2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingInferenceandRhetoricalPurposeQuestions

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InsidetheTOEFLTestReading
InferenceandRhetoricalPurpose
Questions

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Michael

Intro
[musicplaying]

Michael:Hi,I'mMichaelfromETS.TodayonInsidetheTOEFLTest,we're
goinginsidetheTOEFLiBTReadingsection.Specifically,theInferenceand
RhetoricalPurposequestions.

Onscreen:
InsidetheTOEFLTestReading
Inference
RhetoricalPurpose

Michael:Inferencequestionsaskyoutoidentifyinformationorcomprehendan
ideathatisnotexplicitlystatedinthereadingpassage.

Youcanrecognizeinferencequestionsbecausetheyusuallyincludethewords
"infer,""imply"or"suggest,"likeintheseexamples.

Rhetoricalpurposequestionsaresimilar,becausetheyalsoaskforinformation
notexplicitlystated.Thesewillaskwhytheauthorhaspresentedapieceof
information.

Onscreen:Inferencenotexplicitlystated

Whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromparagraph1aboutX?
TheauthoroftheparagraphimpliesthatX
ParagraphXsuggestswhichofthefollowingaboutY?

Rhetoricalpurpose

WhydoestheauthormentionX?

Michael:Onewaytoapproachthesetypesofquestions,ifyoucan'tidentifythe
correctanswerimmediately,istoeliminatewronganswers.Youwillseemoreon
thisaswegothroughtheexample.

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2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingInferenceandRhetoricalPurposeQuestions

Onscreen:Eliminatewronganswersifyoucan'tidentifythecorrectanswer
immediately.

Michael:Nowlet'sdoasampleinferencequestion.Here'saparagraphfroma
readingpassageaboutmeteoriteimpacts.

Onscreen:ThebodythatimpactedEarthattheendoftheCretaceousperiodwas
ameteoritewithamassofmorethanatrilliontonsandadiameterofatleast10
kilometers.Scientistsfirstidentifiedthisimpactin1980fromtheworldwidelayer
ofsedimentdepositedfromthedustcloudthatenvelopedtheplanetafterthe
impact.Thissedimentlayerisenrichedintheraremetaliridiumandother
elementsthatarerelativelyabundantinameteoritebutveryrareinthecrustof
Earth.Evendilutedbytheterrestrialmaterialexcavatedfromthecrater,this
componentofmeteoritesiseasilyidentified.By1990geologistshadlocatedthe
impactsiteitselfintheYucatnregionofMexico.Thecrater,nowdeeplyburied
insediment,wasoriginallyabout200kilometersindiameter.

Michael:Next,let'slookatthequestion.

Youseethatitusestheword"inferred,"sothatclearlytellsyouthatit'san
inferencequestion

Onscreen:Whichofthefollowingcanbeinferredfromtheparagraphaboutthe
locationofthemeteoriteimpactinMexico?

a.ThelocationoftheimpactsiteinMexicowaskeptsecretbygeologists
from1980to1990.
b.ItwasawellknownfactthattheimpacthadoccurredintheYucatn
region.
c.Geologistsknewthattherehadbeenanimpactbeforetheyknewwhereit
hadoccurred.
d.TheYucatnregionwaschosenbygeologistsasthemostprobableimpact
sitebecauseofitsclimate.

Michael:Canyouidentifythecorrectanswer?It'sChoiceC,becauseit's
supportedbythissentence,whichindicatesthatscientistsknewin1980thatthere
hadbeenanimpact

Onscreen:

AnswerchoiceCishighlighted,Geologistsknewthattherehadbeenan
impactbeforetheyknewwhereithadoccurred.

Highlightappearsonexcerpttext"Scientistsfirstidentifiedthisimpactin
1980fromtheworldwidelayerofsedimentdepositedfromthedustcloud
thatenvelopedtheplanetaftertheimpact."

andthisone,whereitsaidthesitehadbeenlocatedintheYucatan.

Onscreen:Highlightappearsonexcerpttext,"By1990geologistshadlocatedthe
impactsiteitselfintheYucatnregionofMexico."

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2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingInferenceandRhetoricalPurposeQuestions

Michael:Let'slookatwhytheotherchoicescanbeeliminated.
ChoiceAisnotcorrect,becausethereisn'tanythingwrittenorimpliedinthe
passageaboutgeologistskeepingtheimpactsitesecret.

Onscreen:RedXappearsnexttoanswerchoiceA.Thelocationoftheimpact
siteinMexicowaskeptsecretbygeologistsfrom1980to1990.

Michael:ChoiceBisalsonotcorrect.Sayingthatitwasa"wellknownfact"
contradictsthepassagewhereittalksaboutthediscoveryofthecraterinthe
Yucatan.

Onscreen:

RedXappearsnexttoanswerchoiceB.Itwasawellknownfactthatthe
impacthadoccurredintheYucatnregion
Highlightappearsonexcerpttext,"By1990geologistshadlocatedthe
impactsiteitselfintheYucatnregionofMexico.Thecrater,nowdeeply
buriedinsediment,wasoriginallyabout200kilometersindiameter."

Michael:ChoiceDalsocan'tbecorrect,becausetheparagraphdoesn'tmention
climateasafactorinthediscoveryoftheimpactsite.

Onscreen:
RedXappearsnexttoanswerchoiceD.TheYucatnregionwaschosenby
geologistsasthemostprobableimpactsitebecauseofitsclimate.

Michael:Nowlet'slookatanexampleofarhetoricalpurposequestion.Itasks
aboutinformationfromadifferentparagraphinthesamereadingpassageabout
meteoritesanddinosaurs.It'slikeanInferencequestion,butitasksWHYthe
authorincludesaparticularpieceofinformation.

Onscreen:Ifanimpactislargeenough,itcandisturbtheenvironmentofthe
entireEarthandcauseanecologicalcatastrophe.Thebestdocumentedsuch
impacttookplace65millionyearsagoattheendoftheCretaceousperiodof
geologicalhistory.ThisbreakinEarth'shistoryismarkedbyamassextinction
whenasmanyashalfthespeciesontheplanetbecameextinct.Whiletherearea
dozenormoremassextinctionsinthegeologicalrecord,theCretaceousmass
extinctionhasalwaysintriguedpaleontologistsbecauseitmarkstheendofthe
ageofthedinosaurs.Fortensofmillionsofyears,thosegreatcreatureshad
flourished.Thensuddenly,theydisappeared.

Inparagraph2,whydoestheauthorincludetheinformationthatdinosaurshad
flourishedfortensofmillionsofyearsandthensuddenlydisappeared?

a.TosupporttheclaimthatthemassextinctionattheendoftheCretaceousis
thebestdocumentedofthedozenorsomassextinctionsinthegeological
record
b.ToexplainwhyasmanyashalfofthespeciesonEarthatthetimeare
believedtohavebecomeextinctattheendoftheCretaceous
c.Toexplainwhypaleontologistshavealwaysbeenintriguedbythemass
extinctionattheendoftheCretaceous
d.Toprovideevidencethatanimpactcanbelargeenoughtodisturbthe
environmentoftheentireplanetandcauseanecologicaldisaster

Michael:Whenreadingeachanswerchoice,themostimportantparttofocusonis
the"toclause"atthebeginningofeachone.Thenpicktheanswerthatbest
describeswhattheauthoristryingtodo.Inthiscase,thecorrectanswerisC.

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2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingInferenceandRhetoricalPurposeQuestions

Onscreen:GreencheckmarkappearsnexttoansweroptionC.Toexplainwhy
paleontologistshavealwaysbeenintriguedbythemassextinctionattheendof
theCretaceous

Michael:Onewaytobuildyourreadingskillsisbypracticingskimming,whichis
readingquicklytoidentifymajorpoints.Onewaytoskimistoreadthe
introductoryparagraph,thenthefirstsentenceofeachofthemiddleparagraphs,
andthenreadtheconcludingparagraph.

Onscreen:Skimming:readingquicklytoidentifymajorpoints

Michael:Whenyou'repracticing,tryreadingapassagetwice,thefirsttime
skimmingtogetthemainideas,thenreaditagainmorecarefullytoseeifyou
reallyDIDgetthosemainideas.
Anothertipthatwillhelpwithrhetoricalpurposequestionsistomakesureyou
knowthedefinitionofthesewords,becausetheyareoftenusedtodescribekinds
ofrhetoricalpurposes.

Onscreen:RhetoricalPurpose:Keywords

Toillustrate
Toexplain
Tocontract
Torefute
Tonote
Tosupport

Michael:TherearelotsofwaystoimproveyourEnglishskills.Whateveryoudo,
keeppracticing.AndgoodluckonyourTOEFLtest.

Onscreen:FormoreinformationabouttheTOEFLtestandtoregister,visitthe
TOEFLwebsiteatwww.toeflgoanywhere.org
[END]

Totallengthofvideo:3:51

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http://www.ets.org/s/toefl/flash/34211_toefl2016r2_transcript.html 4/4