TOEFL Skills 9 and 10

TOEFL Skills 9 and 10

Constructing a summary and Table completion

Multiple Choice

What is the best definition of a summary?

• an individual feature, fact, or item

• a brief statement or account of the main points of something.

• a rewording of something written or spoken by someone else.

• a report or description of an event or experience.

Constructing a summary

• Includes the most important ideas

• On the TOEFL, there is an introductory sentence (the general topic).

• You must choose from 6 options which are the three that are the main ideas.

example

Strategy to answering this type of question

• Determine how the passage is organized (e.g. cause/effect, comparison/contrast, chronological order, process, etc.)

• Quickly skim each paragraph to find the pattern of organization.

Multiple Choice

Why is understanding the organization of the passage important to finding the main ideas?

• Because it's fun.

• Because this leads to better comprehension.

• I don't know.

Strategy

Read and understand the introductory topic sentence completely.

Make sure the answers you choose support the introductory sentence.

Multiple Select

Which answers are NOT going to be correct in the summary question?

• small details or minor ideas

• the most important ideas

• not true according to the passage

• not discussed in the passage

reading skill 10

Table completion

Table completion

• requires that you complete an outline of a passage

• This is done by deciding in which category information should be placed

example

Format of question

• There is a table

• Underneath the table are 7-9 answer choices

• You must choose either 5 or 7 correct answers.

• There are always 2 answers that you will not choose.

Strategy

• Determine how the passage is organized.

• Look first at the information provided in the table.

• Next, identify key words in the answers and scan the passage to find them.

• Make sure the answers you chose are directly related to the category.

Poll

Are you ready to try out your skills?

• Yes! I'm always ready!

• I guess so.

• Maybe.

• No way José.