TOEFL Example Questions
- Geysers have
often been compared to volcanoes _______ they both emit hot liquids from
below the Earth's surface.
A. due to
B. because
C. in spite of
D. regardless of
Discussion :
The sentence should read, "Geysers have often been compared to
volcanoes because they both emit hot
liquids from below the Earth's surface”.
- During the early period of
ocean navigation, ________ any need for sophisticated instruments and
techniques.
A. so that hardly
B. where there hardly was
C. hardly was
D. there was hardly
Discussion :
The sentence should read, "During the early period of ocean navigation,
there
was hardly any need for sophisticated instruments and techniques".
- With his friend________ found
the movie theatre.
A. has
B. he
C. later
D. when
Discussion : Pertama harus dilihat bagian subject
dan kata kerja (verb). Tampak
bahwa found sebagai kata kerja, tapi tidak
ditemukan adanya subjek.
jangan berpikir bahwa friend adalah subjek,
namun friend adalah objek
dari
preposisi with. Sebab, satu kata benda tidak bisa menjadi subjek dan
obyek sekaligus secara bersamaan. Karena yang
dibutuhkan dalam
pertanyaan di atas adalah mencari subjek,
maka jawaban (B), he, adalah
jawaban terbaik. Sedangkan (A), (C), dan (D) bukan
jawaban yang benar,
karena ketiganya tidak bisa menjadi subjek.
- __________ ,
Sarah rarely misses her basketball shots.
A. An excellent basketball player
B. An excellent
basketball player is
C. Sarah is an
excellent basketball player
D. Her excellent
basketball play
Discussion : Sarah adalah subjek, dan misses adalah
kata kerja karena tidak
dipisahkan oleh
koma. Untuk menentukan jawabannya, Anda harus mencari dan menempatkan appositive untuk
Sarah. Maka, An excellent basketball player (Sarah adalah pemain basket yang
ulung) sebagai jawaban yang tepat (A). Sedangkan, (B) dan (C) tidak benar,
karena keduanya berisi kata kerja (to be) is. Padahal, appositive tidak
membutuhkan kata kerja. Sementara, (D) berisi kata benda, play, yang mungkin
bisa menjadi appositive, tapi play menunjukkan status dari Sarah, jadi jawaban
ini tidak benar.
- The
child_________ playing in the yard is my son.
A. now
B. is
C. he
D. was
Discussion : Jika, Anda melihat selintas dari awal
kalimat, tampak bahwa child adalah
subjek dan playing
merupakan kata kerja. Jika Anda berpikir bahwa playing merupakan bagian dari
kata kerja, Anda kemungkinan memilih jawaban (B), is, atau jawaban (D), was,
untuk menyempurnakan kata kerja. Padahal, kedua jawaban tersebut tidak benar,
karena playing bukan bagian dari kata kerja. Anda harus menyadari bahwa playing
adalah participle adjective, karena ada verb lain dalam kalimat ini, yaitu is.
Maka, dalam kalimat ini, sudah ada subjek (child) dan kata kerja (is), jadi
kalimat ini tidak membutuhkan subjek atau kata kerja lainnya. Karenanya,
jawaban yang tepat ialah (A).
- The bread
_________ baked this morning smelled delicious.
A. has
B. was
C. it
D. just
Discussion : jika melihat beberapa kata pertama dari
kalimat, tampak bahwa bread
adalah subyek dan
baked sebagai kata kerja lengkap atau past participle yang membutuhkan kata
kerja pembantu. Padahal, jika dilihat lagi dalam kalimat, Anda akan melihat
kata kerja smelled. Anda kemudian akan menyadari bahwa baked Page 17 From 23
adalah kata sifat participial (adjective participial), sehingga ia bukanlah
bagian dari kata kerja. Karenanya, jawaban (A) dan (B) tidak benar, sebab baked
adalah kata sifat dan tidak membutuhkan kata kerja pembantu seperti has atau
was. Jawaban (C) tidak benar karena tidak membutuhkan untuk subjek it. Jawaban
(D) adalah jawaban yang tepat untuk pertanyaan ini. The bread just baked this
morning smelled delicious. (Roti yang dibakar pagi ini tercium nikmat).
- A power
failure occured, _______ the lamps went out.
A. then
B. so
C. later
D. next
Discussion : Dari kalimat di atas dapat kita ketahui
bahwa kalimat tersebut
mempunyai dua
klausa "a power failure occured" dan "the lamps went out".
Jadi kalimat tersebut butuh sebuah coordinate connector untuk menghubungkan ke
dua klausa tersebut. Dari pilihan jawaban yang ada hanya 1 bentuk connector
yaitu so. Jadi jawaban paling tepat adalah (B), so.
- Nitrogen
fixation is a process by which nitrogen is continuously fed into
biological circulation. In this process, certain algae and bacteria
convert nitrogen into ammonia (NH3). This Line newly created ammonia is
then for the most part absorbed by plants.
The opposite
process of denitrification returns nitrogen to the air. During the process of
denitrification, bacteria cause some of the nitrates from the soil to convert
into gaseous nitrogen or nitrous oxide (N2O). In this gaseous form, the
nitrogen returns to the (10) atmosphere.
Which of the
following would be the best title for this passage?
A. The Process of
Nitrogen Fixation
B. Two Nitrogen Processes
C. The Return of
Nitrogen to the Air
D. The Effect of
Nitrogen on Plant Life
Discussion : Pertanyaan ini menanyakan tentang judul
terbaik untuk bagian ini.
Dalam bagian yang
memiliki lebih dari satu paragraf, Anda harus yakin untuk membaca kalimat
pertama dari setiap paragraf untuk menentukan subjek, topik, judul, atau
gagasan utama. Dalam contoh ini, kalimat pertama dari paragraf pertama
menunjukkan bahwa paragraf pertama membahas tentang proses fiksasi nitrogen.
Jika Anda hanya melihat paragraf pertama, Anda mungkin memilih jawaban yang
salah (A), yang dapat jadi judul yang baik untuk paragraf pertama saja. Kalimat
pertama dari paragraf kedua menunjukkan bahwa proses denitrification
(denitrifikasi) dibahas dalam paragraf kedua. Jawaban (C) juga tidak benar,
karena kembalinya nitrogen ke udara adalah proses denitrifikasi (lihat kalimat:
In this gaseous form the nitrogen returns to the atmosphere), dan ini dibahas
dalam paragraf kedua saja. Sedangkan jawaban (D) juga tidak benar, karena
pengaruh nitrogen pada tanaman hidup tidak dibahas dalam bagian ini. Untuk itu,
jawaban yang tepat atas pertanyaan ini adalah jawaban (B); dua proses nitrogen,
yaitu fixation nitrogen yang dibahas dalam paragraf pertama, dan denitrification
yang dibahas dalam paragraf kedua.
- Williamsburg
is a historic city in Virginia that was settled by English colonists in
1633, twenty-six years after the first permanent English colony in America
was settled at Line Jamestown.
In the beginning,
the colony at Williamsburg was named Middle Plantation because of its location
in the middle of a peninsula between two rivers, the York and the James.
The site for
Williamsburg had been selected by the colonists because the soil drainage was
better there than at the Jamestown location, and there were fewer mosquitoes.
The passage
indicates that Jamestown
A. was settled in
1633
B. was settled
twenty-six years after Williamsburg
C. was the first permanent English colony in
America
D. was originally
named Middle Plantation
Discussion : Pertanyaan ini menanyakan bacaan apa
yang mengindikasikan tentang
Jamestown. Jadi,
Anda tahu bahwa jawabannya sudah langsung dinyatakan dalam bacaan tersebut.
Bacalah sekilas untuk menemukan bagian bacaan yang membahas Jamestown. Jawaban
untuk pertanyaan ini ditemukan di pernyataan bahwa "Williamsburg.... was
settled by English colonists in 1633, twenty-six years after the first permanent
English colony in America was settled at Jamestown." (Williamsburg
diduduki oleh penjajah Inggris di Th 1633, 26 tahun setelah menetap pertama
kalinya penjajah Inggris di Amerika menduduki Jamestown). Jawaban (A) salah,
karena Williamsburg diduduki di tahun 1633. Jawaban (B) salah, karena Jamestown
diduduki sebelum Williamsburg. Jawaban (D) salah, karena nama Middle Plantation
diperuntukkan bagi Williamsburg. Jawaban yang paling benar adalah (C), karena
bacaan tersebut secara langsung menyatakan bahwa Jamestown yang pertama kali
diduduki jajahan Inggris di Amerika, "...the first permanent English
colony in America....".
- _________ was ringing continuously for
hours.
A. Loudly
B. In the morning
C. The
Phone
D. The bells
Discussion : Teridentifikasi
terdapat sebuah kata kerja yaitu was sehingga diperlukan subjek untuk melengkapi pernyataan
tersebut. Jika, A bukan subjek, B bukan subjek, C subjek, D subjek. lebih tepat
jawaban yang tepat adalah C Karena was merupakan kata kerja tunggal dan subjek
tunggal.
Reading Section
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.
11. 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
Discussion :
because such an impact became the best documented
occurred 65 million years ago at the end of
the Cretaceous
period
in geological history. This breakthrough in Earth's
history was marked by mass extinction, when
as many as
half the species on this planet became
extinct. While there
were a dozen or more mass extinctions in
geological
records, the Cretaceous mass extinction
always aroused
interest in paleontologists because it marked
the end of
the dinosaur era. For tens of millions of
years, large
creatures developed. Then, suddenly, they
disappeared.
12. 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.
Discussion : from the body that hit Earth at the end of the Cretaceous period
were meteorites with a mass of more than one trillion tons and a
diameter of at least 10 kilometers. Scientists first identified this
effect in 1980 from the world sedimentary layer deposited from the
cloud of dust that enveloped the planet after that impact. this
meteorite component is easily identified. In 1990 geologists found
the location of the impact itself in the Yucatán region of Mexico.
13. 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.
Discussion : 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.
14. 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.
Discussion : untuk jawaban A. “A large amount
of dust blocked sunlight from
Earth” dan B. “Earth became cold and dark for
several months”
benar, karena 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. Untuk jawaban D. “Large
quantities of nitric acid were
produced”, karena The explosion
is also calculated to have
produced vast quantities of
nitric acid and melted rock that
sprayed out over much of Earth.
