SKILL 10: USE CONTEXT TO DETERMINE MEANINGS OF DIFFICULT WORDS LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL READING

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

READING

SKILL 10: USE CONTEXT TO DETERMINE MEANINGS OF DIFFICULT WORDS

On both the paper TOEFL test and the computer TOEFL test, you may be asked to determine the meaning of a difficult word in a reading passage, a word that you are not expected to know. In this case, the passage will probably give you a clear indication of what the word means. Look at a multiple-choice example from the paper TOEFL test where the context helps you to understand the meaning of an unknown word.

Example from the Paper TOEFL Test The passage: In a government election, the incumbent generally has a strong advantage over a newcomer. A person who is already in office and thus has  a certain degree of prominence has a better chance of being elected than does someone who is unknown to the electorate. History has shown a strong proclivity in elections at all levels of government to return the incumbent to office.

The question: The “incumbent” in line 1 is most likely A.                   A special type of election B.                   A political party C.                  A beneficial comment D.                                      A current office-holder

This question asks about the meaning of the word incumbent. In this question, you are not expected to know the meaning of the word incumbent. Instead, you should understand from the context a person who is already in office that an incumbent is  a current office-holder. Answer (D) is therefore the best answer to this question.

The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about vocabulary questions containing difficult words;

 

TOEFL EXERCISE 10: Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-4)

The black widow is the most dangerous spider living in the United States. It is most common in the southern parts of the country, but it can be found throughout the country. The black widow got its name because the female has been known kill the male after mating and, as a result, becomes a widow. The black widow is rather distinctive in appearance; it has a shiny globular body, the size and shape of a pea, and is marked on its underbelly with a red yellow spot. The female is considerably more ample than the male, roughly four times larger on the average. If a human is bitten by a black widow, the spider’s poison can cause severe illness and pain. Black widow bites have occasionally proved deadly, but it is certainly not the norm for black widow bites to be mortal.

1	In line 3, the word “widow” means		3	The word “ample” in line 7 indicates that the spider is
	A	a type of poison		A	feminine
	B	the dead male spider		B	large
	C	the human victim of the spider		C	dotted with colors
	D	a female whose mate had died		D	normal
2	Click on the word in paragraph 2 that is closest in meaning to “spherical.”		4	Look at the word deadly in paragraph 3. Click on another word in paragraph 3 that is close in meaning to deadly.

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 5-8)

Tornados occur throughout the world, but the reasons that scientists are not fully able to discern, the great majority occur in the United States. Approximately 700 Tornadoes a year occur within the United States, and this comprises three-quarters of the worldwide total. Most of the U.S. tornadoes take place in the Midwest and in the southern states that border the Gulf of Mexico. In general, a tornado cuts a path of a few hundred yards and lasts than an hour; an average tornado might propel itself at a speed of 15 or 20 miles per hour and therefore cover a distance of 20 or so miles. Tornadoes, however, can be much worse than average. The most devastating tornado on record occurred on March 18, 1925, in the states of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The path of this Tornado was more than 200 miles long and a mile wide. Travelling at an average speed 60 miles per hour, the winds at the center of the storm swirled around at considerably more than 200 miles per hour. A total of 689 people died, and countless more were injured, at the hands of thus killer storm.

5	Click on the word in paragraph 1 that is closest in meaning to “understand”		7	Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “devastating” in line 9?
				A	Described
				B	Delicate
				C	Destructive
				D	Determined
6	The word “propel” in line 7 could best be replaced by		8	Look at the word swirled in paragraph 2. This word is closest in meaning to
	A	move		A	decreased
	B	develop		B	rose
	C	destroy		C	settled
	D	inhibit		D	circled

ANSWER KEY

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