TOEFL PREPARATION Part 5

TOEFL PREPARATION PART 5

The following questions are completed by the answers and brief explanations.

1.       Justice Sandra Day O’Connor  was _____ to serve on the U.S Supreme Court.

a.       The woman who first

b.      The first woman

c.       Who the first woman

d.      The first and a woman

The right answer is (b) The first woman.  The is used with an ordinal  number before a noun.

2.       North Carolina is well known not only for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park _____ for the Cherokee settlements.

a.       Also

b.      And

c.       But also

d.      Because of

The right answer is (c) But also.  But also is used in correlation with the inclusive not only.

3.       General Grant had General Lee ____ him at appromatox to sign the official surrender of the Confederate forces.

a.       To meet

b.      Met

c.       Meet

d.      Meeting

The right answer is (c) Meet. A form of have with some one such as General lee expresses a causative. The blank word should be fulfilled by verb base (verb one).

4.       _____ both men and women have often achieved their career ambitions by midlife, many people are afflicted by at least a temporary period of dissatisfaction and depression.

a.       Because

b.      So

c.       A

d.      Who

The right answer is (a) Because. Because is used before a subject and verb to introduce cause.

5.       If it _____ more humid in the desert of Southwest, the hot temperatures would be unbearable.

a.       Be

b.      Is

c.       Was

d.      Were

The right answer is (d) were.  In contary-to-fact-clause, were is on the the accepted form of the verb be.

6.       Anthropologists assert that many of the early native Americans who lived on the Plains did not engage in planting corps but  _____ , living primarily on buffalo meat.

a.       To hunt

b.      Hunting

c.       Hunt

d.      Are hunted

The right answer is (b) hunting. Ideas in a series should be expressed by parallel structure. Hunting provides for parallelism with ing-forms such as planting and living. 

7.       For the investor who _____ money, silver or bonds are good options.

a.       Has so little a

b.      Has very little

c.       Has so few

d.      Has very few

The right answer is (b) has very little. The blank word should be fulfilled by a marker of an uncountable noun such as money.  Very little are the markers that can be used to express the quantity of a noncount noun.

8.       Of all cereals, rice is the one _____ food for more people than any of the other grain crops.

a.       It provides

b.      That providing

c.       Provide

d.      That provides

The right answer is (d) that provides. An adjective clause modifies a noun in the main clause. That provides food modifies the one.

9.       To generate income, megazine publishers must decide whether to increase the subcription price or _____

a.       To sell advertising

b.      If they should sell advertising

c.       Selling advertising

d.      Sold advertising

The right answer is (a) to sell advertising. Ideas in a series should be expressed by parallel structure. To sell provides for parallelism with the infinitive to increase.

10.   John Philip Sousa,  _____ many people consider the greatest composer or marches, wrote his music during the era known as the Gay 90s.

a.       Who

b.      Whose

c.       Which

d.      Whom

The right answer is (d) whom because it is the complement of the clause many people consider.

(The questions are cited from Barron’s TOEFL with several adaptations.)

TOEFL PREPARATION PART 4

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE 
QUESTION AND EXPLANATION

STRUCTURE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION

Direction: Choose the letter of the word or group of words that best completes the sentence.

1.      The speed of the light is ________ the speed of sound.

A.    faster

B.     much faster than

C.     the fastest

D.    as fast

The sentence is comparing two equal things the speed of the light and the speed of sound. The possible answer is A (faster) and B (much faster than). But the correct answer is B because comparative is formed with either -er/more and than. So we need to add than to complete the comparative form.

2.      The use of detail is ________ method of developing a controlling idea, and almost all students employ this method.

A.    more common

B.     common

C.     most common

D.    the most common

The sentence is used to compare the use of detail method with all other methods of developing a controlling idea. It means that the sentence use superlative to show which one of many things that is most outstanding in some way. The possible answer is C and D, but the correct answer is D (the most common) because superlative is formed with the preceding either -est of most.  

Choose the lletter of the underlined word or group of words that is nor correct.

3.      Certain types of snakes have been known to survive fasts more as a year.

        A                                       B                                  C            D

The sentence is comparing certain types of snake with other types of snake. It has problem with comparative form. The incorrect word is as because comparative is formed with either -er/ more and than. So, we should use than instead of as in that sentence.

4.      The widely  used natural  fiber of all is cottoon.

       A           B                   C             D

The sentence is using superlative form. It is comparing the used of cotton with all the others used of natural fiber. The incorrect words is A (the widely) because superlative is formed by adding the, either -est or most preceding adverb (widely). So correct words are the most widely.

5.      Climate, soil type, and availability of water are the most critical factor than selectin

                                                   A                        B                                         C

the best type of grass for a lawn.

     D

The sentence is used the incorrect form of superlative. The incorrect word is than because superlative is formed with the, either -est or most, and in/of/ that.  The appropriate word to change than is in.

6.      The leek, a member of the lily family, has a mildest taste than the onion. 

                       A                                                        B       C      D

The sentence is comparing two equal things (the leek and the onion), it means that the sentence is using comparative. The incorrect word is B (mildest). Because comparative is formed with either -er/more and than. So the appropriate word to change mildest is milder.

7.      The Monarch butterfly migrates from Canada and the northen U.S. to warmest areas

                                         
                                           A         B                                                             C         D

in California, Florida, and Mexico.

The sentence is using incorrect form of superlative because the word warmest (C) is not preceding by the. Superlative is formed with the, either -est/most, and in/of/that (clause). Thus the correct form is the warmest.

8.      Protein molecules are the most complex than the molecules of carbohydrates and lipids.

                                       A       B                        C                                                D

The sentence is using incorrect form of comparative.. The word the most is used in superlative form, but this sentence should be used comparative form since it is comparing protein molecules with the molecules of carbohydrates Thus, the answer should be ”... more complex than...”.

9.      The grizzly bear, which can grow up to eight feet all, has been called   a more

                                       A                                  B                             C              D

dangerous animal of North America.

The sentence is using incorrect form of superlative. The word “a more” is used in comparative form, but this sentence must be used superlative form because it is comparing the grizzly bear with each of all bear in North America. Thus, the answer should be “... has been called the most dangerous animal of...”.