READING COMPREHENSION 175

Sxrr-r- 4: IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS

Some questions in the Reading Comprehension section of the TOEFL test will
require answers that are not directly stated in the passage. To answer these ques-
tions correctlv, you will have to draw conclusions from information that is given
in the passage. Questiorrs of this tvpe contain the rvords implied, inferred, likely,
or probablt' to let vou know that the answer to the question is not directlv stated.

Example
The passage:
The r-rumber of rings in a tree can be used to determine hou'
old a tree really is. Each )'ear a tree produces a ring that is
composed of one light-colored wide band and one dark-colored
Line narrorv band. The wider band is produced during the spring
(5) a"d earlv su.rmeq rvhen tree stem cells grou, rapidly and
become larger. The narrower band is produced in fall and early
winte4, when cell grolvth is much slorver and cells do not get
verv large. Nq tg!_._elg!f.d"."d d".i"g th" h nter and
summer months.

The questions:
l. It is implied in the passage that if a tree has 100 rvide bands
and 100 narrow bands, then it is
(A) a century old
(B) two centuries old
(C) fiftv vears old
(D) nvo hundred vears old
2. It can be inferred from the passage that cells do not grorv
(A) when the tree is ill
(n) 4g1ng h"ut
(C) u,hen it"*tr"-" "t
rains too much
(D) if there are more light-colored bands than dark-colored
bands

The first question asks about the age of' a tree with 100 wide bards and 100 nalrow
bands. The passage does not tell the age of a tree with 100 wide and narrow bands,
but it does indicate that one . . . wide band and one . . . narroru band are produced
each year. From this you can draw the conclusion that a tree r"vith 100 wide and
narrow bands is 100 vears, or a centttry old. The best answer to this question is
therefore ans\ver (A). The second qllestion asks rvhen cells do not gro$,. The pas-
sage indicates that no cells are produced durine the harsh u,inter and suntmer
months. From this vou can drar.r, the conclusion that celis do not grow during the
e.rtrente heat of summer or the extreme cold of u,inter'. The best ansurer to this ques-
tion is therefore ansu,er (B).
 176 READING COMPREHENSION

The following chart outlines the key information that vou should remember
about implied detail questions.

IMPLIED DETAIL QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY It is implied in the passage that . . .
THE QUESTION It can be inferred from the passage that
It is most likely that ...
What probably happened ... ?

WHERE TO FIND The answers to these questions are found in order in the
THE ANSWER passa9e.

HOW TO ANSWER 1. Choose a key word in the question.

THE QUESTION
2. Scan the passage for the key word (or related ideo).
3. Read the sentence that contains the key word carefully.
4. Look for an answer that could be true, according to that
sentence.

TOEFL EXERCISE 4: Studv each of the passages, and choose the best answers to
the questions that follclrv.

PASSAGE OtlE (Questiorts l-3)

Until 1996 the Sears Tou'eru,as thc [al]cst building in the world, rvith more than a
hundred stories. It is located in Chicago, u,hose nickname is the Windv Citr,: The
combination of a ven'tall building in a citv r",ith such rveather conditions leads to a lot
Line of sr,r'aving in the breeze.
(5) On a rvindv dav the top of the building can move back and forth as much as three
feet everJ ferv seconds. The inside cloors at the top of the building open and close, and
water in sinks sloshes back and forth.

1. The Sears Tou'eris probablv 3. It is implied in the passage that the

upper-level doors in the sears Totl'er
(A) as tall as the Empire State
oPen and close becattse
Building
(B) no longer the tallest builcling in (A) the building was poorly
the u'orld constructed
(C) taller than anv other building (B) people go in and out so often
(D) still the highest builcling in the (C) the building moves in the wind
u,orld (D) there is rvater in the sinks

2. It can be inferred from the passage

that Chiczrgo
(A) has moderate r,veather
(B) is generallv \\'arm
(C) hars hr"rmid rt'eather
(D) usr-rallv hars a lot c-,f u,ind
 READING COMPREHENSION 177

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 4-6)

The most common last name in the English-speaking world is Smith, which was
taken from the job of lt,orking rvith metals. A silversmith, for example, is someone who
rt'orks lr,ith the metal silver. Historical records indicate that the use of this last name is
Line at least 700 vears old. Todav there are more than 3.3 million Smiths living in the United
(5) States and perhaps another million Smiths livin-e in other English-speaking countries
r"l orldrvide.

4. It can be inferred from the passage 6. In England there are probablv

that familv names
(A) more Smiths than there are in
(A) r.vere alwavs taken from the area the United States
rvhere a family lived (B) more than a million Smiths
(B) rvere short names (C) felr,er than a million Smiths
(C) had little or no mcanins (D) no families r,vith the name of
(D) could be taken from jobs Smith

5. Which of the follorving is implied

about the Smith fan-rilv name?
(A) [t is definitelv not more than 700
years old.
(B) ft eristed 600 vears ago.
(C) It did not exist 500 vears ago.
(D) It definitell- was not in use 1,000
vears ago.