Obviously, the first section of TOEFL iBT tests your
ability to read and answer questions about reading texts or passages. This part
of the test, in fact, contains three reading texts where each text is followed
by 12 to 14 questions for the total of 39 questions. The reading passages are
generally from 600 to 700 words long, and some of the skills which are tested
under this section include the abilities:
a. To scan for details
b. To use the context clues to understand the meaning of
vocabularies
c. To draw and outline differences
d. To recognize coherence
e. To understand how the author explains a certain number
of viewpoints
f. To recognize re-statement (paraphrases) and sentence
simplifications
g. To distinguish/differentiate which one is the
important ideas and which one is not
h. To analyze and classify information in order to
complete summaries and charts
THE
PASSAGES
Normally, the passages are very much similar to the type
of material that you find in any introductory undergraduate college textbook.
In the TOEFL iBT test, the passages usually cover a wide variety of topics but in
general, they can be classified into these following types:
a. Science and Technology, including knowledge of
astronomy, geology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology, medicine, and
engineering
b. History, government, geography, and culture
c. Studies of Art which include painting, sculpture,
dance, architecture, and theater/drama
d. Social science which include the knowledge of
anthropology, economics, psychology, and sociology
Furthermore, some passages might be categorized in more
than one way. For example, a biography presented might be related to the life
of a historical figure, an artist, or a scientific pioneer. The reading
passages are mainly expository which in this case, they may have something to
explain about as a core subject. However, there are also some passages which
appear to be narrative (telling the story of a person or an event), or may seem
to be persuasive (arguing in favor of some issues or standing against a certain
number of perspectives).
Meanwhile, the level of vocabularies used in the Reading
section of TOEFL iBT test is quite sophisticated (quite difficult) but they are
not so unrealistically complicated. For example, some specialized term such as
the word ‘glossed’ is often marked with a blue underline and you can get its
definition by clicking on the word, or you can guess the meaning from the context
of sentences related to that word.
Anyway, keep it in mind that it is not necessary to
understand every single term used in the reading passage in order for you to be
able to answer all the given questions correctly. Perhaps, the key strategy to
overcome the challenge of this Reading test is by training yourself to read more
contextual passages or articles written from the various topics discussed,
whether the source is from journals, researched papers, or other forms of
written subjects.
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