TOEFL Reading Test: Everything You Need to Know

The Reading Section is the first section of the TOEFL Exam that you will encounter. If the reading segment is well-solved, you will enter a relaxed state and feel more at ease knowing that the tone has been established correctly from the start.

Without a doubt, the TOEFL Reading portion contains some difficult problems, but with the appropriate skills and preparation, you may excel in this exam. 

This article will teach you about everything there is to know about the TOEFL Reading and ideas and tactics for answering them correctly. Keep reading. 

What is TOEFL?

Students applying to colleges and universities in English-speaking countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), a standardized academic English test. 

The TOEFL is primarily a set of tests, the most well-known of which are the TOEFL iBT and TOEFL Essentials. The TOEFL ITP (Institutional Testing Program), TOEFL Junior, and TOEFL Primary exams are part of the TOEFL series. 

Other TOEFL forms are only available at students’ schools. In April 2021, the TOEFL PBT (Paper-Based Test or Paper-Delivered Test) will be phased out.

The TOEFL iBT is a three-hour test that determines whether candidates are ready to enroll in an educational institution in an English-speaking country. 

Before taking the TOEFL, many students study for 3 to 6 months. In comparison to the other tests, the TOEFL Essentials exam was created to be a less academically oriented, less challenging English test.

The TOEFL consists of four parts: 

The TOEFL iBT is a three-hour test designed to see if students are ready to attend an English-speaking university. Many students spend 3 to 6 months studying for the TOEFL before taking the test. The TOEFL Essentials exam was designed to be a less academically oriented, less difficult English test compared to the other tests. 

What You Should Know About TOEFL Reading?

The TOEFL Reading Section is used to determine how effectively you can read and comprehend academic topics. 

  • It is composed of three (sometimes four) Reading sections. 
  • Each is around 700 words long and followed by ten questions. 
  • You are given 54 to 72 minutes to complete the section’s questions.

The TOEFL Reading Passages are excerpts from university and academic textbooks that would be used in a subject’s introduction. The texts cover various topics. 

Do not panic if you are unfamiliar with a passage’s theme. The passage contains every piece of information you will need to answer the questions. If you need to define words that are not often used, you can use the glossary tool.

The three basic categories of reading texts include:

  • Exposition
  • Argumentation
  • Historical or biographical narrative 

How is the Reading Section Calculated?

On the iBT version (which is what 97% of test-takers take) of the test, a TOEFL score ranges from 0 to 120. 

The Essentials test results are provided in half-bands ranging from 1 to 12. 

The total number of questions you correctly answer on each part of the TOEFL is referred to as a ‘raw’ score. 

If you get 31 of the 34 questions on the TOEFL Listening portion correctly, your raw score for that part is 31. 

On your TOEFL score report, however, you will not see a 31; instead, you will get a scaled score between 0 and 30.

On its own, a raw score does not mean much. It just indicates how many questions you got right in total. On your score report, all of the scores you see are scaled. 

ETS is tight-lipped about how it converts scores, and the actual method for converting raw scores to scaled scores varies slightly for each TOEFL. Thus, there’s no single formula for converting raw scores to scaled ratings.

Types of TOEFL Reading Questions

The question categories in the TOEFL Reading Section are intended to test your ability to read and analyze information. It is critical for test-takers to gain a thorough comprehension of all question categories to understand all question categories thoroughly solve them efficiently.

These are the different types of questions that you will encounter in the TOEFL Reading section:

  • Factual Information
  • Negative Factual Information
  • Inference
  • Reference
  • Reading Vocabulary
  • Sentence Simplification
  • Insert Text
  • Prose Summary
  • Fill in the Table Questions

Factual Information

You must study the offered information and recognize expressly mentioned facts or details in the passage to answer this question type. Main ideas, supporting details, and definitions are all examples of facts.

You have four response options to pick from. You are usually forced to choose one, if not two, of these options. You will be advised that the answers are only worth one point in the latter situation.

Example Reading Passage:

“540 million years ago, the first eye fossils were discovered. Previously, species may have used light sensitivity for fast locomotion and navigation, but not for fast locomotion and navigation by vision. However, because the fossil record for this period is sparse, determining the rate of eye evolution remains problematic. The rate of mutation, relative advantage to the organism, and natural selection were used to estimate the growth of the circular patch of photoreceptor cells into a fully functional vertebrate eye. According to these calculations, the whole evolution of the eye would take fewer than 364,000 years.“

Question:

How has the development of a completely functional vertebrate eye been estimated, according to paragraph 3?

  1. It was calculated solely based on natural selection.
  2. It was calculated based on research into the period’s fossil record.
  3. It was calculated using the oldest eye fossils, which date back 540 million years.
  4. It was calculated based on mutation rates, relative organism advantages, and natural selection.

Answer: 

4. It was calculated based on mutation rates, relative organism advantages, and natural selection.

Negative Factual Information

Negative factual questions are identical to factual information questions. However, you must determine which response option is ‘FALSE’ in this question type. You are given four answer possibilities, three of which are true and one of which is false.

It may also ask you to identify what package is ‘NOT’ mentioned in the passage. The words ‘EXCEPT’ or ‘NOT‘ will usually appear in the prompt for this type of question.

Example Reading Passage:

‘Selective breeding’ occurs naturally, according to Darwin’s theory, because ‘natural selection’ is the driving force behind evolution. As a result, the concept provides a robust framework for comprehending how creatures evolve over time. However, it is simply a hypothesis that will be extremely difficult to verify. One of Darwin’s major problems is his concept of “irreducibly complex systems.” An irreducibly complex system is one that contains many different parts that must all work together. This results in the absence of one, the structure as a unit fails. As a result, as current technology advances, research will be able to identify these “irreducibly complex systems” even at tiny levels. Darwin’s theory of evolution would be called into question if these complex systems are so intertwined. “To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, with all its unique devices for altering the focus for diverse distances, admitting different amounts of light, and correcting spherical and chromatic aberration, seems, I freely admit, absurd in the highest degree,” Darwin admitted.

Question:

In paragraph 4, all of the following are presented as reasons why natural selection is difficult to show EXCEPT:

  1. The notion of natural selection has a key flaw: selective breeding.
  2. The existence of an irreducibly complex system runs counter to how evolution works.
  3. The existence of irreducibly complex systems is demonstrated by modern microbiology.
  4. The idea that natural selection shaped the complexity of the human eye appears to be exceedingly improbable.

Answer: 

1. The notion of natural selection has a key flaw: selective breeding.

Inference

A conclusion formed by evidence and reasoning is referred to as ‘inference.’

As a result, in this question type, you must analyze the information provided in the paragraph to determine the most plausible conclusion. You must fundamentally understand a concept that isn’t clearly expressed in the passage. This question type is easy to spot since it contains terms like ‘infer’, ‘suggest’, or ‘imply’.

Example Reading Passage:

“Since the beginning of the planet’s history, IR has not been abundant on its surface. It was preferentially integrated into Earth’s core as the planet cooled and consolidated because it normally resides in a metallic condition. In some meteorites, large amounts of IR can be detected, indicating that the solar system’s initial chemical makeup has been retained. Microscopic meteorites continue to hit Earth today, landing on land and water. Scientists can estimate how long it took to deposit the observed amount of IR in the boundary clay by counting how many of these meteorites fall to Earth during a given period of time. According to their estimations, a period of approximately one million years would have been required. Other trustworthy data, on the other hand, argues that the boundary clay could not have formed in a million years. As a result, the exceptionally high IR concentration appears to necessitate a unique explanation.“

Question:

Because of the IR in the border clay, paragraph 5 implies that a particular boundary clay is required because:

  1. The quantity of IR in the border clay is too excessive to have. 
  2. The IR in the border clay was laid more than a million years ago.
  3. The IR in microscopic meteorites that reached Earth during the Cretaceous period would have been incorporated into Earth’s core.
  4. The amount of IR in the border clay is too excessive to have been from microscopic meteorites during the time the border clay was left.

Answer:

4. The amount of IR in the border clay is too excessive to have been from microscopic meteorites during the time the border clay was left.

Reference

In contrast to inference questions, reference questions require you to identify a link between two words.

In this scenario, you’re looking for a relationship between two different terms rather than an inference of meaning.

Example Reading Passage:

“Charles Darwin’s Evolution Theory is arguably one of the most important and disputed scientific theories ever published. Natural selection is the foundation of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. The fact that a species’ offspring will always outnumber its ability to live is one of Darwin’s basic ideas. No two children, however, are alike. As a result of random mutation and genetic drift, children gain new features and characteristics over time. Over time, beneficial attributes and characteristics that promote survival will be retained in the gene pool, while those that undermine survival will be eliminated. The ability of a species to improve throughout time is ensured by natural selection. On the other hand, as a species evolves, it splits into new species that can’t reproduce with each other.“

Question:

The word ‘those’ in the paragraph refers to…

  1. survival
  2. gene pool
  3. natural selection
  4. traits characteristics

Answer:

4. traits characteristics

Rhetorical Purpose

This question type requires you to choose an answer option that best describes the reasons behind the text’s specified section. They are the same with inference questions, but instead of focusing on the most likely conclusion, they inquire “WHY” the author delivers a particular piece of information.

To respond to this type of question, you need first to comprehend the paragraph’s core point and how the provided material relates to it.

Example Reading Passage:

“According to Darwin’s theory, ‘selective breeding’ occurs naturally because ‘natural selection’ is the driving force behind evolution. As a result, the idea serves as a solid foundation for understanding how organisms develop over time. Nonetheless, it is only a hypothesis that is exceedingly difficult to confirm. The concept of “irreducibly complex systems” is one of Darwin’s key flaws. A system that has many diverse pieces that must all work together is known as an irreducibly complex system. As a result, the system as a whole collapses in the absence of one. As a result, science will be able to discover these ‘irreducibly complex systems’ even at microscopic levels as modern technology develops. If these complex systems are so interdependent, Darwin’s theory of evolution would be challenged. “To assume that the eye, with all its unique characteristics for adjusting the attention for different distances, admitting different amounts of light, and correcting spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely admit, absurd in the highest degree,” Darwin admitted.“

Question:

What was the author’s intent in providing a quote in paragraph 4 that stated that the belief that the intricacy of the human eye could have been developed by natural selection seems exceedingly unlikely?

  1. To establish the presence of irreducibly intricate systems
  2. The evidence that natural selection contradicts Darwin’s theory
  3. The belief that natural selection is merely a hypothesis that is difficult to verify.
  4. Natural selection contributes to Darwin’s theory of evolution by providing support.

Answer:

3. The belief that natural selection is merely a hypothesis that is difficult to verify.

Reading Vocabulary

You are presented a word or words from the text and must choose a similar word from the possibilities provided. You must select the word that is closest in meaning to the word or phrase in the question from among four answer possibilities.

Example Reading Passage:

“The Native American Trade is the exchange of goods and services between Europeans, their descendants in North America, and the indigenous peoples of North America, today known as Native Americans in the United States and First Nations in Canada, who were previously known as Indians. The phrase “Indian Trade” refers to the people who participated in the trade, which began in the 1500s and had a variety of products in different places and eras. In most of Canada, the phrase is associated with the fur trade, particularly beaver fur, which was the most lucrative product of the trade from the European perspective.“

Question:

The word ‘indigenous’ in paragraph 1 has the same meaning as…

  1. Native
  2. Intelligent
  3. Foreign
  4. Friendly

Answer:

1. Native

Sentence Simplification

This test type examines your aptitude to paraphrase and summarize information without compromising its meaning. It’s easy to notice sentence simplification difficulties because each sentence is always indicated in the passage. You need to come up with a sentence with the same meaning as the one in the question.

Example Reading Passage:

“Dissatisfaction with traditional dinosaur extinction theories led to a startling discovery, which led to the development of a new theory. As one travels from the end of the Cretaceous to the beginning of the Cenozoic, many plants and animals vanish abruptly from the fossil record (the era after the Mesozoic). There is frequently a thin layer of clay between the last Cretaceous rock layer and the first Cenozoic rock layer. Scientists believed that determining how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay would give them the concept of how long the exterminations were done, and that determining the amount of the element iridium (Ir) it contained would give them an idea of how long it took to deposit the clay would give them an idea of how long the extinction took.“

Question:

Which of the following statements better represents the crucial information in paragraph 4’s highlighted sentence? Incorrect choices alter the meaning of the text in significant ways or omit vital information.

  1. Mesozoic plants and animals were unable to survive in the Cenozoic era.
  2. In the Cretaceous strata that mark the end of the era, few Mesozoic fossils have remained.
  3. Many plants and animals died out suddenly during the end of the Mesozoic epoch, according to the fossil record.
  4. Fossils from the Mesozoic era’s Cretaceous up to the beginning of the Cenozoic era’s Cenozoic era’s Cenozoic era’s Cenozoic era’s Cenozoic era’s Cenozoic era’s Cenozoic era’s Cenozoic era’s Cen

Answer:

3. Many plants and animals died out suddenly during the end of the Mesozoic epoch, according to the fossil record.

Insert Text

The logical and grammatical links between phrases are assessed using the insert text question types. The question asks you to choose a suitable location in the passage for a remark.

There are four black squares in most passages that indicate where the text in question could be placed. You are supposed to pick the one that best suits the sentence.

Example Reading Passage:

A. In the 1500s, English and French fishermen off the coast of Canada were the first to bring Native Americans and Europeans together economically. They sold firearms and other weapons in exchange for beaver fur.

B. Giovanni da Verrazano and Jacques Cartier were the first European explorers to trade with Native Americans in the 1520s and 1530s.

C. “If we wanted to trade with them for some of their things,” Verrazano writes in his book, “They would come to the seashore on some rocks where the breakers were the most vicious, while we stayed on the tiny boat.

D. They would send us what they wanted to give on a rope, constantly shouting to us not to approach the land.”

Question:

There is a missing sentence in paragraph 5 of the passage. The letter A, B, C, and D in the paragraph indicate where the following statement may be inserted.

Choose the appropriate location for the sentence.

Answer:

B. Giovanni da Verrazano and Jacques Cartier were the first European explorers to trade with Native Americans in the 1520s and 1530s.

Prose Summary

You must select the answers that best explain the summary of the supplied material, just as the name summary implies. You are given a statement in the question and must complete the summary based on it.

There will be six answer options to choose from, and you must select three that best encapsulate the key points of the supplied statement.

Example Reading Passage:

(1) Paleontologists have long claimed that the dinosaurs died out as a result of climatic changes linked to slow shifts in the positions of continents and seas produced by plate tectonics. Significant shallow oceans covered large portions of the continents on and off throughout the Cretaceous (the last stage of the Mesozoic era, when dinosaurs flourished). Data from a variety of sources, including geochemical evidence preserved in bottom sediments, suggest that the climate in the Late Cretaceous was milder than it is today. The days were not unreasonably warm, and the nights were not excessively chilly. Summers were not too hot, and winters were not too cold. The shallow waters on the continents presumably kept the temperature of the neighboring air relatively constant by buffering it.

(2) The geological record suggests that these seaways retreated from the continents and returned to the major ocean basins at the end of the Cretaceous. No one is sure why. Climates around the planet grew considerably more extreme over 100,000 years as the seas receded: hotter days, warmer summers, colder nights, cooler winters. Dinosaurs may have died out as a result of these dramatic temperature swings.

(3) But, if this is true, how could cold-blooded species like snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles survive the bitter winters and scorching summers? To maintain a livable body temperature, these animals are completely reliant on the weather. It’s difficult to explain why they were unaffected while dinosaurs were left too crippled to adapt, especially if dinosaurs were warm-blooded, as some scientists believe. Critics further point out that the shallow seaways receded from and advanced on the continents a lot of times in the Mesozoic, so why did the dinosaurs endure the other climatic variations but not this one? The theory of a simple climate shift connected to sea levels, while attractive at first, is insufficient to explain all of the data.

(4) A surprise observation led to a novel theory after dissatisfaction with conventional explanations for dinosaur extinction. As one proceeds from strata of rock documenting the end of the Cretaceous up into rocks reflecting the beginning of the Cenozoic, many plants and animals vanish abruptly from the fossil record (the era after the Mesozoic). A thin layer of clay often exists between the last layer of Cretaceous rock and the first layer of Cenozoic rock. Scientists believed that determining how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay would give them the concept of how long the exterminations were dome, and that they could identify the amount of time it took to lay the clay by recognizing the quantity of the element iridium (IR) it had would give them an idea of how long the extinctions took.

(5) Since the beginning of the planet’s history, IR has not been abundant on its surface. It was preferentially integrated into Earth’s core as the planet cooled and consolidated because it normally resides in a metallic condition. In some meteorites, large amounts of IR can be detected, indicating that the solar system’s initial chemical makeup has been retained. Microscopic meteorites continue to hit Earth today, landing on land and water. Scientists can estimate how long it took to deposit the observed amount of IR in the boundary clay by counting how many of these meteorites fall to Earth during a given period of time. (A) Based on these figures, a time of around one million years would have been required. (B) Other reliable data, on the other hand, implies that the boundary clay could not have formed in one million years. (C) As a result, the abnormally high IR concentration appears to necessitate a unique explanation. (D)

(6) Based on these findings, scientists speculated that a single big asteroid, measuring 10 to 15 kilometers in diameter, struck Earth, causing the boundary clay to form. According to their calculations, the impact created a dust cloud that blocked sunlight for several months, inhibiting plant photosynthesis; decreased surface temperatures on continents to below freezing; caused extreme episodes of acid rain; and significantly raised long-term global temperatures via the greenhouse effect. Dinosaurs and other species would have been extinct in less than fifty years if the food chain and environment had been disrupted.

Question:

Below is a quick synopsis of the section with an introduction sentence.

Select the THREE answer choices that express the most essential ideas in the passage to complete the summary. Some sentences should not be included in the summary because they express ideas that are not included in the passage or are insignificant notions. This is a two-point question.

  1. Some experts believe that the dinosaurs died as a result of an asteroid colliding with Earth.
  2. The suddenness with which extinctions occurred towards the end of the Cretaceous, as well as the high concentration of IR observed in clay deposited at the time, has driven the development of a new hypothesis.
  3. The retreat of the oceans back into the major ocean basins was preceded by extreme shifts in daily and seasonal climates.
  4. Some key evidence on the extinction of dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period cannot be explained by a simple climate shift.
  5. The disappearance of the seaways towards the end of the Cretaceous is still a mystery.
  6. Scientists analyze boundary clay layers, such as the one between the Mesozoic and Cenozoic, to assess the rate at which an extinct species fell.

Answers:

1. Some experts believe that the dinosaurs died as a result of an asteroid colliding with Earth.

2. The suddenness with which extinctions occurred towards the end of the Cretaceous, as well as the high concentration of IR observed in clay deposited at the time, has driven the development of a new hypothesis.

4. Some key evidence on the extinction of dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous period cannot be explained by a simple climate shift.

Fill in the Table Question

A fill-in-the-table question is one of the last questions for each passage. Like a summary question, the question will require you to organize points from the passage into two topics.

For example, a fill-in-the-table question might feature a chart with two different themes on the side, five unfilled bullet points in total, and seven solution alternatives.

Example Reading Passage:

(1) Willard Libby established the method of radiocarbon dating in the late 1940s. It’s a way for determining an object’s age based on radiocarbon characteristics. The interaction of nitrogen with cosmic rays produces radiocarbon in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is formed when carbon is mixed with oxygen. CO2 enters plants via photosynthesis, and animals and humans absorb carbon from plants when they eat them. The rate of carbon decays after a plant or animal dies; this is referred to as radioactive decay of carbon. Analysts can figure out when this degraded object died by measuring the quantity of carbon in it. Around 50,000 years ago is the farthest date that can be accurately determined.

(2) For more than five decades, scientists have been studying the quantity of carbon in the atmosphere. The amount of carbon in our atmosphere increased significantly in the twentieth century as a result of increased fossil fuel combustion and nuclear testing, complicating carbon calculations further. Initially, scientists tested with solid carbon samples. They discovered, however, that transforming the materials to a liquid or a gas provided more exact results. The current method of analysis is accelerator mass spectrometry. The sample’s carbon atoms are counted, and the results are quick and precise.

(3) Advances in radiocarbon dating have had a significant impact on archaeology. Progress in this field has also had an impact on faunal analyses. Faunal analysis is the study of animal remains with the goal of better understanding historical human activity.

(4) There were several abrupt extinctions of megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene Era, particularly in the Americas. Vartanyan et al. published a paper on the extinction of pygmy mammoths, which used radiocarbon dating to date them back to 3700 years before present. Other scientists have used this method to determine the age of extinct species in California’s La Brea tar pits. They used a pre-treatment procedure that involved the use of tar in their faunal analysis. They gathered bones, smashed them, and separated them into small pieces and chips. To analyze a type of Cuban Caribbean ground sloth and the Xenarthra armadillo, the bone fragments were treated with a range of solvents, including benzene. The organic material recovered from the tar was then analyzed for carbon, and radiocarbon dates were obtained. The sloth remains were discovered roughly 5400 years ago, according to scientists. This information is crucial because it could prove that human arrival in Cuba was the cause of the sloth’s extinction.

(5) Much more research is needed into the numerous fossil materials found in Central and South American pits, such as those at Talara, Peru, where extinct megafauna and human artifacts can be recovered. Ongoing research at these places may help to verify extinction ideas and their impact on human behavior.

(6) Two Creeks Fossil Forest is a remarkable feat in radiocarbon dating. A goal of geologists in the twentieth century was to determine the timing of the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene epoch. The Pleistocene epoch started 2.6 million years ago, and the Holocene epoch started 11,700 years ago. A fossil forest known as Two Creeks was discovered in Wisconsin, USA. The trees in this forest have been dated back to roughly 24,000 years ago, the estimated end of the Pleistocene epoch, before radiocarbon dating. This estimate was based on a correlation with Scandinavian sequences. Two Creeks was researched by Libby and other scientists, who employed radiocarbon dating to age the trees more precisely. Over 70 labs tested samples from the ancient forest, which dated the trees back to 13,370 years ago. This accomplishment is today regarded as a significant milestone in the advancement of our knowledge of the end of the Pleistocene epoch and the glaciation in North America.

Question:

Match the proper phrases from the answer choices to the Radiocarbon Dating and Faunal Analysis that they pertain to. Some of the response options will be discarded.

1. The analytical process involves the use of tar and benzene. 
2. The end of the Pleistocene epoch was determined using this analytical method. 
3. The first estimations were based on similar events in Scandinavia. 
4. On fossil materials, almost 70 tests were performed.
5. The fossils were discovered 13,370 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating.
6. The end of glaciations in North America has been proven by successful radiocarbon dating of forest samples.

Analyses of Fauna in Cuba and CaliforniaTwo Creeks Fossil Forest Radiocarbon Dating

Answer/s:

Analyses of Fauna in Cuba and California

2. The analytical process involves the use of tar and benzene. 

Two Creeks Fossil Forest Radiocarbon Dating

2. The end of the Pleistocene epoch was determined using this analytical method. 

3. The first estimations were based on similar events in Scandinavia. 

5. The fossils were discovered 13,370 years ago, according to radiocarbon dating.




How to Improve Your General Reading Skills?

Enhancing your TOEFL reading skills could be challenging. However, this is one of the essential skills you need to develop before taking the TOEFL. 

Here are the general tips you can employ while preparing for the TOEFL reading section. 

  • Read newspapers and magazines. 

You can stay up with current events, learn about different reporting and journalistic techniques, and improve your ability to read about complex issues by picking up a daily newspaper and reading magazines.

  • Watch your favorite English TV shows and movies.

Getting yourself acquainted with the English language in your downtime lets your brain acquire information in an informal, casual atmosphere, similar to reading an English magazine. Popular culture will most likely expose you to a wider range of words and phrases, which can supplement more traditional learning methods.

  • Play word games.

Engaging in word-based games with your family and friends will broaden your vocabulary while providing an evening’s enjoyment, whether you favor more traditional, tangible board games like Scrabble, Balderdash, or the humorous Cards Against Humanity, or prefer applications like ‘Words with Friends’.

  • Begin picking a ‘word of the day’.

It is an amusing and appealing way to begin expanding your vocabulary. Many day planners, diaries, and calendars, as well as several mobile applications and the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day website, display intriguing, distinctive, or beautiful words of the day.

  • Visit the library. 

The public library will be your new best friend due to this! While university libraries are fantastic for literature related to your course, local community libraries likely have a large selection of non-tertiary reading and audiobook alternatives, allowing you to relax while improving your English reading abilities. The best part is that most library rentals are free!

  • Always have a notebook with you. 

Writing down all the intriguing and baffling words and phrases you encounter each day is another effective way to boost your vocabulary and, in turn, your reading skills. Remember to use them in your daily routines to make yourself more familiar with them.

  • Learn how to skim and scan. 

Skimming is a technique for locating only the most critical or broad concepts. It is a technique for getting a bird’s-eye view of a piece of text. Scanning, instead of skimming, looks for related words/phrases to locate a particular fact or piece of information. Make sure you have mastered these skills, and answering the TOEFL reading questions will be a breeze.

  • Use context clues. 

The context clue strategy is used to find terms in the passage that have the same or comparable meanings as the ones in the questions. They usually take the form of nouns and verbs, names, dates and years, numbers, and figures. To get a high score on the TOEFL Reading module, you must master this skill.

How Can I Improve My Reading in TOEFL?

Reading is difficult to perfect for English-language learners, and TOEFL reading passages are challenging.

It necessitates a thorough comprehension of difficult grammatical structures and a large vocabulary of high-level words. Furthermore, you must respond to a large number of questions in a short period. 

To give your best performance in the TOEFL reading section, we have gathered for you the most effective tips and strategies that you can employ. 

  • Know the TOEFL Reading types of questions. 

There are ten main sorts of questions in the TOEFL Reading section. Some show up more regularly than others, and some take longer to arrive. The majority are worth one point; however, there are a few that are worth two or three. Make it a point that you get yourself acquainted with these types of questions. 

  • Make an academic word list. 

The TOEFL has a large amount of academic vocabulary, with the vocabulary in the TOEFL Reading test being particularly sophisticated. It is a fantastic resource for learning academic vocabulary. This is a lengthy list of terms associated with academic English. Before taking the test, ensure that you have mastered at least 20 sets of this list. 

  • Enhance your vocabulary. 

Aside from the academic word list, having a good and diverse vocabulary is always beneficial. Go ahead and look up words you do not understand when studying for the TOEFL Reading section. You may look up words after you have read the entire text and attempt to grasp it independently. Make yourself familiar with synonyms (similar words) and antonyms (opposite words) too. 

  • Improve your reading speed. 

Everybody reads at their own rate. Your goal is to speed up your reading pace for the particular test-taking situation, so you may shift gears and go full-speed if necessary. Ensure to read other English materials aside from the TOEFL-style academic readings. Reading English literature, newspapers, and magazines will help you increase your reading speed by exposing you to various English writing styles.

  • Be an active reader. 

Let’s be honest: TOEFL Reading passages are tedious. Although some people are fascinated by the phases of the moon or the geopolitics of Ancient Rome, most people fall asleep after the first paragraph. The TOEFL Reading grade is heavily influenced by your ability to focus. You will not be able to answer the questions if you can read the words but do not comprehend what they mean or how they relate to one another.

Sample TOEFL Reading Questions

On the TOEFL reading test, there are over ten different sorts of questions on the TOEFL reading test, each of which requires a different method.

Doing them all at once wastes a lot of time and will certainly result in a lower grade than you deserve. Rather than tackling each question the same way without considering the question type, you should have an approach in place for each type of question.

Here are some sample TOEFL reading questions you can study for:

Sample Reading Passage 1:

Grammar at a Deeper Level

(1) Grammar is complex, and no foreign language learner has to be told that. We can express slight differences in meaning by modifying word sequences and adding a variety of auxiliary verbs and suffixes. To indicate small variations in meaning, we can turn a statement into a question, state if an action has occurred or is about to occur, and use a variety of other word tricks. This complexity is not unique to the English language. Even so-called “primitive” tribes’ languages feature complex grammatical components. For example, the Cherokee pronoun system can differentiate between ‘you and I, ‘several other people and I,’ and ‘you, another person, and I.’ All of these connotations are encapsulated in the single, basic pronoun ‘we’ in English. Grammar is ubiquitous and is present in all languages, regardless of their popularity. So, who developed grammar? This is an issue that many linguists have struggled with.

(2) At first glance, it appears that this question is unanswerable. Someone should be existing at the time of a language’s emergence to document its emergence in order to learn how grammar is formed. Many historical linguists can trace present complex languages back to older languages, but the researcher must examine how languages are created from scratch in order to answer the question of how complex languages are developed. Surprisingly, though, this is doable.

(3) The Atlantic slave trade influenced the development of some of the most recent languages. Slaves of many nationalities were forced to work together under the colonizer’s rule at the time. They created a make-shift pidgin language because they didn’t have the opportunity to learn each other’s languages. Pidgins are a collection of terms taken from the landowner’s native tongue. They don’t use much grammar, and it’s often impossible for a listener to figure out when an event occurred and who did what to whom. (A) In order for their meaning to be understood, speakers must utilize circumlocution. (B) Surprisingly, all it takes for a pidgin to develop into a complicated language is for a group of youngsters to be exposed to it while learning their mother tongue. (C) Slave children did not merely repeat their elders’ string of words; they altered their phrases to create a new, expressive language. (D) Creoles are complex grammar systems that arise from pidgins and are created by children.

(4) Studying sign languages for the deaf provides more proof of this. Sign languages are more than just a collection of gestures; they employ the same grammatical machinery as spoken languages. Furthermore, numerous different languages are spoken all across the world. In Nicaragua, the formation of one such language was recently recorded. Previously, all deaf individuals were separated from one another, but in 1979, a new administration established deaf schools. Although children were taught speech and lip-reading in the classroom, they began to construct their own sign language in the playgrounds, employing motions they already knew. It was essentially pidgin. There was no consistent grammar, and each youngster utilized the signs differently. However, students who went to school later than others, when this original sign scheme was already present, established a quite diverse sign language. Their language was more fluid and concise, and it used a wide range of grammatical devices to clarify meaning, despite being based on the older children’s signals. Furthermore, all of the children made the identical signs. There was the birth of a new creole.

(5) Many of the world’s most well-known languages, according to some linguists, began as creoles. The –ed ending in the English past tense may have developed from the verb ‘do.’ ‘It ended’ may have been spelled ‘It end-did.’ As a result, it appears that even the most widely spoken languages were formed in part by children. Children’s brains appear to have built-in grammatical machinery that comes to life when they’re initially trying to make sense of the environment. Even when there is no syntax to imitate, their thoughts can help them develop logical, complicated structures.

Questions:

Rhetorical Purpose

A. Why did the writer offer information about the Cherokee language in paragraph 1?

  1. To show how tough it is to learn Cherokee
  2. To demonstrate how English grammar varies from Cherokee grammar
  3. To demonstrate that the Cherokees built complicated grammar systems
  4. To demonstrate how even simple, traditional cultures can have complex grammatical patterns.
Inference

B. What may be deduced about the pidgin language of the slaves?

  1. It has a lot of complicated grammar in it.
  2. It was created using a variety of languages.
  3. Even among slaves, it was impossible to comprehend.
  4. The landowners were the ones who came up with the idea.
Negative Factual Information

C. All of the following statements about natural sign language in Nicaragua are true EXCEPT:

  1. Younger children perfected the language.
  2. Since 1979, the language has been developed.
  3. The language is based on lip-reading and speaking.
  4. Signs that children use at home are included in the language.

D. All are features of the new Nicaraguan language EXCEPT:

  1. The movements of the hands were smoother and smaller.
  2. To convey meaning, all of the children utilized the same motions.
  3. For ordinary objects and activities, new gestures were developed.
  4. The meaning was easier to understand than the prior sign language.
Insert Text

E. Where should the following sentence go in paragraph 3?

It includes prescribed word ordering and grammatical markers that did not exist in either the pidgin or the colonizers’ languages.

  1.  
  2.  
  3.  
  4.  
Reading Vocabulary

F. In paragraph 2, the phrase “from scratch” is most closely related to: 

  1. from the start
  2. in basic cultures
  3. with the aid of written data
  4. through the use of a template

G. In paragraph 3,’make-shift’ is most similar to: 

  1. personal and private
  2. simple and transient
  3. complex and expressive
  4. extensive and various

H. In paragraph 4, look at the term ‘consistent.’ Which of the following would be the best replacement for this word?

  1. natural
  2. uniform
  3. imaginable
  4. predictable

I. Which of the following sentences is closest to the highlighted sentence in terms of meaning?

Grammar is universal and is used in all languages, regardless of their popularity.

  1. No matter where they evolved, all languages have the same syntax.
  2. Some languages have a great deal of grammar, whereas others have very little.
  3. Grammar is present in all languages, whether spoken by a small group or a large group.
  4. Languages with a lot of grammar are more prevalent than languages with a small amount of grammar.
Prose Summary

J. In the final paragraph, which concept is presented?

  1. The past tense system in English is incorrect.
  2. Creole was most likely formerly an Englishman.
  3. Linguists have shown that children invented English.
  4. Adults and children speak English past tenses in different ways.

Answers

A. 4

B. 3

C. 3

D. 4

E. 1

F. 2

G. 2

H. 3

I. 4

J. 3

Sample Reading Passage 2:

A Memorable Fact

(1) A phone number can be remembered for up to thirty seconds by the vast majority of people. The numerals, however, are deleted from memory once this short period of time has passed. In the first place, how did the information get there? The sensory storage area is where information is delivered to the short-term memory (STM). The STM, also known as working memory, in the brain has a filter that only enables items of immediate importance to pass through.

(2) The capacity and duration of short-term memory are both hotly debated topics. The most widely recognized idea is that humans can retain around seven bits of information, according to George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist. A chunk is a eloquent component of data, such as a word or a name, as opposed to a letter or a number. According to modern theories, chunking, or categorizing related information together, can boost the capacity of the short-term memory. One can improve the likelihood of a memory being passed on to long-term storage by structuring information and optimizing the STM.

(3) Many people engage in “rote rehearsal” when they are consciously attempting to learn something, such as exam content. It is possible to keep a memory alive by saying something repeatedly. Unfortunately, no interruptions are required for this sort of memory maintenance to work. The information has a tendency to vanish as soon as a person stops rehearsing it. When a pen and paper aren’t available, individuals frequently try to recall phone numbers by saying them out loud. If a dog barks or a doorbell rings to come inside before a person gets a chance to make a phone call, he will almost certainly forget the number. As a result, rote practice is ineffective for transferring knowledge from short to long-term memory. Practicing “elaborate rehearsal” is a better approach to go. This entails giving a piece of information semantic significance so that it can be filed with other long-term memories that already exist.

(4) It’s also easier to find information when it‘s encoded semantically. Recognition or recall are two methods for retrieving data. Humans can quickly recall memories that have been retained in long-term memory and have been used frequently; nevertheless, if a memory appears to have been forgotten, it can be recalled with prompting. The more signals (such as photos) a person is provided, the more likely it is that a memory will be recalled. This is why multiple-choice examinations are frequently utilized in areas that necessitate a great deal of memorizing.

Questions:

Factual Information

K. How are memories transferred to the STM, according to the text?

  1. They go back to their long-term memories.
  2. When they enter the brain, they are chunked.
  3. They’re filtered out of the sensory storage facility.
  4. They get into the body through the neurological system.
Negative Factual Information

L. All of these are mentioned as places where memories are kept, with the exception of the:

  1. STM 
  2. Maintenance area
  3. Long-term memory
  4. Sensory storage area
Reading Vocabulary

M. In paragraph 1, the word ‘elapses’ has the same meaning as:

  1. passes
  2. totals
  3. continues
  4. appears

N. In paragraph 3, the word elaborate is most similar to:

  1. efficient
  2. complex
  3. attractive
  4. consistent
Rhetorical Purpose

O. Why did the author make a reference to a ‘dog’s bark’?

  1. To demonstrate a sort of memory
  2. To demonstrate a type of interruption
  3. To contrast another loud sound, such as a doorbell
  4. To demonstrate that dogs have superior memories than people
Reference

P. In the last paragraph, the word ‘it’ relates to:

  1. STM
  2. data
  3. encoding
  4. semantics
Sentence Simplification

Q. Which of the following sentences from the passage better communicates the relevant information in the emphasized sentence? Incorrect answer selections exclude important information or alter its meaning.

  1. If a memory hasn’t been used in a long time, it can be recalled by prompting.
  2. Prompting is the simplest method for retrieving short-term memory after a long period of time.
  3. Because of regular cues, it is simpler to recall short-term memories than long-term memories.
  4. It is simple to recall a long-term memory that is frequently utilized, whereas forgotten memories frequently require prompting.
Prose Summary

R. A synopsis of the paragraph is given below with an introduction phrase. Select the THREE answer options that include the most important ideas from the passage to complete the summary. Some sentences don’t fit in the summary since they contain ideas that aren’t stated in the passage or are simply minor points. 

Short-term memory is a part of the brain that stores information that a person might need in the near future (STM).

  1. Assigning meaning to data makes retrieval easier for the brain.
  2. The majority of people can only recall numbers for a little period of time.
  3. Extensive rehearsal is thought to be ineffective compared to rote rehearsal.
  4. Because of the possibility of interruptions, certain remembering techniques fail.
  5. Many psychologists agree that the STM can only store a limited quantity of data at any given time.

Answers:

K. 3

L. 2

M. 1

N. 1

O. 2

P. 2

Q. 4

R. 1

S. 4

T. 5

TOEFL Reading Preparation Tips (What to Expect on Test Day)

Patience, hard work, and, most importantly, time are required to prepare for the TOEFL Reading Test. Know what to expect of the test before you take it. You will be able to perform at your best, and your preparation efforts will not be in vain.

The following are the most efficient techniques for preparing for the TOEFL Reading Test.

Before Your TOEFL Test 

  • Practice. 

Practicing is always the key. Weeks (or even months) before taking the TOEFL, ensure that you have given yourself enough preparation and drills.

The TOEFL is designed to put your English skills to the test. Trust that it will not be a piece of cake. 

  • Eat and sleep well. 

To give your best performance for the TOEFL reading test, make sure that you eat the right food and do not deprive yourself of sleep.

Remember that you will not be able to answer the questions right if your stomach is empty and if you are simple. That is not rocket science. 

  • Have everything you need ready. 

Whether taking the TOEFL test at home or a testing center, make it a point that you have everything you need. Have with you the necessary papers.

There is no need to bring paper and a pencil since the TOEFL is a computer-generated test. You may, however, have a clear bottle of drinking water in case you want to quench your thirst. 

During Your TOEFL Test

  • Balance reading the passages and answering the questions. 

Before answering any TOEFL reading questions, some test takers mistake reading the entire passage. This can be a waste of time.

You might start with the questions and then read through the passage for answers. Alternatively, you could skim the passage for important points before reading the questions and determining the answers. 

  • Manage your time well. 

The only portion of the TOEFL that does not have listening tracks or time constraints per question is the TOEFL Reading. As a result, you need to be wary of the time.

Remember that each passage and question set should take roughly 20 minutes to complete. Per question, you will have approximately 1 minute and 25 seconds.

However, it is usually best to limit yourself to one minute per question. This way, you will have more time to double-check your responses for each question set this way.

  • Read aloud if you are struggling. 

For whatever reason, maybe the sentence appears complex or awkward, perhaps you are sleepy, maybe you are scared by the word choice, or maybe you are simply bored, we can develop a ‘mental block’ that can impede our reading progress.

Reading these complex parts aloud can frequently help you get through that block and create a mental image of what the text is attempting to say.

After Your TOEFL Test

  • Relax.

At this point, you have done everything you can, and the best thing you can do is keep a positive spirit and have a break.

Unwind to take your mind off the hard work and preparations you have exerted. 

Additional FAQs – TOEFL Reading Section

How Do I Practice Reading for TOEFL?

To prepare yourself for the TOEFL Reading Test, you need to enhance and improve your vocabulary. This will make it better for you to comprehend the passages.

You also need to read a lot of English materials each day. Do this for at least 20 minutes daily.

Another way is for you to develop the skill of identifying the main idea of the passages you are reading. Follow these tips, and you will be good to go by the time you take the TOEFL. 

What is a Good TOEFL Reading Score?

The TOEFL Reading Test has four levels of competency.
The levels are Advanced, Intermediate, Low Intermediate, and Below Low Intermediate.

If you want to get the ‘High’ level, you should get at least a 22 (out of the 30 questions) on the TOEFL Reading Test. It means that you are an excellent and proficient English reader. 

Additional Resources – TOEFL Reading Section

These days, those taking the TOEFL test are fortunate to have thousands of available resources they can utilize while preparing for the test. Most of them are free.

To make it easier for you, we have scoured the internet and listed the best TOEFL Reading resources you can make use of.