How to deal with TOEFL iBT Reading Questions

There are 10 question types. The following chart summarizes the categories and types of TOEFL iBT Reading questions.

TOEFL READING QUESTION TYPES

 (12 to 14 questions per set)

1. Factual Information questions (3 to 6 questions per set)
2. Negative Factual Information questions(0 to 2 questions per set)
3. Inference questions(0 to 2 questions per set)
4. Rhetorical Purpose questions (0 to 2 questions per set)
5. Vocabulary questions (3 to 5 questions  per set)
6. Reference questions(0 to 2 questions per set)
7. Sentence Simplification questions (0 to 1 questions per set)
8. Insert Text question (0-1 questions per set)

Reading to Learn questions (1 per set)

9. Prose Summary
10. Fill in a Table

Type 1:  Factual Information Questions

There questions ask you to identify factual information that is explicitly stated in the passage. They ask you to identify specific information that is typically mentioned only in part of the passage. They generally do not ask about general themes that the passage as a whole discusses. Often the relevant information is in one or two sentences.

How to Recognize Factual Information Questions

Factual information questions are often phrased in one of these ways:

• According to the paragraph, which of the following is true of X?
• The author’s description of X mentions which of the following?
• According to the paragraph, X occurred because…
• According to the paragraph, X did Y because…
• According to the paragraph, why did X do Y?
• The author’s description of mentions which of the following?

Tips for Factual Information Questions

• Refer back to the passage in order to know what exactly is said about the subject of the questions.
• Eliminate choices that present information that is contradicted in the passage.
• Do not select an answer just because it is mentioned in the passage. Your choice should answer the specific question that was asked.

Type 2: Negative Factual Information Questions

These questions ask you to verify what information is true and what information is NOT true or not included in the passage based on information that is explicitly stated in the passage. To answer this kind of question, first locate the relevant information in the passage. Then verify what three of the four answer choices are true and that the remaining choice is false. Remember, for this type of question, the correct answer is the one that is NOT true.

How to Recognize Negative Factual Information Questions

You can recognize negative fact items because either the word “NOT” or “EXCEPT” appears in the question in capital letters.

• According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true of X?
• The author’s description of X mentions all of the following EXCEPT

Tips for Negative Factual Information Questions

• Usually a Negative Factual Information question requires you to check more of the passage than a Factual Information question. The three choices that are mentioned in the passage may be spread across a paragraph or several paragraphs.
• In Negative Factual Information Questions, the correct answer either directly contradicts one or more statements in the passage or is not mentioned in the passage at all.
• After you finish a Negative Factual Information Questions, check your answer to make sure you have accurately understood the task.

Type 3: Inference Questions

These questions measure your ability to comprehend an argument or an idea that is strongly implied but not explicitly stated in the text. For example, if an effect is cited in the passage, an Inference question might ask about its cause. If a comparison is made, an Inference question might ask for the basis of the comparison. You should think about not only the explicit meaning of the author’s words, but the logical implication of those words.

How to Recognize Inference Questions

Inference questions will usually include the word infer, suggest, or imply.

• Which of the following can be inferred about X?
• The author of the passage implies that X..
• Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about X?

Tips for Inference Questions

• Make sure your answer does not contradict the main idea of the passage.

• Don’t choose an answer just because it seems important or true. The correct answer must be inferable from the passage.
• You should be able to defend your choice by pointing to explicitly stated information in the passage that leads to the inference you have selected.

Type 4: Rhetorical Purpose Questions

Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing effectively. In Rhetorical Purpose questions you are asked why the author has presented a particular piece of information in a particular place of manner. Rhetorical Purpose questions ask you to show that you understand the rhetorical function of a statement or paragraph as it relates to the rest of the passage.

How to Recognize Rhetorical Purpose Questions

These are examples of the way Rhetorical Purpose questions are typically worded:

• The author discusses X in paragraph 2 in order to…
• Why does the author mention X?
• The author uses X as an example of …

Tips for Rhetorical Purpose Questions

• Know the definitions of these words or phrases, which are often used to describe different kinds of rhetorical purposes: “definition,” “example,” “to illustrate,” “to explain” “to contrast,” “to refute,” “to note,” “to criticize,” “functions of ”
• Rhetorical Purpose questions usually do not ask about the overall organization of the reading passage. Instead, they typically focus on the logical links between sentences and paragraphs

.

Type 5: Vocabulary Questions

These questions ask you to identify the meanings of individual words and phrases as they are used in the reading passage (a word might have more than one meaning, but in the reading passage, only one of those meanings is relevant.) Vocabulary is chosen as it actually occurs in the passage.

How to Recognize Vocabulary Questions

Vocabulary questions are usually easy to identify. You will see one word or phrase highlighted in the passage. You are then asked a question like this:

• The word X in the passage is closest in meaning to

In the case of a phrase, the question might be:

• In stating X, the author means that

Tips for Vocabulary questions

• Remember that the question is not just asking the meaning of a word; it is asking for the meaning as it is used in passage. Do not just choose an answer just because it can be a correct meaning of the word; understand which meaning the author is using in the passage.
• Reread the sentence in the passage, substituting the word or phrase you have chosen. Confirm that the sentence still makes sense in the context of the whole passage.

Type 6: Reference Questions

These questions ask you to identify referential relationships between the words in the passage. Often, the relationship is between a pronoun and its antecedent (the word to which the pronoun refers).  Sometimes other kinds of grammatical reference are tested (like which or this).

How to Recognize Reference Questions

Reference questions look similar to vocabulary questions. In the passage, one word or phrase is highlighted. Usually the word is a pronoun. Then you are asked

• The word X in the passage refers to

The four answer choices will be words or phrases from the passage. Only one choice is the word to which the highlighted word refers.

Tips for Reference Questions

• If the reference question is about a pronoun, make sure your answer is the same number (singular to plural) and case (first person, second person, third person) as the highlighted pronoun.
• Substitute your choice for the highlighted word or words in the sentence. Does it violate any grammar rules? Does it make sense?

Type 7: Sentence Simplification Questions

In this type of question you are asked to choose a sentence that has the same essential meaning as a sentence that occurs in the passage. Not every reading set includes a Sentence Simplification question. There is never more than one in a set.

How to Recognize Sentence Simplification Questions

Sentence Simplification questions always look the same. A single sentence in the passage is highlighted. You are then asked.

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

Tips for Sentence Simplification Questions

• Make sure you understand both ways a choice can be incorrect:
• It contradicts something in the highlighted sentence.
• It leaves out something important from the highlighted sentence.
• Make sure your answer does not contradict the main argument of the paragraph in which the sentence occurs, or the passage as a whole.

Type 8: Insert Test Questions

In this type of question, you are given a new sentence and are asked where in the passage it would best fit. You need to understand the logic of the passage, as well as the grammatical connections (like pronoun reference) between sentences. Not every set includes an Insert Text question. There is never more than one in a set.

How to Recognize Insert Text Questions

In the passage you will see four black squares. The squares are located at the beginnings or ends of sentences. Sometimes all four squares appear in one paragraph. Sometimes they are spread across the end of one paragraph and the beginning of another:

You are then asked this question:

Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.

[You will see a sentence in bold.]

Where would the sentence best fit?

Your job is to click on one of the squares and insert the sentence in the text.

Tips for Insert Text Questions

• Try the sentence in each of the places indicated by the squares. You can place and replace the sentence as many times as you want.
• Look at both the structure of the sentence you are inserting and the logic. Pay special attention to logical connecting words; they can provide important information about where the sentence should be placed.
• Frequently used connecting words:

On the other hand

For example

On the contrary

Similarly

In contrast

Further, or Furthermore

Therefore

In other words

As a result

Finally

• Make sure that the inserted sentence connects logically to both the sentence before it and the sentence after it.

Type 9: Prose Summary Questions

These items measure you ability to understand and recognize the major ideas and the relative importance of information in a passage. The correct answer choice will synthesize major ideas in the passage.  To select the correct answer, you will need to create a mental framework to organize and remember major ideas and other important information. Understanding the relative importance of information in a passage is critical to this ability.

Type 10: Fill in a Table Questions

In this kind of item, you will be given a partially completed classification table based on information in the passage. Your job is to complete the table by clicking on correct answer choices and dragging them to their correct locations in the table.

Fill in a Table items measure you ability to conceptualize and organize major ideas and other important information from across the passage and then to place them in appropriate categories. This means that you must first recognize and identify the major points from the passage, and then place those points in their proper context.

 (Taken and adapted from McGraw Hill's materials)