Listening
She just started working in a real estate agency.
Focus on The Last Line
1. The last line of the dialogue probably
contains the answer to the question.
2. Listen to the first line of the dialogue. If you
understand it, that’s good. If you don’t
understand it, don’t worry because it
probably does not contain the answer.
3. Be ready to focus on the last line of the
dialogue because it probably contains the
answer. Repeat the last line in your mind as
you read through the answers in the text.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(man)
Billy really made a big mistake this time.
(woman)
Yes, he forgot to turn in his research paper.
(narrator)
What does the woman say about Billy?
A. It was the first time he made a mistake.
B. He forgot to write his papers.
C. He turned in the paper in the wrong place.
D. He didn't remember to submit his
assignment.
Choose Answers with Similar Meaning
1. As you listen to the last line of the dialogue
focus on key words in that line.
2. If you see any synonyms for key words in a
particular answer, then you have probably
found the correct answer.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(woman)
Why is Barbara feeling so happy?
(man)
(narrator)
What does the man say about Barbara?
A. She always liked her work in real estate.
B. She began a new job.
C. She just bought some real estate.
D. She bought a real estate agency.
Avoid Similar Sounds
1. Identify key words in the last line of the
dialogue.
2. Identify words in the answers that contain
similar sounds, and do not choose these
answers.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(man)
Why couldn't Mark come with us?
(woman)
He was searching for a new apartment.
(narrator)
What does the woman say about Mark?
A. He was in the department office.
B. He was looking for a place to live.
C. He was working on his research project.
D. He had an appointment at church.
Draw Conclusions about Who, What, Where
It is common for you to be asked to draw one of
the following conclusions in the short dialogues:
1. WHO is probably talking?
2. WHAT will she/he probably do next?
3. WHERE does the dialogue probably take
place?
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(woman) On the recording, you hear:
Can you tell me what assignments I missed (man)
when I was absent from your class? Do you know who is in the band now?
(man) (woman)
You missed one homework assignment and a I heard that Mara replaced Robert in the band.
quiz. (narrator)
(narrator) What does the woman say about the band?
Who is the man?

A. Robert became a new member of the band.

A. A newspaper editor B. Robert took Mara's place in the band.
B. A police officer C. Mara didn't have a place in the band.
C. A teacher D. Mara took Robert's place in the band.
D. A student
Negative Expressions
Passive Statements of Who and What Negative expressions are very common in the
short dialogues, and the most common kind of
1. If the dialogue contains a passive statement, correct response to a negative statement is a
the answer to the question is often an active positive statement containing a word with an
statement. opposite meaning.
2. If the dialogue contains an active statement, Example
the answer to the question is often a passive
statement. On the recording, you hear:
(man)
Example How did they get to their grandmother's house
in Milan in only five hours?
On the recording, you hear: (woman)
(man) They didn't drive slowly on the trip to Milan.
Did Sally go to the bank this morning? (narrator)
(woman) What does the woman say about the trip?
Yes, she did. She got a new checking account.
(narrator)
What does the woman imply? A. They drove rather quickly.
B. They couldn't have driven more slowly.
C. They wanted to travel slowly to Milan.
A. Sally wrote several checks. D. They didn't drive to Milan.
B. Sally wanted to check up on the bank.
C. A new checking account was opened. Double Negative Expressions
D. Sally checked on the balance in her account. It is possible for two negative ideas to appear in
one sentence, and the result can be quite
Who and What with Multiple Nouns confusing.
When there is more than one noun in a Example
sentence in the short dialogues, it is common
for the answers to confuse which noun does On the recording, you hear:
what. (man)
Example I can't believe the news that I heard about the
parade.
(woman)
Well, it isn't impossible for the parade to take A. She is not very smart.
place. B. He is smarter than she is.
(narrator) C. Other students are smarter than she is.
What does the woman say about the parade? D. She is the smartest student in the class.

A. There's no possibility that the parade will
take place.
B. The parade will definitely not take place.
C. The parade might take place.
D. The parade can't take place.
Almost Negative Expressions
Certain expressions in English have "almost
negative" meanings. These expressions are
common in the short dialogues.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(woman)
Were you able to pay the electric bill?
(man)
I had barely enough money.
(narrator)
What does the man imply?
Expressions of Agreement
Expressions of agreement such as "So do I" or
"Me, too" are common in the short dialogues,
so you should become familiar with them.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(man)
I think that the hypothesis is indefensible.
(woman)
So do I.
(narrator)
What does the woman mean?
A. She is unsure about the hypothesis.
B. The hippopotamus is behind the fence.
C. She thinks that the hypothesis can be
defended.
D. She agrees with the man.

Expressions of Uncertainty and Suggestion

A. He had plenty of money for the bill. Expressions of uncertainty and suggestion are
B. He did not have enough money for the bill. common in the short dialogues, so you should
C. He paid the bill but has no money left. become familiar with them.
D. He was unable to pay the bill.
Uncertainty: "As far as I know", "As far as I can
Negatives with Comparatives tell".
Negatives can be used with comparatives in the Suggestion: "Why not … ?", "Let's …"
short dialogues of the TOEFL test. A sentence Example
with a negative and a comparative has a
superlative, or very strong, meaning. On the recording, you hear:
Example (man)
Do you know anything about the final exam in
On the recording, you hear: physics?
(woman) (woman)
What do you think of the new student in math It's going to be rather difficult, isn't it?
class? (narrator)
(man) What does the woman mean?
No one is more intelligent than she is.
(narrator)
What does the man say about the new student? A. The exam is not going to be too difficult.
B. She's positive that it's going to be hard.
C. She thinks that it might be hard.
D. She has no idea about the exam.
Emphatic Expressions of Surprise
Emphatic expressions of surprise are common
in the short dialogues, so you should become
familiar with them. When surprise is expressed,
it implies that the speaker did not expect
something to be true.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(woman)
Did you see Paul driving around in his Mustang?
(man)
Then he DID get a new car.
(narrator)
What had the man thought?
A. Paul would definitely get a Mustang.
B. Paul did not know how to drive.
C. Paul did not like Mustangs.
D. Paul would not get a new car.
Wishes
Conversations about wishes can appear in the
short dialogues. The important idea to
remember about wishes is that a wish implies
that the opposite of the wish is true.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(woman)
It's too bad that you have to stay here and work
during the school break.
(man)
I really wish I could go with you and the others
to Palm Springs.
(narrator)
What does the man mean?
A. Maybe he will go with the others on the trip.
B. He is unable to go on the trip.
C. He's happy to be going on the trip.
D. He's going on the trip, but not with the
others.
Untrue Conditions
Conversations containing conditions can appear
in the short dialogues. The important idea to
remember about conditions is that a condition
implies that the opposite of the condition is
true.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(man)
Do you think that you'll be able to go to the
party?
(woman)
If I had time, I would go.
(narrator)
What does the woman say about the party?
A. Maybe she'll go.
B. She has time, so she'll go.
C. She is going even if she doesn't have time.
D. It's impossible to go.
Two and Three Part Verbs
Two and three-part verbs appear in some
questions in the short dialogues. These verbs
are expressions that include a verb and one or
more particles (such as in, on, or at); the
particle changes the meaning of the verb.
Questions involving two- and three-part verbs
can be difficult for students because the
addition of the particle changes the meaning of
the verb in an idiomatic way.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(man)
What time does the meeting start?
(woman)
Didn't you hear that it was called off by the
director?
(narrator)
What does the woman say about the meeting?
A. The director called a meeting.
B. The director phoned her about the meeting.
C. The director called the meeting to order.
D. The director canceled the meeting.
Idioms
Idioms appear in some questions in the short
dialogues. Idioms are special expressions in a
language that all speakers of the language
know; these special expressions describe one
situation in life but are applied to many
different areas of life. Idiom questions can be
difficult because they seem to be describing one
situation when they are really describing a
different situation.
Example
On the recording, you hear:
(man)
Tom is a full-time student and is holding down a
full-time job.
(woman)
He's really burning the candle at both ends.
(narrator)
What does the woman say about Tom?
A. He's lighting a candle.
B. He's holding the candle at the top and the
bottom.
C. He's doing too much.
D. He's working as a firefighter.
Long Conversations and Long Talks
Before Listening: Anticipate the Topic and the
Questions
It is very helpful to your overall comprehension
if you know what topics to expect in the long
conversations. You should therefore try to
anticipate the topics you will be hearing. For
example, are the conversations about some
aspect of school life, or some type of social
issue, or a trip someone is planning? A helpful
strategy is therefore to look briefly at the
answers in the test book, before you actually
hear the conversations on the recording, and
try to determine the topics of the conversations
that you will hear.
It is also very helpful to your ability to answer
individual questions with the long conversations
if you can anticipate what the questions will be
and listen specifically for the answers to those
questions.
While Listening: Determine the Topic, Draw
Conclusions, Answer in Order
As you listen to each long conversation, you
should be thinking about the topic (subject) or
main idea for each conversation. Since the first
one or two sentences generally give the topic,
you should be asking yourself what the topic is
while you are listening carefully to the first part
of the conversation.
As you listen to each long conversation, you
should be trying to set the situation in your
mind. You should be thinking the following
thoughts:
 Who is talking?
 When does the conversation probably take
place?
 Where does the conversation probably take
place?
 What is the source of information for the
conversation?
There are two possible methods to use while
you listen to a long conversation:
You can just listen to the conversation (and
ignore the answers).
You can follow along with the answers while
you listen.
Some students prefer to just listen to the
conversation while it is being spoken, and if that
method works well for you, then that is what
you should do. Other students find that they
can answer more questions correctly if they
read along with the answers while the
conversation is being spoken. Because the
detail questions are answered in order, it is
possible to read along while you listen to the
conversation on the recording.
Example
On the recording, you hear: C. As soon as class is finished
(narrator) D. During office hours
Questions 1 through 4. Listen to a conversation
between a professor and a student.
(man)
Hello, Professor Denton. Are you free for a 3. On the recording, you hear:
moment? Could I have a word with you? (narrator) Why does the man come to see
(woman) Professor Denton?
Come on in, Michael. Of course I have some
time. These are my office hours, and this is the In your test book, you read:
right time for you to come and ask questions. A. To turn in an assignment
Now, how can I help you? B. To ask a question
(man) C. To pick up a completed test
Well, I have a quick question for you about the D. To explain why he did not attend
homework assignment for tomorrow. I thought class
the assignment was to answer the first three
questions at the top of page 67 in the text, but
when I looked, there weren't any questions
there. I'm confused. 4. On the recording, you hear:
(woman) (narrator) What incorrect information did the
The assignment was to answer the first three man have?
questions at the top of page 76, not 67.
(man) In your test book, you read:
Oh, now I understand. I'm glad I came in to A. The date the assignment was due
check. Thanks for your help. B. The page number of the assignment
(woman) C. The length of the assignment
No problem. See you tomorrow. D. The numbers of the assignment
questions
Questions:

1. On the recording, you hear:

(narrator) Who is the man? STRUCTURE

In your test book, you read:

A. A professor
B. An office worker Subject and Verb
C. Professor Denton's assistant The most common types of problems that
D. A student
you will encounter in structure questions on

the TOEFL test have to do with subjects and

2. On the recording, you hear:
(narrator) When does the man come to see verbs: perhaps the sentence is missing
Professor Denton?
either the subject or the verb or both, or
In your test book, you read:
A. During regular class hours
B. Just before class time
perhaps the sentence has an extra subject questions on the TOEFL test because it can

or verb. be mistaken for the subject of a sentence.

Example Appositives
Appositives can be mistaken for the subject
The boy _____ going to the movies with a
of a sentence. An appositive is a noun that
friend.
comes before or after another noun and

A. he is has the same meaning.

B. he always was Example

C. is relaxing Sally, the best student in the class, got an A

D. will be on the exam

Sally is the subject of the sentence and the

Objects of Prepositions
An object of a preposition is a noun, best student in the class is an appositive

pronoun, gerund or noun clause that comes phrase.

after a preposition, such as in, at, of, to, by, Present Participles
A present participle is the -ing form of the
behind, on, and so on, to form a
verb e.g. talking, playing. In structure
prepositional phrase.
questions on the TOEFL test, a present
Example
participle can cause confusion because it
After his exams Tom will take a trip by boat.
can be either a part of the verb or an
This sentence contains two objects of
adjective. It is part of the verb when it is
prepositions. Exams is the object of the
preceded by some form of the verb be.
preposition after; and boat is the object of
Example
the preposition by. An object of a

preposition can cause confusion in structure

The man is talking to his friend. A past participle is an adjective when it is

In this sentence talking is part of the verb not accompanied by some form of be or

because it is accompanied by is. have.

The man talking to his friend has a beard. Coordinate Connectors

When you have two clauses in an English
In this sentence talking is an adjective and
sentence, you must connect the two clauses
not part of the verb because it is not
correctly. One way to connect two clauses
accompanied by some form of be. The verb
is to use and, but, or, so, or yet between the
in this sentence is has.
clauses.
Past Participles
Past participles can cause confusion in Example

structure questions on the TOEFL test Tom is singing, and Paul is dancing.

because a past participle can be either an

adjective or a part of a verb. The past Tom is tall, but Paul is short.

participle is the form of the verb that

appears with have or be. It often ends in - Tom must write the letter, or Paul will do it.

ed, but there are also many irregular past Adverb connectors
Adverb clauses can express the ideas of
participles in English.
time, cause, contrast, condition, manner,
Example
and place. These clauses can form another
The family has purchased a television.
clause using adverb connector. Sentences
Purchased is part of the verb because it is
with adverb clauses have two basic patterns
accompanied by has.
in English.
The television purchased yesterday was

expensive.
Study the clauses and connectors in the  what, when, where, why, how

following sentences:  whatever, whenever

 whether, if
I will sign the check before you leave.
 that
Before you leave, I will sign the check.

Example Example

 Time connectors: after, as, as long as, as Noun clause as object of verb:

soon as, before, by the time, once, since,

I know when he will arrive.
until, when, whenever, while.
Noun clause as object of preposition:
 Cause connectors: as, because, inasmuch

as, now that, since. I am concerned about when he will arrive.

 Condition connectors: if, in case,

provided, providing, unless, whether.

Noun clause as subject:
 Contrast connectors: although, even
When he will arrive is not important.
though, though, while, whereas.
Noun clause connectors/subjects
 Manner connectors: as, in that.
In some cases a noun clause connector is
 Place connectors: where, wherever.
not just a connector, a noun clause

connector can also be the subject of the

Noun clause connectors
A noun clause is a clause that functions as a
clause at the same time.
noun. Because the noun clause is a noun, it
Example
is used in a sentence as either an object of a
I do not know what is in the bos.
verb, an object of a preposition, or the

subject of the sentence.

clause connector: what. The woman is filling the glass that is on the

There are two clauses: I do not know and table.

what is in the box. Reduced adjective clauses

Clause can appear in a complete form or in
The clause connector used for noun clause
a reduced form. The reduced form still have
connector and object of the verb at the
the same meaning as the complete form.
same time.

Adjective clause connectors

An adjective clause is a clause that complete form: Although it was not really

describes a noun. Because the clause is an difficult, the exam took a lot of time.

adjective, it is positioned directly after the reduced form: Although not really difficult,

noun that it describes. the exam took a lot of time.

adjective clause connectors: whom (for

people), which (for things), that (for people Adjective clauses can appear in a reduced

or things) form. In the reduced form, the adjective

Example clause connector and the be-verb that

The woman is filling the glass that she put directly follow it are omitted.

on the table. Example

Adjective clause connectors/subjects The woman who is waving to us is the tour

In some cases an adjective clause connector
guide.
is not just a connector; an adjective clause
The letter which was written last week
connector can also be the subject of the
arrived today.
clause at the same time.
The pitcher that is on the table is full of iced
Example
tea.
Reduced adverb clauses clauses, and in this case the subject and
Adverb clauses can also appear in a reduced
verb that follow are not inverted.
form. In the reduced form, the adverb

connector remains, but the subject and be- I do not know what the homework is.

verb are omitted.

Example

Although he is rather unwell, the speaker After ideas expressing place, the subject

will take part in the seminar. and the verb sometimes invert in English.

When you are ready, you can begin your This can happen with single words

speech. expressing place, such as here, there, or

nowhere.
Question Words
There is some confusion about when to
Example
invert the subject and verb after question
Place Expressions
words such as what, when, where, why, and After ideas expressing place, the subject

how. These words can have two very and the verb sometimes invert in English.

different functions in a sentence. First, they This can happen with single words

can introduce a question, and in this case expressing place, such as here, there, or

the subject and verb that follow are nowhere.

inverted. Example

Here is the book that you lent me.

What is the homework?
There are the keys that I thought I lost.

Nowhere have I seen such beautiful

weather.
Also, these words can join together two
Negatives Comparisons
The subject and verb can also be inverted An inverted subject and verb may also occur

after certain negatives and related after a comparison. The inversion of a

expressions. When negative expressions, subject and verb after a comparison is

such as no, not, or never; come at the optional, rather than required, and it is a

beginning of a sentence, the subject and rather formal structure.

verb are inverted. Example

Example My sister spends more hours in the office

Not once did I miss a question. than john.

Never has Mr. Jones taken a vacation. My sister spends more hours in the office

At no time can the woman talk on the than john does.

telephone. My sister spends more hours in the office

Conditionals than does john.

In certain conditional structures, the subject

and verb may also be inverted. This can

Written Expression
occur when the helping verb in the

conditional clause is had, should, or were, Subject/Verb Agreement

Subject/verb agreement is simple: if the
and the conditional connector if is omitted.
subject of a sentence is singular, then the
Example
verb must be singular; if the subject of the
If he had taken more time, the results
sentence is plural, then the verb must be
would have been better.
plural. An s on a verb usually indicates that
Had he taken more time, the results would
a verb is singular, while an s on a noun
have been better.
usually indicates that the noun is plural. Each of the doctors in the building needs to

Also remember irregular plurals of nouns, have a separate reception area.

such as women, children, and people. Parallel Structure

In good English an attempt should be made
Example
to make the language as even and balanced
Verbs after prepositional phrases:
as possible. This balance is called "parallel

The key to the doors is in the drawer. structure." You can achieve parallel

(singular) structure by making the forms of words as

The keys to the door are in the drawer. similar as possible. The following is an

(plural) example of a sentence that is not parallel:

Verbs after expressions of quantity: I like to sing and dancing.

The problem in this sentence is not the

All (of the book) was interesting. (singular)
expression to sing, and the problem is not
All (of the books) were interesting. (plural)
the word dancing. The expression to sing is
All (of the information) was interesting.
correct by itself, and the word dancing is
(uncountable)
correct by itself. Both of the following

sentences are correct:

Inverted verbs:
I like to sing.
Behind the house were the bicycles I
I like dancing.
wanted.
The problem in the incorrect example is
Verbs after grammatically singular words:
that to sing and dancing are joined together

Everybody is going to the theater. in one sentence with and. They are

different forms where it is possible to have

similar forms; therefore the example is not is used with short adjectives and most is

parallel. It can be corrected in two different used with longer adjectives.

ways: we can make the first expression like Example:

the second, or we can make the second

 Bob is the tallest man in the room.
expression like the first.
 Sally is the most beautiful of all women

at the party.
I like to sing and to dance.

I like singing and dancing. The Form of The Verb

Parallel structure questions are common
with coordinate conjunctions,
conjunctions, or comparisons.
Comparatives and Superlatives
The comparative is formed with either -er
The verbs have various forms: the base
form, the present tense, the present
paired
participle, the past tense, and the past
participle. Each of them is used differently
based on the context of the sentence. Here

or more and than. In the comparative, -er is are few examples of verb forms:

used with short adjectives such as tall, and Base Present Past
Present Past
Form Participle Participle
more is used with longer adjectives such as walk walk(s) walking walked walked
hear hear(s) hearing heard heard
beautiful.
cook cook(s) cooking cooked cooked
Example: sing sing(s) singing sang sung
come come(s) coming came come
begin begin(s) beginning began begun
 Bob is taller than Ron.
Example
 Sally is more beautiful than Sharon.
Verb forms after have: HAVE + past
The superlative is formed with the, either
participle
-est or most. Similar to comparative, -est
 We have seen the show. Example

 He has taken the test. Active Sentence:

 She should have done the work. Margaret (subject) wrote the letter. (object)

Passive Sentence:
Verb forms after be: BE + present participle
The letter (subject) was written by
/ past participle
Margaret. (object)

 We are doing our homework. Nouns

Singular or plural noun: Singular nouns
 The homework was done early.
usually begin with keywords such as each,

every, single, one, or a while plural nouns

Verb forms after modals (will, would, shall, begin with both, two, many, several,

should, can, could, may, might, or must): various, etc.

MODAL + base form Countable and uncountable nouns:

Countable nouns are nouns that can be

 The boat will leave at 3:00.
counted (it comes in quantities of one, or
 The doctor may arrive soon.
two, or a hundred, etc) such as book. The

Passive Verbs keywords for countable nouns are many,

The difference between an active and a
few, fewer, etc. Uncountable nouns are
passive verb is that the subject in an active
nouns that cannot be counted because they
sentence does the action of the verb, and
come in some indeterminate quantity or
the subject in a passive sentence receives
mass such as water, milk, or happiness. The
the action of the verb.
keywords for uncountable nouns are much,
amount, little, less, etc. Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, its,

Irregular plurals of nouns: Many nouns our, their (must be accompanied by a

have irregular plurals that can cause noun).

confusions. Irregular plurals looks like Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers,

singular noun because there is no final s in ours, theirs (cannot be accompanied by a

the word. Example: man/men, foot/feet, noun).

goose/geese, child/children,
Adjectives and Adverbs
bacterium/bacteria, cactus/cacti. Adverbs are often formed by adding -ly to

adjectives as for example: recent/recently,

Person or thing: Sometimes nouns can refer public/publicly, evident/evidently, etc.

to persons or things. Some nouns that looks However there are many adverbs that do

similar while have different use are not end in -ly. These adverbs can be

accountant and accounting; authority and recognized from their meanings. They can

authorization. describe when something happens (often,

Pronouns soon), how something happen (fast, hard),

Pronouns are words such as he, she, or it,
or where something happens (here, there).
that take the place of nouns. The pronouns
Sometimes adjectives are used in place of
used must serve the correct function in the
adverbs or the way around while they have
sentence. Below are some use of pronouns:
very different uses. Adjectives describe
As subject: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
nouns or pronouns while adverbs describe
As object: me, you, him, her, it, us, them
verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.
Possessive adjectives and pronouns shows
Example
who or what "owns" a noun.
She is a beautiful (adj) woman (noun). Prepositions
Prepositions can be used in two ways: in a
She (pronoun) is beautiful (adj).
literal way and in an idiomatic way. In literal
She sings (verb) beautifully (adv).
way, the preposition means exactly what
Articles
An article is a word that is used with a noun you expect. In idiomatic way, the meaning

to specify grammatical definiteness of the has nothing to do with the literal meaning.

noun, and in some languages extending to Example

volume or numerical scope. (Literal) The boy ran up the hill.

There are two types of article: definite (Idiomatic) I call up my friend.

(specific) and indefinite (general) each to be

READING
used with countable sigular nouns,

countable plural nouns, and uncountable

Questions About The Ideas of The
nouns. Passage
The most common type of question asks about
A singular noun must have an article (a, an,
the main idea, topic, title, or subject. There may
the) or some determiner (my, each) while a
also be questions about how the information in
plural noun or an uncountable noun may or
the passage is organized or about which type of
may not have an article. information is included in a particular

Example paragraph.

I have money. (uncountable - no article TOEFL passages are generally written in a

needed) I have books. (countable plural - no traditionally organized manner, it is relatively

article needed) I have a book. (countable easy to find the main ideas by studying the

topic sentences, which are most probably found

singular - article needed)
at the beginning of each paragraph.
On the test, you may be asked to determine identify the key word in the question, skim the

how the ideas in one paragraph relate to the passage for the key word or idea, read the

ideas in another paragraph. This question is sentence that contain the key word or idea, and

about how the information is organized in the then eliminate wrong answers and choose the

passage. To answer this question, look at the best answer from remaining choices.

main ideas of each of the paragraphs and draw The unstated detail question is the opposite of

conclusion based on how they are related one stated detail questions. The correct answer is

another. often not stated or not mentioned or not true in

the passage. It means that three of the answers

Directly Answered Questions
Some questions will require answers that are are stated, mentioned, or true in the passage,

directly stated in the passage. This means that while one answer is not.

you should be able to find the answer to this Sometimes you will be asked to determine to

type of question without having to draw a which noun a pronoun refers. You need to

conclusion. The most commonly asked question understand that a noun is generally used first in

types are stated detail questions, unstated a passage, and the pronoun that refers to it

detail questions, and pronoun reference comes after. You should look at the sentences

questions. before the pronoun to find the noun.

Stated detail question asks about one piece of Indirectly Answered Questions
Some questions will require answers that are
information in the passage rather than the
not directly stated in the passage. To answer
passage as a whole. The correct answer is often
these questions correctly, you will have to draw
a restatement of what is given in the passage,
conclusions from information that is given in
expressing the same idea as what is written in
the passage.
the passage, but the words are not exactly the
Implied detail questions will let you know that
same. To answer this question, you need to
the answer to the question is not directly
stated. Some information of the correct answer passage something is found, questions about

will be given in the passage and you will need to the tone of the passage, questions about the

draw a conclusion from that information. You'll author's purpose in writing the passage,

need to identify the key word and look for an questions about which course the passage

answer that could be true according to the might be a part of, or questions about where a

sentence containing the key word. particular piece of information might be

Transition questions ask you to understand that inserted into the passage.

good writing contains transitions from one The "where in the passage" require you to look

paragraph to the next. A paragraph may start for the word asked or something with similar

out with the idea of the previous paragraph as a meaning and then answer the question asked.

way of linking the ideas in the two paragraphs. A question about the tone of the passage might

It may also end with an idea that will be further have indication of emotion on the part of the

developed in the following paragraph. author. You must be able to recognize the

emotion of the author to answer a question

Vocabulary Questions
When answering vocabulary questions, it is about tone correctly. The question about

helpful if you know the meaning of the word purpose is asking what the author trying to do

that being tested. However, it is not always in the passage. You can draw a conclusion

necessary for you to know the meaning of the about the author's purpose by referring to the

word. You can find definitions from structural main idea and the organization of the details in

clues, determine meanings from word parts, the passage.

and use context clues to determine meanings.

Overall Review Questions

The most common type of overall review

questions are questions that ask where in the