LESSON 37.1 Reference Items (PETERSON’S TOEFL SUCCESS)

(PETERSON’S TOEFL SUCCESS)

LESSON 37.1

Reference Items

Reference items ask you to find the noun (called the referent) that a pronoun or other word refers to. Two things to remember: 1 The referent almost always comes before the reference word in the passage. 2 The referent is NOT always the noun that is closest to the reference word in the sentence. On the computer-based test, most reference items are Click on the Passage items but a few are Multiple-Choice items. Click on Reference Items When you see this type of item, a section of the passage—usually one or two sentences—appears in bold text, just as in Vocabulary items. A pronoun or other reference word will be highlighted. You have to find the referent in the bold text to which the highlighted word or phrase refers. You can identify “possible answers” in the bold text according to the type of reference word that is highlighted. For example, if the pronoun he is being asked about, you would only look for nouns that name a singular male person. Here’s a list of common reference words and the kinds of nouns they refer to: This, that, these, and those can also be used with nouns: this person, that time, those animals, or these places. After you have identified possible answers, you should read the sentence with the answers in place of the reference. Which one is the most logical substitute? If you are not sure, you can at least eliminate unlikely choices and guess. Multiple-Choice Reference Items A few reference items will ask you to choose to which one of four nouns a pronoun or other word refers. Again, you should read the sentence with each of the four choices in place of the highlighted word to decide which of the four answers is the most logical. EXERCISE 37.1 Focus: Identifying the referents for pronouns and other expressions in sentences and short passages Directions: Read the items. Decide which word or phrase in the items is the correct referent for the highlighted word or phrase and underline it or (for Multiple-Choice items) mark the correct answer. If there are two highlighted words or phrases, circle the first reference and underline the second 1 X rays allow art historians to examine paintings internally without damaging them. 2 The poisonous, plantlike anemone lives in a coral reef. When a small fish ventures near this creature, it is stung and eaten. For some reason, the anemone makes an exception of the clown fish. When the clown fish is endangered by another fish, it dashes among the anemone’s tentacles. It even builds its nest where the anemone can protect it. 3 Florists often refrigerate cut flowers to protect their fresh appearance. (A) Florists’ (B) Flowers’ 4 Unlike a box kite, a flat kite needs a tail to supply drag and to keep it pointed toward the sky. A simple one consists of cloth strips tied end to end. 5 Water is an exception to many of nature’s rules because of its unusual properties. 6 Ropes are cords at least .15 inches in diameter and are made of three or more strands which are themselves formed of twisted yarns. (A) Yarns (B) Ropes (C) Strands (D) Cords 7 Grocers slice sides, quarters, and what are called primal cuts of beef into smaller pieces. These pieces are then packaged and sold. 8 Leaves are found on all deciduous trees, but they differ greatly in size and shape. 9 Yasuo Kuniyashi was born in Japan in 1883 and studied art at the Los Angeles School of Art and Design. He also studied art in New York City, where he gave his first one-man show. In 1925 he moved from there to Paris where he was influenced by the works of Chagall and other artists. (A) Japan (B) Paris (C) Los Angeles (D) New York City 10 In the past, biologists considered mushrooms and other fungi a type of nongreen plant. Today, however, they are most commonly regarded as a separate kingdom of living things. 11 William Dean Howells, a contemporary and friend of Mark Twain, wrote a number of books that realistically portrayed life on farms in Midwestern America. One of his followers, Hamlin Garland, was even more bitter in his criticism of rural America than his mentor. 12 The Wisconsin Dells is a region where the Wisconsin River cuts through soft sandstone. The strange formations that have been carved out of the rocks there are a delight to tourists. They have names such as Devil’s Elbow, Grand Piano, and Fat Man’s Misery.

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