TOEFL Reading test II (2nd booklet)

15-The word “objective” in the passage is closest in meaning to

• (A) achievement

• (B) requirement

• (C) purpose

• (D) feature

16-Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 1 as a change that occurred in the fauna of the Mediterranean?

• (A) Most invertebrate species disappeared during a wave of extinctions.

• (B) A few hardy species wiped out many of the Mediterranean’s invertebrates.

• (C) Some invertebrates migrated to the Atlantic Ocean.

• (D) New species of fauna populated the Mediterranean when the old migrants returned.

17-What does the author imply by saying “Not a single pebble was found that might have indicated that the pebbles came from the nearby continent”?

• A) The most obvious explanation for the origin of the pebbles was not supported by the evidence.

• (B) The geologists did not find as many pebbles as they expected.

• (C) The geologists were looking for a particular kind of pebble.

• (D) The different pebbles could not have come from only one source.

18 Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the solid gypsum layer?

• (A) It did not contain any marine fossils.

• (B) It had formed in open-ocean conditions.

• (C) It had once been soft, deep-sea mud.

• (D) It contained sediment from nearby deserts.

19-Select the TWO answer choices from paragraph 3 that identify materials discovered in the deepest part of the Mediterranean basin. To receive credit, you must select TWO answers.

• A) Volcanic rock fragments

• (B) Thin silt layers

• (C) Soft, deep-sea mud

• (D) Crystalline salt

20-What is the main purpose of paragraph 3?

• (A) To describe the physical evidence collected by Hsu and Ryan

• (B) To explain why some of the questions posed earlier in the passage could not be answered by the findings of the Glomar Challenger

• (C) To evaluate techniques used by Hsu and Ryan to explore the sea floor

• (D) To describe the most difficult problems faced by the Glomar Challenger expedition

21- According to paragraph 4, which of the following was responsible for the evaporation of the Mediterranean’s waters?

• (A) The movements of Earth’s crust

• (B) The accumulation of sediment layers

• (C) Changes in the water level of the Atlantic Ocean

• (D) Changes in Earth’s temperature

22-The word “scores” in the passage is closest in meaning to

• (A) members

• (B) large numbers

• (C) populations

• (D) different types

23-According to paragraph 4, what caused most invertebrate species in the Mediterranean to become extinct?

• A) The evaporation of chemicals necessary for their surviva

• (B) Crustal movements that connected the Mediterranean to the saltier Atlantic

• (C) The migration of new species through the narrow straits

• (D) Their inability to tolerate the increasing salt content of the Mediterranean

24-Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 4? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

• (A) The Strait of Gibraltar reopened when the Mediterranean and the Atlantic became connected and the cascades of water from one sea to the other caused crustal adjustments and faulting.

• (B) The Mediterranean was dramatically refilled by water from the Atlantic when crustal adjustments and faulting opened the Strait of Gibraltar, the place where the two seas are joined.

• (C) The cascades of water from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean were not as spectacular as the crustal adjustments and faulting that occurred when the Strait of Gibraltar was connected to those seas.

• (D) As a result of crustal adjustments and faulting and the creation of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Atlantic and Mediterranean were connected and became a single sea with spectacular cascades of water between them