TOEFL iBT — Test of English as a Foreign Language
Take the TOEFL Reading — Academic Passages, Set 2: 20 multiple-choice questions (30 minutes) with instant scoring and a full answer review. Covers 20…
What this test covers
The first 5 questions of this test, with the correct answer and explanation.
Q1. Read the passage: The Printing Revolution Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press with movable metal type in the German city of Mainz. Before then, books in Europe were mostly copied by hand, a slow and costly process that kept them rare. Printing changed this quickly. Within fifty years, presses were operating in more than two hundred European towns, and millions of books had been produced. As books became cheaper, more people had reasons to learn to read. Printing also allowed new ideas to spread with unprecedented speed: during the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, short printed pamphlets carried religious arguments to large audiences within weeks. Over time, printers favoured particular spellings and forms of language, which helped to standardise national languages such as German and English. Historians therefore see the press as more than a technical improvement: it reshaped how knowledge was shared and who had access to it. What is the passage mainly about?
Answer: B. How the printing press changed the spread of knowledge in Europe
Explanation: The passage covers printing's effects on books, literacy, ideas and language.
Q2. Read the passage: The Printing Revolution Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press with movable metal type in the German city of Mainz. Before then, books in Europe were mostly copied by hand, a slow and costly process that kept them rare. Printing changed this quickly. Within fifty years, presses were operating in more than two hundred European towns, and millions of books had been produced. As books became cheaper, more people had reasons to learn to read. Printing also allowed new ideas to spread with unprecedented speed: during the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, short printed pamphlets carried religious arguments to large audiences within weeks. Over time, printers favoured particular spellings and forms of language, which helped to standardise national languages such as German and English. Historians therefore see the press as more than a technical improvement: it reshaped how knowledge was shared and who had access to it. The word "unprecedented" in the passage is closest in meaning to
Answer: A. never seen before
Explanation: Ideas spread faster than ever before.
Q3. Read the passage: The Printing Revolution Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press with movable metal type in the German city of Mainz. Before then, books in Europe were mostly copied by hand, a slow and costly process that kept them rare. Printing changed this quickly. Within fifty years, presses were operating in more than two hundred European towns, and millions of books had been produced. As books became cheaper, more people had reasons to learn to read. Printing also allowed new ideas to spread with unprecedented speed: during the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, short printed pamphlets carried religious arguments to large audiences within weeks. Over time, printers favoured particular spellings and forms of language, which helped to standardise national languages such as German and English. Historians therefore see the press as more than a technical improvement: it reshaped how knowledge was shared and who had access to it. According to the passage, how many European towns had presses within fifty years?
Answer: D. More than two hundred
Explanation: Presses were operating in more than two hundred towns.
Q4. Read the passage: The Printing Revolution Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press with movable metal type in the German city of Mainz. Before then, books in Europe were mostly copied by hand, a slow and costly process that kept them rare. Printing changed this quickly. Within fifty years, presses were operating in more than two hundred European towns, and millions of books had been produced. As books became cheaper, more people had reasons to learn to read. Printing also allowed new ideas to spread with unprecedented speed: during the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, short printed pamphlets carried religious arguments to large audiences within weeks. Over time, printers favoured particular spellings and forms of language, which helped to standardise national languages such as German and English. Historians therefore see the press as more than a technical improvement: it reshaped how knowledge was shared and who had access to it. Why does the author mention the Protestant Reformation?
Answer: B. To illustrate how quickly printed material could spread ideas
Explanation: Pamphlets carried arguments to large audiences within weeks: an example of fast spread.
Q5. Read the passage: The Printing Revolution Around 1450, Johannes Gutenberg developed a printing press with movable metal type in the German city of Mainz. Before then, books in Europe were mostly copied by hand, a slow and costly process that kept them rare. Printing changed this quickly. Within fifty years, presses were operating in more than two hundred European towns, and millions of books had been produced. As books became cheaper, more people had reasons to learn to read. Printing also allowed new ideas to spread with unprecedented speed: during the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century, short printed pamphlets carried religious arguments to large audiences within weeks. Over time, printers favoured particular spellings and forms of language, which helped to standardise national languages such as German and English. Historians therefore see the press as more than a technical improvement: it reshaped how knowledge was shared and who had access to it. According to the passage, how did printing affect national languages?
Answer: C. Printers' preferences helped to standardise spelling and forms
Explanation: Printers favoured particular spellings, which helped standardise languages such as German and English.
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Q6. Read the passage: Coral Bleaching Reef-building corals live in partnership with tiny algae that inhabit their tissues. The algae produce food through photosynthesis and share much of it with the coral, while the coral provides shelter and nutrients. This partnership is sensitive to temperature. When seawater stays even one or two degrees above its usual summer maximum for several weeks, the relationship breaks down and the coral expels the algae. Because the algae give corals much of their colour, the coral turns white, a process called bleaching. Bleached corals are not dead, but they are starving; if temperatures fall soon enough, the algae can return and the coral may recover. If the heat lasts too long, the coral dies. Large-scale bleaching events have become more frequent in recent decades, affecting reefs across entire ocean regions, and scientists warn that reefs may not have enough time to recover between events. What is the passage mainly about?
Q7. Read the passage: Coral Bleaching Reef-building corals live in partnership with tiny algae that inhabit their tissues. The algae produce food through photosynthesis and share much of it with the coral, while the coral provides shelter and nutrients. This partnership is sensitive to temperature. When seawater stays even one or two degrees above its usual summer maximum for several weeks, the relationship breaks down and the coral expels the algae. Because the algae give corals much of their colour, the coral turns white, a process called bleaching. Bleached corals are not dead, but they are starving; if temperatures fall soon enough, the algae can return and the coral may recover. If the heat lasts too long, the coral dies. Large-scale bleaching events have become more frequent in recent decades, affecting reefs across entire ocean regions, and scientists warn that reefs may not have enough time to recover between events. According to the passage, what do the algae provide to the coral?
Q8. Read the passage: Coral Bleaching Reef-building corals live in partnership with tiny algae that inhabit their tissues. The algae produce food through photosynthesis and share much of it with the coral, while the coral provides shelter and nutrients. This partnership is sensitive to temperature. When seawater stays even one or two degrees above its usual summer maximum for several weeks, the relationship breaks down and the coral expels the algae. Because the algae give corals much of their colour, the coral turns white, a process called bleaching. Bleached corals are not dead, but they are starving; if temperatures fall soon enough, the algae can return and the coral may recover. If the heat lasts too long, the coral dies. Large-scale bleaching events have become more frequent in recent decades, affecting reefs across entire ocean regions, and scientists warn that reefs may not have enough time to recover between events. Why do bleached corals turn white?
Q9. Read the passage: Coral Bleaching Reef-building corals live in partnership with tiny algae that inhabit their tissues. The algae produce food through photosynthesis and share much of it with the coral, while the coral provides shelter and nutrients. This partnership is sensitive to temperature. When seawater stays even one or two degrees above its usual summer maximum for several weeks, the relationship breaks down and the coral expels the algae. Because the algae give corals much of their colour, the coral turns white, a process called bleaching. Bleached corals are not dead, but they are starving; if temperatures fall soon enough, the algae can return and the coral may recover. If the heat lasts too long, the coral dies. Large-scale bleaching events have become more frequent in recent decades, affecting reefs across entire ocean regions, and scientists warn that reefs may not have enough time to recover between events. Which of the following can be inferred about a bleached coral?
Q10. Read the passage: Coral Bleaching Reef-building corals live in partnership with tiny algae that inhabit their tissues. The algae produce food through photosynthesis and share much of it with the coral, while the coral provides shelter and nutrients. This partnership is sensitive to temperature. When seawater stays even one or two degrees above its usual summer maximum for several weeks, the relationship breaks down and the coral expels the algae. Because the algae give corals much of their colour, the coral turns white, a process called bleaching. Bleached corals are not dead, but they are starving; if temperatures fall soon enough, the algae can return and the coral may recover. If the heat lasts too long, the coral dies. Large-scale bleaching events have become more frequent in recent decades, affecting reefs across entire ocean regions, and scientists warn that reefs may not have enough time to recover between events. The word "expels" in the passage is closest in meaning to
Q11. Read the passage: How Migrating Birds Find Their Way Many birds travel thousands of kilometres between their breeding and wintering grounds, often returning to the same locations year after year. Researchers have identified several navigation tools that birds use. Some species use the position of the sun, adjusting for its movement across the sky during the day. Night migrants can orient themselves by the stars: in experiments conducted in planetariums in the 1960s, young indigo buntings learned to use the stars around the North Star as a reference point. Birds can also sense the Earth's magnetic field, and familiar landmarks such as coastlines and mountain ranges help them near the end of a journey. Remarkably, young birds of many species migrate successfully on their first journey without adults to follow, which suggests that the basic direction of migration is inherited, while experience helps them refine their routes. What is the passage mainly about?
Q12. Read the passage: How Migrating Birds Find Their Way Many birds travel thousands of kilometres between their breeding and wintering grounds, often returning to the same locations year after year. Researchers have identified several navigation tools that birds use. Some species use the position of the sun, adjusting for its movement across the sky during the day. Night migrants can orient themselves by the stars: in experiments conducted in planetariums in the 1960s, young indigo buntings learned to use the stars around the North Star as a reference point. Birds can also sense the Earth's magnetic field, and familiar landmarks such as coastlines and mountain ranges help them near the end of a journey. Remarkably, young birds of many species migrate successfully on their first journey without adults to follow, which suggests that the basic direction of migration is inherited, while experience helps them refine their routes. According to the passage, what did the planetarium experiments show?
Q13. Read the passage: How Migrating Birds Find Their Way Many birds travel thousands of kilometres between their breeding and wintering grounds, often returning to the same locations year after year. Researchers have identified several navigation tools that birds use. Some species use the position of the sun, adjusting for its movement across the sky during the day. Night migrants can orient themselves by the stars: in experiments conducted in planetariums in the 1960s, young indigo buntings learned to use the stars around the North Star as a reference point. Birds can also sense the Earth's magnetic field, and familiar landmarks such as coastlines and mountain ranges help them near the end of a journey. Remarkably, young birds of many species migrate successfully on their first journey without adults to follow, which suggests that the basic direction of migration is inherited, while experience helps them refine their routes. All of the following are mentioned as navigation tools EXCEPT
Q14. Read the passage: How Migrating Birds Find Their Way Many birds travel thousands of kilometres between their breeding and wintering grounds, often returning to the same locations year after year. Researchers have identified several navigation tools that birds use. Some species use the position of the sun, adjusting for its movement across the sky during the day. Night migrants can orient themselves by the stars: in experiments conducted in planetariums in the 1960s, young indigo buntings learned to use the stars around the North Star as a reference point. Birds can also sense the Earth's magnetic field, and familiar landmarks such as coastlines and mountain ranges help them near the end of a journey. Remarkably, young birds of many species migrate successfully on their first journey without adults to follow, which suggests that the basic direction of migration is inherited, while experience helps them refine their routes. What does the fact that young birds migrate successfully without adults suggest?
Q15. Read the passage: How Migrating Birds Find Their Way Many birds travel thousands of kilometres between their breeding and wintering grounds, often returning to the same locations year after year. Researchers have identified several navigation tools that birds use. Some species use the position of the sun, adjusting for its movement across the sky during the day. Night migrants can orient themselves by the stars: in experiments conducted in planetariums in the 1960s, young indigo buntings learned to use the stars around the North Star as a reference point. Birds can also sense the Earth's magnetic field, and familiar landmarks such as coastlines and mountain ranges help them near the end of a journey. Remarkably, young birds of many species migrate successfully on their first journey without adults to follow, which suggests that the basic direction of migration is inherited, while experience helps them refine their routes. The word "refine" in the passage is closest in meaning to
Q16. Read the passage: The Division of Labour In The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, the economist Adam Smith described a small factory that made pins. Making a pin, he explained, could be divided into about eighteen separate operations, such as drawing out the wire, straightening it, cutting it and sharpening the point. A single worker attempting every step might make very few pins in a day. But in the factory Smith observed, ten workers, each specialising in a few operations, could together make upwards of forty-eight thousand pins daily. Smith gave three reasons for this gain: workers became more skilled at their particular tasks, they saved the time lost in switching between tasks, and specialisation encouraged the invention of machines for simple, repeated actions. He also warned, however, that work consisting of a few simple operations repeated all day could leave workers with little opportunity to develop their wider abilities. What is the passage mainly about?
Q17. Read the passage: The Division of Labour In The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, the economist Adam Smith described a small factory that made pins. Making a pin, he explained, could be divided into about eighteen separate operations, such as drawing out the wire, straightening it, cutting it and sharpening the point. A single worker attempting every step might make very few pins in a day. But in the factory Smith observed, ten workers, each specialising in a few operations, could together make upwards of forty-eight thousand pins daily. Smith gave three reasons for this gain: workers became more skilled at their particular tasks, they saved the time lost in switching between tasks, and specialisation encouraged the invention of machines for simple, repeated actions. He also warned, however, that work consisting of a few simple operations repeated all day could leave workers with little opportunity to develop their wider abilities. According to the passage, how many pins could ten specialised workers make in a day?
Q18. Read the passage: The Division of Labour In The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, the economist Adam Smith described a small factory that made pins. Making a pin, he explained, could be divided into about eighteen separate operations, such as drawing out the wire, straightening it, cutting it and sharpening the point. A single worker attempting every step might make very few pins in a day. But in the factory Smith observed, ten workers, each specialising in a few operations, could together make upwards of forty-eight thousand pins daily. Smith gave three reasons for this gain: workers became more skilled at their particular tasks, they saved the time lost in switching between tasks, and specialisation encouraged the invention of machines for simple, repeated actions. He also warned, however, that work consisting of a few simple operations repeated all day could leave workers with little opportunity to develop their wider abilities. Which of the following is NOT given as a reason for the gain in productivity?
Q19. Read the passage: The Division of Labour In The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, the economist Adam Smith described a small factory that made pins. Making a pin, he explained, could be divided into about eighteen separate operations, such as drawing out the wire, straightening it, cutting it and sharpening the point. A single worker attempting every step might make very few pins in a day. But in the factory Smith observed, ten workers, each specialising in a few operations, could together make upwards of forty-eight thousand pins daily. Smith gave three reasons for this gain: workers became more skilled at their particular tasks, they saved the time lost in switching between tasks, and specialisation encouraged the invention of machines for simple, repeated actions. He also warned, however, that work consisting of a few simple operations repeated all day could leave workers with little opportunity to develop their wider abilities. What was Smith's warning about specialisation?
Q20. Read the passage: The Division of Labour In The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, the economist Adam Smith described a small factory that made pins. Making a pin, he explained, could be divided into about eighteen separate operations, such as drawing out the wire, straightening it, cutting it and sharpening the point. A single worker attempting every step might make very few pins in a day. But in the factory Smith observed, ten workers, each specialising in a few operations, could together make upwards of forty-eight thousand pins daily. Smith gave three reasons for this gain: workers became more skilled at their particular tasks, they saved the time lost in switching between tasks, and specialisation encouraged the invention of machines for simple, repeated actions. He also warned, however, that work consisting of a few simple operations repeated all day could leave workers with little opportunity to develop their wider abilities. The word "upwards of" in the passage is closest in meaning to