INTRODUCTION TO READING (PETERSON’S TOEFL SUCCESS)

(PETERSON’S TOEFL SUCCESS)

INTRODUCTION TO READING

INTRODUCTION This part of the examination tests your ability to read and answer items about passages in formal written English. It contains four or five passages. After each passage there are 10 to 14 items about that passage, for a total of 50 to 60 questions in this part. The passages vary in length from approximately 250 to 350 words. This section tests your ability to find main ideas, supporting ideas, and details; use context clues to understand the meaning of vocabulary; draw inferences; recognize coherence; figure out the organization of the passage; and perform other basic reading skills. This part of the test is linear—it is NOT computer adaptive. You can skip items and come back to them later or change answers at a later time. The items you are given are not chosen according to your previous answers. Because this section is linear, the tactics you use will be somewhat different from those in the first two parts of the test. Some item types are “computer unique”—they did not appear on the paper-based test. There are also item types that have been changed somewhat to take advantage of the computer’s capabilities. THE PASSAGES The passages cover a wide range of topics but generally can be classified as follows: √ Science and Technology Includes astronomy, geology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, zoology, botany, medicine, engineering, mechanics, and so on √ North American History, Government, Geography, and Culture √ Art Includes literature, painting, architecture, dance, drama, and so on √ Social Science Includes anthropology, economics, psychology, urban studies, sociology, and so on √ Biography Some passages may be classified in more than one way. For example, a biography might be about the life of a historical figure, an artist, or a scientist. If there is a national context for any of the passages, it is American or occasionally Canadian. Therefore, if a passage is about history, it will be about the history of the United States or Canada. Although the passages deal with various topics, the style in which they are written is similar, and they usually follow fairly simple patterns of organization. The vocabulary used in the Reading portion is fairly sophisticated. There will almost certainly be words that you do not recognize. Sometimes you can guess the meaning of these words by context. However, it is not necessary to understand all the vocabulary in the passages to answer the questions. THE ITEMS According to the way they are answered, there are three types of items on the test. Standard Multiple-Choice Items These are similar to the items found on the paper-based test. Most multiple-choice items can be categorized as one of the following seven types of items: Type of item Explanation Example 1. Overview Items These ask you to identify an answer choice that correctly summarizes the author’s main idea, the subject of the whole passage, or the author’s reason for writing the passage. “What is the main idea of the passage?” “What is the passage primarily about?” “Why did the author write the passage?” 2. Detail Items These ask you to locate and identify answers to questions about specific information and details in the passage. “According to the passage, where did . . . ?” “According to the author, why did . . . ?” “According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? 3. Negative Items These ask which of the answer choices is NOT discussed in the passage. “Which of the following is NOT true about . . . ?” “All of the following are true EXCEPT . . .” 4. Purpose Items These ask you to explain why the author of the passage uses a certain word, sentence, or example or what the purpose of a sentence or example is. “Why does the author mention . . . in paragraph 2?” “What is the purpose of the following sentence in paragraph 2?” 5. Inference Items These ask you to draw conclusions based on information in the passage “The author implies that which of the following is true?” “Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?” 6. Vocabulary-in-Context Items These ask you identify the meaning of a word or phrase as used in the passage. “The word in line 5 is closest in meaning to . . .” 7. Reference Items* These ask you to identify the noun to which a pronoun or other expression refers. “The word it in line 15 refers to . . .” “In line 20, the word there refers to which of the following?” * Most reference items are “click on” items, but a few are multiple choice. About half the multiple-choice items have closed stems; they begin with direct questions. The others have open stems; they begin with incomplete sentences. CLOSED STEM Which of the following is the main topic of the passage? OPEN STEM The main topic of the passage is . . . Click on the Passage Items These types of items are NOT followed by a list of four possible answers with ovals by them. Instead, you must click on some part of the passage. For most of these items, you can only click on the part of the passage that is in bold or in a paragraph that is marked with an arrow. For a few items, you can click anywhere in the passage. Type of Item Explanation Example Scanning Items These ask you to find a word, phrase, or paragraph in the passage that plays a specific logical or organizational role in the passage. Click on the paragraph in the passage that outlines . . . Click on the sentence in paragraph 2 that explains . . . Synonym/Antonym Items These ask you to find a word or phrase in a marked part of the passage that has the same meaning (synonym) or the opposite meaning (antonym) as a highlighted word. Look at the word                  in the passage. Click on the word or phrase in the bold text that is closest in meaning to                      . Look at the word                   in the passage. Click on the word or phrase in the bold text that is most nearly opposite                  in meaning. Reference Items These ask you to find in a marked portion of a passage the noun to which a highlighted pronoun or other word refers. Look at the word them in the passage. Click on the word or phrase in the bold text to which it refers. Sentence Addition Items This type of item provides you with a sentence that can be inserted into a passage. You must decide where this sentence belongs. When you see a sentence addition item, small black squares will appear between the sentences in part of the passage—usually one or two paragraphs long. You have to click on the squares between the two sentences where you believe the sentence should be inserted. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ATTACK THE PASSAGES? First, read the article at a comfortable speed. After you have read the first screen, scroll through the rest of the passage at a steady pace. Word-by-word reading slows you down and interferes with your comprehension. Try to read in units of thought, grouping words into related phrases. During your first reading, don’t worry about understanding or remembering details. You can come back and look for that information later. Try to get a general idea of what each of the paragraphs is about and what the passage as a whole is about. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ANSWER THE ITEMS? It’s important to remember that your goal is not to understand the passages perfectly but to answer as many items correctly as you can. You need to focus on the items, not the passage. Although you CAN skip items in this section, this is not a good idea. You should answer each item as it comes up, even if you have to guess. However, if you have any doubts, you should write down the number of that item on your notepaper. (You will be given six sheets of notepaper after the break between Sections 2 and 3; it is actually for the Writing section, but you can use it during the Reading section as well to keep track of difficult items). ARE THERE ANY “SECRETS” FOR FINDING ANSWERS IN THE PASSAGE QUICKLY? Yes! When you are answering some types of items—mainly detail items and inference items—the most important factor is simply to locate the information quickly. Here are some pointers that will help: √ The items—except for the first and maybe the last item in each set—strictly follow the order of the passage. In other words, the answers for the first few items will be near the top of the passage. To find information for the last few items, you will have to scroll down to the last part of the passage. √ Reference items and vocabulary items can help you pinpoint the information you need to answer other types of items. Let’s say that Item 2 is a synonym item. The computer will highlight a word. Let’s say Item 3 is a detail item and Item 4 is an inference item. Then, let’s say Item 5 is a reference item. Again the computer will highlight a word. This tells us that the information needed to answer Items 3 and 4 is somewhere between the two words that are highlighted. WHAT ARE SOME IMPORTANT FACTORS IN SCORING HIGH IN THIS SECTION? Timing Timing is an important factor. Most test-takers find this the hardest to complete because reading the passages takes so much time. You will have 70 to 90 minutes to complete this section—an average of 15 minutes to read each passage and answer the items about it. Use the clock on the screen to pace yourself. What should you do if, near the end of the test, you realize that you don’t have enough time to finish? Don’t panic! Let’s say that you have one more passage to complete and there are only about 4 or 5 minutes remaining. You should skim over the passage to get the main idea. Answer the first item about the passage (which will probably be a main idea item). Then, answer all of the vocabulary items and reference items because these require less time. (You’ll need to click on the Next icon to locate these). Then, go back and answer any remaining items (clicking on the Prev icon). Refer to the passage as little as possible. If you can’t find the information needed to answer the item in about 10 seconds, just pick the choice that seems most logical. Then, in the last few seconds, answer any remaining items by clicking on your “guess answer.” On the other hand, if you do finish the test before time is called, go back and work on items that you had trouble with the first time. Don’t exit this section until all the time is up. Concentration Concentration is another important factor. This is the longest section of the test. For some people, it’s the most difficult. You may find it hard to concentrate on a computer screen for so long. Your eyes may get tired. You may find it more difficult to maneuver through passages on a screen than in a book. Practice can help. If you purchased the CD-ROM version of this book, you can access Peterson’s online TOEFL practice test. Otherwise, visit www.petersons.com and register to take the online practice test. Also visit sites on the Internet that interest you or work with CD-ROM encyclopedias. Strategies for Section 3 • As with the other sections, be familiar with the directions and examples for Section 3 so that you can begin work immediately. • For each passage, begin by briefly looking over the questions (but not the answer choices). Try to keep these questions in mind during your reading. • Read each passage at a comfortable speed. • Answer the questions, referring to the passage when necessary. • Eliminate answers that are clearly wrong or do not answer the question. If more than one option remains, guess. • Mark difficult or time-consuming answers so that you can come back to them later if you have time. Remember to erase all these marks before the end of the test. • Don’t spend more than 10 minutes on any one reading and the questions about it. • When only a few minutes remain, don’t start guessing blindly. Skim the remaining passage or passages quickly, then answer the first question in each set. Then, answer any questions with line numbers. After that, read the remaining questions, and if you can’t find the question quickly, choose the one that seems most logical to you. • When there are only a few seconds left, fill in all remaining blanks with your guess letter.