TOEFL STUDY GUIDE PART 4 Reading Comprehension Tips Test Design Features Tips 60 - 62 Length: 70 - 90 minutes Number of questions: m 44 - 60 questions: n 4 - 5 passages of 250 - 350 w
Trang 1TOEFL STUDY GUIDE
PART 4
Reading Comprehension Tips
Test Design Features Tips 60 - 62
Length: 70 - 90 minutes
Number of questions:
m 44 - 60 questions:
n 4 - 5 passages of 250 - 350 words in length
n with 10 - 14 questions per passage
Linear section - because the Reading section is linear, test takers can go back and forth between the questions in a set
or between sets
Types of Reading questions
m Mostly traditional multiple-choice questions (1
question stem with 4 options)
m Some new question types:
n Test takers must interact more directly with
the text by clicking on or inserting text:
Trang 2n Clicking on a sentence or paragraph within a
passage to find a main idea
n Clicking on a word or phrase within a
passage to test vocabulary/pronoun referents
n Vocabulary continues to be tested in context
n Instead of having to choose a word similar in
meaning from among four choices,
examinees will choose another word from
within a paragraph
n Inserting a sentence within a passage where it
fits best:
n "Inserting a sentence" is not meant to
be an editing task, but determines
whether an examinee has
comprehended large bits of text and
understands the relationship between
that text
Reading Comprehension TIP 60
The reading comprehension section has both easy and
Trang 3difficult questions Therefore, you time is best spent
working on the easier questions
For Reading, you will be able to go back to previous
questions and previous sets
In this section, your scores are based on the number of questions they answer correctly; therefore, to maximize you scores in this section, it is better for you to guess than not to respond at all
To save time, You should try to answer all the questions within a set sequentially rather than skip around You can to
go back to answers they are unsure of if they have time to
do so
Reading Comprehension TIP 61
This section tests a variety of reading skills that are
important when we read:
m main idea
m inferences
m factual information stated in the passage
m pronoun referents
m vocabulary, synonyms, antonyms
Trang 4Reading Comprehension TIP 62
On the COMPUTER-BASED test, you will not be able to see the questions first, but can refer back to the passage on the screen
Phrases & Paraphrases Tips 63 - 65
Reading Comprehension TIP 63
There are three major question types on the Reading
Comprehension section
1 Specific questions;
2 vocabulary in context and reference questions;
3 and general questions
The COMPUTER-BASED test will have a few different types of questions including inserting a sentence (from a list
of choices) into the actual reading passage
Reading Comprehension TIP 64
Specific questions: These questions ask for a specific piece
of information found in the passage To answer them, go to the passage to find it
"Lead words" tell you what to look for in the passage It is
Trang 5often a noun or a noun phrase
Reading Comprehension TIP 65
Vocabulary in context and reference questions:
m Vocabulary in context questions ask you for the
meaning of a specific word in the passage
m Reference questions ask you what a specific pronoun
in the passage refers to
The right answer to an EXCEPT/NOT question is the one that is not mentioned in the passage
Now do the following drill:
Reading Comprehension General Questions Tip 66
These questions ask about the overall subject of the
passage
m Main idea/Best title:
A main idea questions asks you for the primary
purpose of the passage
m Before and After questions: These questions ask you about what was written in the paragraph immediately before or immediately after the question (key words like preceeding/following)
Trang 6m Inference questions: These questions ask about information not stated directly in the passage (key words like supports /implies/inferred)
m Always do inference questions last: This type of question is often a paraphrase or summary of the passage