TOEFL iBT — Test of English as a Foreign Language
Take the TOEFL Reading — Academic Passages, Set 3: 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 Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere, yet most living things cannot use it in that form. Plants need nitrogen to build proteins and DNA, but they can only absorb it as compounds such as ammonium and nitrate. The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into these usable forms is called nitrogen fixation. In nature, most of it is carried out by bacteria, some of which live in swellings, called nodules, on the roots of plants such as beans and peas. Lightning also fixes a small amount. In the early twentieth century, the chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed an industrial process for producing ammonia, which made cheap synthetic fertiliser possible. Today this fertiliser helps to feed billions of people. However, when more fertiliser is applied than crops can use, the excess washes into rivers and coastal waters, where it can cause huge blooms of algae that use up oxygen and create "dead zones" in which fish cannot survive. What is the passage mainly about?
Answer: A. How nitrogen is made usable for living things, and the effects of synthetic fertiliser
Explanation: The passage explains nitrogen fixation and the benefits and harms of fertiliser.
Q2. Read the passage: The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere, yet most living things cannot use it in that form. Plants need nitrogen to build proteins and DNA, but they can only absorb it as compounds such as ammonium and nitrate. The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into these usable forms is called nitrogen fixation. In nature, most of it is carried out by bacteria, some of which live in swellings, called nodules, on the roots of plants such as beans and peas. Lightning also fixes a small amount. In the early twentieth century, the chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed an industrial process for producing ammonia, which made cheap synthetic fertiliser possible. Today this fertiliser helps to feed billions of people. However, when more fertiliser is applied than crops can use, the excess washes into rivers and coastal waters, where it can cause huge blooms of algae that use up oxygen and create "dead zones" in which fish cannot survive. According to the passage, in what form can plants absorb nitrogen?
Answer: A. As compounds such as ammonium and nitrate
Explanation: Plants absorb nitrogen only as compounds such as ammonium and nitrate.
Q3. Read the passage: The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere, yet most living things cannot use it in that form. Plants need nitrogen to build proteins and DNA, but they can only absorb it as compounds such as ammonium and nitrate. The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into these usable forms is called nitrogen fixation. In nature, most of it is carried out by bacteria, some of which live in swellings, called nodules, on the roots of plants such as beans and peas. Lightning also fixes a small amount. In the early twentieth century, the chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed an industrial process for producing ammonia, which made cheap synthetic fertiliser possible. Today this fertiliser helps to feed billions of people. However, when more fertiliser is applied than crops can use, the excess washes into rivers and coastal waters, where it can cause huge blooms of algae that use up oxygen and create "dead zones" in which fish cannot survive. The word "excess" in the passage is closest in meaning to
Answer: B. extra amount
Explanation: Excess fertiliser is the amount beyond what crops can use.
Q4. Read the passage: The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere, yet most living things cannot use it in that form. Plants need nitrogen to build proteins and DNA, but they can only absorb it as compounds such as ammonium and nitrate. The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into these usable forms is called nitrogen fixation. In nature, most of it is carried out by bacteria, some of which live in swellings, called nodules, on the roots of plants such as beans and peas. Lightning also fixes a small amount. In the early twentieth century, the chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed an industrial process for producing ammonia, which made cheap synthetic fertiliser possible. Today this fertiliser helps to feed billions of people. However, when more fertiliser is applied than crops can use, the excess washes into rivers and coastal waters, where it can cause huge blooms of algae that use up oxygen and create "dead zones" in which fish cannot survive. All of the following are mentioned as ways nitrogen is fixed EXCEPT
Answer: A. volcanic eruptions
Explanation: Bacteria, lightning and the Haber–Bosch process are mentioned; volcanoes are not.
Q5. Read the passage: The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the atmosphere, yet most living things cannot use it in that form. Plants need nitrogen to build proteins and DNA, but they can only absorb it as compounds such as ammonium and nitrate. The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into these usable forms is called nitrogen fixation. In nature, most of it is carried out by bacteria, some of which live in swellings, called nodules, on the roots of plants such as beans and peas. Lightning also fixes a small amount. In the early twentieth century, the chemists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch developed an industrial process for producing ammonia, which made cheap synthetic fertiliser possible. Today this fertiliser helps to feed billions of people. However, when more fertiliser is applied than crops can use, the excess washes into rivers and coastal waters, where it can cause huge blooms of algae that use up oxygen and create "dead zones" in which fish cannot survive. Why does the author mention "dead zones"?
Answer: A. To show a harmful result of using more fertiliser than crops need
Explanation: Dead zones are the consequence of excess fertiliser washing into water.
Take the timed test (free, no sign-up) to see your score and the answer and explanation for every question.
Q6. Read the passage: The Invention of Writing Writing appears to have been invented in Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq, around 3200 BCE. Its origins were practical rather than literary. For centuries before then, people in the region had used small clay tokens of different shapes to keep track of goods such as grain and livestock. Over time, officials began pressing these tokens into clay, and later simply drew signs representing goods and numbers on flat clay tablets. These early signs were pictures of the objects they stood for. Gradually, they became more abstract, and scribes began making them with the wedge-shaped end of a reed. This script is called cuneiform, from the Latin word for "wedge." Eventually, cuneiform signs came to represent sounds as well as things, which allowed writers to record names, laws, letters and literature, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving works of literature. What is the main point of the passage?
Q7. Read the passage: The Invention of Writing Writing appears to have been invented in Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq, around 3200 BCE. Its origins were practical rather than literary. For centuries before then, people in the region had used small clay tokens of different shapes to keep track of goods such as grain and livestock. Over time, officials began pressing these tokens into clay, and later simply drew signs representing goods and numbers on flat clay tablets. These early signs were pictures of the objects they stood for. Gradually, they became more abstract, and scribes began making them with the wedge-shaped end of a reed. This script is called cuneiform, from the Latin word for "wedge." Eventually, cuneiform signs came to represent sounds as well as things, which allowed writers to record names, laws, letters and literature, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving works of literature. According to the passage, what were clay tokens used for?
Q8. Read the passage: The Invention of Writing Writing appears to have been invented in Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq, around 3200 BCE. Its origins were practical rather than literary. For centuries before then, people in the region had used small clay tokens of different shapes to keep track of goods such as grain and livestock. Over time, officials began pressing these tokens into clay, and later simply drew signs representing goods and numbers on flat clay tablets. These early signs were pictures of the objects they stood for. Gradually, they became more abstract, and scribes began making them with the wedge-shaped end of a reed. This script is called cuneiform, from the Latin word for "wedge." Eventually, cuneiform signs came to represent sounds as well as things, which allowed writers to record names, laws, letters and literature, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving works of literature. According to the passage, where does the word "cuneiform" come from?
Q9. Read the passage: The Invention of Writing Writing appears to have been invented in Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq, around 3200 BCE. Its origins were practical rather than literary. For centuries before then, people in the region had used small clay tokens of different shapes to keep track of goods such as grain and livestock. Over time, officials began pressing these tokens into clay, and later simply drew signs representing goods and numbers on flat clay tablets. These early signs were pictures of the objects they stood for. Gradually, they became more abstract, and scribes began making them with the wedge-shaped end of a reed. This script is called cuneiform, from the Latin word for "wedge." Eventually, cuneiform signs came to represent sounds as well as things, which allowed writers to record names, laws, letters and literature, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving works of literature. What change allowed writers to record names, laws and literature?
Q10. Read the passage: The Invention of Writing Writing appears to have been invented in Mesopotamia, in what is now Iraq, around 3200 BCE. Its origins were practical rather than literary. For centuries before then, people in the region had used small clay tokens of different shapes to keep track of goods such as grain and livestock. Over time, officials began pressing these tokens into clay, and later simply drew signs representing goods and numbers on flat clay tablets. These early signs were pictures of the objects they stood for. Gradually, they became more abstract, and scribes began making them with the wedge-shaped end of a reed. This script is called cuneiform, from the Latin word for "wedge." Eventually, cuneiform signs came to represent sounds as well as things, which allowed writers to record names, laws, letters and literature, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving works of literature. The word "abstract" in the passage is closest in meaning to
Q11. Read the passage: Surviving in the Desert Deserts present animals with two serious challenges: extreme heat and a lack of water. Many desert animals avoid the heat by being active only at night and spending the day in cool burrows. The kangaroo rat of North America rarely drinks at all. It obtains most of the water it needs from the dry seeds it eats, because the chemical breakdown of food inside the body releases water, and its highly efficient kidneys produce very concentrated urine. The fennec fox of the Sahara has unusually large ears, which help it to hear prey underground and also release excess body heat. Larger animals face different problems. Camels can tolerate losing a large proportion of their body water, far more than most mammals, and can then drink enormous amounts in a few minutes. Their body temperature is also allowed to rise during the day, reducing the need to sweat. What is the passage mainly about?
Q12. Read the passage: Surviving in the Desert Deserts present animals with two serious challenges: extreme heat and a lack of water. Many desert animals avoid the heat by being active only at night and spending the day in cool burrows. The kangaroo rat of North America rarely drinks at all. It obtains most of the water it needs from the dry seeds it eats, because the chemical breakdown of food inside the body releases water, and its highly efficient kidneys produce very concentrated urine. The fennec fox of the Sahara has unusually large ears, which help it to hear prey underground and also release excess body heat. Larger animals face different problems. Camels can tolerate losing a large proportion of their body water, far more than most mammals, and can then drink enormous amounts in a few minutes. Their body temperature is also allowed to rise during the day, reducing the need to sweat. According to the passage, how does the kangaroo rat get most of its water?
Q13. Read the passage: Surviving in the Desert Deserts present animals with two serious challenges: extreme heat and a lack of water. Many desert animals avoid the heat by being active only at night and spending the day in cool burrows. The kangaroo rat of North America rarely drinks at all. It obtains most of the water it needs from the dry seeds it eats, because the chemical breakdown of food inside the body releases water, and its highly efficient kidneys produce very concentrated urine. The fennec fox of the Sahara has unusually large ears, which help it to hear prey underground and also release excess body heat. Larger animals face different problems. Camels can tolerate losing a large proportion of their body water, far more than most mammals, and can then drink enormous amounts in a few minutes. Their body temperature is also allowed to rise during the day, reducing the need to sweat. According to the passage, what are two functions of the fennec fox's large ears?
Q14. Read the passage: Surviving in the Desert Deserts present animals with two serious challenges: extreme heat and a lack of water. Many desert animals avoid the heat by being active only at night and spending the day in cool burrows. The kangaroo rat of North America rarely drinks at all. It obtains most of the water it needs from the dry seeds it eats, because the chemical breakdown of food inside the body releases water, and its highly efficient kidneys produce very concentrated urine. The fennec fox of the Sahara has unusually large ears, which help it to hear prey underground and also release excess body heat. Larger animals face different problems. Camels can tolerate losing a large proportion of their body water, far more than most mammals, and can then drink enormous amounts in a few minutes. Their body temperature is also allowed to rise during the day, reducing the need to sweat. Why does the author say that "larger animals face different problems"?
Q15. Read the passage: Surviving in the Desert Deserts present animals with two serious challenges: extreme heat and a lack of water. Many desert animals avoid the heat by being active only at night and spending the day in cool burrows. The kangaroo rat of North America rarely drinks at all. It obtains most of the water it needs from the dry seeds it eats, because the chemical breakdown of food inside the body releases water, and its highly efficient kidneys produce very concentrated urine. The fennec fox of the Sahara has unusually large ears, which help it to hear prey underground and also release excess body heat. Larger animals face different problems. Camels can tolerate losing a large proportion of their body water, far more than most mammals, and can then drink enormous amounts in a few minutes. Their body temperature is also allowed to rise during the day, reducing the need to sweat. The word "tolerate" in the passage is closest in meaning to
Q16. Read the passage: Loss Aversion Traditional economic theory assumed that people make decisions by carefully weighing costs and benefits. In 1979, the psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky challenged this view with prospect theory. One of its central ideas is loss aversion: losses tend to feel roughly twice as powerful as gains of the same size. Losing 100 dollars, for example, feels worse than winning 100 dollars feels good. Loss aversion helps explain a related finding called the endowment effect. In a well-known experiment, some participants were given a coffee mug and asked how much they would sell it for, while others were asked how much they would pay for the same mug. Owners typically demanded about twice as much as buyers were willing to pay. Simply owning the mug seemed to increase its value. Such findings helped found the field of behavioural economics. What is the passage mainly about?
Q17. Read the passage: Loss Aversion Traditional economic theory assumed that people make decisions by carefully weighing costs and benefits. In 1979, the psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky challenged this view with prospect theory. One of its central ideas is loss aversion: losses tend to feel roughly twice as powerful as gains of the same size. Losing 100 dollars, for example, feels worse than winning 100 dollars feels good. Loss aversion helps explain a related finding called the endowment effect. In a well-known experiment, some participants were given a coffee mug and asked how much they would sell it for, while others were asked how much they would pay for the same mug. Owners typically demanded about twice as much as buyers were willing to pay. Simply owning the mug seemed to increase its value. Such findings helped found the field of behavioural economics. According to the passage, how strongly are losses felt compared with gains of the same size?
Q18. Read the passage: Loss Aversion Traditional economic theory assumed that people make decisions by carefully weighing costs and benefits. In 1979, the psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky challenged this view with prospect theory. One of its central ideas is loss aversion: losses tend to feel roughly twice as powerful as gains of the same size. Losing 100 dollars, for example, feels worse than winning 100 dollars feels good. Loss aversion helps explain a related finding called the endowment effect. In a well-known experiment, some participants were given a coffee mug and asked how much they would sell it for, while others were asked how much they would pay for the same mug. Owners typically demanded about twice as much as buyers were willing to pay. Simply owning the mug seemed to increase its value. Such findings helped found the field of behavioural economics. In the mug experiment, what did owners of the mug typically do?
Q19. Read the passage: Loss Aversion Traditional economic theory assumed that people make decisions by carefully weighing costs and benefits. In 1979, the psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky challenged this view with prospect theory. One of its central ideas is loss aversion: losses tend to feel roughly twice as powerful as gains of the same size. Losing 100 dollars, for example, feels worse than winning 100 dollars feels good. Loss aversion helps explain a related finding called the endowment effect. In a well-known experiment, some participants were given a coffee mug and asked how much they would sell it for, while others were asked how much they would pay for the same mug. Owners typically demanded about twice as much as buyers were willing to pay. Simply owning the mug seemed to increase its value. Such findings helped found the field of behavioural economics. What does the endowment effect suggest?
Q20. Read the passage: Loss Aversion Traditional economic theory assumed that people make decisions by carefully weighing costs and benefits. In 1979, the psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky challenged this view with prospect theory. One of its central ideas is loss aversion: losses tend to feel roughly twice as powerful as gains of the same size. Losing 100 dollars, for example, feels worse than winning 100 dollars feels good. Loss aversion helps explain a related finding called the endowment effect. In a well-known experiment, some participants were given a coffee mug and asked how much they would sell it for, while others were asked how much they would pay for the same mug. Owners typically demanded about twice as much as buyers were willing to pay. Simply owning the mug seemed to increase its value. Such findings helped found the field of behavioural economics. The word "challenged" in the passage is closest in meaning to