TOEFL ITP Section Format and questions

TOEFL ITP Section Format and Questions

Listening

Language form and meaning

Based on the official guides by ETS

Reading Comprehension

Listening

Question format

Type 1

Type 2

Type 3

Main Idea

Rhetorical Device

Speaker´s Purpose

Type 4

Type 5

TYPE 6

Pragmatic Meaning

Prediction

Inference

Basic Strategies

Type 7

General tips

Detail questions

for improvement

Test Skills

language form and meaning

Question format

Language form

Language meaning

Basic Strategies

READING COMPREHENSION

Question format

Type 2

Factual Information

Type 3

Negative Fact

Type 1

Main Idea

Type 5

Rethorical Structure

Type 4

Author´s purpose

Type 6

Inference

Type 9

Idiomatic Language

Type 8

Vocabulary in Context

Type 7

Pronoun Referent

TO: Softball Team Members FROM: Ms. Gordon SUBJECT: Things to do SENT: Wednesday, 6:13 P.M. Dear Softball Members, You´ll need to do a few things before we begin practicing for this year´s season. First, you must bring me a letter from your doctor confirming that you are in good health. Second, you´ll need to make sure that you maintain good grades in all your classes. Sometimes you will miss classes because of the games. For those times, you must notify your teachers at least a week in advance of the absence. You should complete any work you´ll miss in advance and submit it before the day of the game. Third, you need to be at every game. This comes with the territory. If you want to play on a sports team, you will be required to make all the games. Finally, your parents will need to complete and sign a permission slip, which you will return to me. I look forward to a great season together! Coach Gordon

Example:

What is the purpose of the e-mail?

• To invite students to try out for a sports team
• To encourage team members to attend all practices
• To ask for student volunteers for an upcoming school event
• To explain the things that team members need to do

Coach Gordon clearly lists the things that team members must do before practices begin. So the purpose is to explain the things that team members need to do.

Tips for inference questions:

How to recognize inference questions

• When answering inference questions, you need to not only think about the overt or actual meaning of the author´s words but also about the underlying or unstated meaning of those words. Try to determine which answer choice represents the next logical step from the author´s actual words.
• You should exclude the incorrect choices that are contradictory to the fact or view stated in the passage.
• The correct answer choice to an inference question is not stated directly in the passage. The correct answer should be inferable from the passage and concluded from one sentence or several sentences.
• After making a choice, you should be able to point out the sentence or sentences that lead to the inference that you have selected.

They will usually include the word "infer", "suggest", or "imply." Examples: - What can be inferred from X about Y? - Which of the following can be inferred about X? - What is probably true about X? - What does the author suggest about X?

Daily Practice:

• Enlarge your vocabulary by:

Reading extensively and looking up new words in the dictionary. Note and study the meaning, form, and pronunciation. Try to write a definition in both languages to reassure.Listening to a variety of materials, paying attention when you hear new words and write them down.

• Don´t start above your level. Start with materials that are at the appropriate level and then gradually increase the difficulty.
• Become familiar with a variety of accents and speeds of speech by:

Listening to news broadcasts, radio shows, and podcasts from different English-speaking nations.Watching movies in EnglishPaying attention to different pronunciations and intonations.

• Practice taking notes when you are listening to academic lectures in order to get used to writing down unfamiliar words with unknown spellings.
• Think about your own strategies for learning and understanding listening talks and conversations. Choose methods that work best for you.

Example:

This summer, Reverville Primary School

• holding
• was held
• to be held
• will be holding

a special reading and math camp for young children, and we are looking for camp tutors.

The correct answer is will be holding. This question asks you to find the correct form of the main verb "to hold". Keywords and phrases from surrounding context -This summer and we are looking- indicate that the verb should be in a future form. The subject of the verb is Riverville P.S., so the verb should be in the active voice.

How to recognize a speaker´s purpose question:

Speaker´s purpose questions are asked in many different ways, depending on the type of listening material.Why is the teacher talking about X? What is the purpose of the announcement? Why are the students discussing X? What is the purpose of the talk?

• Tips for Speaker´s purpose questions:
• Try to identify the main idea. Understanding the main idea is the first step to understanding why a speaker would want to present the information in the listening material.
• Pay close attention to the context, because it will often help explain why a speaker is presenting the information in the listening material.

Listening Comprehension Section Materials

Non-academic Listening Materials:

• Classroom Instructions
• Short conversations

Academic Listening Materials:

• Academic Lectures or Discussions.

Listening Comprehension Questions:

• Main Idea, Speaker´s Purpose, Rhetorical Device, Inference, Prediction, Pragmatic Meaning, and Detail.

What color is the Golden Gate Bridge?

• A) Red
• B) Gray
• C) Green
• D) Golden

Excerpt from an expository passage: The Golden Gate Bridge is a famous bridge in San Francisco. The bridge has a red color, but gray clouds often surround it. On clear days people come to take pictures of the bridge. The pictures show the green hills next to the bridge and the blue water under it.

The question asks for a specific piece of information, which can be found in the second sentence. "The bridge has a red color" is directly stated in the passage. Therefore A) is the correct answer.

Tips for Pronoun Referent questions

• In pronoun referent questions, there will be a pronoun, such as "they" or "she", underlined in the passage. You need to find the word or words to which the pronoun refers.

• Ensure that the answer choice has the same number (singular or plural) and person (first person, second person, or third person) as the pronoun in the passage and the question.

• When substituted for the pronoun in the passage, the correct answer choice should correspond both grammatically and contextually with the pronoun. You should try putting the answer you choose into the sentence to see whether it breaks any grammar rules, is in keeping with the context, and whether the sentence is still coherent.

Example:

Excerpt from a journalism passage: Each food we eat tastes different, and there are untold numbers of various tastes. Still, all flavors are based on just four basic tastes: sweet, bitter, salty, and sour. Some food experts argue there is a fifth basic taste called umami (a Japanese word that can be translated roughly as "tasty" or "savory"), but this theory remains controversial. Regardless of whether there are four or five basic tastes, the number is small. According to the author, what question is still debated? A) How many basic tastes there are B) Which tastes people enjoy most C) Why foods lack flavor when a person is sick D) What causes the sensation of warmth on the tongue The correct answer is A; the excerpt states that there are "just four basic tastes," yet it goes on to say that some experts argue there is a fifth basic taste but that this "theory remains controversial." From this information, it can be inferred that there is still debate concerning the number of basic tastes.

Main idea questions require you to understand and interpret the main idea or gist of the information presented and paraphrase the important points. It requires you to understand the overall meaning of a short monologue or the general theme of a conversation or academic lecture. The main idea is often directly stated by the speaker . However, sometimes the speaker expresses the main idea indirectly.

Basic Strategies

Daily Practice

Test Skills

• Read the entire passage in order to get a sense of its overall meaning.
• As you begin to answer the questions, determine whether it focuses on language form or language meaning.
• Re-read the sentence before and after the question to understand the surrounding context.
• Use the context and its meaning to determine:

-the correct time and verb tense.-the correct subject and / or object.-Whether the ideas are positive or negative.-Whether there are examples or contrasting ideas presented.-Whether additional information is being presented.

• Choose the word or phrase that correctly completes the sentence.

• Practice the grammatical structures from your English language class in communicative writing activities:

- Try writing a letter to a friend, or an article for your school newspaper. Then show your work to a family member or friend and identify the different verb tenses you were able to use. Go back and highlight specific grammatical structures, did you use the correct elements?

• Read various texts outside of the classroom on a daily basis:

- Highlight grammatical structures, can you explain them?-Make sure you understand each grammar point.

Tips

• You should not choose an answer just because it contains similar or synonymous words to those found in the idiomatic phrase. You should choose the answer based on the meaning of the phrase as it is intended by the writer and used in the context of the passage.
• When substituted for the idiomatic phrase, the correct answer choice should make sense in the context of the whole passage.

Idiomatic Language Questions...

assess your ability to understand from context a phrase that provides important meaning in a passage. Although the meaning of an idiom goes beyond the meaning of the individual words that make it up, the meaning of the idiomatic phrase should be inferable from context. Idioms often use figurative language, which cannot be understood in a literal or real sense. You are not expected to have prior knowledge of the idiomatic phrase; the context in which the phrase is found will help you to understand or infer its meaning.

How to recognize them:

Pragmatic meaning questions appear only in short conversation sets. The part of the conversation that is being tested will always be repeated within the question. Examples:What does the girl mean when she says....? What does the speaker imply when he says....? How does the boy probably feel when he says...?

Example:

• requiring
• involving
• interesting
• participating

As you know, I am

in a teacher´s exchange program here for three months.

The correct answer is participating. The context of the sentence requires an intransitive verb, or a verb that is not followed by an object. This answer does not have to be followed by an object but can be followed by the preposition in, which supports the context of the main clause " I am participating in a teacher´s exchange program here."

How to recognize them

Negative fact questions are often phrased in one of the following ways.- Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage about X?-What does the teacher NOT say about X? -Which of the following is not true about X?

NEGATIVE FACT QUESTIONS

This type of question assesses your ability to understand what information is true and what is NOT true or NOT included in the passage, based on information that is directly stated in the passage. These questions typically focus on facts, details, or other important information presented in the text; however, unlike factual information questions, the correct answer is the fact or detail that is NOT mentioned in the passage.

Tips for negative fact questions

- You should refer back to the passage to identify the sentences or paragraphs on which the question is focused. -Eliminate answer choices that are found in the passage. The last remaining answer choice will be the one that is not mentioned in the passage. Therefore it is the correct answer.

Test Skills

• Read the questions carefully. Avoid choosing the wrong answer out of carelessness. After reading the choices, rule out the wrong ones, and then choose the best answer according to your notes and your understanding of the talk.
• After choosing an answer, do not worry about previous questions, so you should move on to the next question.
• All of the information that you need to answer the questions is found in the listening text. Do not try to make inferences or draw conclusions based on outside knowledge.
• Relax. The listening section has set times, and you need to do your best to not be nervous. Your mood during the test is important and can affect your performance.

• Scan the questions before listening to the text. Underline the key words in the question to highlight what to listen for.
• While listening, focus on the general content of the text and write down the key words. Don´t pay too much attention to small details and words you miss, but to the ones that are mentioned multiple times.
• Use the context of the content to help you understand unknown words.
• Pay attention to connecting words and phrases that could help you understand transitions between ideas or points. Conjunctions like but, however, unfortunately, etc., will help direct you in understanding

Practice

Excerpt from a lecture in a science class: ...While camels do have to store water, what they carry in their humps is not water but fat. That´s the emergency supply of energy in case there´s little food to eat. Of course, camels wouldn´t need to carry a safety supply of fat if it were easy to find something to eat where they live. Unfortunately, in the deserts, camels can sometimes walk for days in the hot sun looking for food and water. So when there is little to eat, the fat from their hump allows them to survive for quite a long time- even up to two weeks- without eating anything...

Tips

• pay close attention to the context and the keywords because they will give you the relevant information you need to answer the question.

• The information needed to answer prediction questions often comes at the very end of the talk.

How to recognize prediction questions

they generally refer to what the speaker, speakers, or audience will do next: What will the class/teacher/students probably do next? What will the students probably do after school? What will the boy probably do this weekend?

Example:

Before photography was invented, painted portraits and engravings based on the paintings were among the few ways to record images. Portraiture was widely practiced in the US and continued to be a significant form of art through the nineteenth century. The demand for likenesses was constant, and portraiture was often artists' primary income source. Artists frequently made portraits of famous people to attract interest and potential customers. For example, in 1820 Chester Harding painted the well-known frontiersman Daniel Boone of Kentucky. This 1820 painting is the only original portrait of Daniel Boone made during his life, and it hangs in the Kentucky Statehouse in Frankfort. Later, Harding painted a portrait of another important historical figure, frontiersman and congressman David Crockett. Thanks to these portraits, Chester Harding is still considered to be among the US´ most celebrated artists.

Why does the author mention Daniel Boone?

• To give an example of ways artists become famous
• To prove that only important people were painted
• To show the difference between photographs and portraits
• To discuss the meaning of portrait painting in American history

The key sentence in the passage is "Artists frequently made portraits of famous people to attract interest and potential customers", which is followed by an example of Chester Harding and his painting of Daniel Boone. Therefore, we can conclude that the reason is to give an example of ways artists become famous.

Main idea questions assess your ability to understand the overall content of a reading passage by identifying the gist of it.

How to recognize Main Idea questions.

Tips for Main Idea questions

These are asked in different ways depending on the passage type: What is the main topic of the passage? What is the passage mainly about? What is the best headline for the article? What is the best title for the story?

• Choose the answer that best captures the gist of the passage. It will be a generalization that covers the main idea of the entire passage and not just parts of it.
• Since the main idea is the overall meaning of a passage, it will not always be presented as one single sentence that can be taken directly from the passage.
• Choose the answer that comes closest to describing the overall gist that ties together the key details of the passage.

Pronoun referent questions

Pronoun referent questions assess your ability to identify the referential relationship between a pronoun and its antecedent (the word to which the pronoun refers). Frequently, pronoun referent questions will be about the subject pronouns "I", "you", "he", "she", "it", "we", or "they". Other kinds of pronoun references are also tested, for example, the demonstrative pronouns "this", "these," or "those."

Example:

Excerpt from an expository passage:

Satellites are machines that are sent up into space and send signals back down to Earth. Communication satellites are very important to our daily lives. They transmit all kinds of information: signals for telephones, television, the Internet, and more. The word They in the passage refers to_________.

• lives
• signals
• satellites
• telephones

The correct answer is satellites. "They" refers to the subject of the preceding sentence, "communication satellites".

Tips

• All conclusions and inferences should be based on information included in the text- not on your prior knowledge of the topic

• Make sure to listen for keywords to give you relevant information to answer the question

• Eliminate any answer choices that are obviously contradictory or completely irrelevant to the talk.

How to recognize inference questions

Inference questions often include the words "imply", "infer", or "probably true." These words mean that the information is most likely true but is not directly stated. Some examples are: What does the teacher imply about...? What is probably true about...? What can be inferred about...?

Practice

Listen to a teacher talking to a class: Good morning class! Most of you were here for school picture day last Friday, but a few students were absent. So, if you missed the school picture day, please note that you will have another chance to have your picture taken for the school yearbook. The photographer will come again next Tuesday. What´s the purpose of the announcement? a) to remind students about what to wear for picture day b) to warn students about a photography contest deadline c) to explain why some students were absent on picture day d) to inform students about a second chance to have their photo taken

How to recognize a speaker´s purpose question?

Tips for speaker´s purpose questions

Reading Comprehension Questions

This kind of questions assesses your ability to comprehend the main idea of a passage, indentify important factual information that supports the main idea , make inferences based on what is not explicitly stated in the passage, and determine the meaning of low-frequency words or expressions from context. You are also asked to identify the antecedents of pronouns, recognize an author´s purpose or use of particular rhetorical structures, and understand steps or directions in a process.

Listen to a principal giving an announcement:Good morning everyone. I have a very special announcement to make. This year, three of our students will be receiving national awards for their academic achievements. Krista Conner, Martin Chan, and Shriya Patel have all been chosen to receive awards because of their dedication to their many classes at school. Congratulations to these students for their hard work and to their teachers for providing excellent instruction.

Tips for main idea questions

What is the subject of the announcement? a) some students are receiving an award b)some students are giving an award to their teachers c) the school will be adding new classes d) the school will be welcoming new teachers. The key words or phrases in the passage are "three students", "receiving", and "national awards", so the correct answer is a).

How to recognize Factual Information Questions

They are often phrased in one of the following ways.

Tips for these kinds of questions

• According to the author, why did X do Y?
• According to the article, what causes X?
• According to the schedule, when will X take place?
• In the story, who knows how to do X?
• What is X?

• This type of question usually asks about a detail in the passage, and you may not always remember the details from your first reading . Reading the passage to look for a specific point will help you choose the correct answer.
• Do not select an answer just because it is mentioned in the passage. Your choice should always answer the specific question that is being asked.
• Eliminate choices that are not found in the passage, are inaccurate, or that contradict the information presented there.

How to recognize vocabulary in context questions

Tips

• A vocabulary in context question is not just asking for the meaning of the word; you should choose your answer based on the meaning intended by the writer and the context of the passage.
• A word might have more than one meaning, but in the reading passage only one of those meanings is relevant.
• When substituted for the underlined word or phrase in the passage, the correct answer choice should make sense in the context of the whole passage.

The questions are usually easy to identify. You will see a word or phrase underlined in the passage. A vocabulary in context question is typically worded as follows. In line X, the word Y is closest in meaning to _____. In line X, the words Y and Z are closest in meaning to _____.

Detail Questions

They require you to identify details that are important to the central theme of the lecture, discussion, or conversation.

Tips for Detail Questions

How to recognize them?

• Detail questions mainly test your ability to identify important information presented in the listening material. Before listening to the talk, discussion, or conversation, scan the question and answer choices so you can listen for specific keywords.
• If an answer choice is about a detail that is not mentioned in the text, you can easily rule out that answer choice.
• Remember that a correct answer choice for a detail question is consistent with the main idea of the listening content.

The type of detail question asked depends greatly on the content of the listening material. Why is the boy excited about? What does X do after Y? According to the talk, where/ when

Language Form and Meaning Section Passages

• LFM passages contain cloze questions. They are either short or long, non-academic, and academic passages.
• Both types are designed to be representative of the reading materials that you are likely to encounter regularly, such as e-mails, announcements, and expository texts.
• These passages are similar in content and language complexity to those found in the Reading Comprehension section.

Language Form and Meaning Section Questions

There are two types of questions in this section:

• language form or grammar, and
• language meaning or vocabulary.

BASIC STRATEGIES FOR THE READING COMPREHENSION SECTION

TEST SKILLS

• Reading speed is another important skill in reading comprehension. You should take no more than 5 to 6 minutes to read each passage and answer the related questions.
• Read the question and answers carefully. Be sure that you understand the purpose of the question. For example, if you see the word "NOT" in the question, select the choice that does not fit.
• Avoid choosing an answer that does not have a reference in the passage. The correct answer is usually mentioned in the passage using similar words or is paraphrased from a sentence in the passage.
• Fill in the answer question sheet carefully.
• Check your answer sheet to make sure you have answered all the questions.

• While reading the passage, mark the key words or statements so you can find and check your answers quickly and efficiently. Key words may include names of people and places or numbers, these words will help you find the relevant sentence if a question contains one of those words.
• Pay special attention to the main idea, major points, and important facts in the passage. This allows you to save time and read with purpose, and it will help you exclude information that is not related to the questions and read with greater efficiency.
• While reading a passage, think about ideas that may be inferred from important information found. Practice making inferences and drawing conclusions based on what is implied by the author.

TO: Softball Team Members FROM: Ms. Gordon SUBJECT: Things to do SENT: Wednesday, 6:13 P.M. Dear Softball Members, You´ll need to do a few things before we begin practicing for this year´s season. First, you must bring me a letter from your doctor confirming that you are in good health. Second, you´ll need to make sure that you maintain good grades in all your classes. Sometimes you will miss classes because of the games. For those times, you must notify your teachers at least a week in advance of the absence. You should complete any work you´ll miss in advance and submit it before the day of the game. Third, you need to be at every game. This comes with the territory. If you want to play on a sports team, you will be required to make all the games. Finally, your parents will need to complete and sign a permission slip, which you will return to me. I look forward to a great season together! Coach Gordon

Example:

Which of the following is NOT mentioned by Coach Gordon in the e-mail?

• Getting a letter from a doctor
• Keeping good grades in all the classes
• Getting along with other team members
• Returning a permission slip

Getting along with other members is not mentioned anywhere in the e-mail.

Language Form Questions

• These kinds of questions test your ability to recognize the proper content and structures needed to complete a grammatically correct sentence in English.
• They test whether you can use context to recognize correct and incorrect examples and uses of common grammar structures.

How to recognize the author´s purpose questions

The following are examples of the way the author´s purpose questions are typically phrased: - Why did X write the e-mail? - What is the purpose of the newspaper article?

Author´s Purpose Questions

Tips for the author´s purpose questions

These questions assess your ability to identify the author´s overall reason for presenting the information in the reading passage. This type of question appears mainly in correspondence and journalism passages. The author may sometimes clearly state his/her purpose within the passage. However, at other times, you will need to focus on key words and phrases as well as larger themes within the passage in order to determine the author´s purpose.

-Author´s purpose questions are generally about the author´s overall reason for writing, so it is helpful to understand the gist or main idea of the passage. -Pay attention to the opening lines of the passage; the author sometimes directly states his or her purpose near the beginning of a passage. -Look for the keywords and phrases that will help you determine author´s purpose, such as phrases containing "because", "reason", "purpose", or "need to", "should" and "must".

Practice

LISTEN TO A SCIENCE TEACHER SPEAKING TO HER STUDENTS: Remember, the first step is to put on your safety glasses. Safety is the most important rule when doing experiments. We´re going to be observing what happens as we heat and cool different substances, and it´s possible that some of the containers might break and cause a mess. If there are no questions, let´s start with the first one. What will the students probably do next? a) clean up a mess in the laboratory b) ask the teacher some questions c) present reports about a science experiment d) put on safety glasses

ENLACE

What is the passage mainly about?

• A) Taking photographs.
• B) A famous bridge
• C) Gray clouds
• D) San Francisco

https://sf.curbed.com/2017/5/25/15686274/golden-gate-bridge-facts-things-know

Example from an expository passage:

The Golden Gate Bridge is a famous bridge in San Francisco. The bridge has a red color, but gray clouds often surround it. On clear days people come to take pictures of the bridge. The prictures show the green hills next to the bridge and the blue water under it.

This question assesses your ability to comprehend the general theme of the excerpt. Answer choice B is the correct answer, because the others give minor details about the general theme that is about a famous bridge and its name.

Practice

Excerpt from a short conversation: Boy- Well my uncle is an architect. He has so many books about architecture at his house that it´s almost like a library! I´m sure he has a copy of the book you are looking for, or at least a different book with similar information. Girl- Wow! Do you think he´ll let me borrow it? Boy- Of course. We can walk over to his house together after school today. Then you can talk to him about the book. Girl- That sounds great. I´ll meet you at the main entrance right after school. How does the girl probably feel when she says, "Wow! Do you think he´ll let me borrow it?" a) excited b) nervous c) confused d) confident

Practice

Excerpt from a short conversation: girl- They want the mural to be about nature, so I guess all the design ideas students come up with should have a nature theme. boy- That makes sense -They´ve been planting so many trees and plants along the streets and in the park. girl- If you´re interested, you should talk with Mr. Jennings. boy- This could be so much fun. Maybe I´ll try to visit the zoo this weekend...You know, to see the wild animals and get some ideas, something to inspire me! girl- Well, maybe you should go to the art room first to get more information from Mr. Jennings.

How to recognize detail questions

Tips for detail questions

Practice

Excerpt from a lecture in a social studies class: ...The objective of a folk game was most often to move the ball to some fixed point and score points. Sounds a lot like modern games, doesn´t it? But in actuality, folk games were much different! ...The teams that played in folk games were nothing like the carefully structured teams in today´s games. Today, each player has a specific role- like in soccer, when one player´s job is to protect the goal another´s job is to try to score. There´s a lot of specialization in roles and positions. But in the past, folk games were played more like children play games today. Think about how kids usually play a game: they will often change positions or roles. This is more or less how teams were organized in the past. ...And another difference- nowadays, sports games are considered very positive activities. Why does the teacher discuss how children play games today? a) to explain the origins of modern children´s games b) to compare old folk games with modern children´s games c) to emphasize that only children participated in old folk games d) to point out that the rules for old folk games were very simple

Language Meaning Questions

• These kinds of questions test your ability to choose the correct word, based on its meaning, to correctly complete a sentence.
• The focus of language-meaning questions is not grammar, and the grammar of the sentence in which the cloze box appears will not be tested.
• You will need to understand the larger context of the passage to choose the word with the correct meaning.

Example:

Excerpt from a correspondence passage.

Third, you need to be at every game. This comes with the territory. If you want to play on a sports team, you will be required to make it to all the games. Finally, your parents will need to complete and sign a permission slip, which you will return to me. The phrase comes with the territory is closest in meaning to____.

a) does nothingb) is expected c) takes turns d) can change

The idiom "comes with the territory" within the surrounding context "need to be" and "will be required," supports the idea that something is expected of the team members.

Tips for rhetorical structure questions

• Rhetorical structure questions are not about the overall organization of the reading passage. Instead, they are questions about the author´s reason for mentioning a particular word, example, idea, or statement within the passage. The question itself will direct you to the place in the passage where you need to look to answer it correctly. Read the surrounding context closely to understand the ideas being presented and how they are being presented.

• Rhetorical structure questions typically focus on the logical links between words or phrases and ideas in the passage. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to transition words and phrases. These will help you understand the logical connections between ideas.

How to recognize rhetorical structure questions

The following are examples of the way rhetorical structure questions are typically phrased. - Why does the author mention X? -Why does the author discuss X in paragraph 2?

Ask you to consider the reason that the speaker is presenting the info. The question itself will direct you to the specific information that you should pay attention to while listening to the material. For instance, a speaker might use an example of an elephant when talking about the weight of a heavy machine.

Rhetorical device questions

Read the questions before listening to the lecture, discussion, or conversation: If the question is, "Why does the teacher mention nests?" then make sure you listen carefully for the word "nest" and what point the teacher is trying to make when he or she uses it.

Tips

The following are examples of possible rhetorical device questions: Why does the teacher discuss...? Why does the boy/girl mention...?

How to recognize rhetorical device questions

Reading Comprehension Section Passages

Non-academic

Academic

These passages cover topics not typically found in middle-school/lower-level high-school curricula, and they tend to use a less formal writing style than academic passages:

• Correspondence passages are typically e-mails, about real-life, age-appropriate experiences and are intended for a specific audience. The language is either informal or neutral, meaning it is suitable for a wide audience.
• Graphic passages present information about a variety of topics in a nonlinear (graphic) format. They include schedules and announcements.
• Journalism passages present an account of events as they would appear in a middle-school/ high-school newspaper or magazine article. They use an expository writing style in that they are descriptive, provide information, and important details, and answer general questions such as who, what, when, where, why, and how. Another important feature of journalism passages is the use of direct quotations from individuals who participate in the event being reported on.

They cover topics that you might read about or discuss during a lesson in school and include features representative of an academic style of writing. They use formal language, technical vocabulary, and complex sentence structures. You are not expected to have prior knowledge of specific topics, but you should be able to use your knowledge of English to comprehend the information in the texts and answer the questions.

• Fiction passages may cover topics not normally thought of as academic but often require readers to use more advanced inferring skills to understand the story. They tell a story in narrative form, and the narration is neither overly complex nor overly long, and the information needed to answer the questions will be in the passage.
• Expository passages are an important part of this section, and they cover a wide range of subject areas, including science, social studies, and the humanities. They mainly focus on providing unbiased and accurate information. They are relatively long and use more comple sentences and more formal language.

Example:

Excerpt from an expository passage: Most animal species use some form of camouflage to help protect them from predators. But using camouflage is not limited to animals. Some plants have also developed the ability to disguise themselves by blending in with the environment that surrounds them. Take for example the pebble plant. This plant has fleshy grey leaves that look a lot like stones, so animals do not notice the leaves and do not try to eat them.

The word disguise in the passage is closest in meaning to: a) hide b) grow c) give d) move Clues from the surrounding context, such as "blending in with the environment" and "animals do not notice the leaves" support the "hide" choice as the correct one.

General Tips for improvement

• Knowledge of correct language form and meaning is an essential element in clear and accurate communication in English.
• Understanding language form and meaning is also important in improving your listening, speaking, and writing skills in English.
• Daily practice will help you to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to correctly use language form and meaning.

Daily practice

General tips for improvement

Reading ability is an essential part of learning English and it will help you develop logical thinking skills and improve in other English-language learning areas, such as writing and listening. To improve your English reading ability, daily practice is very important. You need to improve your reading speed, as well as broaden the range of what you read by routinely reading authentic materials, such as novels, newspapers, and magazines. If you come across an unfamiliar word, do not look it up in the dictionary immediately: try to infer the meaning of the word from the context. After reading a whole passage, you should summarize the main idea to practice developing your logical thinking ability.

• Increasing your vocabulary knowledge is the basis for improving your reading ability:

Read daily a variety of authentic materials and use flashcards for vocabulary.

• When you read a passage, you should avoid reading it outloud. Try to read it silently:

Try to recognize meaningful expressions or clauses instead of separate words.

• Logical thinking and the ability to infer and draw conclusions are important skills for you to develop:

Summarizing, identifying author´s purpose, listing details, and inferring ideas/points that are not directly stated.

Test Purpose:

• Placement in programs requiring academic English proficiency
• Progress monitoring
• Exiting any program by demonstrating proficiency in English
• Admissions to short-term, non-degree programs in English-speaking countries
• Admissions to undergraduate and graduate degree programs in non-English speaking countries
• Admissions and placement in collaborative international degree programs
• Scholarship programs

Test topics and Settings

ACADEMIC TOPICS: Arts Humanities Life Sciences Physical Sciences Social Sciences

GENERAL TOPICS: Business Environment Food Language and Communication Media Objects Personal Planning and time management Purchases Recreation Transportation Workplace

CAMPUS-LIFE TOPICS: Classes Campus administration Campus activities

Listening Comprehension Section

This section is designed to measure your hability to understand spoken English in a variety of settings, both inside and outside of the classroom. These settings include lecture halls and classrooms, libraries, dormitories, offices, cafeterias, recreation facilities, and other public settings. Topics discussed are either academic topics or general topics that a university student might encounter at an English-language university, college or institution. The section contains 50 questions divided into three parts and takes approximately 40 minutes to complete.