TOEFL ITP Reading Practice

The dingo, Australia's wild dog, was first spotted on the northwest shores of the subcontinent in the late seventeenth century. The arrival of the dingo brought about substantial changes in the continent's ecosystem. It is noted that with the establishment of dingoes, native predators declined. Among the animals probably displaced from the mainland by the dingo was the Tasmanian tiger, a recently extinct wolf-like marsupial.

1. What is the main point the author makes in this passage?

• The dingo caused changes in Australia's balance of nature.

• The dingo is not native to Australia.

• The dingo is similar to a dog.

• The dingo came to Australia in the 1600s.

The dingo, Australia's wild dog, was first spotted on the northwest shores of the subcontinent in the late seventeenth century. The arrival of the dingo brought about substantial changes in the continent's ecosystem. It is noted that with the establishment of dingoes, native predators declined. Among the animals probably displaced from the mainland by the dingo was the Tasmanian tiger, a recently extinct wolf-like marsupial.

2. According to the passage, after the dingoes arrived in Australia the Tasmanian tiger

• took on the characteristics of a wolf

• began hunting the dingo

• began to die out

• moved to the south of the continent

The dingo, Australia's wild dog, was first spotted on the northwest shores of the subcontinent in the late seventeenth century. The arrival of the dingo brought about substantial changes in the continent's ecosystem. It is noted that with the establishment of dingoes, native predators declined. Among the animals probably displaced from the mainland by the dingo was the Tasmanian tiger, a recently extinct wolf-like marsupial.

3. We can infer from the passage that the dingo

• is becoming extinct

• was not domesticated in large numbers

• lives in a particular part of Australia

• befriended many native animals

The dingo, Australia's wild dog, was first spotted on the northwest shores of the subcontinent in the late seventeenth century. The arrival of the dingo brought about substantial changes in the continent's ecosystem. It is noted that with the establishment of dingoes, native predators declined. Among the animals probably displaced from the mainland by the dingo was the Tasmanian tiger, a recently extinct wolf-like marsupial.

4. The word "spotted" in line 1 is closest in meaning to

• colored

• placed

• permitted

• noticed

Sometimes called puma, panther, or mountain lion, the agile cougar has a greater natural range than any other mammal in the Western Hemisphere except humans. However, long viewed as a threat to livestock, it has been intensively hunted since the arrival of European colonists to the Americas and was almost extinct by the early twentieth century. While protective measures have been implemented in the United States, humans continue to destroy the cougar's habitat, further endangering this solitary cat.

1. This passage is about

• a person

• a place

• an animal

• a time

Sometimes called puma, panther, or mountain lion, the agile cougar has a greater natural range than any other mammal in the Western Hemisphere except humans. However, long viewed as a threat to livestock, it has been intensively hunted since the arrival of European colonists to the Americas and was almost extinct by the early twentieth century. While protective measures have been implemented in the United States, humans continue to destroy the cougar's habitat, further endangering this solitary cat.

2. This passage discusses

• a problem

• a solution

• an opinion

• a policy

Sometimes called puma, panther, or mountain lion, the agile cougar has a greater natural range than any other mammal in the Western Hemisphere except humans. However, long viewed as a threat to livestock, it has been intensively hunted since the arrival of European colonists to the Americas and was almost extinct by the early twentieth century. While protective measures have been implemented in the United States, humans continue to destroy the cougar's habitat, further endangering this solitary cat.

3. The author of this passage expresses

• love

• concern

• joy

• anger