack from numerous directions. Grand juries are routinely criticized for being too slow and too costly; the grand jury system really means that there are two trials, the grand jury hearing to decide whether or not there should be a trial and then the actual trial itself. Another criticism of the grand jury results from the fact that the meetings are held in private; the grand jury is not open to public scrutiny and is therefore not publicly responsible for its actions, and this has cast doubt on some of its findings. A final common criticism of the grand jury is that the evidence it hears is one-sided, from the perspective of the prosecution, so that the grand jury serves as the right arm of the prosecution rather than as the defender of the rights of a suspect.

14	In which course might this passage be assigned reading?		17	Where in the passage does the author discuss the problem associated with holding grand jury meetings in private?
	A	Sociology of Criminal Behaviour		A	Lines 4-6
	B	Introduction to Law		B	Lines 7-8
	C	American History		C	Lines 10-12
	D	Research Methodologies		D	Lines 15-17
15	Click on the sentence in paragraph 1 that mentions who serves on a grand jury.		18	How does the author seem to feel about the grand jury system?
				A	Quite assured as to its usefulness
				B	Somewhat doubtful about its effectiveness
				C	Highly supportive of its use
				D	Extremely negative about all aspects
16	The following sentence could be added to paragraph 1. The investigatory function of the grand jury is different from the charging function. Where would it best fit into the paragraph? Click on the square to add the sentence to the paragraph.

ANSWER KEY

1	D	11	D
2	A	12	B
3	C	13	B
4	A	14	B
5	E	15	P1,S2
6	P3,S3	16	D
7	D	17	D
8	D	18	B
9	B
10	B