Matakuliah : G0602 / Bahasa Inggris 3
Tahun
: 2007
TOEFL Reading Exercises
Pertemuan 7
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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Answer main idea correctly
Recognize the organization of ideas
How to identify the question
Where to find the answer
How to answer the question
TOEFL exercises
Learning Outcomes
• Mahasiswa dapat menjelaskan jawaban
tentang ide pokok suatu teks.
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Questions About the Ideas
of the Passage
•
•
The most common type of question asks about the main idea, topic,
title, or subject.
There may also be questions about how the information in the
passage is organized or about which type of information is included
in a particular paragraph.
Skill 1: Answer main idea questions correctly
•
•
•
TOEFL test will have a multiple-choice question about the main idea
of a passage.
Such a question may be worded in a variety of ways; you may be
asked to identify the topic, subject, title, primary idea, or main idea.
Main idea is the primary point that the author is trying to get across
in the passage.
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Questions About the Ideas
of the Passage
Skill 1: Answer main idea questions correctly
• Since the TOEFL passages generally written in a
traditionally organized manner, it is relatively easy
to find the main ideas by studying topic sentences,
which are most probably found at the beginning of
each paragraph.
• If a passage consists of only one paragraph, you
should study the beginning of that paragraph to
determine the main idea.
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Questions About the Ideas
of the Passage
Example from the Paper TOEFL Test
The Passage:
In the philosophy of John Dewey, a sharp distinction is made between
intelligence and reasoning. According to Dewey, is the only absolute way to
achieve a balance between realism and idealism, between practicality and and
wisdom of life. Intelligence involves “interacting with other things and
knowing them,” while reasoning is merely the act of an observer, “…a mind
that beholds or grasps outside the world of things…” With reasoning, a level
of mental certainty can be achieved, but it is through intelligence that control
is taken of events that shape one’e life.
The question:
What is the topic of this passage?
A.
B.
C.
The intelligence of John Dewey
Distinctions made by John Dewey
Dewey’s ideas on the ability to reason
D.
How intelligence differs from reasoning in Dewey’s works
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Questions About the Ideas
of the Passage
•
•
•
•
•
The first sentence of the above passage discusses a distinction
between the ideas of intelligence and reasoning in the philosophy of
John Dewey, so this is probably the topic.
A quick check of the rest of the sentences in the passage confirms
that the topic is in fact the difference between intelligence and
reasoning.
Now you should check each of the answers to determine which one
comes closest to the topic that you have determined.
The best answer is therefore, D; which has the closest meaning with
the topic sentence (the topic sentence).
If the passage consists of more than one paragraph, you should study
the beginning of each paragraph to determine the main idea.
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Questions About the Ideas
of the Passage
Example from the Computer TOEFL Test
The Passage:
Nitrogen fixation is a process by which nitrogen is continuously fed into
biological circulation. In this process, certain algae and bacteria convert
nitrogen into ammonia (NH3). This newly-created ammonia is then for the
most part absorbed by plants.
The opposite process of denitrification returns nitrogen to the air. During
the process of denitrification, bacteria cause some of the nitrates form the
soil to convert into gaseous nitrogen or nitrous oxide (N2O). In this gaseous
form, the nitrogen returns to the atmosphere.
The question:
Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A. The Process of Nitrogen fixation
B. Two Nitrogen Processes
C. The Return of Nitrogen to the Air
D.
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The Effect of Nitrogen on Plant Life
Questions About the Ideas
of the Passage
•
•
•
In the above example the, the first sentence of the first
paragraph indicates that the first paragraph is about the
process of nitrogen fixation.
The first sentence of the second paragraph indicates that
the process of denitrification is discussed in the second
paragraph.
The best answer to this question is the second answer
because it covers both main ideas in the first and second
paragraph.
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SUMMARY
MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
HOW TO
QUESTION
On both
and
tests
WHERE TO
ANSWER
The answer to this type of question can generally be
sentence of each paragraph.
HOW TO
THE
1. Read the first line of each paragraph
2. Look for a common theme or idea in the first lines.
3. Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to
the topic sentece(s).
4. Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the
remaining choices.
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What is the topic of the passage?
What is the subject of the passage?
What is the main idea of the passage?
What is the author’s main point in the passage?
With what is the author primarily concerned?
Which of the following would be the best title?
EXERCISES
1. TOEFL Exercise 1 (pp.371-373).
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MATERI PENDUKUNG
1. http://www.ets.org/ell/testpreparation/toefl/
2. http://www.testmagic.com/toefl/listening/could
ntagreemore.htm
3. ://www.testmagic.com/toefl/gramm_quizzes/2
01_2
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