Pronouns

Another kind of Reading question deals with pronouns. You will see a sentence in boldface with a highlighted pronoun, and you will be asked to identify the noun that the highlighted pronoun refers to. Look at the example: However, George surprised everyone when he played a popular song, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a neighbor’s player piano, and his parents decided that George should receive lessons. He studied piano with a famous music teacher at the time, Charles Hambitzer. He was so im- pressed with Gershwin’s talent that he gave him lessons for free. Look at the highlighted word. Click on the word or phrase in the bold text that the word refers to. (A) Piano (B) Charles Hambitzer (C) The Time (D) Gershwin The correct answer is (B). The pronoun “he” refers to a person, not to a thing (“piano” and “time” are things). “He” also does not refer to Gershwin, because Gershwin did not give lessons to himself, so “he” must refer to Charles Hambitzer.

All About TOEFL Reading

Look at the words “promoted interest in the sheet music” in the passage. Click on the word or phrase in the bold text that the words refer to. (A) Sheet music sales (B) A song’s popularity (C) Song plugger (D) Music publishers On the computer screen, you will highlight those words and click them as your choice. Which words would you choose? (A) Sheet music sales (B) A song’s popularity (C) Song plugger (D) Music publishers The correct answer is (C). The highlighted words “who promoted interest in sheet music” identify what song pluggers do.

Highlighted Sentences

Another type of vocabulary question asks you to read a boldface sentence, and choose the correct definition of the highlighted word or phrase in that sentence. Gershwin dropped out of school at age 15 and earned a living by making piano rolls for player pianos and by playing in New York nightclubs. His most important job in this period was his work as a song plugger, who promoted interest in the sheet music of popular songs by playing and singing those songs in stores. At that time, sheet-music sales were the measure of a song’s popularity, and song pluggers had to work long hours for the music publishers who employed them.

Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the word “mortgage” as used in line 11?

(A) A debt left by a deceased property owner
(B) A bank-loan contract using property as security
(C) A measurement of debts owed
(D) A piece of furniture loaned to a neighbor

Then, you compare your word to the answer choices:

(A) Graduated from college (B) Stopped attending secondary school (C) Scattered sheet music on the street (D) Dropped by his school frequently The correct answer is (B). The answer closest in meaning to “quit” or “withdrew from.” Choice (A) is incorrect, because college is not mentioned in the sentence. Choice (C) is incorrect, because the sentence is not about sheet music. Choice (D) is incorrect and a tricky one, because “dropped out” is close in sound to “dropped by,” which means visited.

Highlighted Words (II)

“Dropped out of” is an idiomatic expression, and if you are not acquainted with it, you can still figure out the correct answer by looking at the other words in the sentence. You can do this by mentally removing the words “dropped out of” from the sentence and reading the sentence this way: Gershwin school at age 15 and earned a living by making piano rolls for player pianos and by playing in New York nightclubs. Then, you fill in the blank with a verb that completes the sentence so that it is logical and grammatically correct. The other words in the sentences contain clues. Look at the words: school at age 15 and earned a living by making piano rolls for player pianos and by playing in New York nightclubs. A 15-year-old person who earns a living by playing in New York nightclubs is not likely to stay in high school at the same time. So, you choose a word or words that will finish the sentence correctly. It’s not important what the words are; they can even be words in your native language. The word or phrase you came up with is probably “quit” or “withdrew from.”

Highlighted Words (I)

You will answer three kinds of vocabulary questions. In the first kind, you will see a word or phrase highlighted in the text on the screen. This highlights the word or phrase that is the subject of the question. Look at the example. You will see the passage and the question on the monitor screen arranged this way: Gershwin dropped out of school at age 15 and earned a living by making piano rolls for player pianos and by playing in New York nightclubs. His most important job in this period was his work as a song plugger, who promoted interest in the sheet music of popular songs by playing and singing those songs in stores. At that time, sheet-music . . . Look at the word highlighted in the text. Click on the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the words dropped out of . (A) Graduated from college (B) Stopped attending secondary school (C) Scattered sheet music on the street (D) Dropped by his school frequently

Vocabulary Questions

Vocabulary questions are found in the parts of the reading passage that will be highlighted to correspond with a question. This is another reason why it is unnecessary for you to read the entire passage. See the following examples:

Questions with Except and Not

The following is an example of “Except/Not” questions: All of the following are mentioned as members of the French Impressionist group EXCEPT (A) Edgar Dégas. (B) Camille Pissaro. (C) Rembrandt van Rijn. (D) Mary Cassat. In this question, you look for the answer that names a painter who is NOT a French Impressionist. In this case, it is choice (C), Rembrandt van Rijn. Whenever you see this kind of question, remember that the answer is the one that is different from the others. Sometimes an answer has nothing to do with the main topic. In the above example, choice (C) might have been “Honore de Balzac,” who was French but not a painter. These kinds of questions will be asked at least four times per passage. Look at the following example: The American composer, George Gershwin, was born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He began his musical education at age 11, when his family bought a second-hand piano. The piano was not bought for him, but for his older brother, Ira. However, George surprised everyone when he (5) played a popular song, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a neighbor’s player piano, and his parents decided that George should receive

Questions About the Main Idea of the Passage

After you have read the sentences in boldface type, answer the following question: Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the passage? (A) Russian immigrants in America were all musical and creative. (B) The Gershwins were school dropouts who became successes in show business. (C) George Gershwin became a famous composer before he was 30. (D) Musical training on Broadway did not prepare the Gershwins for success. TIP Main idea questions are usually asked first. The correct answer is (C). By reading those four sentences in bold type, you have not only saved yourself time, you have also learned what the passage is about. In addition, you have gotten the information necessary to answer the question.

Read the First Sentence of Each Paragraph and the Last Sentence in the Passage

In the following passage, read only the sentences in boldface. The American composer, George Gershwin, was born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He began his musical education at age 11, when his family bought a second-hand piano. The piano was not bought for him, but for his older brother, Ira. However, George surprised everyone when he played a popular song, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a neighbor’s player piano, and his parents decided that George should receive lessons. He studied piano with a famous music teacher at the time, Charles Hambitzer. He was so impressed with Gershwin’s talent that he gave him lessons for free. Gershwin dropped out of school at age 15 and earned a living by making piano rolls for player pianos and by playing in New York nightclubs. His most important job in this period was his work as a song plugger, who promoted interest in the sheet music of popular songs by playing and singing those songs in stores. At that time, sheet-music sales were the measure of a song’s popularity, and song pluggers had to work long hours for the music publishers who employed them. As a result of his hard work, Gershwin’s piano technique improved greatly, so much so that, while still in his teens, Gershwin became known as one of the most talented pianists in New York City. As a result, he worked as an accompanist for popular singers and as a rehearsal pianist for Broadway musicals. His knowledge of jazz and popular music grew quickly, and one of his songs was included in the Broadway musical The Passing Show of 1916. George became friends to many prominent Broadway composers. He particularly admired the music of Irving Berlin whom Gershwin called “America’s Franz Schubert.” Jerome Kern, another Broadway composer, demonstrated to George how popular music was inferior to material in Broadway shows. In 1919, enter- tainer Al Jolson performed Gershwin’s song Swanee in the musical Sinbad. The song became a hit, and Gershwin became an overnight celebrity when his song sold more than 2 million recordings and a million copies of sheet music.

PRACTICE TEST 1: DIAGNOSTIC

Directions: Each passage is followed by a series of questions. Answer the questions based on the information you gathered from the passage. Choose the best answer to each question and answer each question based on what is stated or implied in the passage.