About the reading section

About the reading section

TOEFL -EXCI

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.

Multiple Choice

How many questions are there usually in TOEFL for the reading section?

• 30 questions

• 20 questions

• 50 questions

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%)

Poll

What is the area of vocabulary that you need to extend?

• Science and technology

• North American history, government, geography, and culture

• Art

• Social science

• Biography

The Questions

The main types of questions asked can be categorized as followed

Types of questions

• Main Idea

  Main Topic

  Main Purpose

  (10%of total pts)

Open Ended

Type an example of main topic question expected in TOEFL/EXCI

Factual Questions

(24%)

Open Ended

Describe in your own words what is a factual question.

Negative Questions

These ask which of the answer choices is NOT discussed in the passage. (9%)

"Which of the following is

NOT true about ... "

"All of the following are true

EXCEPT ... "

Scanning Questions (4%)

• These ask you to find the

  place in the passage that

  some topic is mentioned.

• E.G:

• "Where in the passage does

  the author first discuss ... "

Inference Questions

(12%)

These ask you to draw conclusions based on information in the passage:

'The author implies that

which of the following is

true?"

"Which of the following can

be inferred from the

passage?"

Vocabulary-in-Context

Questions

(26%)

These ask you identify the meaning of a word or phrase as used in the passage.

"The word '--' in line 5 is

closest in meaning to .. :'

Reference Questions

(10%)

These ask you to identify the noun to which a pronoun or other expression refers.

"The word "it" in line 15 refers to ... "

"In line 20, the word "there"

refers to which of the

following?"

What Is the Best Way to Approach the Passages?

• First, 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. Then read the article at a comfortable speed. Try not to read one word at a time, like this:

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.

Paragraph = Idea

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.

Paragraph = Idea

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.

Ideas = paragraph - Connection

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.

Open Ended

What Is the Best Way to Answer the Questions? (Type your ideas below, there is no wrong answer so type your first idea pictured on your mind)

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/EXCI tests to develop the reading skills needed to do well in this section.

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

Timing is an important factor. Most test-takers find this the hardest to complete because reading the passages takes up so much time. Near the end of the test, you may realize that you won't have enough time to finish.

Multiple Choice

if you are about to run out of time, which of the following actions should you do?

• guess the answers

• read only the questions and answer later

• Skim & Scan

• Turn in the test and ask extra time

These two skills will help you to save time

Look again, and find the differences

What Is the Best Way to Prepare for This Part of TOEFL/EXCI?

After completing the exercises in the Guide and taking the practice tests in this book, read as much on your own as you can. The vocabulary extension exercises will help you a lot!

By Limhi Sanchez

Tip #1

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.

Tip #2

Read each passage at a comfortable speed.

Tip #3

Answer the questions, referring to the passage when necessary.

Tip#4 (very Unusual, btw)

Eliminate answers that are clearly wrong or do not answer the questions. If more than one the option remains, guess.

Tip #5

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.

Tip #6

Don't spend more than about 10 minutes on anyone reading and the questions about it.

this is the end for the introductory part