Strategies reading and structure for toefl
This part of
the TOEFL tests your ability to read academic English. This is important if you
want to succeed at an English college or university. Students are given large
amounts of reading in most post secondary courses in the US. You should
practice looking for the main idea by reading quickly through a passage. Then
you should read more thoroughly for the purpose of answering the questions. It
is not necessary for you to understand everything in a reading passage. You
just need to be able to answer the questions. There will be many terms that you
do not recognize. Technical words that are not defined in the text will be
defined in the glossary. If you need to know the meaning of a word to answer a
question and it is not defined in the text or in the glossary, try to identify
the root word, stem, and part of speech. Hint: The questions are asked in
chronological order. In other words, the answers from the first few questions
are in the first paragraph. The final question often requires that you
understand the passage as a whole. Look at the following types of questions
that you will find in a reading set. Then try the practice set. Before you
answer each question, try to determine what type of question is being asked.
Preparation
Strategies
Read, Read,
Read. Read in English regularly. Focus on academic texts from university textbooks
or other materials. Do not stick to one or two topics that you are interested
in. Read from variety of subjects - science, social science, business, arts,
geography, history, economics, and others. Academic texts, apart from
textbooks, could be found in variety of articles and academic publications on
the Internet or university libraries.
Find the
purpose of the passage. Knowing the purpose of the reading you may easily
find what the writer is trying to accomplish. The purpose of the passage in
most of the readings is embedded in the introductory paragraph which is one of
the most important paragraphs in the text. Most of the passages in TOEFL iBT
will try to do the following:
To Explain -
to present the information on a specific topic in explanatory manner. These
texts contain mostly factual information.
To Resolve -
it aims at finding solution for some sort of dilemmas or questions that need
answers. Usually there would be a debate.
To convince -
to persuade the reader of the validity of certain viewpoint or idea. There
would be opinions and support with evidence in those type of passages.
Increase
vocabulary. When reading wide variety of texts on different subjects you should
make a word list. Organize your list in topics for better results. Example
topics could be business, geography, science and others. Make flashcards to
help you learn those word lists. Use the words learned in your writings and
speaking.
Take notes.
During all sections of TOEFL iBT note taking is allowed. It is a crucial
component for success. It is difficult to remember all facts and details from a
reading text in order to answer the questions. You also don't have enough time
to search for those again in the text. So, the solution is called note taking.
When skimming and reading the texts you should write down all important facts
and details in order to find them fast and easily when you need them. See also
our effective note taking strategies.
Learn how to
skim the text. Skimming means reading the text quickly to obtain very first
general impression on what the text is about, what its main idea is. Skimming
corresponds with Reading to find information objective in TOEFL iBT. You should
develop your ability to skim quickly but at the same time to identify all major
points in the passage. Take notes. See also our skimming strategies.
Read after
skimming. Only skimming is not enough. Read the passage again. This time read
it more carefully, but don't forget that you have limited time. Take
notes. Identify the passage type - classification, cause/effect,
compare/contrast, problem/solution, etc.
Try to guess
the meaning of unfamiliar words in the passages, the context can help to
do that. After that, check those words in the dictionary. Guessing the words
from the context brings great advantages - you save time and it doesn't disturb
your comprehension of the texts.
Highlight some
of the pronouns (he, him, they, them, etc.) in the texts. Identify to which
nouns in the particular text the highlighted pronouns refer.
Practice
making general inferences and conclusions based on what is implied in the
text.
Learn to
organize the data presented in the passage in charts and tables. Create
charts with categories and place the important data from the passage in the
appropriate category. In TOEFL iBT you are not asked to create charts. Rather,
charts are provided and you are asked to categorize the information in
pre-defined categories.
Reading
section in iBT (Internet based TOEFL) consists of 3-5 passages. The time
allotted for this section ranges from 60 to 100 minutes. Each passage is
followed by 12 to 14 questions. The length of each paragraph is approximately
700 words. There are certain set of skills required for reading test
structure. They are:
Speed and Accuracy - The information will be given through some key facts
in the passage. The passage should be read and analyzed to identify the
information hidden in the key facts, providing that it should be done in a fast
pace.
Basic Understanding – Logical reasoning is a must to understand the basic facts and
details, references esp. the pronoun references, main ideas, illations
(inference) and the purpose or substance of the passage.
Relating the Cause and Ideas – After basic understanding of substance in the
passage, there should be a comparison of key facts. Only when you understand
the key facts shall you comprehend the cause of the passage. Then only can you
construct an appropriate argument, which would help to relate key facts, and
ideas. So it becomes easier to trace, how those ideas serve the purpose of the
passage.
Infer from the author’s view point – The concluding statements may not be given in
the passage. They will be implied or expressed indirectly in between the
passages. Therefore the conclusion should be inferred from the author’s point
of view.
After reading
the passage students are asked to answer the questions related to the passage.
Those questions are of the types given below:
Main Idea Questions, Key Facts Questions, and Paraphrase Questions - It gives
the main idea or the central idea of a paragraph. The overall picture or idea
of the passage is the content of main idea questions.
Reference Questions (pronoun reference questions) and Structure Questions - In this
type of question students will be asked to insert a new sentence that would
suit the main purpose of the passage. The rule of this question is to find a
suitable position in the passage to insert the new sentence.
Except/Least questions (looking for facts that do not support the passage)
and Reading to learn questions - In this category important idea
should be selected and categorized.
Inference questions – This is the place where students have to find the conclusion that
is expressed indirectly, anywhere in the passage. This could be done only when
a student observes the passage from the author’s point of view.
These is the
reading structure that is applicable for both PBT (Paper based TOEFL) and iBT
(Internet Based TOEFL) too. The only difference between an iBT and PBT reading
section is the timing. A student is given 55 minutes to complete PBT reading
test.
Reading is an
art and it can be fun when it is done in any form like reading books, reading a
newspaper etc. The beauty of this art is apparent only when it is followed with
heart and soul. When it is given a focus, the art of reading becomes not only a
fun, but also turns into a skill which includes rise of logical thoughts,
ideas, and your point of view towards them etc. By the time a student goes
through the TOEFL reading structure, his reading skills would have improved.
Example:
Read the following passage. Then answer the questions and check your
answers.
Most people
can remember a phone number for up to thirty seconds. When this short amount of
time elapses, however, the numbers are erased from the memory. How did the
information get there in the first place? Information that makes its way to the
short term memory (STM) does so via the sensory storage area. The brain has a
filter which only allows stimuli that is of immediate interest to pass on to
the STM, also known as the working memory.
There is much debate about the capacity and duration of the short term memory.
The most accepted theory comes from George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist
who suggested that humans can remember approximately seven chunks of
information. A chunk is defined as a meaningful unit of information, such as a
word or name rather than just a letter or number. Modern theorists suggest that
one can increase the capacity of the short term memory by chunking, or
classifying similar information together. By organizing information, one can
optimize the STM, and improve the chances of a memory being passed on to long
term storage.
When making a conscious effort to memorize something, such as information for
an exam, many people engage in "rote rehearsal". By repeating
something over and over again, one is able to keep a memory alive. Unfortunately,
this type of memory maintenance only succeeds if there are no interruptions. As
soon as a person stops rehearsing the information, it has the tendency to
disappear. When a pen and paper are not handy, people often attempt to remember
a phone number by repeating it aloud. If the doorbell rings or the dog barks to
come in before a person has the opportunity to make a phone call, he will
likely forget the number instantly.*Therefore, rote rehearsal is not an
efficient way to pass information from the short term to long term memory.* A
better way is to practice "elaborate rehearsal". *This
involves assigning semantic meaning to a piece of information so that it can be
filed along with other pre-existing long term memories.*
Encoding information semantically also makes it more retrievable.
Retrieving information can be done by recognition or recall. Humans can
easily recall memories that are stored in the long term memory and used often;
however, if a memory seems to be forgotten, it may eventually be retrieved by
prompting. The more cues a person is given (such as pictures),
the more likely a memory can be retrieved. This is why multiple choice tests
are often used for subjects that require a lot of memorization.
Glossary:
semantic: relating to the meaning of something
Reading
Comprehension questions:
1. According
to the passage, how do memories get transferred to the STM?
A) They revert from the long term memory.
B) They are filtered from the sensory storage area.
C) They get chunked when they enter the brain.
D) They enter via the nervous system.
Explanation:
Choice A is
the opposite of what happens.
Choice C is
what a person should try to do when memorizing something.
Choice D is not
mentioned.
The correct answer is B. This is a factual question.
2. The word elapses in
paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to:
A) passes
B) adds up
C) appears
D) continues
The correct answer is A.This is a vocabulary question.
3. All of the
following are mentioned as places in which memories are stored EXCEPT the:
A) STM
B) long term memory
C) sensory storage area
D) maintenance area
Explanation:
Choice A is
mentioned in the first paragraph.
Choice B is
mentioned in the second paragraph.
Choice C is
mentioned in the first paragraph.
The correct answer is D. This is a negative factual question.
4. Why does
the author mention a dog's bark?
A) To give an example of a type of memory
B) To provide a type of interruption
C) To prove that dogs have better memories than humans
D) To compare another sound that is loud like a doorbell
Explanation:
Choice A is
incorrect because it is not the "reason" the author mentions it.
Choice C is
not mentioned.
Choice D distracts
you because both are mentioned as examples.
The correct answer is B. This is an author purpose question.
5. Look at the
four stars that indicate where this sentence can be added to the passage. Where
would the sentence fit best?
Example for Part A – Structure
Choose the one word or phrase that best
completes the sentence.
Tuition at an American University runs
___ twenty thousand dollars a semester.
a. so high as
b. as high to
c. as high as
d. as high than
Answer : C
As high a is used before
the amount of money to establish a limit. Choices A, B, D is idiomatic.
Although both are mammals, the early
stages of development on the part of placentals differ from ___.
a. marsupials
b. that of marsupials
c. those of marsupials
d. those marsupials
Answer : C
Comparisons must be made
with logically comparable nouns. That of is used instead of repeating a
singular noun, anad those of is used instead of
repeating a plural noun.
It’s not clear how much students learn
___ television classes without supervision and monitoring.
a. for watching
b. from watching
c. by watching
d. to watch
Answer : B
The preposition from is
used before the –ing form watching to express cause. Choices A and D express
purpose, not cause. In C, there is a verb word.
Some ancients units such as the day, the
foot and the pound, ___ today.
a. are still in use
b. that are still in use
c. which are in use still
d. still in use
Answer : A
Are is the main verb of
the subject some ancient units.
Before the 1800’s, when William Young
made different shoes for right and left feet, shoes ___ on either foot.
a. can wear
b. are wearing
c. could be worn
d. worn
Answer : C
The adverbial phrase
Before the 1800’s establishes a point of view in the past. The modal could in
choice C maintains the point of view.
Examples for Part B – Written Expression
Identify the one underlined word or
phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct.
Alligators are about (A) the same colour than (B) crocodiles, although the adults may be (C) slightly darker with broader heads and blunter (D).
Answer : B
The same is used with a quality noun
such as color followed by as in comparisons. Than should be as.
Some (A) metals such (B) gold,
silver, cooper, and tin occur naturally (C),
and are easy to work (D).
Answer : B
Such as introduces an example. Such
should be such as before the examples of metals.
Ocean currents that (A) help transfer heat (B) from the equator to the poles, therebycreating (C) a more balanced (D)
global environment. 5
Answer : A
That should be deleted to provide a main
verb (help) for the subject ocean currents.
Dew usually (A) disappeared (B) by (C) seven
o’clock in the morning (D) when the sun comes up. 4
Answer : B
The adverbial phrase seven o’clock in
the morning when the sun comes up establishes a point of view in the past.
Publishes should be published to maintain the point of view.
Although there are (A) approximately (B)
120 intensive language institutes in (C) the US
in 1970, there are more than four times as many (D).
Answer : A
The adverbial phrase in 1970 establishes
a point of view in the past. Are should be were to maintain the point of view.
Daftar pustaka
https://www.englishclub.com/esl-exams/ets-toefl-practice-reading.htm
http://www.testden.com/toefl/reading.htm
http://www.slideshare.net/jenglai/reading-question-types-toefl-review-notes
