TOEFL iBT Reading Questions 2

An Inference question could ask you to identify information that is not explicitly stated.

• True

• False

Vocabulary questions ask you to identify the meanings of words or phrases as they are used in a reading passage.

• True

• False

Reference questions ask you to verify what information is true and what information is not true in a passage.

• True

• False

Sentence Simplification questions ask you to identify a sentence that has essentially the same meaning as a sentence from a reading passage.

• True

• False

[3] If true, though, why did cold-blooded animals such as snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles survive the freezing winters and torrid summers? These animals are at the mercy of the climate to maintain a livable body temperature. It’s hard to understand why they would not be affected, whereas dinosaurs were left too crippled to cope, especially if, as some scientists believe, dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Critics also point out that the shallow seaways had retreated from and advanced on the continents numerous times during the Mesozoic, so why did the dinosaurs survive the climatic changes associated with the earlier fluctuation but not with this one? Although initially appealing, the hypothesis of a simple climatic change related to sea levels is insufficient to explain all the data.

The word “cope” in the passage is closest in meaning to?

• A- adapt

• B-move

• C-continue

• D-compete

If true, though, why did cold-blooded animals such as snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles survive the freezing winters and torrid summers? These animals are at the mercy of the climate to maintain a livable body temperature. It’s hard to understand why they would not be affected, whereas dinosaurs were left too crippled to cope, especially if, as some scientists believe, dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Critics also point out that the shallow seaways had retreated from and advanced on the continents numerous times during the Mesozoic, so why did the dinosaurs survive the climatic changes associated with the earlier fluctuations but not with this one? Although initially appealing, the hypothesis of a simple climatic change related to sea levels is insufficient to explain all the data.

The word “fluctuations” in the passage is closest in meaning to?

• A-extreme

• B-retreats

• C-periods

• D-variations

Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution is known as one of the most important and controversial scientific theories ever published. Natural selection contributes to the basis of Darwin's Theory of Evolution. One of the core tenets of Darwin's theory is that more offspring are always produced for a species than can possibly survive. Yet, no two offspring are perfectly alike. As a result, through random mutation and genetic drift, over time offspring develop new traits and characteristics. Over time beneficial traits and characteristics that promote survival will be kept in the gene pool while those that harm survival will be selected against. Therefore, this natural selection ensures that a species gradually improves itself over an extended duration of time. On the other hand, as a species continues to 'improve' itself, it branches out to create entirely new species that are no longer capable of reproducing together.

The word 'those' in paragraph 1 refers to:

• A-gene pool

• B-survival

• C-natural selection

• D-traits characteristics

If true, though, why did cold-blooded animals such as snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles survive the freezing winters and torrid summers? These animals are at the mercy of the climate to maintain a livable body temperature. It’s hard to understand why they would not be affected, whereas dinosaurs were left too crippled to cope, especially if, as some scientists believe, dinosaurs were warm-blooded. Critics also point out that the shallow seaways had retreated from and advanced on the continents numerous times during the Mesozoic, so why did the dinosaurs survive the climatic changes associated with the earlier fluctuations but not with this one? Although initially appealing, the hypothesis of a simple climatic change related to sea levels is insufficient to explain all the data.

Why does the author mention the survival of “snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodiles”?

• A-To argue that dinosaurs may have become extinct because they were not cold-blooded animals

• B-To question the adequacy of the hypothesis that climatic change related to sea levels caused the extinction of the dinosaurs

• C-To present examples of animals that could maintain a livable body temperature more easily than dinosaurs

• D-To support a hypothesis that these animals were not as sensitive to climate changes in the Cretaceous period as they are today

Dissatisfaction with conventional explanations for dinosaur extinctions led to a surprising observation that, in turn, has suggested a new hypothesis. Many plants and animals disappear abruptly from the fossil record as one moves from layers of rock documenting the end of the Cretaceous up into rocks representing the beginning of the Cenozoic (the era after the Mesozoic). Between the last layer of Cretaceous rock and the first layer of Cenozoic rock, there is often a thin layer of clay. Scientists felt that they could get an idea of how long the extinctions took by determining how long it took to deposit this one centimeter of clay and they thought they could determine the time it took to deposit the clay by determining the amount of the element iridium (Ir) it contained.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph ? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

• A-The fossil record suggests that there was an abrupt extinction of many plants and animals at the end of the Mesozoic era.

• B-Few fossils of the Mesozoic era have survived in the rocks that mark the end of the Cretaceous.

• C-Fossils from the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic up to the beginning of the Cenozoic era have been removed from the layers of rock that surrounded them.

• D-Plants and animals from the Mesozoic era were unable to survive in the Cenozoic era.