The Complete Guide To The TOEFL Test

304 Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension

C) Scanning Questions

These questions ask you to find where in the passage some particular information or transition is located. They are easy to identify: the answers are usually line numbers. They are usually easy to answer too. Scanning questions are often the last question in a set of questions about a passage. To answer these questions, use the same techniques for scanning given in Part A about factual questions.

Sample Questions

•In what line does the author shift his focus to ____

•Where in the passage does the author first discuss ____

•Where in the passage does the author specifically stress ____

•In what paragraph does the author first mention the concept of ____

In each Reading section, there are generally from one to three scanning questions.

Exercise 45.1

Focus: Scanning passages to locate answers for factual and scanning questions.

Directions: For each question, locate that part of the passage in which the answer will probably be found, and write down the line numbers in the blank at the end of the passage. Don't worry about answering the question itself, only about finding the information. The first one is done as an example. Do these scanning exercises as fast as you can.

Questions 1-7

Antlers grow from permanent knoblike bones on a deer's skull. Deer use their antlers chiefly to fight for mates or for leadership

of a herd. Among most species of deer, only the males have (line) antlers, but both male and female reindeer and caribou have

(';) antlers. Musk deer and Chinese water deer do not have antlers at all.

Deer that live in mild or cold climates lose their antlers each winter. New ones begin to grow the next spring. Deer that live in tropical climates may lose their antlers and grow new ones at

(10)other times of year.

New antlers are soft and tender. Thin skin grows over the antlers as they develop. Short, fine hair on the skin makes it look like velvet. Full-grown antlers are hard and strong. The velvety skin dries up and the deer rubs the skin off by scraping

(1 ';) its antlers against trees. The antlers fall off several months later.

The size and shape of a deer's antlers depend on the animal's age and health. The first set grows when the deer is from one to

two years old. On most deer, the first antlers are short and

(20)straight. As deer get older, their antlers grow larger and form intricate branches.

4.According to the article, which of the following does the skin on deer's antlers most closely resemble? _____

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5.Which of the following factors influences the size and shape of a deer's antlers? ___ _

6.At what age do deer get their first antlers? ____

7.What happens to a deer's antlers as the deer grow older? ___

(10)with groups called the Hot Five, the Hot Seven, and the Savoy Ballroom Five. These records rank among the greatest recordings in the history of jazz. They include "Cornet Chop Suey,""Potato Head Blues," and "West End Blues."

Armstrong led a big band during the 1930's and 1940's, but in 1947 returned to playing \vith

small jazz groups. He performed all over the world and made a number of hit records, such as" I !clIo,

(15)Dolly" and "Mack the Knife." Armstrong also appeared in a number of movies, first in New Orleans in

1947, High Society in 1956, and Hello, Dolly in 1969.

8.What was Armstrong's nickname? ____

9.Which of the following phrases best describes Armstrong's singing voice? ____

10.Where did Armstrong first learn to play the cornet? ____

II. In what city was Joe "King" Oliver's band based' ____

12.During what period did Armstrong record some of jazz's greatest records? ____

13.What was the first movie Armstrong appeared in? _.____

Questions 14-23

In 1862, during the Civil War, President Lincoln signed the Morrill Act. The measure was named for its sponsor, Congressman (later Senator) Justin S. Morrill of Vermont. Popularly called the Land Grant Act, it provided each state with 30,000 acres of public land for each senator and each

(line) representative it had in Congress. It required that the land be sold, the proceeds invested, and the

(5)income used to create and maintain colleges to teach agriculture and engineering.

Although not all states used the money as planned in the act, some thirty states did establish new institutions. Purdue University, the University of Illinois, Texas A & M, Michigan State, and the University of California all trace their roots to the Morrill Act. Eighteen states gave the money to existing state universities to finance new agricultural and engineering departments. A few gave their

(10)money to private colleges. For example, Massachusetts used much of its funds to endow the Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology. One state changed its mind. Yale University was chosen to be funded in Connecticut, but farmers protested, and the legislature moved the assets to the University of Connecticut.

Most students chose to study engineering. Agriculture was not even considered a science until it

(15)had been dignified by the work of research stations. These were established at land-grant institutions in 1887 by the Hatch Act. Gradually, universities broke away from the narrow functions Congress had assigned them and presented a full range of academic offerings, from anthropology to zoology.

Today there are some 69 land-grant institutions in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. About one in five college students in the United States attends land-grant schools.

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14. When was the Morrill Act signed? ____

IS. Who sponsored the Morrill Act? ____

16.What position did the sponsor of the Morrill Act have at the time it was passed' ____

17.How much land did each state receive under the Morrill Act? ____

lB. How many states used the money in the way it was intended by Congress? ____

19.Which of these states used its money to fund a private university?

20.Who objected to the way the Connecticut legislature initially decided to spend its funds?

21.What was one effect of the Hatch Act of 1BS7? ____

22.How many land-grant institutions are in operation at present? ____

23.What percent of college students in the United States currently attend land-grant institutions?

Exercise 45.2

Focus: Answering factual, negative, and scanning questions about reading passages.

Directions: Read the following passages and the questions about them. Decide which of the choices-(A), (B), (C), or (D)-best answers the question, and mark the answer. The first one is done as an example.

Questions 1-9

Mesa Verde is the center of the prehistoric Anasazi culture. It is located in the high plateau lands near Four Corners, where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona come together. This high

ground is majestic but not forbidding. The climate is dry, but tiny streams trickle at the bottom of (line) deeply cut canyons, where seeps and springs provided water for the Anasazi to irrigate their crops.

(5)Rich red soil provided fertile ground for their crops of corn, beans, squash, tobacco, and cotton. The Anasazi domesticated the wild turkey and hunted deer, rabbits, and mountain sheep.

For a thousand years the Anasazi lived around Mesa Verde. Although the Anasazi are not related to the Navajos, no one knows what these Indians called themselves, and so they are commonly referred

began constructing permanent homes on mesa tops. In the next 300 years, the Anasazi made rapid technological advancements, including the refinement of not only basket-making but also potterymaking and weaving. This phase of development is referred to as the Early Pueblo Culture.

By the Great Pueblo Period (1100-1300 A.D.), the Anasazi population swelled to over 5,000 and

(15)the architecturally ambitious cliff dwellings came into being. The Anasazi moved from the mesa tops onto ledges on the steep canyon walls, creating two and three story dwellings. They used sandstone blocks and mud mortar. There were no doors on the first floor and people used ladders to reach the first roof. All the villages had underground chambers called kivas. Men held tribal councils there and also used them for secret religious ceremonies and clan meetings. Winding paths, ladders, and steps

(20)cut into the stone led from the valleys below to the ledges on which the villages stood. The largest settlement contained 217 rooms. One might surmise that these dwellings were built for protection, but the Anasazi had no known enemies and there is no sign of conflict.

But a bigger mystery is why the Anasazi occupied these structures such a short time. By 1300, Mesa Verde was deserted. It is conjectured that the Anasazi abandoned their settlements because of

(25)drought, overpopulation, crop failure, or some combination of these. They probably moved southward and were incorporated into the pueblo villages that the Spanish explorers encountered two hundred years later. Their descendants still live in the Southwest.

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I.The passage does l\OT mention that the Anasazi hunted __ (A) sheep

~ (B) turkeys

___ (C) deer

___ (D) rabbits

2. The name that the Anasazi used for themselves

____ (A) means "basketmakers" in the l\avajo language is unknown today

___ (C) was given to them by archaeologists

.___ (D) means "ancient ones" in the Anasazi language

3.How long did the Early Pueblo Culture last?

.__ (A) 200 years

____ (B) 300 years __ (C) 5'50 years

___ (D) 1000 years

4.Where did the Anasazi move during the Great Pueblo Period?

___ (A) To settlements on ledges of canyon "valls

___ (B) To pueblos in the south

___ (C) Onto the tops of the mesas

___ (D) Onto the floors of the canyons

5.According to the passage, the Anasazi buildings were made primarily of

___ (A) mud

___ (B) blocks of wood

___ (C) sandstone

__ (D) the skins of animals

6.According to the passage, the Anasazi entered thdr buildings on the ledges __~ (A) by means of ladders

___ (B) from underground chambers

___ (C) by means of stone stairways __ (D) through doors on the first floor

7.According to the passage, kivas were used for all the following purposes EXCEPT __ (A) clan meetings

___ (B) food preparation

_ (C) religiOUS ceremonies

___ (D) tribal councils

8.According to the passage, the LEAST likely reason that the Anasazi abandoned ~\1esa Verde was

___ (A) drought

___ (B) overpopulation

__ . (C) war

____ (D) crop failure

9.Where in the passage does the author mention specific accomplishments of the Basketmakersr

___ (A) Lines 7-9

___ (B) Lines 10-13

___ (C) Lines 14-15

___ (D) Lines 23-25

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Questions 21-26

A quilt is a bed cover made of squares of material pieced together. Each square consists of two layers filled with a layer of wool or cotton cloth, feathers, or down. Often, the squares are decorated with fancy stitches and designs. According to legend, the earliest pieced quilt was stitched in 1704 by

(line) Sarah Sedgewick Everett, wife of the governor of the Massachusetts colony. By 1774 George

(5)Washington was buying quilts in Belvoir, Virginia, to take back to Martha in Mount Vernon. As the frontier moved westward, quilting went along. In addition to sleeping under them, homesteaders

kept out drafts by hanging quilts over doors and windows. And if the money ran out, quilts were used to pay debts.

For isolated pioneer women, quilts were a source of comfort. Mary Wilman, whose family moved

(10)to Texas from Missouri in 1890, recalled the first time she and her mother had to spend a week alone

and a dust storm came up. "The wind blew for three days and the dust was so thick that you couldn't see the barn. My mother quilted all day, and she taught me how to quilt. If it hadn't been for quilting, I think we would have gone crazy."

Quilting provided an important social function for the women of the frontier as well. At quilting

(15)bees, women met to work on quilts and to share the latest news.

Today, however, the homely quilt has become a costly cultural phenomenon. The International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, the "world's fair of quilting;' attracted only 2,500 people and displayed only 200 quilts when it began a dozen years ago. This year there were over 20,000 visitors and 5,000 quilts, some of which sold for as much as $50,000.

2l. According to legend, who made the first American quilt?

___ (A) Sarah Sedgewick Everett

___ (B) the governor of the colony of Massachusetts

___ (C) Martha Washington __ (D) MaryWilman

22.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as one of the benefits of quilts for pioneers?

___ (A) They could be used to pay debts.

___ (8) They could be used to help insulate houses.

___ (C) They could provide psychological comfort.

___ (D) They could be worn as warm clothing.

23.According to the passage, what is a "quilting bee?"

___ (A) A type of insect

___ (8) A gathering where women socialized and made quilts __ (C) A type of quilt

___ (D) A place where people buy and sell quilts

24.In what state is the International Quilt Festival held?

___ (A) Massachusetts

___ (B) Texas

___ (C) Virginia

___ (D) Missouri

25.How many quilts were displayed at the first International Quilt Festival?

__ (A) 200 __ (B) 2,500 __ (C) 5,000 __ (D) 20,000

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26.Where in the passage does the author first begin to discuss the way in which the public's perception of quilts has changed in modern times?

__ (A) Lines 6-8

__ (B) Line 9

__ (C) Lines 14-15 __ (D) Line 16

Questions 27-32

Ambient divers, unlike divers who go underwater in submersible vehicles or pressure-resistant suits, are exposed to the pressure and temperature of the surrounding (ambient) water. Of all types of diving, the oldest and simplest is free diving. Free divers may use no equipment at all, but most

(line) use a face mask, foot fins, and a snorkel. Under the surface, free divers must hold their breath. Most

(5)free divers can descend only 30 to 40 feet, but some skilled divers can go as deep as 100 feet.

Scuba diving provides greater range than free diving. The word scuba stands for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus. Scuba divers wear metal tanks with compressed air or other breathing gases. When using open-circuit equipment, a scuba diver simply breathes air from the tank through a hose and releases the exhaled air into the water. A closed-circuit breathing device, also

(10)called a rebreather, filters out carbon dioxide and other harmful gases and automatically adds oxygen. This enables the diver to breathe the same air over and over.

In surface-supplied diving, divers wear helmets and waterproof canvas suits. Today, sophisticated plastic helmets have replaced the heavy copper helmets used in the past. These divers get their air from a hose connected to compressors on a boat. Surface-supplied divers can go deeper than any other type of ambient diver.

27. Ambient divers are ones who

___ (A) can descend to extreme depths use submersible vehicles

___ (C) use no equipment

___ (D) are exposed to the surrounding water

28.According to the passage, a free diver may use any of the following EXCEPT

___ (A) a rebreather

___ (B) a snorkel

___ (C) foot fins

___ (D) a mask

29.According to the passage, the maximum depth for free divers is around

__ (A) 40 teet __ (B) 100 feet __ (C) 200 feet __ (D) 1,000 feet

30.When using closed-circuit devices, divers

___ (A) exhale air into the water __ (B) hold their breath

___ (C) breathe the same air over and over

___ (D) receive air from the surface

31.According to the passage, surface-supplied divers today use helmets made from __ (A) glass

__ (B) copper

___ (C) plastic

___ (D) canvas

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32.Where in the passage does the author mention which type of diver can make the deepest descents?

__~ (A) Lines 2-3

__ (B) Lines 6-8 __ (C) Lines 9-10 __ (D) Lines 14-15