TOEFL IBT®

MODULE 3

BOOKLET

INTEGRATED WRITING TASK

Activity 1
Give yourself three minutes to read the passage

THE U.S. SCHOOL SYSTEM

Historically, schools in the United States have borrowed the European system of school
organization, a system that separates students into grades by chronological age. In general,
children begin formal schooling at the age of six in what is referred to as the first grade. For the
most part, students’ progress through twelve grades; however, some students who do not meet
minimum requirements for a particular grade may be asked to repeat the year. Graded schools are
divided into primary grades, intermediate grades, and secondary grades. Primary education
includes grades 1 through 5 or 6, and may also provide kindergarten as a preparation for first
grade. Referred to as elementary school, these grades are usually taught by one teacher in a self-
contained classroom. Intermediate grades begin with grade 6 or 7 and offer three years of
instruction. At this level, teams of teachers may collaborate to provide subject-based classes
similar to those offered in high school. Viewed as a preparation for high school, intermediate
education is known as junior high school. At grade 9 or 10, secondary school begins. Classes
taught by subject specialists usually last about fifty minutes to allow a student ten minutes to
move to the next class before it begins at the top of the hour. At the end of twelve successful
grades of instruction, students are eligible for a secondary school diploma, more commonly called
a high school diploma.

Once you have finished go to the campus, “in-class material for Module 3” and listen to the lecture
 Activity 2

The U.S. School System

Read the paragraphs and identify the main idea.

A. In the first place, the professor states that maturity is not considered in the current school system.
All students begin the first grade at six years old; however, many children are not mature enough to go to
school at that age. In contrast, some younger children are ready for school before their sixth birthdays but
are denied the opportunity to begin until they reach the required age of six. In addition, the disparity in
the maturity of girls and boys is marked in the intermediate grades. Nevertheless, they are still scheduled
for classes according to age, not maturity.

B. According to the lecture, even more concerning is the problem of grade-level standards, which
evaluate progress by age instead of by actual mastery on the part of individuals. The professor believes
that the grade level system is inefficient because it evaluates group performance rather than the individual.
It requires some learners to repeat concepts that they have already learned in order to master those that
they still need to know. It also penalizes students who are capable of learning more material than the
grade-level curriculum allows.

C. Finally, research shows a correlation between low self-esteem and drop-out rates with the
requirement that students repeat a calendar year because they have not learned part of the material for
their grade. All in all, the lecturer believes that these aspects in the present school system should be
reviewed.

D. The graded school system, which groups students by age, is usually divided into primary,
intermediate, and secondary grades. According to the lecture, there are several disadvantages to this type
of system, which in his opinion is not ideal.

Now, put them in the right order.

1.
2.
3.
4.
 Activity 3

Give yourself three minutes to read the passage

HEMINGWAY

Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) received no shortage

of praise and reward for his work as a writer and journalist. However, a more balanced and
objective appraisal of his writing is long overdue. Although the quantity and scope of his work
is admirable and rightly celebrated, Hemingway’s subject matter and stylistic obsessions limit
the ultimate artistic value of his work. A basic platform for the criticism of his works is the
material he chose for his fiction and nonfiction. Hemingway worked as a journalist, briefly in
Kansas City, and then in Chicago, Toronto, and most famously Paris and Spain. As a journalist,
he showed an admirable interest in many subjects, such as war and modern art, and a willingness
to travel. However, he relied too heavily on his own experiences. All of his best novels, such as
The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, are extremely autobiographical. Moreover,
Hemingway tried to paint a falsely heroic picture of himself in his reporting. As a result, his
fiction is far too personal and his nonfiction seems unrealistic. Moreover, Hemingway’s
rhetorical style is too simple for a supposed master. A lack of rhetorical devices makes
Hemingway’s works undeserving of the abundant praise they have received. Hemingway’s fear
of adjectives and his preference for limited, basic description shows a lack of style and
imagination. Without rhetorical sophistication, a writer merely records events. Related to this
simplicity in writing style is the simplicity with which Hemingway constructed his characters.
His portrayal of women is especially inaccurate. His female characters are purposefully one-
dimensional due to his inherent distrust of the fairer sex. Feminists correctly find many of
Hemingway’s stories distasteful and complain that he had little understanding of the female
mind.

Once you have finished reading the text, go to the campus, “in-class material for Module 3” and
listen to the lecture
 Activity 4

HEMINGWAY
Complete the blanks or choose the right word/phrase.

The reading passage discusses (1) ________________________________________. It describes his

literature as extremely self-referential and his fiction as non-realistic. According to the passage his

rhetorical style (2) ____________________________________________. Hemingway’s style is

described as too plain and characterized by the depiction of simplistic and inaccurate female characters.

On the other hand, the professor (3) _______________________________________. The reading

passage (accuse) (4) ____________________________________________. In contrast, the professor

believes that Hemingway’s background as a journalist influenced his minimalistic approach to writing as

well as other writers’ styles. The lecturer (5) thinks it’s strange / finds it amazing / finds it weird

how by means of his detailed descriptions, Hemingway was able to get through to his readers effectively.

His dialogs were (6) ____________________ as if the reader were eavesdropping on real conversations.

The professor also (7) believes / contradicts / opposes that his direct rhetorical style allowed him to

accomplish this effect, contradicting the idea that he lacked stylistic sophistication as the reading passage

suggests. Despite (8) what the critics believed / of what man believed, far from being simplistic, his

writings also showed mastering of double narration techniques. According to the professor Hemingway

wrote 9_______________________________ . The professor also mentions another writing technique

called (10) “___________________________”. Hemingway used to (11) include / add / leave out

details in his stories; hence the reader was invited to infer and make an effort to (12)

________________________________.
 Activity 5

GROUPTHINK

Give yourself three minutes to read the passage

When private institutions or government agencies need to solve problems or develop new processes they
assemble groups of people to work on the task. The advantages of teams composed of many individuals
over individuals working alone are several. First of all, teams of individuals can pool their intellectual
resources in order to arrive at superior decisions through focused attention to the issue at hand. Group
discussion leads to a more varied and in-depth approach to problem solving and idea creation.
Furthermore, group discussion leads to a broad exchange of knowledge and information since groups
include individuals from different parts and levels of an organization. These individuals tend to bring with
them a large variety of skills, interests, and background knowledge. Often, team discussion will bring
about a relevant solution, which is unlikely to be made by a lone individual. The reason for this is that a
person working in isolation may be afraid of taking responsibility for making a decision whose outcome
is uncertain. In a team of individuals, however, the responsibility is spread around so that no particular
member can be held responsible if the decision leads to failure. Group discussion also has the advantage
of encouraging motivation in team members. The effect of working with colleagues can increase
enthusiasm and provide the necessary ambience for the brainstorming activities essential to good decision-
making. Finally, each individual can benefit because he or she can learn new negotiation and management
skills and discover personal strengths and aptitudes through the process of achieving worthwhile goals.

Once you have finished go to the campus, “in-class material for Module 3” and listen to the lecture
 Activity 6
Synthesis

Summarize the major points in the reading and explain how the lecturer casts doubt on those
points.

-In groups,

Activity 7
Fill in the blanks using the multiple choice options below.

According to the reading passage teamwork has many advantages. Firstly, the ideas and varied background and
skills of group members may allow them to make superior decisions and come up with better solutions to problems.
What’s more, group discussion may raise motivation and enthusiasm among group members.
(1) _____________________________________________________________________________________

(2) ___________________________________________________________________ of groups is that

individuals may try to conform with what that person thinks are the feelings of the entire group, and these can be
very irrational and objections raised are usually ignored by management's tendency to groupthink.

The professor (3) _____________________________ that team group members often start believing that they
are invulnerable. (4) ____________________, he recalls an incident in which some enforcement agents failed to
capture a criminal in the belief that they couldn’t be outsmarted by just one person.

(5) ___________________ that another disadvantage is group members reassuring each other that their decision
is correct often ignoring objections or ideas that do not fit the group’s views. (6) _________________________,
the professor mentions the Ford fiasco in which a new car that was supposed to represent a breakthrough turned out
to be a marketing disaster because the public simply didn't like it.
1. Choose the best sentence to explain the professor’s view:
a. Furthermore, the professor discusses the disadvantages of group decision-making.
b. On the other hand, the professor discusses the disadvantages of group decision-making.
c. What’s more, the professor discusses the drawbacks of group decision-making.

2. Choose the best sentence to create a transition:

a. To begin with, according to the lecturer, the disadvantages
b. Additionally, according to the lecturer, one disadvantage
c. To begin with, according to the lecturer, one disadvantage

3. Choose the best verb:

a. also argues
b. also opposes
c. also denies

4. Choose the best transition sentence:

a. To illustrate this idea
b. To come up with an idea
c. To oppose this idea

5. Choose the best option:

a. Finally, the professor disapproves
b. Finally, the professor argues
c. Finally, the professor denies

6. Choose the best phrase:

a. A typical case example of groupthink
b. To illustrate these objections
c. As a case example of victims of groupthink