TOEFL Summary Questions… 

Summary a. The definition of species is a group of organisms that have the capacity
We are going to get into the step-by-step system in one minute. First, to interbreed.
let’s make sure we are on the same page. b. Scientists have organized the mechanisms for speciation into two
Here is a quick rundown of the most important points to consider when categories: allopatric and sympatric.
thinking about how to answer summary questions: c. In his On the Origin of Species, Darwin theorized that the speciation
 Expect 2-3 TOEFL Reading summary questions on test day process was a branching event.
 Located at the end of all questions for a given text d. The formation of a new branch of a river is an example of an event
 Worth two points (most other questions are worth only one) that leads to allopatric speciation.
 Allocate between 2-3 minutes to answer each (more about this in e. Certain species, like flying species, can carry-on multiple gene pools
our Time Management article) as they travel between populations.
Now that you know a little about the question itself let’s practice f. The second category of speciation mechanisms states that speciation
answering one together. can occur when individuals live and breed in the same location.
Step 1 – Identify it as a summary question Since the directions are always the same, let’s cut them out and
One way to help you save time when answering TOEFL Reading concentrate on the question.
summary questions is to skip the directions. For over a century, biologists have been trying to understand and
Really! define the mechanisms for speciation.
The instructions are always the same. Summary questions are always a. The definition of species is a group of organisms that have the capacity
worded like this: to interbreed.
“An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is b. Scientists have organized the mechanisms for speciation into two
provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer categories: allopatric and sympatric.
choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some c. In his On the Origin of Species, Darwin theorized that the speciation
sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that process was a branching event.
are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This d. The formation of a new branch of a river is an example of an event
question is worth 2 points.” that leads to allopatric speciation.
Take the time to read and understand these directions carefully, so you e. Certain species, like flying species, can carry-on multiple gene pools
can skip them on test day. You want to conserve your time and direct as they travel between populations.
your focus to the actual question. f. The second category of speciation mechanisms states that speciation
Step 2 – Read the topic sentence and figure out the main idea can occur when individuals live and breed in the same location.
Now you know how to identify TOEFL Reading summary questions. Here comes the fun part!
Besides the fact that they are the very last question of a given reading We are going to start eliminating choices without even reading the
passage, they also always have the same directions. passage.
Let’s look at an example from the passage Speciation, which is text #3 in Instead of reading the passage, we are going to focus on the topic
the TOEFL Reading section of TST Prep Test #11. sentence and figure out the main idea.
10. DIRECTIONS: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of Topic sentence: For over a century, biologists have been trying to
the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting understand and define the mechanisms for speciation. 
the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in Try to simplify that sentence in a way that even a ten-year-old would
the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because understand.
they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor Identifying keywords can help a lot.
ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points. Keywords are the most important words in a given sentence. They are
For over a century, biologists have been trying to understand and usually either nouns or verbs.
define the mechanisms for speciation. Anyway…
Simple Topic Sentence: Biologists have been trying to understand
speciation for awhile.
This is the most important part of the entire step-by-step process of how
to answer TOEFL Reading summary questions. Proper identification of
the main idea of the topic sentence is going to guide you to the correct
answers.
More on this in step three.
Let’s go through each possible choice together. When analyzing an
option, ask yourself: Does this directly relate to the topic sentence?
Step 3 – Eliminate choices that are not directly related to the topic
sentence
Again, we are only focusing on the topic sentence, not the passage itself.
We are going to use it to guide what options we choose and what we
eliminate.
Simple Topic Sentence: Biologists have been trying to understand
speciation for awhile.
a. The definition of species is a group of organisms that do or could
interbreed
I am immediately suspicious of this choice because it is a definition
of species, and has nothing to do with speciation.
I eliminate a.
Simple Topic Sentence: Biologists have been trying to understand
speciation for awhile.
b. Biologists have organized the mechanisms for speciation into two
categories, allopatric and sympatric.  Summary questions are asking you to summarize the passage. With that
That choice looks pretty good. It is directly related to speciation and
elaborates on it without getting into too much detail.
I keep b. (Note that I am not making any final decisions at this stage,
only eliminating choices I suspect are incorrect.)
 
Simple Topic Sentence: Biologists have been trying to understand
speciation for awhile.
c. In his On the Origin of Species, Darwin theorized that the speciation
process was a branching event.    the university was founded in 1867
I’m not sure about this one. Speciation is mentioned, but it is also
referring to Darwin’s book.
I keep c.
Simple Topic Sentence: Biologists have been trying to understand
speciation for awhile.
d. An example of an event that leads to allopatric speciation is the
formation of a new branch of a river.  Simple Topic Sentence: Biologists have been trying to understand
While this sentence is about speciation, it seems to be a bit too detailed
for a summary response.
I keep d…for now. 
In step four I will have a chance to review these options again.
Simple Topic Sentence: Biologists have been trying to understand
speciation for awhile.
e. Certain species, like flying species, can carry-on multiple gene pools
as they travel between populations. 
This choice is a specific example of a species and how it transfers genes.
This does not appear to be connected to the topic sentence.
I eliminate e.  
Simple Topic Sentence: Biologists have been trying to understand
speciation for awhile.
f. The second category of speciation mechanisms states that speciation
can occur when individuals live and breed in the same location. 
This option looks good. It is connected to the topic sentence and doesn’t
include too many details.
I keep f.
Note that there will be times when you look at a topic sentence and can’t
eliminate a single possible choice. That’s OK. This doesn’t work 100%
of the time. This is a strategy designed to help you focus on the topic
sentence and use it to select options that are connected to it.
Step 4 – Eliminate choices that seem like details
in mind, be sure to eliminate options that are too specific.
For example, if there was a reading passage about my university, the
subtopics might be something like: 
 the university’s general history 
 the university’s current student population 
 the university’s degree programs
A summary would not contain specific details about each of these
categories, for example:
 there are currently 2,367 undergraduates
 the Creative Writing degree program includes a Creative Writing
101 Course taught by Professor Elliot on Tuesdays
Notice the difference?
Let’s go back to our question. We have already eliminated a and e.
Let’s look at b, c, d, and f to see if any sounds too much like a detail. 
speciation for awhile.
b. Biologists have organized the mechanisms for speciation into two
categories, allopatric and sympatric. 
c. In his On the Origin of Species, Darwin theorized that the speciation
process was a branching event.  
d. An example of an event that leads to allopatric speciation is the
formation of a new branch of a river. 
f. The second category of speciation mechanisms states that speciation
can occur when individuals live and breed in the same location. 
I feel like d is a bit too detailed. I could be wrong (remember, this is a
strategy and much of it is based on previous knowledge and intuition),
but it sounds like a detail that would follow a paragraph about allopatric
speciation, rather than an introduction to the topic.
But like I said, I could be wrong, so I leave it for now.
I still have another step to go.