Notefull-reading-strategies.docx

1st Reading 80 min - 79 min : read the first sentences 79 min - 72:40 min : answer questions 1 - 5 72:40 min - 66:20 min : answer questions 6 - 10 66:20 min - 60 min : answer questions 11 - 14 2nd Reading 60 min - 59 min : read the first sentences 59 min - 52:40 min : answer questions 1 - 5 52:40 min - 46:20 min : answer questions 6 - 10 46:20 min - 40 min : answer questions 11 - 14 3rd Reading 40 min - 39 min : read the first sentences 39 min - 32:40 min : answer questions 1 - 5 32:40 min - 26:20 min : answer questions 6 - 10 26:20 min - 20:00 min : answer questions 11 - 14 4th Reading 20 min - 19 min : read the first sentences 19 min - 12:40 min : answer questions 15 - 19 12:40 min - 6:20 min : answer questions 20 - 24

6:20 min - 0 min : answer questions 25 - 28

Strategy

Questions Types and Strategy back to top

Though you've already heard my introductory lecture. This is a very important page. It is your reference to the strategies that you must use when answering all questions on the TOEFL. Come back to this page whenever you practice a TOEFL reading and aren't 100% comfortable and confident with the techniques we've learned to answer. This, again, is by far the most important thing you can do at this moment to improve your reading score. Here are the 9 questions types of the TOEFL (remember that being able to answer the vocabulary and detail questions well are most important for your score), which we discuss here.

Vocabulary, Detail, Negative Detail, Inference, Pronoun, Plug-in, Paraphrase, Purpose, Summary

Vocabulary Strategy back to top

The first kind is vocabulary. It’s very easy to identity. Whenever the question asks “what does this this word mean,” it’s a vocabulary question. Here is an example to familiarize yourself with this question type:

The word “depressions” in the passage is closest in meaning to

If you know the word:

1) Choose the answer or answers that match the meaning best. 2) Read the sentence with the highlighted vocabulary to double check the meaning.

If you don’t know the word:

1) Read the sentence with the word and guess what its meaning could be 2) Choose an answer that fits this meaning. (If more than one works, guess fast.)

You shouldn’t spend a lot of time on this question no matter what. If you don’t know the word, more than one answer choice might work and you’ll just waste time thinking. Just guess and move on to spend your time on a different question.

Detail Strategy back to top

This question often divides students into two groups: those who will score high and those who will score low. These questions ask you to identify a fact in the reading and choose an answer that matches the fact in the reading best. They often begin with “according to paragraph” and have a WH- question. Here are some examples:

According to paragraph 6, why are limestone and sandstone aquifers not being refilled? According to paragraph 1, what is true about the positions of the massive animals depicted in the paintings?

To score high, you must follow strategy to get to the right information that will lead you to the right answer.

1)

Read the question to understand what information you are being asked to find.

2) Identify the key words in the question to search for in the reading. 3) Start reading quickly from the beginning of the paragraph in search of the key words or synonyms of them. 4) When you find the key word, remind yourself of the question and read carefully to find the answer for yourself. 60% of the answers will be found in the sentence with your key words. 30% will require you to read 1 sentence more. 10% will require you to read 2 sentences more to find the answer. 5) Once you have identified the answer, check the answer choices and choose the one that matches your anticipated answer best.

This strategy is the key to success. Do it with full energy and your score will improve. Do it casually without thinking through steps 1 through 5 and your score will stay the same. It’s as simple as that.

Negative Detail Strategy back to top

These questions ask you to identify an answer that is NOT mentioned in the paragraph or that is NOT correct according to the reading. They always possess within the question the words NOT or EXCEPT capitalized and in bold. Here is an example:

According to paragraph 5, all of the following are true about the men in the cave paintings EXCEPT:

To score high, you must follow strategy to get to the right information that will lead you to the right answer. In these questions, it’s best to go back and forth from the reading to the answer choices.

1)

Read the question to understand what information you are being asked to find.

2) Identify the key words in the question to search for in the reading. 3) Start reading quickly from the beginning of the paragraph in search of the key words or synonyms of them.

4) When you find the key word, read the sentence and check the answer choices to determine which you can eliminate. Continue to do this for each answer choice until you can determine that one is wrong or not mentioned and choose that answer.

This strategy is the key to success. Do it with full energy and your score will improve. Do it casually without thinking through steps 1 through 4 and your score will stay the same.

Inference Strategy back to top

Inference questions are difficult. They usually contain the words infer, imply, or suggest in the question. Here are a few examples to know when you read one.

What can be inferred in paragraph 7 about shallow aquifers?

What is implied in the theory mentioned in paragraph 3 about the fact that some paintings in Lascaux are drawn directly over others?

The strategy is the exact same as that for detail questions except that when you read the sentence with your key word make a jump from it with respect to content. For example, if you read: 30% of apples are green. What does that mean? Well, a detail question just asks how many apples are green: 30%. An inference question asks what can you infer about apples: 70% of apples aren’t green. Now, you didn’t read that but you can infer it

from the information, right. That’s the idea behind an inference question and that’s why they arguably cause the most trouble to students.

1)

Read the question to understand what information you are being asked to find.

2) Identify the key words in the question to search for in the reading. 3) Start reading quickly from the beginning of the paragraph in search of the key words or synonyms of them. 4) When you find the key word, remind yourself of the question and read carefully to find the answer for yourself. Ask yourself, what does this imply that must be true? 60% of the answers will be found in the sentence with your key words. 30% will require you to read 1 sentence more. 10% will require you to read 2 sentences more to find the answer. 5) Once you have identified the answer, check the answer choices and choose the one that matches your anticipated answer best. 6) If you don’t find the answer right away, keep asking yourself: what must be true from this sentence that isn’t stated directly. (Remember the apple example.)

Pronoun Strategy back to top

The other question type is pronoun. Pronoun questions don’t appear often and they always ask you what a certain word refers to. Here’s an example.

The word “them” in paragraph 4 refers to:

Here’s the strategy.

1) Determine whether the pronoun is singular or plural. 2) Identify all of the nouns in the sentence before the pronoun that match in number (singular or plural) 3) Choose the one that fits the meaning of the sentence best. 4) Find that noun among your answer choice and choose it.

Plug-in Strategy back to top

The next question type is plug-in. Plug-ins ask you to place a sentence into one of four points in a paragraph. Here’s an example.

Look at the four squares (❒) that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

In fact, these water deposits have recently become the focus of increased attention as a source of freshwater for the inhabitants of desert areas.

Where would the sentence best fit?

These questions follow a few simple steps. Be aware though that if you have to get to the last step, you’re dealing with a tough question that might be worth choosing quickly with depending on our level.

1) Read the sentence carefully to identify what it’s saying and the key words within it. 2) Read the paragraph and find the sentence that contains key words from the plug-in. For example, if you have the key word apples in your sentence. You read the passage searching for apples. You find it between the answer choices A and B and nowhere else. You know your sentence belongs in A or B. 3) Use pronouns in your plug-in sentence to determine where your sentence belongs. 4) If that’s not enough. Identify words such as however, consequently, therefore, etc. to determine whether your sentence continues the idea or begins the idea. Continuing our apple example. If you see apples between A and B in the paragraph, and your plug-in sentence begins with consequently. You’re answer choice should be B because it is concluding the idea of apples and not starting it. 5) Finally, read through the paragraph with your answer in place and double check that it makes sense.

Paraphrase Strategy back to top

You will identify paraphrase questions easily. These questions always ask which answer choice states the information in a highlighted sentence the same way. Here’s an example to clarify the idea.

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

These questions challenge most students when they attack it without strategy. With our strategy, these often become the easier, faster questions to answer, so pay careful attention.

1) Read the main independent clause and nothing else. Understand the subject, verb, and object. Break the sentence down piece by piece. They usually use complex sentences with many parts--adjective clauses, adverb clauses, and so on. Don’t read the whole highlighted sentence and then try to choose the answer. It’s the best way to become confused. 2) Read through the answer choices and eliminate any answer that does not state this information exactly.

3) Read the next clause in the highlighted sentence carefully. 4) Read through the answer choices and eliminate any answer that does not state this information exactly. 5) Continue this process until only one answer is left.

This general explanation may seem a bit confusing, but once you try a few questions and are guided through them by our system. It shouldn’t be a problem to follow this strategy precisely.

Purpose Strategy back to top

Purpose questions have two classes.

Type one

It asks you why the author mentions or states a word, phrase, or sentence in the reading. These are the more common ones that follow strategy well and tend to be easier. Here’s an example.

Why does the passage mention in paragraph 5 the fact that the exact extent of groundwater resources is still unknown?

Here’s the idea behind the strategy. In standard, academic writing in English, there stands a very strong structure. Titles provide the topic of the entire reading. Paragraphs are groups of sentence that develop one piece of information or idea. How do they develop these ideas? The first sentence represents the topic sentence that outlines the focus of the paragraph. Every sentence after it continues the idea by providing more detail. In other words, every sentence continues the idea before it. That’s why are strategy is as follows.

1) Read the question to understand what you’re being asked. 2) Identify the key words. 3) Read the appropriate paragraph and find those key words or synonyms of them. 4) Read the sentence and understand that the purpose of the statement in the question was to explain the content of that sentence. For example, the question will ask, “Why does the author mention apples?” You look for apples in the reading. Find it and then read the sentence before and say to yourself, “the reason the author mentioned apples was to explain the content in this sentence before.” 5) Look for any adverbs that will help you to identify the relationship between your key words and the content before it. Continuing our example with apples. If between the two sentences, we have the adverb “however.” The purpose of the author’s words was to contrast the information in the sentence before.

6) Now, choose an answer choice that reflects the information in the sentence before.

Summary Strategy back to top

Summaries are the last questions that you’ll attack and most students struggle with them the most. We should discuss a few things about this question.

First, TOEFL preparation books often present two kinds of summary questions: one asks you to choose 3 answer choices among 6 that complete a paragraph that summarizes the reading. Here’s an example.

An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

The unusual characteristics of the cave paintings at Lascaux have given rise to various explanations as to the role they played in the lives of the cave dwellers.

This is the only kind of summary question that we have ever seen on the TOEFL. The strategy to answer these questions quickly and accurately is intricate (which means complex), so pay careful attention and review these steps often. They will only help improve your score once you master them.

1) First, review the structure of the reading on your own. Explain to yourself how it is organized to remind you of the important information. 2) Read the question carefully and see if the sentence in bold gives you a clue as to what the answer choices might be. If it states something about 3 theories, it’s easy to know that you must choose 3 answer choices among the 6 that describe 3 theories mentioned in the reading. 3) Read your first answer choice to understand what it states and find its key words. 4) Scan through the reading until you find the key words or synonyms of them and read the sentences they are found in. 5) Determine whether that answer choice is a summary, detail, or wrong answer. Use the following method to do so. (1) If an answer choice is a summary, the answer choice restates information found within the topic sentence of the paragraph, the first sentence. That’s a good choice. (2) If the answer choice deals with a sentence that is not the first, it is a detail. It is therefore not a good choice. You must choose answers that summarize important points in the passage and not just minor points mentioned in one sentence that is not the topic sentence.

(3) If the answer choice describes content that is not found in the reading or is wrong according to the reading, of course, eliminate it. 6) After your analysis, you should be left with 3 summary answer choices. They will be your answer. 7)

If you are left with 4 summary answer choices, read the sentence in bold in

the question and eliminate the answer choice that doesn’t directly deal with the topic sentence. 8)

If you are left with 2 summary answer choices and 2 detail answer choices,

read the sentence in bold in the question and eliminate one of the detail answer choices that deals with the topic sentence least.

However, books teach a second kind that divides the essay into two topics and asks you to match different answer choices to the appropriate topic. Here’s an example.

Select the appropriate phrases from the answer choices and match them to the type of organism to which they relate. TWO of the answer choices will NOT be used. This question is worth 4 points.

For reasons that we won’t go into, this question is incredibly rare and easy strategy wise, so we will not focus on it.

1) Read an answer choice and identify the key words. 2) Find the key words or synonyms of them in the reading.

3) Read the sentence with your key word and determine what topic it belongs to. 4) Match that answer choice to the appropriate topic.