READING PRACTICE DRILL 4 CRACKING TOEFL IBT 2019

 

CRACKING TOEFL IBT 2019 READING PRACTICE DRILL 4

 

MANDALA ART   “Mandala” is a Sanskrit word meaning “circle.” While it originated as a spiritual symbol in many   Indian religions, the mandala has come to be known generically as a term for any diagram, chart,   or geometric pattern that is intended to symbolically or metaphorically represent the cosmos. The   typical “circle with a center” pattern represents the foundational structure of life and creation. This 5 pattern is found in many places in our world, including biology, geology, physics, astronomy, and   chemistry. For example, even atoms are circular in nature, with evenly balanced protons, neutrons,   and electrons. Every cell has a nucleus, which also has a circle at the center. Even the Milky Way   galaxy is circular, with our circular solar system within it. One could argue that each of these is a   mandala in and of itself 10     Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, held that “a mandala is the psychological   expression of the totality of the self.” He sketched a small circular drawing every morning, and felt   hat whatever came to life in his mandala corresponded to his inner experience at the time. ■ He   believed that he could track his internal transformations by looking at the differences in his drawings. 15 ■ Fundamentally, Jung believed that if humans could harness the power of their subconscious—or,   as he called it, the Self—then they could grow toward fulfilling their potential for wholeness, and live   fully expressed lives. ■ He found that during periods of significant trial and tribulation many of his   clients felt compelled to create mandalas. He found that people felt drawn to drawing or painting   mandalas simply because it felt right to do so—it seemed that they instinctively turned to creating a 20 mandala as a way to express their experience.®       Why might humans have this instinct? Research into the fields of psychology and child development   may shed some light on the subject. It would seem that circles are part of the basic creation of   a personal identity. Studies conducted with babies show that as early as one week old, infants 25 prefer to look at curved lines rather than straight lines. Additional research shows that two-month-   old infants can discern shapes that look like faces from scrambled patterns. Psychologically, it is   believed that simple, closed forms—like circles—are identified more quickly and recognized as   meaningful, known, and familiar. Even the shape of an eye is spherical—simply put, it’s a three-   dimensional circle—and our field of vision is thus also circular. 30     Circles also appear very early in children’s art. What begins as random scribbling progresses into   drawing circles as early as age two. By three or four years old, their drawings become more   intricate, and without any input from adults they begin drawing suns, flowers, and people   whose arms and legs connect to large circular heads. 35     As adults, when we draw circles—in particular, mandalas—we connect with our inner child—some   might say that we connect with our primary sense of self. Researchers believe that mandalas   give us a bridge to our home base, allowing us to recreate our sense of who we are.   Professionals also believe that mandalas help us center psychologically, and they are still used in 40 psychotherapy practice. Drawing a mandala is an organic process—what’s most important is the   process itself, not the final product. It may include flowers, shapes, lines, or totally abstract   designs. Many therapists believe, as Jung did, that whatever emerges in a mandala matches   whatever may be going on in the artist’s life; further, if the artist allows their unconscious to   come out through the mandala, psychologists believe he or she can align their conscious 45 actions and decisions accordingly.   1 The word it in the passage refers to A Sanskrit B mandala C circle D symbol 2 Atoms, cells, and the Milky Way are mentioned as examples of A circles in nature B patterns C symbols D the cosmos 3 The word held in the passage is closest in meaning to A kept in hand B occupied C believed D guarded 4 The phrase trial and tribulation in the passage is closest in meaning to A ease B difficulty C fun D happiness 5 Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence can be added to the passage. Based on this belief and his recognition of his own internal evolution through the use of mandalas, he began to use them as a tool in his psychology practice. 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 6 What kinds of shapes are recognized more easily by the human eye? A Circles B Straight lines C Squares D Squiggly lines 7 The word their in the passage refers to A Jung B Jung’s clients C children D adults 8 By what age do children begin drawing more detailed and representative pictures? A One week B One year C Two years D Three to four years 9 Click on the sentence (in bold text in the passage and repeatedbelow) in the passage where the author describes how drawing a mandala allows an adult to reestablish a connection with her subconscious. A By three or four years old, their drawings become more intricate, and without any input from adults they begin drawing suns, flowers, and people whose arms and legs connect to large circular heads. B Researchers believe that mandalas give us a bridge to our home base, allowing us to recreate our sense of who we are. C It may include flowers, shapes, lines, or totally abstract designs. D Many therapists believe, as Jung did, that whatever emerges in a mandala matches whatever may be going on in the artist’s life; further, if the artist allows their unconscious to come out through the mandala, psychologists believe he or she can align their conscious actions and decisions accordingly. 10 The word they in the passage refers to A Jung’s clients B people in general C psychiatric patients D mandalas 11 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage? A The origin of the word “mandala” B Examples of mandalas in nature C Scientists who value mandalas D Friends of people who draw mandalas 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. Mandala art has ancient roots and can play a therapeutic role for humans. ·         _____________________________________ ·         _____________________________________ ·         _____________________________________

ANSWER KEY

1 B This is a reference question: it’s asking what noun the pronoun it replaces. Look at the passage. “Mandala” is a Sanskrit word meaning “circle.” While it originated as a spiritual symbol in many Indian religions, the mandala has come to be known generically as a term for any diagram, chart, or geometric pattern that is intended to symbolically or metaphorically represent the cosmos. Just after the comma in the sentence with “it,” you can see that the passage says, “the mandala has come to be known....” This tells you that the “it” in question is referring to mandala. Use that as your basis for POE, and eliminate (A), (C), and (D). 2 A This is a detail question, so go back and see what the passage says. This pattern is found in many places in our world, including biology, geology, physics, astronomy, and chemistry. For example, even atoms are circular in nature, with evenly balanced protons, neutrons, and electrons. Every cell has a nucleus, which also has a circle at the center. Even the Milky Way galaxy is circular, with our circular solar system within it. One could argue that each of these is a mandala in and of itself. The “for example” and the last sentence give us the key: .. .each of these is a mandala in and of itself. That means the author has listed them as examples of mandalas, or circles in our world. Using POE, (A) is a close match, so keep it. Choice (B) may be appealing, but it’s not as precise as (A), so get rid of it. There is no mention of symbols or the cosmos in the passage, so eliminate (C) and (D). 3 C 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. Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology,_______that “a mandala is the psychological expression of the totality of the self.” He sketched a small circular drawing every morning, and felt that whatever came to life in his mandala corresponded to his inner experience at the time. A reasonable word to replace the word in question might be “believed” or “thought.” POE gets rid of (A), (B), and (D). 4 B 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. He found that during periods of significant_________many of his clients felt compelled to create mandalas. He found that people felt drawn to drawing or painting mandalas simply because it felt right to do so—it seemed that they instinctively turned to creating a mandala as a way to express their challenging experiences. The passage indicates that people felt compelled to create mandalas as a way to express their challenging experiences. So, replacing the word in question with “challenging experiences” could work. Now try some POE. Choices (A), (C), and (D) are all positive words that don’t match “challenging experiences,” so eliminate them. Choice (B) matches exactly. 5 C 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: Based on this belief and his recognition of his own internal evolution through the use of mandalas, he began to use them as a tool in his psychology practice. This sentence uses pronouns like “this,” “his,” and “them,” so ask yourself what these might refer back to. “His” likely refers to Carl Jung, and “them” refers to mandalas. Since the sentence describes how Jung used mandalas in his practice, which isn’t mentioned until after the second square, eliminate (A) and (B). The last sentence describes the results of using mandalas in his practice, so it doesn’t make sense to put this sentence at the end of the paragraph. Eliminate (D). 6 A This is a detail question, so go back to the passage, around the area where you looked to find support for the last question. Here’s what it says. Why might humans have this instinct? Research into the fields of psychology and child development may shed some light on the subject. It would seem that circles are part of the basic creation of a personal identity. Studies conducted with babies show that as early as one week old, infants prefer to look at curved lines rather than straight lines. Additional research shows that two-month-old infants can discern shapes that look like faces from scrambled patterns. Psychologically, it is believed that simple, closed forms—like circles—are identified more quickly and recognized as meaningful, known, and familiar. Even the shape of an eye is spherical—simply put, it’s a three-dimensional circle—and our field of vision is thus also circular. The second to last sentence says “...closed forms—like circles—are identified more quickly....” As you use POE, eliminate any answers that are not “closed forms,” which includes (B) and (D). Both circles, (A), and squares, (C), are closed forms, so now use the other part of the sentence that says “like circles” to eliminate (C). 7 B This is a reference question: it’s asking what noun the pronoun their replaces. Look at the passage. He found that during periods of significant trial and tribulation many of his clients felt compelled to create mandalas. He found that people felt drawn to drawing or painting mandalas simply because it felt right to do so—it seemed that they instinctively turned to creating a mandala as a way to express their challenging experiences. Ask yourself “whose challenging experiences is the author discussing?” It makes sense that the author is discussing the people who are drawing the mandalas, or his clients. Use POE to get rid of anything that doesn’t match this idea, so get rid of (A), (C), and (D). 8 D This is a detail question, so go back to the passage, around the area where you looked to find support for the last question. Here’s what it says. Circles also appear very early in children’s art. What begins as random scribbling progresses into drawing circles as early as age two. By three or four years old, their drawings become more intricate, and without any input from adults they begin drawing suns, flowers, and people whose arms and legs connect to large circular heads. The passage indicates that the detailed, representative pictures—suns, flowers, and people whose arms and legs connect to large circular heads—come about when children are three to four years old. This allows you to eliminate (A), (B), and (C). 9 D This question asks you to find a sentence that serves a particular purpose. In this case, it’s asking you to find a sentence that “describes how drawing a mandala allows an adult to reestablish a connection with his or her subconscious.” Go straight to POE and eliminate answers that don’t serve that purpose. Choice (A) discusses children’s drawing, so eliminate it. Choice (B) discusses researchers’ perspectives, so get rid of it. Choice (C) doesn’t clearly state what it’s describing, so get rid of it. Choice (D) discusses therapists’ beliefs that mandalas are representative of internal issues and allow patients to align their conscious and unconscious actions and decisions, which matches the goal set forth by the question. 10 D This is a reference question: it’s asking what noun the pronoun they replaces. Look at the passage. Professionals also believe that mandalas help us center psychologically, and they are still used in psychotherapy practice. Ask yourself “what is used in psychotherapy practice?” Most likely, the mandalas. POE allows you to eliminate (A), (B), and (C). It’s not likely that people are used in the psychotherapy practice! 11 D This is a NOT question, so be sure to eliminate answers that are mentioned in the passage. Choice (A) is mentioned in the beginning of the first paragraph, so get rid of it. Choice (B) is mentioned at the end of the first paragraph, so it can also be eliminated. Choice (C) is discussed in the second and third paragraphs. Choice (D), however, is never mentioned. 12 This is a summary question that 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: Mandala art has ancient roots and can play a therapeutic role for humans. The correct answers are as follows: • The term “mandala” comes from an ancient language and has been passed on for generations. This answer shows that mandala art has ancient roots. • Many ancient traditions and religions used mandalas in their ceremonies. This answer shows that mandala art has ancient roots. • Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, found value in using mandalas with his patients. This answer shows that mandala art can play a therapeutic role for humans.