A.

ABOUT READING COMPREHENSION

This part of the exam tests your ability to read and answer questions about passages
written in formal written English. It usually contains five passages. After each passage there are
usually from eight to twelve questions referring to that passage for a total of fifty questions. The
passages vary in length from about seven lines to about thirty-five.
Sample Items
Like mammals, birds claim their own territories. A bird's territory may be
small or large. Some birds claim only their nest and the area right around it,
while others claim far larger territories that include their feeding areas. Gulls,
Line penguins, and other waterfowl nest in huge colonies, but even in the biggest
(5) colonies, each male and his mate have small territories of their own immediately
around their nests.
Male birds defend their territory chiefly against other males of the same
species. In some cases, a warning call or threatening pose may be all the defense
needed, but another cases, intruders may refuse to leave peacefully.
1. What is the main topic of this passage?
(A) Birds that live in colonies
(B) How birds defend their territory
(C) The behavior of birds
(D) Territoriality in birds

Choice (A) deals with particular types of birds-gulls, penguins, and others-but the passage
concerns all birds. Choice (B) deals only with the concept of defending a territory. This is the
topic of the second paragraph, but not of the passage as a whole. Choice (C) is too general;
there are many types of bird behavior that this passage does not examine. Choice (D) is best,
because all the aspects of the passage deal with some factors of birds' territories.

2. According to the passage, male birds defend their territories primarily against
(A) female birds
(B) birds of other species
(C) males of their own species
(D) carnivorous mammals

The choice (C) is the best, because lines 7-8 state that male birds" defend their territories chiefly
against other males of the same species." There is no mention in the passage of any of the other
options.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that gulls and penguins

(A) do not claim a feeding area as part of their territories
(B) share their territories with many other birds
(C) leave their colonies during their nesting season
(D) do not build nests
The passage says that birds which claim their feeding areas have large territories
compared to those which do not. Birds living in colonies have "small territories ... immediately
around their nests," indicating that their feeding areas would not be part of their territories.
Choice (B) contradicts lines 5, which state that "each male and his mate ... have small
territories of their own." Choice (C) is unlikely because the passage indicates that these birds'
nests are part of large colonies; they would not leave during nesting season. Choice (D) is
incorrect because these birds' nests are part of their territories.

Preparation for Academic English Test 101

4. In line 2, the word "it" refers to
(A) a nest
(B) an area
(C) a bird
(D) a territory

Substitute all four answer choices for the word it in line 2; as you'll see; only (A) is a logical
choice.

5. The word "intruders" in line 9 is closest in meaning to

(A) invaders
(B) youngsters
(C) defenders
(D) guests

It is clear from the passage that the "intruders" mentioned in this line are male birds that "refuse
to leave peacefully." Of the four answer choices, only "invaders" (persons or creatures that
attack from the outside) could be substituted for the word "intruders" with no major change in
meaning. So the choice (A) is the correct answer.

The Passages
The passages cover a wide range of topics, but in general can be classified as follows:
1) Science and technology (40%) Includes astronomy, geology, chemistry, physics,
mathematics, zoology, botany, medicine, engineering, mechanics, and so on.
2) North American history, government, geography, and culture (20%)
3) Art (15%) Includes literature, painting, architecture, dance, drama, and so on.
4) Social science (10%) Includes anthropology, economics, psychology, urban studies,
sociology, and so on.
5) Biography (15%)

Some passages may be classified in more than one way. For example, a biography
might be about the life of a historical figure, an artist, or a scientist. If there is a national context
for any of the passages, it is American or occasionally Canadian. Therefore, if a passage is
about history, it will be about the history of the United States or Canada.
Although the passages deal with various topics, the style in which they are written
is similar, and they usually follow fairly simple patterns of organization.

The vocabulary used in the Reading Comprehension portion is fairly sophisticated.

There will almost certainly be words that you do not recognize. Sometimes you can guess the
meaning of these words by context. However, it is not necessary to understand all the
vocabulary in the passages in order to answer the questions.

Preparation for Academic English Test 102

 The Questions
The main types of questions asked can be categorized as shown below:

Type of Questions/
Explanation Example
Percentage of Test
Main Ideal/ Main Topic/ These ask you to identify an "What is the main idea of
Main Purpose (10%) answer choice that correctly the passage?" "What is the
summarizes the author's main passage primarily about?"
idea, the subject of the whole "Why did the author write
passage, or the author's reason for the passage?"
writing the passage.
Which of the following is the
main topic of the passage?

Factual Questions These ask you to locate and "According to the passage,
( 24% ) identify answers to questions where did ...?" "According
about specific information and to the author, why did ...?"
details in the passage. "Which of the following is
true, according to the
passage?"
Negative Questions These ask which of the answer "Which of the following is
( 9% ) choices is NOT discussed in the NOT true about ... " "All of
passage. the following are true
EXCEPT ...
Scanning Questions These ask you to find the place in "Where in the passage does
( 4% ) the passage that some topic is the author first discuss ... "
mentioned.
Inference Questions These ask you to draw conclusions 'The author implies that
( 12% ) based on information in the which of the following is
passage. true?" "Which of the
following can be inferred
from the passage?"
Vocabulary-in-Context These ask you identify the "The word '--' in line 5 is
Questions meaning of a word or phrase as closest in meaning to ..:'
(26%) used in the passage.
Reference Questions These ask you to identify the noun "The word "it" in line 15
( 10% ) to which a pronoun or other refers to ... "
expression refers. "In line 20, the word "there"
refers to which of the
following?"

The Answer Choices

For all questions in this part, the four options are equally grammatical and, in most
cases, would be equally logical choices for someone who has not carefully read the passage.
Incorrect choices are generally based on information that is found in the passage, but does not
correctly answer the question.

Preparation for Academic English Test 103

What Is the Best Way to Approach the Passages?
Take a quick look at the questions (not at the answer choices) to see what will be
asked about.
Try to keep these in the back of your mind as you read the passage. Read the article at
a comfortable speed.
Try not to read one word at a time, like this:
A bird's territory may be small or large. Some birds claim only their nest and the area right
around it.
Word-by-word reading slows you down and interferes with your comprehension.
Try to read in units of thought. In other words, group words into related phrases.
A bird's territory may be small or large. Some birds claim only their nest and the area right
around it.
The paragraph is the primary unit of meaning in all reading. Most passages consist of
from one to five paragraphs. If you can form a clear idea of what each paragraph is about, you
can put these ideas together and come up with the main idea of the entire passage. The main
idea of each paragraph is often contained in one sentence, called the topic sentence. Try to
locate topic sentences. Often, the topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph, but it may
also be the last sentence. Occasionally, a paragraph has no topic sentence; the topic is stated
indirectly.
If there is more than one paragraph in the passage, try to understand the relationship
between the paragraphs. Form a mental "map" of the passage. Watch for words that signal
special relationships and transitions, such as however, therefore, first, next, then, and so on.

What Is the Best Way to Answer the Questions?

It depends on the type of question. The best tactics for answering each type of question
are given in the next five lessons. In the exercises, you will read passages similar to the ones
found on actual TOEFL tests to develop the reading skills needed to do well on this section.

What Are Some Important Factors in Scoring High on This Section?

Timing is an important factor. If you won't have enough time to finish, don't panic, this is
what you should do: If you have not read one of the passages, skim it over very quickly to get
the main idea. Answer the first question about it (which will probably be a main idea or topic
question). Then answer any of the questions that provide line numbers (vocabulary-in-context
and reference questions) because these require less time to locate the information you need.
Then answer any remaining questions, referring back to the passage as little as possible. If you
can't find the information needed to answer the question in about ten seconds, just pick the
choice that seems the most logical. Then, in the last few seconds, fill in any empty blanks with
your "guess answer."
On the other hand, if you do finish the test before time is called, go back and work on
items that you had trouble with the first time. Don't just sit back and relax, and don't turn back
to Sections 1 or 2.
Concentration is another important factor. This is the last section of the test. It's also the
longest and, for some people, the most difficult. You may be starting to get tired. However,
you've got to maintain your concentration until the end of the test and not waste any time.

Preparation for Academic English Test 104

Strategies for Section 3 (Reading Comprehension)
As with the other sections, be familiar with the directions and examples for Section 3 so that
you can begin work immediately.
For each passage, begin by briefly looking over the questions (but not the answer choices).
Try to keep these questions in mind during your reading.
Read each passage at a comfortable speed.
Answer the questions, referring to the passage when necessary.
Eliminate answers that are clearly wrong or do not answer the questions. If more than one
option remains, guess.
Mark difficult or time-consuming answers so that you can come back to them later if you
have time. Erase all these marks before the end of the test.
Don't spend more than about 10 minutes on anyone reading and the questions about it .
When only a few minutes remain, don't start guessing blindly, Skim the remaining passage
or passage quickly; then answer the first question in each set, then answer any question with
line numbers. After that, read the remaining questions, and if you can't find the
question quickly, choose the one that seems most logical to you.
When there are only a few seconds left, fill in all remaining blanks with your guess letter.

B. OVERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. MAIN IDEA, MAIN TOPIC, AND MAIN PURPOSE QUESTIONS
After almost every passage, the first question is an overview question about the main
idea, main topic, or main purpose of a passage. Main idea questions ask you to identify the
most important thought in the passage. Answer choices are complete sentences.
Sample Questions
• What is the main idea of the passage?
• The primary idea of the passage is...
• Which of the following best summarizes the author's main idea?

When there is not a single, readily identified main idea, main topic questions may be
asked. These ask you what the passage is generally "about." Answer choices are noun phrases.
Sample Questions
• The main topic of the passage is...
• What does the passage mainly discuss?
• The passage is primarily concerned with...

Main purpose questions ask why an author wrote a passage. The answer choices for
these questions usually begin with infinitives.
Sample Questions
• The author's purpose in writing is to...
• What is the author's main purpose in the passage?
• The main point of this passage is to...
• Why did the author write the passage?

Sample Answer Choices

• To define.... • To illustrate....
• To relate.... • To support the idea that ...
• To discuss.... • To distinguish between
• To propose.... • To compare and and _

Preparation for Academic English Test 105