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STRATEGIES IN ANSWERING READING COMPREHENSION

In the part of the TOEFL, you will be given reading passages,

and you will be asked two types of questions about the reading
passage. The types of questions are reading comprehension and
vocabulary questions. The first type asks you to answer questions
about the information given in the reading passages. There will be a
variety of questions about each reading passage, including main idea
questions, directly answered detail questions, and implied detail
questions. Meanwhile the second type of questions asks you to
identify the meanings of vocabulary words in the reading passages.
To answer these questions, you may have to know the meanings of the
words. You can also identify the meanings of some of the words by
understanding the context surrounding the words.
There are several strategies for the reading comprehension
questions:
1. Skim (read overall) the reading passage to determine the main idea
and the overall organization of ideas in the passage.
2. Look ahead at the questions to determine what types of questions
you must answer.
3. Find the section of the passage that deals with each question.
4. Read the part of the passage that contains the answer carefully.
5. Choose the best answer to each question from the four answer
choices listed in the test book.

Skill One: Main Idea

Questions on main idea may be worded in a variety of ways: you
may, for example, be asked to identify the topic, subject, title, primary
idea, or main idea. In order to find the main idea, you have to do two
things. First, you have to find the topic (the central idea) and then the
most significant statement that the writer is making about the topic
(Skidell & Becker, 2002). Thus, the strategy to find topic and main
idea is to ask yourself two questions:
1. What or who is this text mainly about? (topic/subject)
2. What is the writer saying about the topic? (main idea)
In addition, in order to answer the main idea questions of the TOEFL,
there are several steps to be done:
(1) Read the first line of each paragraph.
(2) Look for common theme or idea in the first lines.
(3) Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to check that
you really have found the topic sentence(s).
(4) Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the best
answer.
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A main idea may be placed in the first sentence, in the middle
sentence, at the last sentence, or even unstated. Below are the
examples of the positions of a main idea:
a. The main idea is usually in the first sentence. In this case, the main
idea may be an introductory sentence (pointing out what is to be
discussed), or a brief definition.
Example:
Travel is a part of our way of life. People commute to jobs that
are a considerable distance from their homes. Some students even
travel many miles to school. Stores and businesses are clustered in
central locations to make people travel easily.

b. The main idea is in the last sentence. If the first sentence does not
contain the main idea, the next place to look is the last sentence. It
may be the repetition of the first sentence, either in the same or in
different words. It may also contain the conclusion to which specific
details has led.
Example:
The chemist is widely used in our life today. Aviation uses
lightweight aluminium, magnesium, high-octane gasoline-all
processed by the chemist. The automotive industry uses plastics,
improved gasoline and oils, improved rubber, and other creations of
the chemist. The clothing industry uses rayon, nylon, dacron, all
chemically made fibers. Farming also depends on the chemist for
many fertilizers and insecticides. Medicine has received the miracle
drugs and synthetic vitamins from the chemist. Our national security,
our future power resources, and our advance in other scientific field,
such as geology and biology, depend in large part on our progress in
nuclear chemistry. Indeed, the chemist today is irreplaceable.

c. The main idea may be in the second sentence. It often contains some
word (usually a pronoun) which depends for its meaning on the first
sentence.
Example:
Certainly money should not be your chief aim in life. But you
ought not to despise it, for it can help you and your family obtain
many of the good things of life. It can buy an adequate diet, one of the
bases of good health. When necessary, it can provide medicine and
medical care. It can be the means for a comfortable house, for travel,
for good books, and for hobbies and recreation. It can make it easier
for your children to secure an education. Finally, it can offer a great
opportunity for you to help others.

d. The main idea may not be stated. Instead, the details supporting it
are given and the reader is expected to express it for himself.
Example:
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The 1950 Census Report tells us that in 1949, of all men 25
years and older, those who completed eight years of grade school
received a median income of $2533. Those with four years of high
school received a median wage of $3285. Those who stuck out four
years of college received a median wage of $4407.
Main idea: the higher the education is, the higher income will be.

Exercise One:
Most of the ice on the Earth, close to 90 percent of it, is covering
the surface of the continent Antarctica. It does not snow very much in
Antarctica, but whatever snow does fall remains and grows deeper
and deeper. In some areas of Antarctica, the ice has perhaps been
around for as much as a million years and now is more than two miles
deep.

1. The main idea of the passage is that…

A. the Earth is a cold planet
B. most of the Earth’s ice is found in Antarctica
C. it snows more in Antarctica than any other place on Earth
D. Antarctica is only two miles wide but is 90 percent ice

2. The best title for the passage is…

A. Snowfall in Antarctica
B. The Icy Earth
C. The Cold, Cold Snow
D. The Causes of Antarctica’s Ice Pack

Exercise Two
The extremely hot and humid weather that occurs in the U.S. in
July and August is commonly called the “dog days” of summer. This
name comes from the star Sirius, which is known as the Dog Star.
Sirius is the brightest visible star, and in the hot summer months it
rises in the east at approximately the same as the Sun. As ancient
people saw this star rising with the Sun when the weather was at its
hottest, they believed that Sirius was the cause of the additional heat;
they believed that this bright star added its heat to the heat of the
Sun, and these two together made summer weather so unbearably
hot.

1. The topic of the passage is…

A. how dogs like to play during the summer
B. the causes of hot and humid weather
C. why the hot summer days are known as the “dog days”
D. the days that dogs prefer

2. The main idea of the passage is that…

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A. the name for the summer days came from Sirius, the Dog Star
B. dogs generally prefer hot summer days
C. the hottest days occur in summer because of the movements of the
Sun and stars
D. Sirius rises at almost the same time as the Sun during the summer
months

Skill Two: Stated Detail Questions

A stated detail question asks about one piece of information in
the passage rather than the passage as a whole. The answers to these
questions are generally given in order in the passage, and the correct
answer is often a restatement of what is given in the passage. This
means that the correct answer often expresses the same idea as what
is written in the passage, but the words are not exactly the same. In
order to be able to answer this type of question, you may follow these
steps:
(1) Choose a key word in the question.
(2) Skim for that key word (or a related idea) from the passage.
(3) Read the sentence that contains the key word carefully.
(4) Look for the answer that restates an idea in the passage.
(5) Eliminate the definitely wrong answers and choose the best
answer.

Exercise Three:
Flutes have been around for quite some time, in all sorts of
shapes and sizes and made from a variety of materials. The oldest
known flutes are about 20,000 years old; they were made from
hollowed-out bones with holes cut in them. In addition to bone, older
flutes were often constructed from bamboo or hollowed-out wood.
Today’s flutes are generally made of metal, and in addition to
the holes they have a complicated system of keys, levers, and pads.
The instrument belonging to well-known flautist James Galway is not
just made of any metal; it is made of gold.

1. According to the passage, the oldest flutes…

A. had holes cut in them
B. were made of metal
C. were made 200,000 years ago
D. had a complicated set of levers and pads

Exercise Four:
The ancestors of humans had a lot more hair than the humans
of today: in fact, they had thick hair all over their bodies. This thick
hair was necessary for protection against the cold of the Ice Ages. As
the Earth got warmer, the hair began to thin out, except on the head.
The head hair has remained through the evolutionary process, both as
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a sort of pillow to cushion the sensitive head when it gets banged
around and as s sort of hat to keep the head warm and prevent so
much heat from escaping through the scalp.

1. Which of the following is true about the hair of the ancestors of

humans?
A. There was not much of it.
B. It covered their entire bodies.
C. It was thin.
D. It was not useful.

2. According to the passage, what happened as the temperature on

the Earth increased?
A. The hair on the head began to thin out.
B. The hair on the body remained the same.
C. The hair on the body got thicker.
D. The hair on the body began to thin out.

3. The author indicates that one of the purposes of hair on the head is
to…
A. fill up pillows
B. help heat escape through the scalp
C. ensure that the head is warm
D. make it easier to think

Skill Three: Unstated Detail Questions

You will sometimes be asked in the Reading Comprehension
section of the TOEFL test to find an answer that is not stated or not
mentioned or not true in the passage. This type of question really
means that three of the answers are stated, mentioned, or true in the
passage, while one answer is not. Your actual job is to find the three
correct answers and then choose the letter of the one remaining
answer.
There are two kinds of answers to this type of question: (1) there
are three true answers and one answer that is not discussed in the
passage, or (2) there are three true answers and one that is false
according to the passage. Thus, the strategies to answer this type of
question are:
(1) Choose a key word in the question
(2) Scan the appropriate place in the passage for the key word
(related idea)
(3) Read the sentence that contains the key word carefully
(4) Look for the answers that are definitely true according to the
passage. Eliminate those answers.
(5) Choose the answer that is not true or not discussed in the
passage.
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Exercise Five:

The Florida Keys are a beautiful chain of almost 1,000 coral and
limestone islands. These islands form an arc that heads first
southwest and then west from the mainland. U.S Highway 1, called
the Overseas Highway, connects the main islands in the chain. On
this highway, it is necessary to cross 42 bridges over the ocean to
cover the 159 miles from Miami, on the mainland, to Key West, the
farthest island on the highway and the southernmost city in the U.S.

1. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the Florida Keys?

A. The Florida Keys are a chain of islands.
B. The Florida Keys contain coral and limestone.
C. The Florida Keys are in the shape of an arc.
D. The Florida Keys are not all inhabited.

2. Which of the following is NOT true about U.S. Highway 1?

A. It is known as the Overseas Highway.
B. It joins all of the islands in the Florida Keys.
C. It has more than 40 bridges
D. It connects Miami and Key West

Exercise Six:
Blood pressure measurement has two components: systolic and
diastolic. Systolic pressure is taken when the heart is contracting to
pump blood: diastolic pressure is taken when the heart is resting
between beats. In the usual blood pressure reading, the systolic
measurement is given first and is the higher of the two.
Normal blood pressure is a systolic measurement of 120-140,
and when the systolic pressure is 160 or higher, then hypertension
exists. Systolic pressure between 140 and 160 indicates borderline
hypertension.

1. Which of the following is NOT true about systolic blood pressure?

A. It is taken during the contraction of the heart.
B. It is usually given first in a blood pressure reading.
C. A normal systolic measurement is 120-140.
D. Hypertension exists when the systolic pressure is below 140.

2. Which of the following is NOT stated about diastolic pressure?

A. It is one of the two components of blood pressure measurement.
B. It is taken when the heart is resting.
C. It is lower than systolic pressure.
D. A diastolic measurement of 140 is normal.
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Skill Four: Implied Detail Questions

Some of the TOEFL questions will require answers that are not
directly stated in the passage. To answer these questions correctly,
you will have to draw conclusions from information that is given in the
passage. Such questions type contain the words implied, inferred,
likely, or probably to let you know that the answer to the question is
not directly stated. The steps in answering this type of questions are:
(1) Choose a key word in the question.
(2) Scan the passage for the key word (related idea)
(3) Read the sentence that contains the key word carefully.
(4) Look for an answer that could be true, according to that
sentence.

Exercise Seven:
The number of rings in a tree can be used to determine how old
a tree really is. Each year a tree produces a ring that is composed of
one light-colored wide band and one dark-colored narrow band. The
wider band is produced during the spring and early summer, when
tree stem cells grow rapidly and become larger. The narrower band is
produced in fall and early winter, when cell growth is much slower
and cells do not get very large. No cells are produced during the harsh
winter and summer months.

1. It is implied in the passage that if a tree has 100 wide bands and
100 narrow bands, then it is…
A. a century old
B. two centuries old
C. fifty years old
D. two hundred years old

2. It can be inferred from the passage that cells do not grow…

A. when the tree is ill
B. during extreme heat or cold
C. when it rains too much
D. if there are more light-colored bands than dark-colored bands

Exercise Eight:
Until 1996 the Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world,
with more than a hundred stories. It is located in Chicago, whose
nickname is the Windy City. The combination of a very tall building in
a city with such weather conditions lead to a lot of swaying in the
breeze.
On a windy day, the top of the building can move back and forth
as much as three feet every few seconds. The inside doors at the top of
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the building open and close, and water in sinks sloshes back and
forth.

1. The Sears Tower is probably…

A. as tall as the Empire State Building
B. no longer the tallest building in the world
C. taller than any other building
D. still the highest building in the world

2. It can be inferred from the passage that Chicago…

A. has moderate weather
B. is generally warm
C. has humid weather
D. usually has a lot of wind

3. It is implied in the passage that the upper-level doors in the Sears

Tower open and close because…
A. the building was poorly constructed
B. people go in and out so often
C. the building moves in the wind
D. there is water in the sinks

Exercise Nine:
The body of honey bee, like the bodies of all insects, is divided
into three sections: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The bee’s
entire boy is covered with fine hairs to which grains of pollen adhere
as the bee moves from flower to flower, harvesting nectar and
pollinating plants. The hairs on the antennae provide a means for
tactile sensing without the ability to grasp extending objects. In
pigmentation, bees range from black to shades of very pale brown,
thus reflecting their wasp like ancestry. The queens are larger by far
than both workers and drones, with the drones being bigger than
workers.
A honey bee has five eyes-three secondary ones that form a
triangle on top of its head and a large compound eye on either side of
its head. The compound eyes center around thousands of lenses
clustered closely to one another. Bees cannot focus their eyes, as
many mammals do, because their eyes have no pupils. Bees were the
first insects known to distinguish color, an ability due to the color
sensitivity of their optic nerve particles. Their vision is especially
receptive to hues of blue and yellow and to ultraviolet rays, unseen by
humans. However, bees see red in the same way they see green but
can distinguish geometrical patterns in the shapes of foliage and
blossoms.
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1. It can be inferred from the passage that the body of the bee…
A. has a pronounced abdomen
B. has fine layers
C. is colored for protection
D. is typically compound

2. It can be inferred from the passage that bees are LEAST likely to
distinguish…
A. ultraviolet light
B. red flowers from foliage
C. shapes in their proximity
D. patterns of leaf veins

3. According to the passage, what do bees collect?

A. flowers
B. grains
C. nectar and pollen
D. extending objects