Chapter 1: All About TOEFL Reading 5
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Questions About the Main Idea of the Passage
After you have read the sentences in boldface type, answer the following question:
Which of the following statements best expresses the main idea of the
passage?
(A) Russian immigrants in America were all musical and creative.
(B) The Gershwins were school dropouts who became successes in
show business.
(C) George Gershwin became a famous composer before he was 30.
(D) Musical training on Broadway did not prepare the Gershwins
for success.
The correct answer is (C). By reading those four sentences in bold type,
you have not only saved yourself time, you have also learned what the
passage is about. In addition, you have gotten the information necessary
to answer the question.
Vocabulary Questions
Vocabulary questions are found in the parts of the reading passage that will be
highlighted to correspond with a question. This is another reason why it is unnecessary
for you to read the entire passage. See the following examples:
Highlighted Words
You will answer three kinds of vocabulary questions. In the first kind, you will see a
word or phrase highlighted in the text on the screen. This highlights the word or phrase
that is the subject of the question. Look at the example. You will see the passage and
the question on the monitor screen arranged this way:
Gershwin dropped out of school at age 15 and earned a living by
making piano rolls for player pianos and by playing in New
York nightclubs. His most important job in this period was his
work as a song plugger, who promoted interest in the sheet
music of popular songs by playing and singing those songs in
stores. At that time, sheet-music . . .

(A) Graduated from college
(B) Stopped attending secondary school
(C) Scattered sheet music on the street
(D) Dropped by his school frequently
The correct answer is (B). The answer closest in meaning to “quit” or
“withdrew from.” Choice (A) is incorrect, because college is not mentioned
in the sentence. Choice (C) is incorrect, because the sentence is not about
sheet music. Choice (D) is incorrect and a tricky one, because “dropped out”
is close in sound to “dropped by,” which means visited.
Highlighted Sentences
Another type of vocabulary question asks you to read a boldface sentence, and choose
the correct definition of the highlighted word or phrase in that sentence.
Gershwin dropped out of school at age 15 and earned a living by making piano
rolls for player pianos and by playing in New York nightclubs. His most
important job in this period was his work as a song plugger, who
promoted interest in the sheet music of popular songs by playing and
singing those songs in stores. At that time, sheet-music sales were the
measure of a song’s popularity, and song pluggers had to work long hours
for the music publishers who employed them.
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Chapter 1: All About TOEFL Reading 7
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Look at the words “promoted interest in the sheet music” in the passage. Click on the
word or phrase in the bold text that the words refer to.
(A) Sheet music sales
(B) A song’s popularity
(C) Song plugger
(D) Music publishers
On the computer screen, you will highlight those words and click them as your choice.
Which words would you choose?

types of questions, you are asked about specific information in the text. First, read the
question to find out what information you have to find. Then, search for it in the text.
The American composer, George Gershwin, was born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New
York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He began his musical education at
age 11, when his family bought a second-hand piano. The piano was not bought for
him, but for his older brother, Ira. However, George surprised everyone when he
played a popular song, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a
neighbor’s player piano, and his parents decided that George should receive
lessons. He studied piano with a famous music teacher at the time, Charles
Hambitzer. He was so impressed with Gershwin’s talent that he gave him lessons
for free.
According to the passage, who did the Gershwin parents buy the piano for?
(A) George Gershwin
(B) Charles Hambitzer
(C) Other Russian immigrants
(D) Ira Gershwin
The correct answer is (D). In lines 3–4 above, the passage states that
Gershwin’s parents bought the piano for George’s brother Ira.
Look for the Important Words
Detail questions contain important words that will lead you to the answer. They are not
words such as “George Gershwin” or “composer.” They are words that specify the
information that will answer the question for you.
In the question, the words “buy the piano” are the most important words to help you find
the answer. Instead of reading the entire passage, scan the passage for those words. You
find it at the end of the second sentence and see that the correct answer is (D).
Look at the next example:
The American composer, George Gershwin, was born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New
York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He began his musical education at
age 11, when his family bought a second-hand piano. The piano was not bought for
him, but for his older brother, Ira. However, George surprised everyone when he

group EXCEPT
(A) Edgar Dégas.
(B) Camille Pissaro.
(C) Rembrandt van Rijn.
(D) Mary Cassat.
In this question, you look for the answer that names a painter who is NOT
a French Impressionist. In this case, it is choice (C), Rembrandt van Rijn.
Whenever you see this kind of question, remember that the answer is the one that is
different from the others. Sometimes an answer has nothing to do with the main topic.
In the above example, choice (C) might have been “Honore de Balzac,” who was French
but not a painter.
These kinds of questions will be asked at least four times per passage. Look at the
following example:
The American composer, George Gershwin, was born in 1898 in Brooklyn, New
York, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He began his musical education at
age 11, when his family bought a second-hand piano. The piano was not bought for
him, but for his older brother, Ira. However, George surprised everyone when he
played a popular song, which he had taught himself by following the keys on a
neighbor’s player piano, and his parents decided that George should receive
(5)
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10 PART I: TOEFL Reading Basics
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lessons. He studied piano with a famous music teacher at the time, Charles
Hambitzer. He was so impressed with Gershwin’s talent that he gave him lessons
for free.
Gershwin dropped out of school at age 15 and earned a living by making piano
rolls for player pianos and by playing in New York nightclubs. His most important
job in this period was his work as a song plugger, who promoted interest in the
sheet music of popular songs by playing and singing those songs in stores. At that

Choices (B) and (D) give reasons why Gershwin became a success while he
was young.
(10)
(15)
(20)
(25)
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Questions with “Imply” and “Infer”
To imply something is to “communicate an idea without stating it directly.” To infer
something is to “understand the idea that is being communicated by another person,
even though the other person does not say it directly.”
For example:
Mildred said to Mark, “Harry is moving to Japan permanently,
but he doesn’t know how to speak Japanese.”
Mildred implied that Harry would have to learn Japanese. Mark inferred that Harry
would have to learn Japanese.
During the Reading section, you will be asked questions that begin in the
following way:
It can be inferred from the passage that . . .
The author implies that . . .
The passage suggests that . . .
Based on the information in the passage, what can be inferred about . . .
The answer to these questions is always in the form of a paraphrase. It repeats an idea
found in the passage but expresses it in a different way.
To answer these questions, first eliminate as a possible correct answer anything that
is ridiculous and illogical. Also, eliminate any answer choice that introduces material
not discussed in the passage. Answer choices that contain words such as “always,”
“never,” and “completely” are usually incorrect, so you can eliminate them. If an answer