2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingFactualInformationandNegativeFactualInformationQuestions

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InsidetheTOEFLTestReading
FactualInformationandNegative
FactualInformationQuestions

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Michael

Intro
[musicplaying]

Onscreen:
InsidetheTOEFLTestReading
FactualInformation
NegativeFactualInformation

Michael:Hi,ImMichaelfromETS.TodayonInsidetheTOEFLTest,were
goinginsidetheTOEFLiBTReadingsection.Specifically,thefactual
informationandnegativefactualinformationquestions.

FactualInformationquestionsaskyoutorecognizeinformationthatisexplicitly
statedinthetext.
Thesemayincludefactssuchasmajorideas,supportingdetails,ordefinitions.
Negativefactualinformationquestionsaresimilar,exceptthat,insteadofonlyone
answerbeingtrue,threeofthefouranswersaretrue,andyouhavetodetermine
whichoneisfalse.

Onscreen:QuestionStructure
FactualInformationexplicitlystated

Majorideas
Supportingdetails
Definitions

NegativeFactualInformation3outof4answersaretrue.WhichoneisFALSE?

Michael:FactualInformationquestionswillhavephraseslikeAccordingtothe
paragraph,orParagraphXanswerswhichofthefollowing?inthequestion.

Fornegativefactualinformationquestions,lookforthewordsNOTor
EXCEPTincapitalletters.

Onscreen:RecognizingtheQuestionType
FactualInformation

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2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingFactualInformationandNegativeFactualInformationQuestions

Accordingtotheparagraph
ParagraphXanswerswhichofthefollowing

NegativeFactualInformation

Accordingtotheparagraph,whichofthefollowingisNOTtrue?
TheauthormentionsallofthefollowingEXCEPT

Michael:Herearesometipsforansweringfactualandnegativefactual
informationquestions:
Number1.Dontautomaticallyselectananswerjustbecauseitcontainswordsor
phrasesfromtheparagraph.Makesureyoucarefullyevaluateeachoptionto
determineifitiscorrect.
2.Forthenegativefactualinformationquestions,rememberthatyourelooking
forananswerthateitherisntintheparagraph,ordirectlycontradictsinformation
intheparagraph.

Onscreen:
FactualInformation

Dontselectananswerjustbecauseitcontainswordsorphrasesfromthe
paragraph.
Evaluateeachoptiontodetermineifitiscorrect.

ForNegativeFactualInformationquestions

Answeriseithernotintheparagraph,oritcontradictsinformationinthe
paragraph.

Michael:Letslookatasamplefactualinformationquestion.First,heresan
excerptfromareadingpassageaboutmeteoriteimpacts.

Onscreen:SampleQuestionsFactualInformation

ThebodythatimpactedEarthattheendoftheCretaceousperiodwasameteorite
withamassofmorethanatrilliontonsandadiameterofatleast10kilometers.
Scientistsfirstidentifiedthisimpactin1980fromtheworldwidelayerof
sedimentdepositedfromthedustcloudthatenvelopedtheplanetaftertheimpact.
Thissedimentlayerisenrichedintheraremetaliridiumandotherelementsthat
arerelativelyabundantinameteoritebutveryrareinthecrustofEarth.Even
dilutedbytheterrestrialmaterialexcavatedfromthecrater,thiscomponentof
meteoritesiseasilyidentified.By1990geologistshadlocatedtheimpactsite
itselfintheYucatnregionofMexico.Thecrater,nowdeeplyburiedinsediment,
wasoriginallyabout200kilometersindiameter.

Michael:Andheresthequestion.

Onscreen:Accordingtoparagraph3,howdidscientistsdeterminethatalarge
meteoritehadimpactedEarth?

a.TheydiscoveredalargecraterintheYucatnregionofMexico.
b.Theyfoundauniquelayerofsedimentworldwide.
c.Theywerealertedbyarchaeologistswhohadbeenexcavatinginthe
Yucatnregion.
d.Theylocatedameteoritewithamassofoveratrilliontons.

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2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingFactualInformationandNegativeFactualInformationQuestions

Michael:Becarefulwhenselectingyouranswer,because3ofthe4answer
choicesmisstateinformationfromthepassageORcontradictinformationfrom
thepassage.
OneanswerwecandefinitelyeliminateisC,becausethereisnomentioninthis
paragraphofarcheologistsworkingintheYucatanregion.
ChoiceAlookslikewhatissaidhereinthelasttwosentences,whereitdoessay
theyfoundthecraterin1990.Buttheydeterminedin1980thattherewasa
meteoriteimpact,soitsnotchoiceA.
ChoiceDisincorrectbecauseitsaysthattheylocatedameteorite,whichisnot
truebecausewhattheyfoundwasthecrater,andotherevidenceofthemeteorite
impact,notthemeteoriteitself.
ThatleaveschoiceB,whichissupportedbythesecondandthirdsentences.The
secondsentencementionstheworldwidelayerofsedimentandthethird
sentenceexplainshowitisunique.ThereforeBisthecorrectanswer.

Onscreen:

RedXappearsnexttoansweroptionC.Theywerealertedby
archaeologistswhohadbeenexcavatingintheYucatnregion.
HighlightappearsonansweroptionA.Theydiscoveredalargecraterinthe
YucatnregionofMexico.
HighlightappearsonlasttwosentencesofthereadingexcerptBy1990
geologistshadlocatedtheimpactsiteitselfintheYucatnregionof
Mexico.Thecrater,nowdeeplyburiedinsediment,wasoriginallyabout
200kilometersindiameter.
Highlightappearsonthissentencefromthereadingexcerpt,Scientistsfirst
identifiedthisimpactin1980fromtheworldwidelayerofsediment
depositedfromthedustcloudthatenvelopedtheplanetaftertheimpact.
RedXappearsnexttoansweroptionA.Theydiscoveredalargecraterin
theYucatnregionofMexico.
RedXappearsnexttoansweroptionD.Theylocatedameteoritewitha
massofoveratrilliontons.
HighlightappearsonlasttwosentencesofthereadingexcerptBy1990
geologistshadlocatedtheimpactsiteitselfintheYucatnregionof
Mexico.Thecrater,nowdeeplyburiedinsediment,wasoriginallyabout
200kilometersindiameter.
HighlightappearsonansweroptionB.Theyfoundauniquelayerof
sedimentworldwide.
Highlightappearsonreadingexcerptsentences:Scientistsfirstidentified
thisimpactin1980fromtheworldwidelayerofsedimentdepositedfrom
thedustcloudthatenvelopedtheplanetaftertheimpact.Thissediment
layerisenrichedintheraremetaliridiumandotherelementsthatare
relativelyabundantinameteoritebutveryrareinthecrustofEarth.
GreencheckmarkappearsonansweroptionB.Theyfoundauniquelayer
ofsedimentworldwide.

Michael:NowletslookataNegativeFactualInformationquestion.Hereis
anotherparagraphaboutmeteoriteimpactsfromthesamereadingpassage.
Andheresthequestion.

Onscreen:NegativeFactualInformationQuestions

Thisimpactreleasedanenormousamountofenergy,excavatingacraterabout
twiceaslargeasthelunarcraterTycho.Theexplosionliftedabout100trillion
tonsofdustintotheatmosphere,ascanbedeterminedbymeasuringthethickness
ofthesedimentlayerformedwhenthisdustsettledtothesurface.Suchaquantity
ofmaterialwouldhaveblockedthesunlightcompletelyfromreachingthe
surface,plungingEarthintoaperiodofcoldanddarknessthatlastedatleast
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2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingFactualInformationandNegativeFactualInformationQuestions

severalmonths.Theexplosionisalsocalculatedtohaveproducedvastquantities
ofnitricacidandmeltedrockthatsprayedoutovermuchofEarth,starting
widespreadfiresthatmusthaveconsumedmostterrestrialforestsandgrassland.
Presumably,thoseenvironmentaldisasterscouldhavebeenresponsibleforthe
massextinction,includingthedeathofthedinosaurs.

Accordingtoparagraph4,allofthefollowingstatementsaretrueoftheimpactat
theendoftheCretaceousperiodEXCEPT:

a.AlargeamountofdustblockedsunlightfromEarth.
b.Earthbecamecoldanddarkforseveralmonths.
c.NewelementswereformedinEarthscrust.
d.Largequantitiesofnitricacidwereproduced.

Michael:YouknowitsaNegativeFactualInformationquestionbecauseofthe
wordEXCEPTincapitalletters.Sothreeofthechoicesaregoingtomatch
informationintheparagraph,andonlyonewillnot.
Letsseehowmanycorrectchoiceswecanfindbyscanningforkeywordsthat
appearintheanswers,likedust,sunlight,cold,dark,elements,crust,andnitric
acid.Wemayalsoneedtolookforsynonymsofthesewords.
Soifwescantheparagraphforsometextaboutdustandblockedsunlightthat
correspondstochoiceA,wefindthis,anditsamatch.
ChoiceBishere,whereittalksaboutthecoldanddarkness.
ThereisnothingintheparagraphthattalksaboutnewelementsortheEarths
crust,sochoiceClookslikeitmightbetheanswer.
ForchoiceD,wefoundthatinformationhere,whereittalksaboutnitricacid.
SochoiceCisouranswer.

Onscreen:

HighlightappearsonEXCEPTinthequestion:Accordingtoparagraph4,
allofthefollowingstatementsaretrueoftheimpactattheendofthe
CretaceousperiodEXCEPT:
3of4answersaretrue.WhichoneisFALSE?
Highlightappearsondust,sunlight,cold,dark,elements,crust,andnitric
acidintheansweroptions
Highlightappearsonreadingexcerptsentences:Theexplosionliftedabout
100trilliontonsofdustintotheatmosphere,andSuchaquantityof
materialwouldhaveblockedthesunlightcompletelyfromreachingthe
surface,
Highlightappearsonreadingexcerptphrase:plungingEarthintoaperiod
ofcoldanddarknessthatlastedatleastseveralmonths.
Highlightappearsonreadingexcerptphrase:Theexplosionisalso
calculatedtohaveproducedvastquantitiesofnitricacid
HighlightandgreencheckappearonansweroptionC.Newelementswere
formedinEarthscrust.

Michael:Hereisatiptohelpyouimproveyourreadingskills.
Readnewsandmagazinearticlesaboutvarioussubjectsasoftenasyoucan,and
practicetakingnotes.Whendecidingwhattowritedown,askyourselfwhat
piecesofinformationareimportant,orrelevantorcredible?Thenwritethose
down,butkeepthenotesshort.Thatwillhelpyourememberimportant
informationinwhatyouread.

Onscreen:SkillBuildingTipsTakingNotes

Whatisimportant,relevantorcredible?
Keepthenotesshorttohelpyourememberimportantfacts

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2017/1/17 InsidetheTOEFLTestReadingFactualInformationandNegativeFactualInformationQuestions

Michael:TherearelotsofwaystoimproveyourEnglishskills.Whateveryoudo,
keeppracticing.AndgoodluckonyourTOEFLtest.

Onscreen:FormoreinformationabouttheTOEFLtestandtoregister,visitthe
TOEFLwebsiteatwww.toeflgoanywhere.org
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