Read and practice the reading strategies that will be tested in the TOEFL exam.

1. Reading
Strategies
TOEFL SKILLS

2. Strategies for reading.
• Be familiar with the directions.
• Do not worry if a reading passage is on a
topic that is not familiar to you.
• Read until the end of the passage to see
the questions.
• Do not spend too much time reading the
passages.
• Skim each passage and its questions to
determine the main idea and overall
organization of ideas in the passage.

3. Strategies for
reading.
• Look at each question to determine what type
of question it is.
• Vocabulary questions
• Referent questions
• Paraphrasing questions
• Sentence insertion questions
• Factual information questions
• Negative fact questions
• Inference questions
• Rhetorical purpose questions
• Overall ideas questions

4. Strategies for
reading.
• Choose the best answer to each question.
• Do not spend too much time on a question you
are completely unsure of.
• Monitor the time carefully on the title bar of
the computer screen.
• Guess to complete the section before time is
up.
• Remember the information from previous
questions.

5. Improving
Reading
Comprehension
Read in English every
day.
Read out loud
sometimes.
Look at any titles,
subheadings or
questions given
along with a reading.
Ask yourself
questions about the
reading.
Pay attention to
transition words and
phrases.
Summarize the main
points of the
reading.
Time yourself.

6. Improving
Vocabulary
Skills
• Set aside a certain amount of time each day to study.
• Practice vocabulary at the level you need to do well on
the TOEFL test.
• Study the entire word family.
• Learn synonyms instead of definitions.
• Study words in the context of a sentence.
• Listen to and say the word.
• Don't focus on technical words.

7. 1. UNDERSTAND
VOCABULARY
FROM CONTEXT
Vocabulary questions test your understanding of
English, as well as your ability to use context clues to
help you determine the meaning of a word or phrase.
Vocabulary questions are the most common questions
found on the Reading section.
In addition, vocabulary used in the Reading section is
also used in the other sections of the test.

8. 1. Understanding Vocabulary from Context
Strategy Read the entire sentence with the target word.
Determine what part of the speech is it.
Determine if you know the word.
Determine if the word is like another word.
Look for any similarity or contrast conjunctions.
Read one or two sentences before and after the word.
Identify synonyms or antonyms of the word in the question.

9. Incorrect answer choices may
• Be one definition of the word, but not the
correct one in the context of the passage,
which is using another definition of the word.
• Be an antonym.
• Be another word that could fit into the
sentence but does not match the actual
meaning of the word in the question.

10. 2.
RECOGNIZING
REFERENTS
The exam tests your
ability to make
connections between
ideas using pronouns
and adjectives.
The ideas you are asked
to connect may be in
the same sentence or
may be in two
consecutive sentences.
You may be asked to
determine the referent
for a particular pronoun
or adjective.
The referent usually
comes before the
pronoun or adjective
being used, so it is
important to pay careful
attention to the context
around both the
pronoun or the
adjective and the
referent.

11. 2. Recognizing referents
Plug in Plug in your answer choice in place of the reference word to double check your answer.
Establish Establish the context around both the referent and the reference word.
Determine Determine whether the word is singular or plural.
Determine Determine what kind of reference word is being used.
Read Read the entire sentence with the word in it; see if the referent is easy to understand.

12. Reference Words

13. Incorrect Reference answers may:
Not match the
pronoun or adjective
in number.
1
Not match pronoun
or adjective in type
(i.e., relative pronoun
referring to an object
vs. referent referring
to a person).
2
Have the wrong
meaning based on
the context of the
sentence.
3

14. Reading Skill 3:
RECOGNIZE
PARAPHRASES
• Paraphrasing is the skill of
communicating the same
primary information in a
different way, often using
synonyms and changing the
word and clause order in a
sentence.

15. 3. RECOGNIZE PARAPHRASES
Use punctuation, such as
commas, to break the
sentence down into
parts that are easier to
understand.
Identify any transitional
words or phrases that
can indicate time,
contrast, addition, and
so on.
Look at the parts one by
one and identify
important information in
each one.
When necessary, read
sentences immediately
before and after the
highlighted sentence for
more information.

16. RECOGNIZE PARAPHRASES
Sometimes the highlighted sentence refers to information in
preceding or following sentences.
In this case, you may need to read one or two sentences before or
after the highlighted statement in order to have enough information
to choose the correct answer.

17. Paraphrasing INCORRECT answers
May leave out important
information.
May contain false
information.
May add in information
that may be true but is
not included in the
original sentence.
May use many of the
same words or terms but
not relate the information
accurately.

18. Reading Skill 4-Inserting
Sentences

19. 4. Inserting
Sentences
• Determine if it is stating a general idea or is talking about a
specific example or detail.
• General ideas usually occur toward the beginning of the
paragraph, examples or details will typically follow the
main idea sentence.
• Look for referents, pronouns, or adjectives within the
sentence that can be connected to an idea(s) in one of the
sentences.
• Look for connections between singular and plural nouns or
pronouns.
• Look for transitional words or phrases that establish a
relationship between ideas in the sentence in the question
and the marked sentences in the passage.
• Choose where you want to place the insertion sentence.
• Read the sentence before, the inserted sentence, and the
sentence after to double check that you have placed it in
the best location.

21. 4. Inserting
Sentences
INCORRECT
ANSWERS:
May interrupt the flow of ideas and
separate sentences that belong
together.
May insert referents, pronouns,
adjectives, or transitional words and
phrases that do not connect logically
with the previous sentence.

22. Reading Strategy 5: FIND
FACTUAL INFORMATION

23. FIND FACTUAL
INFORMATION
• This skill assess your ability to recognize
and understand the details and examples
that support main ideas.
• These are the most common types of
questions given in the Reading section (3-
6 questions per reading passage).
• The information needed to answer factual
information questions is found directly
stated in the passage.
• The answers are often restatements that
use synonyms and different sentence
structures from what is stated in the
passage.

24. 5. Find factual information.
Look for any indications in the question that tell you where the answer
is located.
Look for synonyms in the answer choices that match the information in
the passage. Be careful of sentence structure.
Be aware of transitional signals that indicate a relationship between
ideas and may indicate comparison, contrast, cause/effect, and so on.

25. Incorrect answer choices may:
Include details from
the passage but use
them in a way that is
not accurate according
to the passage.
1
Contain false
information or
information that
contradicts that in the
passage.
2
Use details mentioned
in the passage, but
that do not answer the
question.
3

26. Reading Skill 6: IDENTIFY NEGATIVE
FACTS

27. Reading Skill
6: IDENTIFY
NEGATIVE
FACTS
• This ability tests how well you distinguish between two types
of information:
• True versus false information, and
• details provided in the passage versus information that is
not provided.
• You must choose the answer that is incorrect according to the
passage.
• This means that three of the answer choices will be stated or
true based on the passage.
• 1-2 questions per reading passage.

28. Strategies to Answer Negative Fact Questions
• Look for any indications in the question that tell you where the answer is located.
• Remember that the questions are generally given in the same order as the
information is presented in the passage.
• Look for clear key words—such as dates, names, and locations to help you scan
for information and to eliminate answers found in the passage.
• In order to eliminate answers that are true or mentioned in the passage, look for
synonyms in the answer choices that match the information in the passage.
• Remember that there are two kinds of answer choice sets for this type of
question:
• Three true answers and one that is not true according to the passage, or
• Three true answers and one that is not stated or not mentioned in the
passage.

29. Negative Facts Questions Incorrect answers may:
Include information
that is mentioned or
true according to
the passage.
01
Contain false
information.
02
Use other details
mentioned in the
passage or
paragraph.
03

30. Reading Skill 7: MAKE INFERENCES
FROM STATED FACTS

31. MAKING
INFERENCES
FROM
STATED
FACTS
• Making inferences tests your ability to draw
conclusions and make logical guesses about
information that is not directly stated in the
passage.
• In order to make an inference, you must:
• Look at the information, or evidence, that
you do find in the passage.
• Use critical thinking skills to produce an
answer that is reasonable and can be
supported by that information.
• The ability to use critical thinking skills to
make inferences is essential for success in
academic life at universities and colleges in
the United States.

32. Types of inferences

33. Strategies
to Answer
Inference
Questions
• Look for any indications in the question that tell
you where the answer is located.
• Look for information in the passage that
contradicts an answer choice and eliminate that
answer choice.
• Remember that for some answers, you may need
to analyze several details from the passage to
reach a conclusion.
• Look for clear key words—such as dates, names,
and locations—to help you skim for information and
to eliminate wrong answers.
• Do not choose an answer based only on the fact
that it appears to be true. The correct answer will
not be stated directly and must be inferred.

34. Incorrect
answer
choices may:
• Manipulate the stated details.
• Contain false information.
• Contradict direct information
given in the paragraph.
• Suggest a conclusion that is not
reasonable or logical.

35. Reading Skill 8: INFER
RHETORICAL PURPOSE
QUESTIONS

36. RHETORICAL
PURPOSE
QUESTIONS
• The term rhetoric refers to the
ability to use language in an
effective manner to express
ideas.
• Rhetorical purpose questions
test your ability to understand
the relationship of words and
phrases to the ideas being
communicated in a passage.

37. Rhetorical purpose may
be used to
• Provide an example of something familiar to the
reader in order to explain something that may not
be known.
• Provide a definition of an unfamiliar concept, object,
or idea.
• To emphasize, clarify, or develop ideas.
• Provide a point of comparison or contrast for
another idea(s).
• Criticize or provide an argument for or against
something in order to persuade the reader.

38. When you are asked a rhetorical purpose question, you must infer the
relationship that the highlighted words or phrases in the passage
have to the ideas around them. To do this, you must look for logical
connections between the highlighted information and the sentences
around it or for logical connections between paragraphs.

39. Strategies to Answer Rhetorical Purpose
Questions
Read the sentence that contains the highlighted information.
Look for signal words or phrases (i.e., one example; rather than) that
establish a relationship between the highlighted word(s) and other
ideas.
Read one to two sentences around the key sentence to clearly
understand the relationship between the highlighted word(s) and the
other ideas being presented.

40. Incorrect answer choices may
Contain
information that is
not relevant to the
purpose.
1
Contain false
information.
2
Contain
information that
contradicts the
purpose.
3

41. Reading Strategies
Review 1-8
• UNDERSTANDING VOCABULARY FROM CONTEXT
• RECOGNIZING REFERENTS
• RECOGNIZE PARAPHRASES
• INSERTING SENTENCES
• FIND FACTUAL INFORMATION
• IDENTIFY NEGATIVE FACTS
• MAKE INFERENCES FROM STATED FACTS
• INFER RHETORICAL PURPOSE QUESTIONS

42. Reading Skill 9:
Select Summary
Information

43. Summary information questions
evaluate your ability to determine
which details in the passage are
major supporting ideas and
should be included in the
summary and which details are
only minor and therefore, do not
belong in the summary.
This type of question always
appears as the last question in
the set of questions, and it is
organized in a chart form.

44. The thesis statement, or main idea of the entire passage, is given to you.
You must choose the most important ideas that support this thesis from a list of six
options following the chart.
For this question, you must choose only three answers.
The question has more than one answer choice, it is worth multiple points; you will
receive 0 to 2 points depending on how many correct answers you choose.

45. Since the summary question
is at the end of the set of
questions, you can use
information from previous
questions to help you
determine the most
important ideas.

46. Strategies to Answer Summary Chart
Questions
Read the thesis statement that is provided. Understanding this
statement will help you to select answers that are related only to the
main idea of the passage.
Quickly read the topic statements (the first sentences) of each
paragraph.
Look for three answer choices from the six provided that are the
main topics of paragraphs.

47. In the answer choices, be aware that the information in the correct answers
may be paraphrased using synonyms and alternate syntax or sentence order.
The correct answers will not repeat exact information from the passage, but
rather will synthesize or combine different pieces of information.
Eliminate choices that are definitely false or not discussed in the passage.
Eliminate choices that describe minor details or examples

48. Incorrect answer choices may:
• Contain minor details or examples.
• Contain information not discussed in the
passage.
• Contain information that is false or inaccurate
based on the passage.
• Use transition words and syntax to confuse the
ideas.

49. Reading Skill 10:
Complete
Organizational
(Schematic) Tables

50. Organizational or schematic table questions evaluate your ability
to plan the key information from a passage.
You must be able to recognize the overall organization of the
information in the passage and the major points in the passage.
The question always appears as the last question in the set of
questions (alternating with a summary question), and it is
organized in a table format.

51. Category headings from two or three of the broad ideas from a
passage are provided in the table.
You must choose the ideas that correspond to each category from a list
of usually seven answer choices following the table.
For this question, you must choose only five answer choices. This
means that two of the answer choices provided will not be used to fill in
the schematic table.

52. Strategies to Answer Organizational (Schematic) Table Questions
Identify the categories that
are provided.
1
Scan each paragraph that
discusses the related
categories in the table for
information that
corresponds to the answer
choices.
2
In the answer choices, be
aware that the information
may be paraphrased using
synonyms and alternate
syntax. Scan to find the
information quickly.
Remember, the wording in
the correct answers will
differ.
3
Eliminate choices that are
false or not discussed in
the passage.
4
Eliminate choices that are
not relevant to the
categories in the table.
5

53. Incorrect answer choices may:
Contain information that is not
relevant to the categories given.
Contain information not
discussed in the passage.
Contain information that is false
based on the passage.