TOEFL Reading Overview Section Reading Content Time Score
- Slides: 8
TOEFL Reading Overview Section Reading Content Time Score 3─5 700 -word passages 20 minutes per passage /30 11─13 questions with a total score of 14 60─100 total minutes
1. Reading Passages • Reading passages are from first-year college and university textbooks. Ø academic content Ø information dense • 12 th grade reading level • Readings contain low-frequency vocabulary. • 36– 73 very difficult words per reading
2. Answers in Reading Passages • The order of the questions follows the order of the information in the passage. • The answer for question one is before the answer for question two.
3. Multiple Choice Questions • Multiple Choice Questions have four answers. • Vocabulary Questions Ø identify meaning of words and phrases in context • Reference Questions Ø identify subject nouns • All Multiple Choice Questions are worth one point.
4. Multiple Choice Questions • Paraphrase Questions Ø recognize simplified and rephrased sentences with same meaning as sentences from the passage • Factual Information Questions Ø identify true information • Inference Questions Ø draw a conclusion from stated facts • Negative Factual Information Questions Ø identify a fact that is not true or not mentioned in passage • Purpose Questions Ø identify why author included a highlighted word or phrase
5. Common Distractors • Distractors are incorrect answers. • Several types of distractors: Ø repeat words from the reading but incorrectly answer the question Ø are not mentioned in the reading Ø contradict information in the reading passage Ø do not answer the question Ø are incomplete
6. Helpful Tips • Correct answers Ø are usually restatements from the reading passage. • If you don’t know the answer, Ø use process of elimination. Ø select the most logical answer. • If time is running out, Ø answer the easy questions first. Ø guess for remaining questions. • You don’t lose points for guessing.
7. More Helpful Tips • If you finish early, Ø continue checking your answers. • Your first choice is usually correct. • Answer all the questions in one passage before you move on to the next. Ø focus will change when you read the second passage.
