SKILL 11: USE CONTEXT TO DETERMINE MEANINGS OF SIMPLE WORDS LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL READING

LONGMAN COMPLETE COURSE FOR THE TOEFL

READING

SKILL 11: USE CONTEXT TO DETERMINE MEANINGS OF SIMPLE WORDS

On both the paper TOEFL test and the computer TOEFL test, you may be asked to determine the meaning of a simple word in a reading passage, a word that you see often in everyday English. In this type of question, you should not give the normal, everyday meaning of the word; instead, a secondary meaning of the word is being tested, so you must determine the meaning of the word in this situation. Look at a multiple-choice example from the paper TOEFL test where a secondary meaning is the best answer to the question.

Example from the Paper TOEFL Test The passage: Faced with serious threats to its future, the company is taking steps to improve its outlook. The company has brought in a new crop of trainees to staff some of its empty positions. In addition, the company has created a new committee to research various proposals and has appointed a key member of its management team to chair the committee.

The question: The word “steps” in line 1 could best replaced by A.                   stairs B.                   walks C.                  actions D.                                      footprints

In this question, you are asked to choose a word that could replace steps. You should understand that steps is a normal, everyday word that is not being used in its normal, everyday way. Because the primary meaning of steps is stairs, this answer is not the correct answer. To answer this type of question, you must see which answer best fits into the context in the passage. You cannot say that a company is taking stairs, or walks, or footprints, but you can say that a company is taking actions. Answer (C) is therefore the best answer to this question.

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

TOEFL EXERCISE 11: Study each of the passages and choose the best answers to the questions that follow.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-3)

The “piece of eight” was the nickname of the Spanish “peso,” which was the rough equivalent of the American dollar in early America; the peso was accepted coin in much of the Americas, particularly during the period when the stores of Spanish ships were regularly stripped by pirates on the waters off the Americas and “redistributed” throughout coastal towns. The nickname “piece of eight” derived from the fact that the peso was equal to eight “reals” and therefore had the numeral 8 stamped on it. The “piece of eight” was sometimes actually cut into pieces, or buts, and one popular size was one-quarter of a “piece of eight” or two bits. as a consequence, the U.S. quarter of a dollar is sometimes referred to today as two-bits, particularly in the western part of the country. A visitor to that area, if told “It’ll be two-bits,” should take it that the price of an item is being given.

1	The word “rough” in line 1 closest in meaning to		3	Look at the expression take it in the passage. This expression could best be replaced by
	A	unsmooth		A	hold
	B	mean		B	understand
	C	approximate		C	possess
	D	heavy		D	grab
2	Look at the word stores in the passage. Stores are probably
	A	departments
	B	markets
	C	shops
	D	supplies

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 4-7)

Although Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith appeared in 1776, it includes many of ideas that economists still consider the foundation of private enterprise. The ideas put forth by Smith compose the basis of the philosophies of the school of thought called classical economics. According to Smith’s ideas, free competition and free trade are vital in fostering the growth of an economy. The role of government in the economy is to ensure the ability of companies to compete freely. Smith, who was himself a Scot, lived during the period of the revolutions in America and in France. During this epoch, the predominant political thought was a strong belief in freedom and independence in government. Smith embraced economic ideas of free trade and competition which are right in line with these political ideas.

4	A “school” in line 3 is		6	Look at the word embraced in paragraph 3. This word could be replaced by
	A	a common belief		A	hugged
	B	a college		B	believed in
	C	a university		C	encircled
	D	an educational institution		D	handed over
5	Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “free” in line 4?		7	Click on the word in paragraph 3 that could best be replaced by “agreement”
	A	Cheap
	B	No cost
	C	Uncontrolled
	D	Democratic

ANSWER KEY

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