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TOEFL-Reading Question Type Definitions and Explanation

The document defines and provides examples of 8 different question types that may appear on the TOEFL reading section, including factual information, negative factual information, inference, rhetorical purpose, reading vocabulary, sentence simplification, insert text, and prose summary questions.

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300 views5 pages

TOEFL-Reading Question Type Definitions and Explanation

The document defines and provides examples of 8 different question types that may appear on the TOEFL reading section, including factual information, negative factual information, inference, rhetorical purpose, reading vocabulary, sentence simplification, insert text, and prose summary questions.

Uploaded by

Samara Sampaio
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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TOEFL Reading Question Type Definitions

Source. yocket.com
1. Factual Information
To answer this question type, you are required to analyze the given information and
recognize explicitly stated facts or details in the passage. These facts could be in the
form of Major ideas, Supporting details or Definitions.

You are given 4 answer choices to choose from. Out of these, you are usually required
to pick one answer or sometimes even two. In the latter case, you will be informed that
the answers are worth one point only.

How are Factual Information questions phrased?

Under this question type, you will get phrases like:

• Paragraph 2 mentions which of the following about Y?

• According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true about X?

• According to paragraph 3, how did X determine Y?

• According to paragraph 4, why did X do Y?

2. Negative Factual Information


Negative Factual questions are similar to Factual Information questions, but under this
question type, you have to determine which answer option is ‘FALSE’. You get four
answer options, out of which three are true and one is false.

It may also ask you to identify which fact is ‘NOT’ mentioned in the passage. Basically,
this type of question will contain the words ‘EXCEPT’ or ‘NOT’ in the prompt.

How are Negative Factual Information questions phrased?

Under this question type, you will get phrases like:

• According to paragraph 1, which of the following is NOT true?

• The author mentions all of the following EXCEPT…


3. Inference
Inference is a conclusion reached based on evidence and reasoning. Thus, in this
question type, you are required to identify the most likely conclusion by analysing the
information given in the passage. You basically have to comprehend an idea that is not
explicitly stated in the passage. It is easy to identify this question type as it includes the
words such as, ‘Infer’, ‘Suggest’ or ‘Imply’.

How are Inference questions phrased?

Under this question type, you will get phrases like:

• Which of the following can be inferred about X?

• Paragraph 1 suggests which of the following about Y?

• Which of the following is probably true?

• What is implied about X?

4. Rhetorical Purpose
Under this question type, you are asked to pick an answer option that best explains the
reasoning behind the mentioned part of the text. Rhetorical purpose questions are
similar to Inference questions, but it asks ‘WHY’ the author presents a particular piece
of information instead of the most likely conclusion.

In order to solve this question type, you need to understand the main point of the
paragraph and how the given information is related to it.

How are Rhetorical Purpose questions phrased?

Under this question type, you will get phrases like:

• In paragraph 1, why does the author mention X?

• Why does the author include a description of Y?

• Which of the following best explains the way paragraph 2 is organized?

• The author mentions X for which of the following reasons?


5. Reading Vocabulary
In this question type, you are given a word or phrase from the passage for which you
have to select a similar word from the given options. There will be four answer options
of which you are required to pick the word closest in meaning to the word or phrase in
the question.

How are Reading Vocabulary questions phrased?

Under this question type, test takers will get phrases like the following:

• The word X in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to…

• The phrase Y in the passage is closest in meaning to...

6. Sentence Simplification
This question type tests your ability to paraphrase and summarize information without
changing its meaning. You can easily identify sentence simplification questions as a
sentence is always highlighted in the passage. You are required to identify a sentence
that has the same meaning as the sentence given in the question.

How are Sentence Simplification questions phrased?

Under this question type, you will get a phrase like:

• Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted
sentence?

7. Insert Text
The insert text question types measure your ability to recognize logical and grammatical
connections between sentences. You get a statement in the question for which you
have to select a suitable place in the passage. There are usually 4 black squares in the
passage, which denote the possible locations for sentence in question. Of these you are
meant to select a location where the statement best fits in.

How are Insert Text questions phrased?

Under Insert Text questions, test takers will get a phrase like:

• Where would the sentence best fit? Click on a square to add the sentence to the
passage.
8. Prose Summary
Exactly as the word summary suggests, you are required to choose the options that
best explain the summary of the given passage. You get a statement in the question on
basis of which you have to complete the summary. There will be six answer options, out
of which you are required to pick three answer options that best summarize the main
ideas of the given statement.

How are Prose Summary questions phrased?

Under these question types, you will get a phrase like:

• 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.

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