TOEFL Reading Practice: TOEFL Reading Test With Answers & Reading Tips 2023

The TOEFL or Test of English as a Foreign Language exam score is essential to every international student’s college or university application. It is a standardised test which measures one’s understanding of the academic English language as it is read, written, spoken and heard worldwide. 

The TOEFL reading section tests students’ reading and comprehension abilities to assess whether they can understand academic English in college. The TOEFL reading section usually comprises 3-4 passages. Each passage is around 700 words and contains ten questions. All the questions have to be solved in 50-70 minutes. The passages in the TOEFL reading test are excerpts from different books provided at the university level. Read on to check out TOEFL reading samples and reading section tips.

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Types of Questions in the TOEFL Reading Test

The TOEFL reading section is a mix of several question types, all of which have been discussed in detail below.

Reading Factual Information: The passages in TOEFL reading practice test state a lot of direct information or facts. The factual information questions require students to find the information in the passage. These are the easiest TOEFL reading questions that can be answered correctly if candidates read the passages carefully. Some examples of factual types of TOEFL reading questions include definitions, supporting details, and ideas. Students might also come across negative factual questions in the test in which three out of four answers are correct, and they have to find out the false option. These questions usually contain ‘not’ or ‘except.’ For example, which of the following ideas mentioned by the author is not true?

Inference: Inference questions in the TOEFL reading test ask the students to comprehend answers not provided in the passage. These questions contain the words imply, infer, or suggest.

Rhetorical: Rhetorical questions are similar to inference questions — these question why the author has made a particular statement.

Reading Vocabulary: Vocabulary questions in the TOEFL test reading section ask the meaning of phrases or words mentioned in the passage. These questions include words like ‘closest meaning of,’ which makes it easier for students to identify vocabulary questions.

Sentence Simplification: These questions mention a similar line from the passage but miss some of its contexts. Students are asked to choose an option that explains the meaning of that sentence in the simplest manner.

Insert Text: The insert text questions are asked in the TOEFL reading practice test to assess whether a student understands the chronology of events in the passage.

Prose Summary: These questions assess whether the student has understood the crux or main idea of the passage. These questions comprise six answer choices, out of which students have to select the three correct choices.

TOEFL Reading Practice Tests with Answers

Here are some TOEFL reading practice questions for students.

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Passage 1

At the end of the Cretaceous period, a meteorite with a mass of over a trillion tons and more than 10 kilometres of diameter impacted the Earth. This impact was first identified by scientists in 1980 from the worldwide layer of sediment, which was formed in the dust cloud that covered the planet after the impact. The layer is rich in rare metal iridium and other elements that are rarely found in the Earth’s crust. The component of meteorites can be easily identified despite being diluted by the terrestrial material that has been excavated from the crater. Geologists had located the impact site in the Yucatán region of Mexico by 1990. 

Factual Information Question 

According to the paragraph, how were scientists able to find that Earth was impacted by a large meteorite?

1. A large crater was discovered by scientists in the Yucatán region of Mexico.
2. A unique layer of sediment was found by the scientists.
3. Archaeologists who had been excavating in the Yucatán region had informed the scientists.
4. A meteorite with a mass of over a trillion tons was identified by scientists.

Correct Answer: 2

Options 3 and 4 contradict the information provided in the passage because the scientists located the crater and not the meteorite itself.

Inference Question

What can be inferred from the paragraph related to the location of the meteorite in Mexico?

1. Geologists kept the location of the impact site in Mexico secret till 1990.
2. It is well established that the impact occurred in the Yucatán region.
3. The geologists were aware of the impact even before they had discovered the location of the impact.
4. Geologists chose the Yucatán region as the most probable site of impact because of the climate of the location.

Correct answer: 2

The scientists knew about the impact in 1980 and discovered the location in 1990.

Passage 2

An impact can disturb the Earth’s environment if it is large enough and cause an ecological catastrophe. Such an impact was best documented 60 years ago, towards the end of geological history’s Cretaceous period. This impact was marked by the mass extinction of more than half of the species on Earth. Even though there have been more than a dozen mass extinctions in the Earth’s geological record, palaeontologists have been intrigued by the Cretaceous mass extinction as it caused the end of the age of dinosaurs. Those creatures suddenly disappeared after flourishing for millions of years.

Rhetorical question 

What was the author’s purpose behind stating the information that dinosaurs had suddenly disappeared?

1. It supports the claim that the Cretaceous mass extension was the best-documented out of all the other dozen mass extinctions in the geographical record.
2. It explains why more than half of the species on Earth have become extinct.
3. It explains the reason why palaeontologists find the mass extension at the end of the Cretaceous intriguing.
4. It gives evidence that a large impact can disturb the Earth’s environment and cause ecological disorder.

Correct Answer: 3

Reading vocabulary question

There is evidence that the meteorites’ impact has caused significant effects on the surface of the Earth, especially in the area of biological evolution. These impacts still pose a risk to life on Earth. The word “pose” is closest in meaning to

1. Claim
2. Model
3. Assume
4. Present

Correct Answer: 4

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TOEFL Reading Practice Tips

Here are some TOEFL reading section tips that will enhance skills and help students score well on the test.

Read in English: One of the most simple yet effective tips for reading practice for TOEFL is to read in English as much as possible. Focus on reading academic and non-academic material to enhance their reading skills. Write simple questions on their own related to the paragraph and try to answer those questions or write a brief summary of the passage.

Work on vocabulary: Another essential tip for TOEFL test reading practice is to improve vocabulary. The best way to do this is to go through the glossary in academic books. Study one word daily and use it in a sentence three or four times a day. Also, study synonyms and antonyms, root words, prefixes, and suffixes to improve vocabulary.

Practice recognising organisational styles: For TOEFL reading section practice, try to understand the style or tone used in the passage. Read the passage at least twice to understand the overview or important ideas conveyed in the passage. Focus on transition words like first and second to understand the chronology of events. Look for other words in the passages like because, since, therefore, as a result, in contrast, for example, in other words, to conclude, and more. These words help solve questions easily. Here are some other TOEFL reading tips in addition to the above-mentioned general tips. These are for solving specific types of questions in the TOEFL reading test.

For factual information questions: Carefully evaluate each option while answering the questions rather than choosing an option just because it contains words and phrases mentioned in the passage while doing TOEFL reading practice. For negative questions, practice ruling out the false answer.

Inference and rhetorical questions: While attempting TOEFL test reading practice, skim through the passage to find out the important points in the paragraph. The TOEFL reading section is one of the most challenging parts of the test. Students require much practice to score high on the TOEFL reading test. Go through TOEFL reading samples and attempt as many TOEFL mock tests as possible. Since the TOEFL reading section tests, the test taker’s ability to understand academic English taught at college levels focuses more on reading passages from college-level academic textbooks.

Frequently Asked Questions