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TOEFL ITP PRACTICE TEST VOLUME 1
PRACTICE TEST B (20-29)
SECTION 3: READING COMPREHENSION
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Time: 55 minutes, including the reading of the
directions
Now set your clock for 55 minutes.
Directions: In this section you will read
several passages. Each passage is followed by several questions about it.
For questions 1-50, you are to choose the one best answer, (A), (B), (C) or
(D), to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the
question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer
you have chosen.
Answer all questions following a passage on the
basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.
Read the following sample passage:
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The railroad was not the first institution to
impose regularity on society, or to draw attention to the importance of
precise timekeeping. For as long as merchants have set out their wares at
daybreak and communal festivities have been celebrated, people have been
in rough agreement with their neighbors as to the time of day. The value
of this tradition
is today more apparent than ever. Were it not for public acceptance of a
single yardstick of time, social life would be unbearably chaotic: the
massive daily transfers of goods, services, and information would proceed
in fits and starts; the very fabric of modern society would begin to
unravel.
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Example 1
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What is the main idea of the passage?
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A
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In modern society, we must
take more time for our neighbors.
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B
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The traditions of society are timeless.
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C
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An accepted way of
measuring time is essential for the smooth functioning of society.
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D
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Society judges people by the times at which
they conduct certain activities.
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The main idea of the passage is that societies
need to agree about how time is to be measured in order to function
smoothly. Therefore, you should choose (C).
Sample Answer
Example II
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In line 5, the phrase “this tradition” refers to
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A
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the practice of starting
the business day at dawn
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B
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friendly relations between neighbors
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C
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the railroad’s reliance on
time schedules
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D
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people’s agreement on the measurement of time
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The phrase “this tradition” refers to the
preceding clause, “people have been in rough agreement with their neighbors
as to the time of day.”Therefore, you should choose (D).
Sample
Answer
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Questions 20-29
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Virtually every epoch of
human civilization includes references to flight. From ancient winged
deities to a score of myths, themes of flight occur repeatedly. There were
undoubtedly sporadic attempts to achieve human flight, probably in
imitation of birds. The first credible mention of such efforts appeared in
a book written in 1250, which referred to an ornithopter, a winged machine
strapped to a person’s arms. Based on the flapping motion of a bird’s
wings, an ornithopter would require a good deal of muscular energy from the
arms of its human operator. Since this was not a practical source of
mechanical power, it could not fly.
With the age-old problem of
suitable power sources impeding early experiments, the first person to
leave the surface of the Earth did so in the eighteenth century in a
balloon. The first balloons were buoyed into and kept up in the air with
air itself – hot air. The Montgolfier brothers had observed that warm air
rose, and reasoned that if they could capture it in a lightweight bag, the
bag would rise along with anything attached to it. They experimented with
several small linen bags lined with paper to help retain the hot air. The
first free flight in a balloon was made in 1783, a 25-minute journey
totaling 8 kilometers.
Practical heavier-than-air
flight evolved from fixed-wing aircraft in the form of gliders, which are
motorless aircraft that are launched from high places. Gliding itself dated
from the year 1000, when a Benedictine monk reportedly launched himself
from a tower and flew more than 400 meters. However, structural and
stability problems seemed to frustrate gliding enthusiasts until the early
nineteenth century. With the addition of propellers and engines in the
early twentieth century, airplanes at last became a reality.
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20. What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A) Early drawings of flying machines
(B) The history of flight
(C) The various problems with
ornithopters
(D) References to flight in ancient myths
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21. The word “sporadic” in line 3 is
closest in meaning to
(A) scientific
(B) successful
(C) occasional
(D) courageous
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22. According to the passage, what was
the problem with the ornithopter?
(A) It was poorly constructed.
(B) It could only hold one person.
(C) It had to be launched from a high
place.
(D) It required more strength than a
human could provide.
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23. The word “it” in line 8 refers to
(A) source
(B) motion
(C) ornithopter
(D) power
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24. The word “buoyed” in line 11 is
closest in meaning to
(A) collapsed
(B) designed
(C) attempted
(D) raised
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25. The word “it” in line 13 refers to
(A) balloon
(B) warm air
(C) lightweight bag
(D) paper
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26. What can be inferred about gliders
that were made before the nineteenth century?
(A) They could not be easily transported.
(B) They relied on hot air to lift them
off of the ground.
(C) They were not well designed.
(D) They remained airborne for long
periods of time.
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27. Which of the following statements is
supported by the passage?
(A) Humans have always had a fascination
with flying.
(B) The success of human flight depended
on imitating flight of birds.
(C) The evolution of flight has been a
steady, consistent process.
(D) Flying enthusiasts still prefer
gliders to balloons.
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28. Where
in the passage does the author mention an historical account of early
attempts at flight?
(A) Lines 4-6
(B) Lines 9-11
(C) Lines 17-18
(D) Lines 22-23
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29. The passage probably continues with a
discussion of
(A) the dangers of ballooning
(B) the development of airplanes
(C) similarities between early and modern
gliders
(D) attempts to improve the ornithopter
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