READING PRACTICE DRILL 2 CRACKING TOEFL IBT 2019

 

CRACKING TOEFL IBT 2019 READING PRACTICE DRILL3

 

Periodical Cicadas   → Certain cicadas spend most of their lives about 2 feet underground, feeding on fluids from the   roots of trees in forests across the eastern United States. These particular species, called periodical   cicadas, are developmentally synchronized, meaning they develop into adults all at the same time.   There are seven distinct species of periodical cicadas, four of which have 13-year lifecycles and 5 three of which have 17-year lifecycles. After the respective 13 or 17 years of subterranean lifestyle,   the almost-mature cicada nymphs emerge at a given place and time in astounding numbers—   as many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre. The nymphs wait for a spring evening when the soil   temperature about 8 inches below the surface is above 64°F. For the four 13-year-cycle species,   which tend to be further to the south and west of the eastern United States, this may be as early 10 as late April or early May. But for the three 17-year-cycle species, which are generally found more   toward the northern end of the eastern United States, this may not happen until late May or early   June.       Once they emerge they have only about 4-6 weeks to live. First, they find a new home on plants 15 near their emergence location where they complete their transition into full adult cicadas. Next, they   molt a final time and then remain in the leaves, where they are protected from most predators, to   wait for their exoskeletons to completely harden. Within two months of their emergence, they have   laid their eggs and their lifecycle has been completed. Once the mature cicadas die, there will be no   more cicadas of that brood for another 13 or 17 years. 20     Periodical cicadas are divided into groups called broods; these broods are based on the calendar   year in which they emerge. In 1898, entomologist C. L. Marlatt identified as many as 30 broods,   although not all of them have actually been observed since then. He identified 17 broods with a 17-   year lifecycle and 13 broods with a 13-year-lifecycle. Brood VI, for example, has a 17-year lifecycle. 25 It is typically found in Eastern Ohio, Western Maryland, Southwestern Pennsylvania, Northwestern   Virginia, and West Virginia. Brood Vi’s last emergence was 2017, so it will emerge again in 2034.       Adult periodical cicadas are small, roughly one inch long, with males growing slightly larger than   females. Cicadas do not have specific defense mechanisms: While their mouths are designed to 30 pierce plants and suck out the plants’ sap, they don’t bite or sting. Their sole purpose during   their adult lives is to reproduce. Male cicadas form “aggregations,” or choruses, and “sing”   a mating song that is specific to their species in order to attract females to mate. They don’t   create sound with vocal chords, like humans do, though. Instead, they produce sounds with their   tymbals, corrugated exoskeletal structures that are specifically used to produce sounds. On the 35 male cicada, the pair of tymbals is located on the sides of the abdomen. The membranes   across the “ribs” of the tymbal vibrate quickly, and the cicada’s body functions like a resonance   chamber and magnifies the sound. The cicadas can adjust the “volume” of their sound by turning   their bodies in different directions.     40 ■ Periodical cicada populations grow to astounding numbers, not only because the only   purpose of their adult lives is to reproduce, but also because they tend to escape natural   population control by predators. ■ Because they emerge only once every 13 or 17 years,   predators cannot rely upon them as a regular part of the food cycle. ■ As a result, when the cicadas   do become prey, their predators can seemingly eat their fill without making a significant impact on 45 the cicada population. ■       Periodical cicadas are fascinating creatures, largely because they don’t play a regular role in   their environments’ ecosystems. In fact, they are so fascinating that scientists named their genus   Magicicada. Most interesting, though, is how they keep track of time and know when 13 or 17 years 50 have passed. Alas, researchers don’t actually know how they do it, other than knowing that it’s   some kind of molecular clock. The insects themselves make for difficult research, since researchers   have to wait at least 13 years for a brood to reemerge!   1 The word subterranean in the passage is closest in meaning to A lifecycle B underground C species D cicadas 2 The word nymphs in the passage is closest in meaning to A immature cicadas B different species C roots of trees D water creatures 3 The word this in the passage refers to A periodical cicadas B astounding numbers C southeastern United States D ground temperature of 64°F 4 According to paragraph 1, periodical cicadas can be found (Paragraph 1 is marked with an arrow →) A around the world B throughout the western hemisphere C across the eastern United States D in the southeastern United States 5 The word they in the passage refers to A southeastern United States B periodical cicadas C plants D predators 6 The cicadas are organized into broods according to A the year in which they emerge B the length of their lifecycles C the length of their development cycle D Marlatt’s preferences 7 The word magnifies in the passage is closest in meaning to A makes louder B produces C makes worse D degrades 8 Click on the sentence (in bold text in the passage and repeated below) in the passage where the author describes how periodical cicadas attract mates. A Their sole purpose during their adult lives is to reproduce. B Male cicadas form “aggregations,” or choruses, and “sing” a mating song that is specific to their species in order to attract females to mate. C On the male cicada, the pair of tymbals is located on the sides of the abdomen. D Periodical cicada populations grow to astounding numbers, not only because the only purpose of their adult lives is to reproduce, but also because they tend to escape natural population control by predators. 9 The word their in the passage refers to A broods B cicada populations C cicada predators D cicada prey 10 Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence can be added to the passage. This phenomenon is known as “predator satiation,” a situation in which prey occur at an incredibly high population that the probability of an individual organism being eaten is drastically reduced. Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square [■] to add the sentence to the passage. (Here, on this practice test, circle your answer below.) A Square 1 B Square 2 C Square 3 D Square 4 11 How do periodical cicadas know when to emerge? A They have calendars. B They can track the seasons. C They have a molecular clock. D Scientists don’t have any ideas. 12 Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points. Periodical cicadas are unique creatures because of their unusual lifecycles and their lack of significant predators. ·         ___________________________ ·         ___________________________ ·         ___________________________

 

ANSWER KEY

1 B This is a vocabulary in context question. Take a look at the lines in the passage. Certain cicadas spend most of their lives about 2 feet underground, feeding on fluids from the roots of trees in forests across the eastern United States. These particular species, called periodical cicadas, are developmentally synchronized, meaning they develop into adults all at the same time. There are seven distinct species of periodical cicadas, four of which have 13-year lifecycles and three of which have 17-year lifecycles. After the respective 13 or 17 years of a________lifestyle, the almost-mature cicada nymphs emerge at a given place and time in astounding numbers—as many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre. Based on the information in the first sentence, a good word for the blank might be “underground.” Thanks to POE, only (B) matches! 2 A This is a vocabulary in context question. Take a look at the lines in the passage. After the respective 13 or 17 years of a subterranean lifestyle, the almost-mature cicada________emerge at a given place and time in astounding numbers—as many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre. This one might feel tougher to fill in the blank. So, ask yourself what the surrounding words talk about: the cicada, which are almost-mature. Take the idea of “almost-mature” to the answers and do some POE: (A) is an almost exact match, so keep it for now. There’s no indication in the passage of a “different species,” so get rid of (B). The cicadas eat fluids from “roots of trees,” which makes (C) sound like a good answer, but it doesn’t match in meaning. And (D) is not mentioned at all, so eliminate it. 3 D This is a reference question: it’s asking what noun the pronoun this replaces. Look at the passage. The nymphs wait for a spring evening when the soil temperature about 8 inches below the surface is above 64°F. For the four 13-year-cycle species, which tend to be further to the south and west of the eastern United Sates, this may be as early as late April or early May. But for the three 17-year-cycle species, which are generally found more toward the northern end of the eastern United States, this may not happen until late May or early June. Ask yourself, what may be as early as late April or early May? The timing of temperature being just right for the nymphs to emerge. Take a look at the answers. Eliminate (A) because, though the entire passage is about cicadas, that’s not what this question is asking about. Choice (B) doesn’t match what we predicted, and neither does (C)—get rid of them. Choice (D), though, has to do with the temperature the nymphs need. There you go!  4 C This is a detail question, asking what the passage says about where periodical cicadas can be found. Go look in the passage for the lines that discuss this topic. For the four 13-year-cycle species, which tend to be further to the south and west of the eastern United Sates, this may be as early as late April or early May. But for the three 17-year-cycle species, which are generally found more toward the northern end of the eastern United States, this may not happen until late May or early June. Now tackle some POE: (A), (B), and (D) don’t match the geography mentioned in the passage, so eliminate them. The correct answer is (C). The cicadas can be found in the eastern United States. 5 B This is a reference question: it’s asking what noun the pronoun they replaces. Look at the passage. Once they emerge they have only about 4-6 weeks to live. First they find a new home on plants near their emergence location where they complete their transition into full adult cicadas. This question requires you to look back into the previous paragraph, because there is no noun earlier in the same sentence or same paragraph. What was the passage discussing in the preceding paragraph? The cicadas that had emerged. Take that to the answers. Choice (A) references where some of the cicadas emerge, but that’s not what the pronoun is referring to, so get rid of it. Choice (B) is exactly what we’d predicted. Choices (C) and (D) haven’t even been mentioned, so get rid of them. 6 A This is a detail question, so go back to the passage and look for the word broods. Based on the calendar year in which they emerge, periodical cicadas are divided into groups called broods. In 1898, entomologist C. L. Marlatt identified as many as 30 broods, although not all of them have actually been observed since then. Using the first part of the first sentence, compare the answer choices. Choice (A) is an almost identical match to the passage, so keep it. Choice (B) doesn’t match—the passage doesn’t discuss the cicadas’ lifecycle as the determining factor of their brood organization. Choices (C) and (D) also don’t match what the passage says, so eliminate everything except (A). 7 A This is a vocabulary in context question, so look at the passage and think of a word you could put in place of the word in question. The membranes across the “ribs” of the tymbal vibrate quickly, and the cicada’s body functions like a resonance chamber and________the sound. The cicadas can adjust the “volume” of their sound by turning their bodies in different directions. If you’re not sure what exact word to use, ask yourself what the word relates to. It has something to do with the sound that the cicadas make, and the next sentence says that the cicadas can adjust the “volume” of their sound. So it probably has something to do with adjusting the volume. Take a look at the answers. Would it make sense to “make louder” the sound, as in (A)? Well, it sounds weird when you say it, but the meaning makes sense, so keep it. Is this blank just talking about producing the sound, (B)? Maybe, but that’s not as close as (A). Is it likely that the cicadas would do something that makes their sound worse? Probably not, so get rid of (C). And they’re also not likely to degrade their own sound, so get rid of (D). 8 B This question asks you to find the sentence in the passage that serves a particular purpose, namely to describe how periodical cicadas attract mates. Go directly to the answers and use POE. Choice (A) discusses the purpose of cicadas’ adult lives, not their mating habits, so get rid of it. Choice (B) talks about the males forming choruses to attract mates, so keep it. Choice (C) discusses the males’ tymbals, not mating habits, so eliminate it. Choice (D) talks about the cicadas’ populations, not mating habits, so get rid of that too. 9 C This is a reference question: it’s asking which noun the pronoun their refers to. Look at the passage. As a result, when the cicadas do become prey, their predators can seemingly eat their fill without making a significant impact on the cicada population. Ask yourself, who is eating? The predators. Now go take a look at the answers, and eliminate any that don’t match. Eliminate (A), (B), and (D), and you’re left with (C). 10 D This is a sentence insertion question. Recall that for this question type, you have to look at the sentences before and after the black squares to try to match the information in those sentences with the new sentence. Here’s the sentence we are going to add: This phenomenon is known as “predator satiation,” a situation in which prey occur at an incredibly high population that the probability of an individual organism being eaten is drastically reduced. The “this” at the beginning ofthe sentence has to refer to something else before it, so it can’t be inserted at the beginning of the paragraph—eliminate (A). The first and second sentences don’t describe an event or phenomenon, so there’s nothing for “this” in the inserted sentence to reference in either one. Eliminate (B) and (C). The last sentence, as the paragraph is currently written, describes predators being able to eat their fill without impacting cicada populations, which “this” could definitely reference. Putting the new sentence at the end of the paragraph, therefore, makes the most sense. 11 C This is a detail question, so go back to the passage for information. Look for the part of the passage that discusses emergence, more or less in the same area where you’ve already been working. Look at what it says: Most interestingly, though, is how they keep track of time and know when 13 or 17 years have passed. Alas, researchers don’t actually know how they do it, other than knowing that it’s some kind of molecular clock. The insects themselves make for difficult research, since researchers have to wait at least 13 years for a brood to reemerge! With that information, take a look at the answers and see what matches. It’s highly doubtful that insects have calendars, so eliminate (A). There is no evidence in the passage that the cicadas can track seasons, so eliminate (B). There is proof that scientists believe the cicadas have “some kind of molecular clock,” which supports (C) and invalidates (D). 12 This summary question requires you to consider the entire passage. On a summary question, don’t choose answers that give specific details that are mentioned only once in the passage. Instead, choose answers that are broader and are supported throughout the passage. The question asks you to find three points that support the following idea: Periodical cicadas are unique creatures because of their unusual lifecycles and their lack of significant predators. The correct answers are as follows: • Four species have 13-year lifecycles. This answer supports the idea that these insects have unusual lifecycles. • Periodical cicadas do not have many natural predators because their adult lifespan is so short. This answer supports the idea that these insects have no significant predators. • Once periodical cicadas emerge, they live only 4 to 6 weeks. This answer supports the idea that these insects have unusual lifecycles.