TOEFL 11 (READING PASSAGE 3) TOEFL READING PRACTICE WITH ANSWERS

 

TOEFL READING PRACTICE WITH ANSWERS TOEFL 11 (READING PASSAGE 3)

 

Question 21-30 In colonial America, people generally covered their beds with decorative quilts resembling those of the lands from which the quitters had come. Wealthy and socially prominent settlers made quilts of the English type, cut from large lengths of cloth of the same color and texture rather than stitched together from smaller pieces. They mad these until the advent of the Revolutionary War in I 775, when everything English came to be frowned upon. Among the whole-cloth quilts made by these wealthy settlers during the early period are those now called linsey-woolseys. This term was usually applied to a fabric of wool and linen used In heavy clothing and quilted petticoats worn in the wintertime. Despite the name, linsey-woolsey bedcovers did not often contain linen. Rather, they were made of a lop layer of woolen or glazed worsted wool fabric, consisting of smooth, compact yarn from long wool fiber dyed dark blue, green, or brown with a bottom layer of a coarser woolen material, either natural or a shade of yellow. The filling was a soft layer of wool which had been cleaned and separated and the three layers were held together with decorative stitching done with homespun linen thread. Later, cotton thread WM used for this purpose. The design of the stitching was often a simple one composed of interlocking circles or crossed diagonal lines giving a diamond pattern. This type of heavy, warm, quilted bedcover was so large that it hung to the floor. The corners are cut out at the foot of the cover so that the quilt fit snugly around the tall fourposter, beds of the 1700's, which differed from those of today in that they were shorter and wider; they were short because people slept in a semi-sitting position with many bolsters or pillows, and wide, because each bed often slept three or more. The linsey-woolsey covering was found in the colder regions of the country because of the warmth it afforded. There was no central heating and most bedrooms did not have fireplaces.   21 What does this passage mainly discuss? (A)The processing of wool (B)Linsey-woolsey bedcovers (C)Sleeping habits of colonial Americans (D)Quilts made in England 22 The word "prominent" in line 3 is closest in meaning to (A) isolated (B) concerned (C) generous (D) distinguished 23 The author mention the Revolutionary War as a time period when (A) quills were supplied to the army (B) more immigrants arrived from England (C) quills imported from England became harder to find (D) people's attitudes toward England changed. 24 The phrase "applied to" in line 8 is closest in meaning 10 (A) sewn onto (B) compared to (C) used for (D) written down on 25 The term "linsey-woolsey" originally meant fabric used primarily in (A) quilts (B) sheets (C) clothing (D) pillows 26 The word "coarser" in line 13 is closest in meaning to (A) older (B) less heavy (C) more attractive (D) rougher 27 The quilts described in the second and third paragraphs were made primarily of (A) wool (B) linen (C) cotton (D) a mixture of fabrics 28 It can be inferred from the third paragraph that the sleeping habits of most Americans have changed since the 1700's in all the following ways EXCEPT (A) the position in which people sleep (B) the numbers of bolsters or pillows people sleep on (C) the length of time people sleep (D) the number of people who sleep in one bed 29 The word "afforded" in line 24 is closest in meaning to (A) provided (B) spent (C) avoided (D) absorbed 30 Which of the following was most likely to be found in a bedroom in the colder areas of the American colonies? (A)A linsey-woolsey (B) A vent from a central healing system (C) A fireplace (D) A wood stove

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ANSWER KEY

21.    B 22.   D 23.   D 24.   C 25.   C 26.   D 27.   A 28.   C 29.   A 30.   A