TOEFL Reading
TOEFL Reading
TOEFL Reading
Questions 1-9
Despite its widespread use in industry, carbon tetrachloride has been banned for home
use. In the past, carbon tetrachloride was a common ingredient in cleaning compounds
that were used throughout the home, but it was found to be dangerous: when heated, it
changes into a poisonous gas that can cause severe illness and even death if it is inhaled.
Because of this dangerous characteristic, the United States revoked permission for the
home use of carbon tetrachloride in 1970. The United States has taken similar action with
various other chemical compounds.
8. It can be inferred from the passage that one role of the U.S. government is to
A. regulate product safety
B. prohibit any use of carbon tetrachloride
C. instruct industry on cleaning methodologies
D. ban the use of any chemicals
Questions 10-19
The next artist in this survey of American artist is James Whistler; he is included in this
survey of American artist because he was born in the United States, although the majority
of his artwork was completed in Europe. Whistler was born in Massachusetts in 1834, but
nine years later his father moved the family to St. Petersburg, Russia, to work on the
construction of a railroad. The family returned to the United States in 1849. Two years
later Whistler entered the U.S. military academy at West Point, but he was unable to
graduate. At the age of twenty-one Whistler went to Europe to study art despite familial
objections, and he remained in Europe until his death.
Whistler worked in various art forms, including etchings and lithographs. However, he is
most famous for his paintings, particularly Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1: Portrait
of the Artist’s Mother or Whistler’s Mother, as it is more commonly known. This painting
shows a side view of Whistler’s mother, dressed I black and posing against a gray wall.
The asymmetrical nature of the portrait, with his mother seated off-center, is highly
characteristic of Whistler’s work.
10. The paragraph preceding this passage most likely discusses
A. A survey of eighteenth-century art
B. a different American artist
C. Whistler’s other famous paintings
D. European artists
11. Which of the following best describes the information in the passage?
A. Several artists are presented
B. One artist’s life and works are described
C. Various paintings are contrasted
D. Whistler’s family life is outlined.
19. where in the passage does the author mention the types of artwork that Whistler was
involved in?
A. Lines 1-3
B. Lines 4-5
C. Lines 6-7
D. Lines 8-10
Questions 20-30
The locations of stars in the sky relative to one another do not appear to the naked eye to
change, and as a result stars are often considered to be fixed in position. Many unaware
stargazers falsely assume that each star has its own permanent home in the nighttime sky.
In reality, though, stars are always moving, but because of the tremendous distances
between stars themselves and from stars to Earth, the changes are barely perceptible here.
An example of a rather fast-moving star demonstrates why this misconception prevails; it
takes approximately 200 years for a relatively rapid star like Bernard's star to move a
distance in the skies equal to the diameter of the earth's moon. When the apparently
negligible movement of the stars is contrasted with the movement of the planets, the stars
are seemingly unmoving.
20. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
a. What the eye can see in the sky
b. Bernard's star
c. Planetary Movement
d. The Evermoving stars
22. According to the passage, the distances between the stars and Earth are
a. barely perceptible
b. huge
c. fixed
d. moderate
23. The word "perceptible" in line 5 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
a. noticeable
b. persuasive
c. conceivable
d. astonishing
25. The passage states that in 200 years Bernard's star can move
a. around Earth's moon
b. next to the earth's moon
c. a distance equal to the distance from earth to the moon
d. a distance seemingly equal to the diameter of the moon
26. The passage implies that from earth it appears that the planets
a. are fixed in the sky
b. move more slowly than the stars
c. show approximately the same amount of movement as the stars
d. travel through the sky considerably more rapidly than the stars
30. This passage would most probably be assigned reading in which course?
a. astrology
b. geophysics
c. astronomy
d. geography
Questions 31-40
It has been noted that, traditionally, courts have granted divorces on fault grounds: one
spouse is deemed to be at fault in causing the divorce. More and more today, however,
divorces are being granted on a no-fault basis.
Proponents of no-fault divorces argue that when a marriage fails, it is rarely the case that
one marriage partner is completely to blame and the other blameless. A failed marriage is
much more often the result of mistakes by both partners.
Another argument in favor of no-fault divorce is that proving fault in court, in a public
arena, is a destructive process that only serves to lengthen the divorce process and that
dramatically increases the negative feelings present in a divorce. If a couple can reach a
decision to divorce without first deciding which partner is to blame, the divorce
settlement can be negotiated more easily and equitably and the postdivorce healing
process can begin more rapidly.
35. The word "proponents" in line 4 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
a. Advocates
b. Recipients
c. Authorities
d. Enemies
36. The passage states that a public trial to prove the fault of one spouse can
a. be satisfying to the wronged spouse
b. lead to a shorter divorce process
c. reduce negative feelings
d. be a harmful process
37. Which of the following is NOT listed in this passage as an argument in favor of no-
fault divorce?
a. Rarely is only one marriage partner to blame for a divorce
b. A no-fault divorce generally costs less in legal fees
c. Finding fault in a divorce increases negative feelings
d. A no-fault divorce settlement is generally easier to negotiate
Questions 41-50
Whereas literature in the first half of the eighteenth century in America had been largely
religious and moral in tone, by the latter half of the century the revolutionary fervor that
was coming to life in the colonies began to be reflected in the literature of the time, which
in turn served to further influence the population. Although not all writers of this period
supported the Revolution, the two best-known and most influential writers, Ben Franklin
and Thomas Paine, were both strongly supportive of that cause.
Ben Franklin first attained popular success through his writings in his brother's
newspaper, the New England Current. In these articles he used a simple style of language
and common sense argumentation to defend the point of view of the farmer and the
Leather Apron man. He continued with the same common sense practicality and appeal to
the common man with his work on Poor Richard's Almanac from 1733 until 1758. Firmly
established in his popular acceptance by the people, Franklin wrote a variety of extremely
effective articles and pamphlets about the colonist's revolutionary cause against England.
49. Where in the passage does the author describe Thomas Paine's style of writing?
a. lines 4-6
b. lines 8-9
c. lines 14-15
d. lines 18-20