Sample Questions About Reading (TOEFL)
READING SECTIONS
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Directions: These sample questions in the Reading section measure
your ability to understand academic passages in English. You will read one
passage and answer questions about it. In a real test, you would have 20
minutes to read the passage and answer the questions. Candidates with
disabilities may request a time extension.
Meteorite Impact and Dinosaur Extinction
There
is increasing evidence that the impacts of meteorites have had important
effects on Earth, particularly in the field of biological evolution. Such
impacts continue to pose a natural hazard to life on Earth. Twice in the
twentieth century, large meteorite objects are known to have collided with
Earth.
If
an impact is large enough, it can disturb the environment of the entire Earth
and cause an ecological catastrophe. The best-documented such impact took place
65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period of geological history.
This break in Earth’s history is marked by a mass extinction, when as many as
half the species on the planet became extinct. While there are a dozen or more
mass extinctions in the geological record, the Cretaceous mass extinction has
always intrigued paleontologists because it marks the end of the age of the
dinosaurs. For tens of millions of years, those great creatures had flourished.
Then, suddenly, they disappeared.
The
body that impacted Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period was a meteorite
with a mass of more than a trillion tons and a diameter of at least 10
kilometers. Scientists first identified this impact in 1980 from the worldwide
layer of sediment deposited from the dust cloud that enveloped the planet after
the impact. This sediment layer is enriched in the rare metal iridium and other
elements that are relatively abundant in a meteorite but very rare in the crust
of Earth. Even diluted by the terrestrial material excavated from the crater,
this component of meteorites is easily identified. By 1990 geologists had
located the impact site itself in the Yucatán region of Mexico. The crater, now
deeply buried in sediment, was originally about 200 kilometers in diameter.
This
impact released an enormous amount of energy, excavating a crater about twice
as large as the lunar crater Tycho. The explosion lifted about 100 trillion
tons of dust into the atmosphere, as can be determined by measuring the
thickness of the sediment layer formed when this dust settled to the surface.
Such a quantity of material would have blocked the sunlight completely from
reaching the surface, plunging Earth into a period of cold and darkness that
lasted at least several months. The explosion is also calculated to have
produced vast quantities of nitric acid and melted rock that sprayed out over
much of Earth, starting widespread fires that must have consumed most
terrestrial forests and grassland. Presumably, those environmental disasters
could have been responsible for the mass extinction, including the death of the
dinosaurs.
Several
other mass extinctions in the geological record have been tentatively
identified with large impacts, but none is so dramatic as the Cretaceous event.
But even without such specific documentation, it is clear that impacts of this
size do occur and that their results can be catastrophic. What is a catastrophe
for one group of living things, however, may create opportunities for another
group. Following each mass extinction, there is a sudden evolutionary burst as
new species develop to fill the ecological niches opened by the event.
Impacts
by meteorites represent one mechanism that could cause global catastrophes and
seriously influence the evolution of life all over the planet. According to
some estimates, the majority of all extinctions of species may be due to such
impacts. Such a perspective fundamentally changes our view of biological
evolution. The standard criterion for the survival of a species is its success
in competing with other species and adapting to slowly changing environments.
Yet an equally important criterion is the ability of a species to survive random
global ecological catastrophes due to impacts.
Earth
is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery, subject to random violent events that
were unsuspected a few decades ago. In 1991 the United States Congress asked
NASA to investigate the hazard posed today by large impacts on Earth. The group
conducting the study concluded from a detailed analysis that impacts from
meteorites can indeed be hazardous. Although there is always some risk that a
large impact could occur, careful study shows that this risk is quite small.
1. The word “pose” on line 2 is closest in meaning
to
a. claim
b. model
c. assume
d. present
2. In paragraph 2, why does the author include
the information that
dinosaurs had flourished for tens of
millions of years and then suddenly
disappeared?
a. To support the claim that the mass extinction
at the end of the
Cretaceous is the best-documented of the
dozen or so mass
extinctions
in the geological record
b.
To explain why as many as half of the species on Earth at the time
are
believed to have become extinct at the end of the Cretaceous
c.
To explain why paleontologists have always been intrigued by the
mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous
d.
To provide evidence that an impact can be large enough to disturb
the environment of the entire
planet and cause an ecological
disaster
3. Which of the following can be inferred from
paragraph 3 about the
location
of the meteorite impact in Mexico?
a.
The location of the impact site in Mexico was kept secret by
geologists from 1980 to 1990.
b.
It was a well-known fact that the impact had occurred in the
Yucatán region.
c.
Geologists knew that there had been an impact before they knew
where it had occurred.
d.
The Yucatán region was chosen by geologists as the most probable
impact
site because of its climate.
4. According to paragraph 3, how did scientists
determine that a large
meteorite had impacted Earth?
a.
They discovered a large crater in the Yucatán region of Mexico.
b. They found a unique layer of sediment
worldwide.
c. They were alerted by archaeologists who had
been excavating in
the
Yucatán region.
d.
They located a meteorite with a mass of over a trillion tons.
5. The word “excavating” on line 25 is closest
in meaning to
a.
digging out
b.
extending
c. destroying
d. covering up
6. The word “consumed” on line 32 is closest in
meaning to
a.
changed
b.
exposed
c.
destroyed
d.
covered
7. According to paragraph 4, all of the
following statements are true of
the
impact at the end of the Cretaceous period EXCEPT:
a.
A large amount of dust blocked sunlight from Earth.
b.
Earth became cold and dark for several months.
c.
New elements were formed in Earth’s crust.
d.
Large quantities of nitric acid were produced.
8. The phrase “tentatively identified” on line 36
is closest in
meaning
to
a. identified after careful study
b. identified without certainty
c.
occasionally identified
d.
easily identified
9. The word “perspective” on line 46 is closest
in meaning to
a.
sense of values
b.
point of view
c.
calculation
d. complication
10. Paragraph 6 supports which of the following
statements about the
factors that are essential for the survival of
a species?
a.
The most important factor for the survival of a species is its
ability to compete and adapt to
gradual changes in its
environment.
b.
The ability of a species to compete and adapt to a gradually
changing environment is not the
only ability that is essential for
survival.
c.
Since most extinctions of species are due to major meteorite
impacts, the ability to survive such impacts
is the most
important factor for the survival of a
species.
d.
The factors that are most important for the survival of a species
vary significantly from one species to
another.
11. Which of the sentences below best expresses
the essential information in the following sentence?
Earth is a target in a cosmic shooting gallery,
subject to random violent events that were unsuspected a few decades ago.
Incorrect choices change the meaning in
important ways or leave out essential information.
a.
Until recently, nobody realized that Earth is exposed to unpredictable
violent impacts from space.
b.
In the last few decades, the risk of a random violent impact from
space has increased.
c.
Since most violent events on Earth occur randomly, nobody can
predict when or where they will happen.
d.
A few decades ago, Earth became the target of random violent
events originating in outer space.
12. According to the passage, who conducted
investigations about the
current dangers posed by large meteorite
impacts on Earth?
a. Paleontologists
b. Geologists
c. The United States Congress
d. NASA
13. Look at the four letters (A, B,
C, and D) that indicate where the
following sentence could be added to the
passage in paragraph 6.
This
is the criterion emphasized by Darwin’s
theory of
evolution by natural selection.
Where would the sentence best fit?
Impacts by meteorites represent one mechanism
that could cause
global catastrophes and seriously influence
the evolution of life all
over the planet. (A) According to some estimates, the majority of all
extinctions of species may be due to such
impacts. (B) Such a
perspective fundamentally changes our view of
biological evolution.
(C)
The standard criterion for the survival of a species is its success
in
competing with other species and adapting to slowly changing
environments. (D) Yet an equally important criterion is the ability of
a species to survive random global
ecological catastrophes due to
impacts.
Choose the place where the sentence fits
best.
a.
Option A
b.
Option B
c.
Option C
d.
Option D
14. An introductory sentence for a brief summary
of the passage is
provided below. Complete the summary by
selecting the THREE
answer choices that express the most
important ideas in the passage.
Some sentences do not belong in the
summary because they express
ideas that are not presented in the
passage or are minor ideas in the
passage. This question is worth 2 points.
Write your answer choices in the spaces where they belong. You can
write in the number of the answer choice
or the whole sentence.
Scientists have linked the mass
extinction at the end of the Cretaceous with a meteorite impact on Earth.
|
Answer choices
(1)
Scientists had believed for centuries that meteorite activity influenced
evolution on Earth.
(2)
The site of the large meteorite impact at the end of the Cretaceous period
was identified in 1990.
(3)
There have also been large meteorite impacts on the surface of the Moon,
leaving craters like Tycho.
(4) An iridium-enriched sediment layer and a large
impact crater in the Yucatán provide evidence that a large meteorite struck
Earth about 65 million years ago.
(5) Large meteorite impacts, such as one at the
end of the Cretaceous period, can seriously affect climate, ecological niches,
plants, and animals.
(6)
Meteorite impacts can be advantageous for some species, which thrive,
and disastrous for other species, which become extinct
Key
to Reading Section:
1. d
2. c
3. c
4. b
5. a
6. c
7. c
8. b
9. b
10. b
11. a
12. d
13. d
14.
4,5,6
Source :
https://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/SampleQuestions.pdf
https://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/SampleQuestions.pdf
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