The Complete Guide To The TOEFL Test

Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension 345

6.Which of the following is NOT given as an advantage of biological agents over chemical herbicides?

___ (A) They are less likely to destroy desirable plants.

___ (B) They are safer for workers.

___ (C) They are more easily available.

___ (D) They do not have to be used as often.

7.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "Hence" in line 16?

___ (A) In addition

___ (B) Consequently __ (C) Subsequently

___ (D) In contrast

8.The word "innate" in line 17 is closest in meaning to __ (A) natural

effective __ (C) organic

___ (D) active

9.According to the passage, biological agents consist mainly of

___ (A) insects and microorganisms

___ (B) useful plants

__ (C) weeds

___ (D) herbicides

10.The word "those" in line 23 refers to

___ (A) chemicals

__ (B) targets __ (C) plants __ (D) agents

11.The word "applications" in line 25 could best be replaced by which of the following? __ (A) Requests

__ (B) Special purposes

___ (C) Treatments

___ (D) Qualifications

12. Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?

___ (A) A general idea is introduced, and several specific examples are given.

___ (B) A recommendation is analyzed and rejected.

___ (C) A problem is described, and possible solutions are discussed.

___ (D) Two possible causes for a phenomenon are compared.

Questions 13-21

(5)of Shakespeare's play into feuding street gangs, the Jets and the

Sharks, one consisting of newly arrived Puerto Ricans and the other of native-born New Yorkers. The plot, tightly choreographed by Jerome Robbins, tells the story of the love of Maria, a Puerto

Rican, forTony, who, while attempting to stop a street fight, kills

(10)Maria's brother and is ultimately killed himself. Leonard

13.The author's attitude toward the play is generally __ (A) regretful

___ (B) critical

___ (C) emotional __ (D) favorable

14.According to the passage, when does the action of the play West Side Story take place?

___ (A) In Shakespeare's time.

__ (B) In the early 1950's. __ (C) In 1957.

__ (D) In 1980.

15. It can be inferred from the passage that the Capulets and Montagues

___ (A) were rival groups in Shakespeare's play

___ (B) were 1950's street gangs

__ (C) fought against the Jets and Sharks

___ (D) were groups of actors, dancers, and singers

16.The word "feuding" in line 5 is closest in meaning to __ (A) growing

__ (B) hostile

___ (C) organized __ (0) criminal

17.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "ultimately" in line 1O? __ (A) Evidently

__ (B) Immediately

__ (C) Eventually __ (D) Savagely

18.According to the article, the words to the songs of West Side Story were written by

___ (A) Jerome Robbins

___ (B) Leonard Bernstein _-_ (C) William Shakespeare __ (0) Stephen Sondheim

19.The word "score" in line 11 could best be replaced by which of the following? __ (A) Talent

__ (B) Music

___ (C) Performance __ (D) Dialogue

20.During its initial appearance in New York, how many times was West Side Story performed?

__ (A) 10

-- (B) 26 __ (C) 246

__ (0)734

348 Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension

25.According to the passage, people at the 1900 New York Auto Show favored cars powered by

___ (A) electricity __ (B) naphtha __ (C) gasoline

___ (D) steam

26.The word "fumes" in line 14 is closest in meaning to __ (A) fuels

__ (B) grains

__ (C) fires __ (D) gases

27.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "launched" in line 15? __ (A) Joined

__ (B) Designed __ (C) Initiated

___ (D) Anticipated

28.The purpose of the additive mentioned in line 16 was to

___ (A) increase the speed of cars

___ (B) make engines run more efficiently

___ (C) hide offensive smells

___ (D) make cars look better

29.What was the highest price asked for a car at the 1900 New York Auto Show in the dollars of that time?

__ (A) $800

__ (B) $1,500 __ (C) $11,300 __ (D) $18,500

30.The word "cumbersome" in line 20 is closest in meaning to __ (A) clumsy

__ (B) unshapely __ (C) fragile

___ (D) inconvenient

31.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as steering with a tiller rather than with a steering wheel?

__ (A) A Franklin

__ (B) A Duryea __ (C) An Orient __ (D) A Gasmobile

32.The passage implies that the audience viewed the 1900 New York Auto Show primarily as

___ (A) a formal social affair

___ (B) a chance to buy automobiles at low prices

___ (C) an opportunity to learn how to drive

___ (D) a chance to invest in one of thirty-two automobile manufacturers

33.It can be inferred from the passage that auto shows held after 1900

___ (A) were more spectacular

___ (B) involved fewer manufacturers

___ (C) were more formal

___ (D) involved less expensive cars

Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension 349

Questions 34-41

When drawing human figures, children often make the head too large for the rest of the body. A recent study offers some

insights into this common disproportion in children's

(line) illustrations. As part of the study, researchers asked children

(5)between four and seven years old to make several drawings of men.

When they drew front views of male figures, the size of the heads was markedly enlarged. However, when the children drew rear views of men, the size of the heads was not so exaggerated. The researchers suggest that children draw bigger heads when they

(10)know they must leave room for facial details. Therefore, the odd head size in children's illustrations is a form of planning,

and not an indication of a poor sense of scale.

34.The main subject of the passage is

___ (A) what the results of an experiment revealed

___ (B) how children learn to draw

___ (C) how researchers can gather data from works of art

___ (D) what can be done to correct a poor sense of scale

35.It can be inferred that, during the research project, the children drew

___ (A) pictures of men from different angles

___ (B) figures without facial expression

___ (C) sketches of both men and women

___ (D) only the front view of men

36.The word "they" in line 6 refers to

___ (A) researchers

__ (B) men

__ (C) illustrations __ (D) children

37.The word "markedly" in line 7 is closest in meaning to __ (A) modestly

___ (B) noticeably __ (C) merely __ (D) newly

38.The fmdings of the experiment described in the passage would probably be of LEAST interest to which of the following groups?

___ (A) Teachers of art to children

___ (B) Commercial artists

__ (C) Experts in child development __ (D) Parents of young children

39.The word "odd" in line 10 is closest in meaning to

___ (A) unusual

__ (B) huge

___ (C) average __ (D) expected

40.The word "scale" in line 12 is closest in meaning to

___ (A) measurement

___ (B) proportion __ (C) balance __ (D) property

350Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension

41.The passage provides information to support which of the following conclusions?

___ (A) Children under the age of seven do not generally have a good sense of scale.

___ (B) With training, young children can be taught to avoid disproportion in their art.

___ (C) Children enlarge the size of the head because they sense that it is the most important part of the body.

___ (D) Children plan ahead when they are drawing pictures.

Questions 42-50

(5)she devoted herself entirely to painting. Her paintings were first exhibited in 1916 at "291 ," an experimental art gallery in New York City owned by Alfred Steiglitz which was frequented by some of the most influential artists of the time. O'Keeffe married Steiglitz in

1924.

(10)O'Keeffe's early paintings were mostly abstract designs. In the

1920's she produced depictions of flowers and precise cityscapes of New York City. Whether painting flowers or buildings, she captured their beauty by intuitively magnifying their shapes and simplifying their details.

(15)O'Keeffe's style changed dramatically in 1929 during a visit to

New Mexico. She was enchanted by the stark but beautiful landscapes under the bright Southwestern sun, and she then adopted her characteristic style. Thereafter, she most often painted desert landscapes, often with the blanched skull of a longhorn in the

(20)foreground.

O'Keeffe's paintings were exhibited annually at several New York galleries until 1946, and she is represented in the permanent collections of most major American museums. In her later years,

she settled in Taos, New Mexico, becoming the dean of Southwestern

(25)painters and one of the best known ofAmerican artists.

42.The author's main purpose in writing this passage was to

___ (A) criticize Georgia O'Keeffe's style of painting

___ (B) discuss the early successes of an inlportant American artist

___ (C) compare abstract art and landscape art

___ (D) give the highlights of Georgia O'Keeffe's artistic career

43.According to the article, where did Georgia O'Keeffe receive her formal art training?

___ (A) Sun Prairie, Wisconsin

___ (B) Chicago and New York __ (C) Texas

___ (D) Taos, New Mexico

44.The expression "that date" in line 4 refers to __ (A) 1887

__ (B) 1908 __ (C) 1916 __ (D) 1918

Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension 351

4'5. The word "frequented" in line 7 is closest in meaning to

___ (A) visited ~~ (8) supported ~_ (C) founded

___ (D) favored

46.The word "intuitively" in line 13 is closest in meaning to

___ (A) deliherately

___ (B) defiantly

___ (C) instinctively

___ (D) instructively

47.Which of the following had the greatest influence on changing O'Keeffe's style of painting?

___ (A) A trip to the Southwest

___ (B) Alfred Steiglitz's photographs

___ (C) Her job as an advertising illustrator

___ (D) Meeting influential artists

48.The word "blanched" in line 19 is closest in meaning to

___ (A) shattered

___ (B) prominent

___ (C) whitened

___ (D) inexplicahle

49.Which of the following became the most common subject of O'Keeffe's paintings after 1929?

___ (A) City scenes

___ (B) Desert scenes

___ (C) Flowers

___ (D) Abstract patterns

'50. It can be inferred from the passage that, in her later years, O'Keeffe

___ (A) continued to be successful

___ (B) returned to New York City

___ (C) could not match the successes of her early career __ (D) took up photography

352 Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension

MINI-LESSONS FOR SECTION 3

Vocabulary Building

These mini-lessons consist of lists of over 500 words and their synonyms as well as practice exercises. Although vocabulary is no longer tested in discrete items in Part 3, there are vocabulary-in-context questions in the Reading Comprehension section. These exercises will improve your ability to use context to choose the word that best fits into a sentence.

Mini-Lesson 3.1

abandon v. desert, leave behind able ad). capable, qualified, fit abolish v. end, eliminate

abrupt a{{;' sudden, hasty, unexpected acclaim v. applaud, praise, honor

n.praise, applause, honor

acrid ad). bitter, sharp, biting adapt v. adjust, modify

adept ad). skillful, expert adhere v. stick, cling

admonish v. warn, caution, advise adorn v. decorate

advent 11. coming, arrival

adverse ad). hostile, negative, contrary

affluent ad). rich, wealthy, prosperous, well-to-do aggravate v. (1) annoy, irritate

(2) intensify, worsen aggregate ad). entire, total, combined agile ad). graceful, nimble, lively ailment 11. sickness, illness

allot v. divide, distribute

amazing ad). astonishing, astounding, surprising, startling amiable adj. agreeable, congenial, pleasant

anticipate v. foresee, expect, predict

anxious ad). (1) worried, nervous, apprehensive

(2) eager, avid appraise 1.'. evaluate, estimate, assess

apt ad). (1) appropriate, suitable, correct, relevant, proper

(2) likely, prone arduous ad). difficult, exhausting arid ad). dry, barren

aroma n. fragrance, smell, odor, scent artificial adj. synthetic, imitation, manmade

astonishing ad). surprising, amazing, astounding astute ad). intelligent, clever, perceptive

attain v. accomplish, achieve

augment v. supplement, increase, strengthen, expand austere ad). strict, harsh, severe, stern

authentic ad). genuine, true aversion 11. dislike, hostility, fear awkward ad). clumsy

Section 3 • Guide to Reading Comprehension 353

Exercise: Complete the following sentences by filling in the blanks with vocabulary item (A), (B), or (C) according to the context of the sentences. The first one is done as an example.

1. Penicillin can have an _-LJA~_ effect on a person who is allergic to it.

5. The head of an academic department at a university should be not only a distinguished scholar