TOEFL

Test of English as a Foreign Language

The TOEFL test is a test to measure the level of English proficiency of nonnative speakers
of English. It is required primarily by English-language colleges and universities.
Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, businesses, or scholarship programs
may require this test.

THE PAPERVERSION
The paper version of the TOEFL test has the following sections:

• Listening Comprehension: To demonstrate their ability to understand spoken English,

examinees must listen to various types of passages on a tape recording and respond to
multiple choice questions about the passages.

• Structure and Written Expression: To demonstrate their ability to recognize

grammatically correct English, examinees must either choose the correct way to
complete sentences or find errors in sentences.

• Reading Comprehension: To demonstrate their ability to understand written English,

examinees must answer multiple choice questions about the ideas and the meanings of
words in reading passages.

Listening Comprehension 50 Questions 35 Minutes

Structure and Written Expression 40 Questions 25 Minutes

Reading Comprehension 50 Questions 55 Minutes

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 LISTENING COMPREHENSION

On the paper TOEFL test, the first section is called Listening Comprehension. This
section consists of fifty questions. You will listen to recorded materials and respond to
multiple-choice questions about the material. You must listen carefully because you will hear
the recording one time only and the material on the recording is not written in your test book.

1. Short Dialogues are two-line dialogues between two speakers, each followed by a
multiple choice question. You will listen to each short dialogue and question on the
recording and then choose the best answer to each question from the four choices in your
test book. The 30 short dialogues and 30 questions about them make up Part A of the paper
TOEFL test.

2. Long Conversations are 60-90 second conversations on casual topics between students,
each followed by a number of multiple-choice questions. You will listen to each long
conversation and each of the questions that accompany it on the recording and then choose
the best answer to each question from the four choices in your test book. The two
conversations and the seven to nine questions that accompany them make up Part B of the
paper TOEFL test.

3. Talks are 60-90 second talks about school life or on academic subjects, each followed by a
number of multiple-choice questions. You will listen to each lecture and each of the
questions that accompany it on the recording and then choose the best answer to each
question from the four choices in your test book. The three lectures and the 11-13 questions
that accompany them make up Part C of the paper

Part A (Short Dialogue)

1. FOCUS ON THE SECOND LINE

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 2. CHOOSE ANSWER WITH SYNONYMS

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 3. AVOID SIMILAR SOUNDS & SPELLING

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 4. EXPRESSION OF AGREEMENT

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 5. NEGATIVE EXPRESSION

• Negative , un, in, ir

• Double Negative, isn’t unhappy
• Almost Negative, hardly, barely, scarcely
• Negative Comparison

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 6. EXPRESSION FOR WISHES

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Part B & C

A. BEFORE LISTENING
1. Predict the topics
- from the first question only
- from all questions for that audio
2. Predict the questions

B. WHILE LISTENING
3. Listen and focus on who, when, where, what, why and how
4. Answers are in order
Example In your test book, you read
On the recording you hear (same time):

(narrator) Questions 1 through 3. Listen to a talk about cats. 1. A. They shout.

(woman) Many people are allergic to cats. If they come 2 B. They drive red cars.
in contact with cats, they sneeze, their skin 3. C. They sneeze.
turns red, and their eyes begin to burn. D. They close their eyes.
However, it is not only people who suffer from A. They often wear
allergies. Cats may also be allergic to pollen, perfume.
dust, and perfumes, many of the same B. They can have
agents that cause allergies in people. allergies.
Perhaps your cat is sneezing and has watery C. They don’t ever suffer.
eyes. If you think that your cat has some D. They like dust and
allergies, a veterinarian can prescribe pollen.
medication to help solve the problem. A. Nothing.
B. Bathe it frequently.
C. Put it outside.
D. Give it medicine.

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On the recording, you hear
(narrator) 1. What happens to people who suffer
from allergies?
2. What is mentioned about cats?
3. What can someone do with a cat that has allergies?

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STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Skill I Be sure that the sentence has Subject and verb

• Subject, in English, are:
– Noun as Subject : Jokowi is the 7th president of Indonesia
The capital city of Sumatera Selatan is Palembang
– Pronoun as Subject : (I, you, we, they, he, she, it)
He is a great role model
She and I are getting married soon
– Gerund as Subject : (V+ing)
Hiking is always fun
Eating and Sleeping are important for your body
– To Infinitive as Subject (to + V1)
To swim is my favorite activity
To cook pempek is very difficult
– Noun Clause as Subject
What he says is important
Where you live is very far from here
Whatever you make must be original

• Verb, in English, are:

– Verb Word (action verbs) ; Verb 1, 2, 3, and Verb ing
A verb is a kind of word (part of speech) that tells about an action or a state.
Eg: Sleep, eat, cook, study, pay, read, write, walk, work etc
We study Economics 101 this semester
She pays the bills
I worked hard for this house

– To be
It is normally a linking verb showing existence or the condition of the subject.
Eg: is, am, are, was, were, be, been, being
To be as verb is often used with adjective/noun, Ving and V3

 She is very clever

 He is an apple in my eyes
 We are studying hard tonight
 He is playing badminton with his son
 The bike was stolen
 Ampera bridge was constructed on April 1962
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 – Modal
Modal verb is a type of verb that is used to indicate modality – that is: likelihood, ability,
permission, request, capacity, suggestions, order and obligation, and advice etc.
Eg: can, could, shall, should, will, would, may, must, might, ought to
Modal must be followed by infinitive
 You should visit her
 He will finish his homework soon
 I believe I can fly

– Auxiliaries
Auxiliary is a word used in forming the tenses and moods of other verbs
Eg: Do, does, did, have, has, had
 I don’t like you
 Yes, I did
 I have finished my job

SKILL III Present and Past Participle

Present Participle

A present participle is the -ing form of the verb (talking, playing). A present participle can be
either a part of the verb or an adjective. It is part of the verb when it is preceded by some form of the
verb be.
Ex: The man is talking to his friend.
VERB
*In this sentence talking is part of the verb because it is accompanied by is.
A present participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of the verb be.
Ex: The man talking to his friend has a beard
ADJ
Past Participle

A past participle is the third form of verbs. It often ends in -ed, but there are also many
irregular past participles in English. A past participle can be either an adjective or a part of a verb.
*The past participle is the form of the verb that appears with have or be.
Ex: The family has purchased a television.
VERB
The poem was written by Paul.
VERB
In the first sentence the past participle purchased is part of the verb because it is accompanied by has.
In the second sentence the past participle written is part of the verb because it is accompanied by was.

*A past participle is an adjective when it is not accompanied by some form of be or have.

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 Ex: The television purchased yesterday was expensive.
ADJ
The poem written by Paul appeared in the magazine.
ADJ

In the first sentence purchased is an adjective rather than a verb because it is not accompanied by a
form of be or have (and there is a verb, was, later in the sentence). In the second sentence written is an
adjective rather than a verb because it is not accompanied by a form of be or have (and there is a verb,
appeared, later in the sentence.

Exercise I (Skill 1-3)

Choose the letter of the word or group of words that best completes the sentence.

I. __ first settled the Hawaiian 3. In some daguerreotype cameras,

Islands between A.D. 300 and 750. __ through a hole in the back of

(A) The Polynesians the box.

(B) The Polynesians arrived (A) the object's view
(C) Because of the Polynesians (B) the object was viewed
(D) It was the Polynesians (C) from the view of the object
(D) viewed the object

2. In 1066, a bright comet __ in

the sky attracted much attention 4. In the Stone Age, stone tools
(A) was appearing __ with other rock materials.
(B) appears (A) polishing
(C) it appeared (B) they polished
(D) appearing (C) for polish
(D) were polished

5. The first steamship to cross the Atlantic __ Savannah, in 1819.

(A) was the
(B) it was the
(C) the
(D) in it the

6. The Earth's plates meet each other at cracks in the Earth __ faults.
(A) were called
(B) calls
(C) called
(D) it was called

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Skill II Sentence with Multiple Subjects & Verbs
• It is possible to have more than one subjects and verbs
• You must use Conjunction or Connector to combine them
• The most common conjunction are:
– Coordinating Conjunction
And, But, Yet, So, For, Or

She studied hard, but she didn’t pass the test

S V C S V
We can watch TV or go sightseeing
S V C V
John and I will come to see you
S C S V

– Clause Connector
Adverb clause connector: after, as, as long as, as soon as, before, by the time, once, since, until,
when, whenever, while, because, in as much as, now that, since, if, in case, unless, provided,
providing, although, even though, though, whereas, in that
Noun clause connector: what, where, when, who, why, how, whether, if, that
Adjective clause connector: who(m), which, that, whose

You must tell me when you will arrive

S V C S V
The man whom you greet is my father
S C S V V
You will fail unless you study
S V C S V

– Paired Conjunction
• Both .... And ....
• Not Only .... But Also ....
• Neither .... Nor ....
• Either .... Or ....
Both you and I will have to come early
S S V
Not only she is the director but also she is the leader of this project
S V S V
I either will sent this by mail or deliver it to you in person
S V V

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EXERCISE II : Choose the letter of the underlined word or group of words that is not
correct.

1. A spacecraft is freed from friction __ launched into space.

(A) it
(B) it is
(C) after is
(D) after it is
2. __ with their surroundings, or they hide in crevices for protection.
(A) Lousters
(B) Lobsters blend
(C) Lobsters blending
(D) Because lobsters blend
3. __ a ball-and-socket joint, the elbow is a simple hinge joint.
(A) While the shoulder
(B) While the shoulder is
(C) The shoulder is
(D) The shoulder

4. A car has several sections with moving parts, __ of those parts is essential.
(A) good lubrication
(B) well lubricated
(C) and good lubrication
(D) and well lubricated

5. Bears cannot see well __ small eyes.

(A) bears have
(B) because having
(C) because they have
(D) because of bears

6. __ at the Isthmus of Panama, so animals were able to migrate between North and South
America.
(A) A land bridge existed

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(B) When a land bridge existed
(C) A land bridge
(D) With a land bridge

SKILL IV ADJECTIVES AND ADVERBS

ADJECTIVES
Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Adjectives do not describe verbs or adverbs or
other adjectives. Adjectives mostly come immediately before the nouns modified.
Ex: He is a strong boy.
Adj N
*In the sentence above, the adjective strong is describing the noun boy.

Adjectives can also act as a complement to linking verbs or the verb to be. A linking verb
is a verb like to feel, to seem, or to taste that describes a state of being or a sensory experience.
Ex: The girl is happy.
The meal tastes yummy.

ADVERBS
Adverb are words that modify (describe) a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs
are mostly formed by adding –ly after adjectives, but there are some adverbs that do not end in –
ly; they look exactly the same as their adjective counterparts.

EXERCISE III : Choose the letter of the underlined word or group of words that is not
correct.
1. Sounds quieter than 10 decibels are impossibly for the human ear to hear.
A B C D
2. Often the best farmland is next to a river that floods periodical.
A B C D
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3. The planet Mercury has a moderately elIiptically orbit.
A B C D
4. An eighteen-watt fluorescent bulb seems as brightly as a seventy-five-watt
A B C
incandescent bulb.
D
5. The telephone works by changing the voice's sound waves into electrically signals.
A B C D
6. In the Northern United States, two European species of small white birch are
A B
extensive planted as ornamentals.
C D

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 READING COMPREHENSION
Reading Types of Questions
• The Idea of the Passage
• Directly Answered Questions
• Indirectly Answered Questions
• Vocabulary Questions

1. THE IDEA OF THE PASSAGE

Main Idea Questions

Fort Knox, Kentucky, is the site of a U.S. army post, but it is even more renowned for the Fort
Knox Bullion Depository, the massive vault that contains the bulk of the U.S. government's gold deposits.
Completed in 1936, the vault is housed in a two-story building constructed of granite, steel, and concrete;
the vault itself is made of steel and concrete and has a door that weighs more than twenty tons. Naturally,
the most up-to-date security devices available are in place at Fort Knox, and the army post nearby
provides further protection.
1. Which of the following best describes the topic of the passage?
(A) The city of Fort Knox, Kentucky
(B) The federal gold depository
(C) The U.S. army post at Fort Knox
(D) Gold bullion

2. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
(A) The Massive Concrete Vault
(B) Fort Knox Security

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(C) Where the United States Keeps Its Gold
(D) A Visit to Kentucky

The Organization of Ideas

Conflict within an organization is not always viewed as undesirable. In fact, various managers
have widely divergent ideas on the value that conflict can have.
According to the traditional view of conflict, conflict is harmful to an organization. Managers
with this traditional view of conflict see it as their role in an organization to rid the organization of any
possible sources of conflict.
The interactionist view of conflict, on the other hand, holds that conflict can serve an important
function in an organization by reducing complacency among workers and causing positive changes to
occur. Managers who hold an interactionist view of conflict may actually take steps to stimulate conflict
within the organization.

1. How is the information in the passage organized?

(A) The origin of ideas about conflict is presented.
(B) Contrasting views of conflict are presented.
(C) Two theorists discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their views on conflict.
(D) Examples of conflict within organizations are presented.

2. DIRECTLY ANSWERED QUESTIONS

Stated Detail Questions

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 Ice ages, those periods when ice covered extensive areas of the Earth, are known to have
occurred at least six times. Past ice ages can be recognized from rock strata that show evidence of foreign
materials deposited by moving walls of ice or melting glaciers. Ice ages can also be recognized from land
formations that have been produced from moving walls of ice, such as U-shaped valleys, sculptured
landscapes, and polished rock faces.
1. According to the passage, what happens 2. The passage covers how many different
during an ice age? methods of recognizing past ice ages?
(A) Rock strata are recognized by geologists. (A) One
(B) Evidence of foreign materials is found. (B) Two
(C) Ice covers a large portion of the Earth's surface. (C) Three
(D) Ice melts six times (D) Four

Unstated Detail Questions

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 In English, there are many different kinds of expressions that people use to give a name to
anything whose name is unknown or momentarily forgotten. The word gadget is one such word. It was
first used by British sailors in the 1850s and probably came from the French word gachette, which was a
small hook. In everyday use, the word has a more general meaning. Other words are also used to give a
name to something unnamed or unknown, and these words tend to be somewhat imaginative. Some of the
more commonly used expressions are a what-d'ye-call-it, a whatsis, a thingamabob, a thingamajig, a
doodad, or a doohickey.

1. Which of the following is NOT true about the
word gadget?
(A) It is used to name something when the name is
not known.
(B) It was used at the beginning of the nineteenth
century.
(C) It most likely came from a word in the French
language.
(D) Its first known use was by British sailors.
2. Which of the following is NOT true about the
word gadget?
(A) It is used to name something when the name is
not known.
(B) It was used at the beginning of the nineteenth
century.
(C) It most likely came from a word in the French
language.
(D) Its first known use was by British sailors.

Pronoun Reference

Carnivorous plants, such as the sundew and the Venus-flytrap, are generally found in humid areas
where there is an inadequate supply of nitrogen in the soil. In order to survive, these plants have
developed mechanisms to trap insects within their foliage. They have digestive fluids to obtain the
necessary nitrogen from the insects. These plants trap the insects in a variety of ways. The sundew has
sticky hairs on its leaves; when an insect lands on these leaves, it gets caught up in the sticky hairs, and
the leaf wraps itself around the insect. The leaves of the Venus-flytrap function more like a trap, snapping
suddenly and forcefully shut around an insect.
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The pronoun They in line 5 refers to :
(A) humid areas
(B) these plants
(C) insects
(D) digestive fluids

3. Indirectly Stated Questions

Implied Meaning Questions

Two types of trees from the same family of trees share honors in certain respects as the
most impressive of trees. Both evergreen conifers, the California redwood (Sequoia
sempervirens) and the giant sequoia (Sequoiandendron giganteum) are found growing natively
only in the state of California. The California redwood is found along the northern coast of the
state, while the giant sequoia is found inland and at higher elevations, along the western slopes of
the Sierra Nevadas.
The California redwood is the tallest living tree and is in fact the tallest living thing on
the face of the earth; the height of the tallest redwood on record is 385 feet (120 meters). Though
not quite as tall as the California redwood, with a height of 320 feet (100 meters), the giant
sequoia is nonetheless the largest and most massive of living things; giant sequoias have been
measured at more than 100 feet (30 meters) around the base, with weights of more than 6,000
tons.

It is implied in the passage that: It can be inferred from the passage that the
(A) the leaves of only the California Sierra Nevadas are:
redwood turn brown in the autumn (A) a type of giant redwood
(B) the leaves of only the giant sequoia (B) a coastal community
turn brown in the winter (C) a group of lakes
(C) the leaves of both types of trees in the (D) a mountain range
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 passage turn brown in the winter
(D) the leaves of neither type of tree in the
passage turn brown in the winter
4. Overall Review Questions
Determine where Specific info can be found

Beavers generally live in family clusters consisting of six to ten members. One cluster
would probably consist of two adults, one male and one female, and four to eight young beavers,
or kits. A female beaver gives birth each spring to two to four babies at a time. These baby
beavers live with their parents until they are two years old. In the springtime of their second year
they are forced out of the family group to make room for the new babies. These two-year-old
beavers then proceed to start new family clusters of their own.

1. Where in the passage does the author give the 2. Where in the passage does the author indicate
name of a baby beaver? why the young beavers must leave their parents'
(A) Line 1 home?
(B) Line 2 (A) Line 1 -2
(C) Line 3 (B) Line 3-4
(D) Lines 4-5 (C) Line 4-5
(D) Lines 5-6

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