TOEFL IBT Reading Practice Test 09 from IVY’s Reading 15 Actual Test
This section measures your ability to understand academic passages in English. The Reading section is divided into 2 separately timed parts.
Most questions are worth 1 point but the last question in each set is worth more than 1 point. The directions indicate how many points you may receive.
Some passages include a word or phrase that is underlined in blue. Click on the word or phrase to see a definition or an explanation.
Within each part, you can go to the next question by clicking Next. You may skip questions and go back to them later. If you want to return to previous questions, click on Back. You can click on Review at any time and the review screen will show you which questions you have answered and which you have not answered. From this review screen, you may go directly to any question you have already seen in the Reading section.
You may now begin the Reading section. In this part you will read 1 passage. You will have 20 minutes to read the passage and answer the questions.
Passage 1 | Transportation
History of the Erie Canal
In early America, before the airplane, automobile, and railroad, there were two basic transportation options. Roads existed, but their quality was poor, and the vehicles that traversed them were of limited capacity. Travel by water was much more efficient but often impossible due to the lack of navigable rivers in inland regions. As a result, major human settlements prior to the 1800s were concentrated in the east, unable to extend beyond the Appalachian Mountains running along their western frontiers. In 1808, various business people and politicians in the state of New York began to suggest a solution to this is problem: the Erie Canal.
The proposed waterway would run directly east from the shores of Lake Erie at Buffalo, in western New York, across the entire state, including the Appalachian Mountains, w until it intersected the Hudson River along the state’s eastern border. Goods shipped via the canal would then travel south on the Hudson all the way to the Atlantic port of New York City. After receiving support from the 25 governor, construction began in 1817.
Lacking sophisticated technology, the arduous undertaking was carried out by hundreds of hardworking local and immigrant laborers who were paid eighty cents for a 30 twelve-hour workday. In 1825, the Erie Canal was completed, and was regarded as a marvel of engineering. [A] It stretched for 363 miles across New York, with a width of forty feet at the surface and an average depth of four feet. [B] The substantial changes in elevation along the route required the installation of eighty- three locks that would lift or lower cargo to the level of the next section of canal. [C] It included eighteen raised aqueducts that allowed the waterway to cross ravines and rivers. [D] Cargo barges were usually pulled by a team of pack animals from a towpath that ran alongside the canal.
The economic repercussions of the Erie Canal were immediately obvious. First of all, thousands of workers were hired to assist with the transportation of goods and the operation and maintenance of the various canal mechanisms. More important, however, was the effect on shipping expenses. Prior to its completion, transporting a ton of cargo by road from Buffalo to New York City cost around $100. By 1835, the canal had cut the figure to only four dollars per ton, and the volume of shipping traffic quickly escalated. Even the widespread growth of the railroad as a viable form of land transportation in the mid-1800s did nothing to lessen it. In only nine years, tolls charged to people using the Erie Canal had paid for the entire cost of its construction.
The new shipping route provided farmers and other settlers in midwestern territories such as Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois with the means to deliver their goods to the large eastern markets. In return, manufactured products from eastern factories were sold to midwestern consumers. By facilitating this reciprocal relationship, the Erie Canal greatly contributed to the westward expansion of the American nation. However, the eastern endpoint of the route was affected as well. Within fifteen years of the canal’s construction, the amount of goods flowing into New York City and the resultant blossoming of commercial activities had transformed the city into the country’s busiest port, and ultimately helped it become the prosperous metropolis it is today.
As shipping traffic increased and new engineering technologies became available, the canal received many upgrades. Between 1836 and 1862, it was enlarged to maintain a depth of seven feet and a surface width of seventy feet. This accommodated the passage of much larger and more numerous boats. The enlargement process was carried out again in the early 1900s, bringing the canal’s width to 200 feet in some places and increasing sc its depth to twelve feet. In addition, during this round of improvements, the locks were modified to run on electricity, and steam- and diesel-powered tugboats were introduced to guide the cargo vessels.
It was not until the second half of the twentieth century, when highways began to replace railways as the dominant form of land transport, that use of the Erie Canal began to decrease rapidly. Finally, in 1994, all commercial traffic on the waterway was stopped. It is now used primarily for recreation and remains an important reminder of the history of the region.
1. The word traversed in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) crossed
(B) found
(C) kept
(D) performed
2. Based on the information in paragraph 1 and paragraph 2, it can be inferred that the greatest obstacle to westward travel through New York in 1800 was
(A) navigating the Hudson River
(B) crossing the Appalachian Mountains
(C) obtaining large enough vehicles
(D) having to avoid Lake Erie
Paragraph 1 and paragraph 2 are marked with arrows
3. The word arduous in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) unusual
(B) difficult
(C) expensive
(D) sudden
4. Why does the author mention the immigrant laborers in paragraph 3?
(A) To highlight the desperate economic circumstances in New York at the time
(B) To explain how cargo vessels were guided along the canal
(C) To describe the people who lived in a particular region of New York
(D) To note the great efforts required to build the canal
5. The word repercussions in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) management
(B) discussions
(C) factors
(D) impacts
6. According to paragraph 4, it can be inferred that after it was created, the Erie Canal rapidly became
(A) the cheapest way to transport items across the state
(B) a tax burden on the citizens of New York
(C) a shipping method second only to the railroad
(D) the largest source of employment in the state
7. The word it in the passage refers to
(A) figure
(B) volume
(C) growth
(D) construction
8. In paragraph 5, the author mentions Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to
(A) show that the Erie Canal helped the nation expand
(B) list the locations of many American factories of the time
(C) identify territories that modeled their canals after the Erie Canal
(D) describe how the Erie Canal enabled settlers to reach the Midwest
9. The word facilitating in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) aiding
(B) ending
(C) showing
(D) following
10. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
(A) The canal greatly increased the number of products that reached New York and quickly stimulated commerce in the city.
(B) New York City relied on the canal for the delivery of many essential supplies and could not have grown without it.
(C) Ever since it became the nation’s most active port, New York City has been important to the economy of America.
(D) The canal soon turned New York into a major trading center and is partly responsible for the city’s current character.
11. According to paragraph 6, how was the canal modified in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?
(A) It was outfitted with the latest technology.
(B) Its dimensions were increased.
(C) It was provided with more electrical power.
(D) Its tolls were raised.
12. In paragraph 7, the author states that the Erie Canal currently
(A) is being converted into a highway
(B) does not allow boat traffic
(C) is not used to ship merchandise
(D) is the site of a museum
13. Look at the four squares m that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Also, bridges were built so that preexisting roads cut by the canal could remain in use.
Where would the sentence best fit?
Click on a square HI to add the sentence to the passage.
14. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
In the early nineteenth century, the Erie Canal was created as a way to move goods across New York to points farther west.
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Answer Choices
(A) The Erie Canal might never have been built rf it were not for the support the idea received from the governor and businesses of New York.
(C) New York’s economy benefited mainly from the large number of jobs that were created by the construction of the Erie Canal.
(E) The rising costs of improving and maintaining the canal caused its popularity to decline in the latter part of the twentieth century.
(B) A truly monumental project involving numerous construction tasks, the canal was finished in 1825 after about eight years of work.
(D) The Erie Canal provided a cheap means of shipping products between distant regions, significantly boosting the economies of both the Midwest and New York City.
(F) Over the years, the canal was updated to address increases in traffic and remained in use until it was finally sidelined by the highway system.
Reading Passage 2 Reading Passage 3 Answer Keys & Explanation
Passage 2 | Paleontology
Two Extinction Theories
[A] What caused the mass extinctions about 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period has long been an enticing scientific riddle, and the reasons for the resulting extermination of the dinosaurs have been the topic of fierce dispute for some time. [B] By studying the layers of the Earth’s crust that correspond to the time period of the mass extinctions, scientists have uncovered clues that, over the past few decades of debate, have evolved into two major theories about the cause of the mysterious mass extinctions. [C] Whatever the cause, 65 million years ago, as much as 70 percent of the species on the Earth vanished. [D]
The main support for both arguments comes from the evidence contained in the 65-million-year-old geological boundary in the planet’s crust, where rock layers from the Cretaceous Period meet rock layers from the Tertiary Period. At this Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary, inexplicably large quantities of iridium, an element that is very rare in the Earth’s crust, have been found. Speculation about the origin of the unusual amount of iridium has led to the development of the impact theory and the volcano-greenhouse theory.
The widely accepted impact theory, proposed by Luis Alvarez in 1980, explains that the high levels of iridium at the K-T boundary may have been caused by a huge asteroid—probably miles in diameter—that slammed into the Earth 65 million years ago, and the result of that impact was a colossal explosion that created sky-darkening dust clouds around the entire planet. Iridium is common in some extraterrestrial objects, and this fact quickly earned support for the impact theory. An impact of this magnitude would have had a catastrophic effect on the planet’s ecosystem, as dust from the blast would have clouded the atmosphere and initiated an “impact winter.” The absence of sunlight and the sudden temperature drop would have quickly destroyed plant species, gradually starved larger herbivores that fed on those plants, and eventually killed the carnivores that relied on those herbivores for food. The impact theory was quite provocative when it was initially presented, and some scientists were skeptical about the idea of an enormous asteroid. Because objects of that size make impressive craters, they argued that the impact mark from the Alvarez asteroid should still be observable. However, for years no one was able to identify a crater of the appropriate size and age. Ten years after the proposal of Alvarez’s theory, researchers stumbled upon a probable impact site—a huge crater partially submerged in the ocean off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The Chicxulub Crater, which is the result of a collision that occurred approximately 65 million years ago, is believed es by many to be the impact site where Alvarez’s ten-kilometer-wide asteroid struck, ushering in a period of mass extinctions for species across the face of the Earth.
Although it is sometimes overlooked, there is a second viable theory that simultaneously accounts for the abundance
of iridium and proposes a reasonable cause of the K-T extinctions. This theory, known as the volcano-greenhouse theory, suggests that the iridium in the K-T boundary originated in the center of the Earth, released by long-term volcanic activity at the end of the Cretaceous Period. At that time, the Deccan Traps—a volcanic region on the Indian subcontinent exhibited some of the most severe volcanism in the entire history of the planet. The Deccan Traps would have expelled enough lava to cover more than 2.5 million square kilometers of the Earth’s surface and would have thrown massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, creating a greenhouse effect that would have drastically affected the planet’s climate. The volcano-greenhouse theory asserts that the planet’s temperature would so have risen and fatally disrupted the biosphere. Mass migrations would have occurred, but, eventually, populations of mammals, reptiles, and birds would have become extinct as the planet’s temperature exceeded each species upper limit for successful reproduction.
Currently, there is far too little evidence to exclude either theory about the mass extinctions at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Both theories appear to be equally supported by the limited evidence scientists have been able to unearth so far.
15. The word enticing in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) unusual
(B) inviting
(C) unsettling
(D) invigorating
16. In paragraph 2, what can be inferred about the iridium in the Earth’s crust?
(A) It is an element that is often found during paleontological excavations.
(B) It is the result of a major event between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods.
(C) It has been contained in a variety of fossils from different periods in the Earth’s history.
(D) It has not helped scientists hypothesize about the extinction of the dinosaurs.
17. The word Speculation in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) Conjecture
(B) Confirmation
(C) Authentication
(D) Exasperation
18. According to paragraph 3r some scientists initially doubted the validity of the impact theory because
(A) it seemed unlikely that an asteroid could cause so much damage
(B) it did not explain the iridium levels at the K-T boundary
(C) evidence of a massive crater could not be found
(D) asteroids rarely hit the Earth’s surface
19. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
(A) In 1980, Luis Alvarez proved that, 65 million years ago, an asteroid impact caused global extinctions.
(B) When an asteroid hits the surface of a planet, it causes a major explosion that releases high levels of iridium.
(C) Luis Alvarez proposed that an asteroid crash deposited iridium on the planet and caused a global disaster.
(D) When the K-T boundary was hit by a large iridium asteroid 65 million years ago, it released a dust cloud that surrounded the planet.
20. The word they in the passage refers to
(A) scientists
(B) objects
(C) craters
(D) years
21. The phrase ushering in in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) revealing
(B) introducing
(C) specializing in
(D) converting to
22. According to the passage, what does the author imply about the volcano-greenhouse theory?
(A) It is not as popular as the impact theory.
(B) It is more probable than the impact theory.
(C) It will be easier to prove than the impact theory.
(D) It does not have as much supporting evidence as the impact theory.
23. The word fatally in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) discreetly
(B) effortlessly
(C) lethally
(D) periodically
24. According to paragraph 4, the volcano- greenhouse theory claims that species became extinct because
(A) they were forced to migrate long distances
(B) the Earth became too warm
(C) they did not have enough oxygen
(D) the planet’s surface was covered with lava
25. Look at the four squares m that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Since the 1970s, scientists have extensively researched the matter, attempting to ascertain why dinosaurs, which had been the dominant land animals for approximately 160 million years, suddenly vanished at the end of the Cretaceous Period.
Where would the sentence best fit?
26 Directions: Complete the table by matching the phrases below.
Select the appropriate phrases from the answer choices and match them to the theory to which they relate. TWO of the answer choices will NOT be used. This question is worth 4 points.
Drag your answer choices to the spaces where they belong. To remove an answer choice, click on it To review the passage, click View Text
Answer Choices
(A) Involves a destructive effect caused by dust from a major explosion
(B) Theorizes that the iridium at the K-T boundary is native to the Earth
(C) Describes the catastrophes caused by blockage of sunlight
(D) Proposes that the mass extinctions occurred far earlier than 65 million years ago
(E) Suggests that there were disastrous results of a change in the gas composition of the Earth’s atmosphere
(F) Hypothesizes that the Earth’s temperature rose during the extinction period
(G) Refers to geologic phenomena located on the Indian subcontinent
(H) Has a major source of evidence just off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico
(I) Explains that the continents were separated by a catastrophic event
Impact Theory***Volcano Greenhouse Theory****
Reading Passage 1 Reading Passage 3 Answer Keys & Explanation
Passage 3 | Environmental Science
PCBs in the Environment
Among the harmful substances polluting the environment, perhaps the most well known by activists is a group of chemicals collectively called polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. PCBs are a family of 209 separate compounds. In the past, PCBs were commonly used as fire deterrents and insulation for high- voltage electrical components like capacitors and transformers. [A] This is because one of the characteristics of PCBs is their resistance to extremely high temperatures. [B] They are also known to be very stable and nonreactive and thus are effective insulators. [C] However, due to these qualities, PCBs remain in the environment and are difficult to remove. [D]
Before PCB use was curtailed by legislation in the 1970s, their widespread use created environmental problems that remain current global issues. PCBs persist in the environment and pollute the ecosystem by contaminating water, soil, and air. When PCBs in rivers evaporate into the air, they can be carried great distances on the wind, returning to the food chain through precipitation. As a result, PCBs have been detected all over the world.
PCBs in water and soil build up inside plants and animals, which in turn are consumed by humans. Because the concentration of PCBs increases the higher they move through the food so chain, humans who eat contaminated animals ingest large amounts of the chemicals. When a PCB chemical enters the human body, it is transported throughout the body by the bloodstream and is eventually stored in fatty tissue, where it typically lingers for a long time. Unlike water-soluble substances, these chemicals do not deteriorate easily in water and as a result do not get expelled from the body. Instead they remain and build up over long periods of time—in some cases, many years. During this time, they may reach the dangerous levels to which reproductive irregularities, various types of cancer, conditions affecting the immune system, and other illnesses have been attributed.
Because of the lack of public information about the dangers of PCBs, the use of the chemicals was unregulated for some time. However, throughout the 1970s, research demonstrating the link between PCBs and severe health problems became undeniable. In 1974, the US FDA declared that fish containing PCB quantities higher than five parts per million were unsafe for human consumption. In the same year, a study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency discovered that the Hudson River contained high levels of PCBs, and soon activist groups were campaigning for bans against the chemicals and calling for cleanup actions from the companies that were responsible for contaminating the environment with such industrial wastes. Epitomizing the kind of corporate negligence that had led to harmful levels of PCBs in the environment. General Electric, one of the United States’ largest corporations, became symbolic of the struggle between environmentalists and the manufacturing industry. It had dumped approximately 1.3 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson River. Supported by environmental and public health advocates. New York State sued General Electric in 1975 and demanded that the company stop dumping PCBs into the Hudson. Soon after, rising fears regarding the poisonous aspects of PCBs, and their constant exposure to the environment, resulted in congressional intervention in 1976, when the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was passed, prohibiting the commercial production and distribution of PCBs. By this time, however, decades of PCB dumping had already made a lasting mark on the environment.
In recent times, attempts have been made to develop PCB cleanup methods that involve bacteria that combat the effect of PCBs on the environment and, in turn, animals and humans. Beginning in the early 1990s, researchers conducted studies on ways to eliminate PCBs from the environment using bacteria that exist naturally. The researchers focused their work on the badly contaminated Hudson River, using an inexpensive system involving anaerobic and aerobic bacteria.
This process is a biodégradation method and can treat about 70 percent of the PCBs in a sample. The first phase involves the conversion of PCB substances by the anaerobic bacteria into less-harmful compounds. The remaining PCB material can then be treated with aerobic bacteria, which break down the substances into carbon dioxide and water. Other research has determined that the PCBs that are left after this process has been performed can be completely eliminated using other chemical solutions.
27. The word curtailed in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) monitored
(B) reduced
(C) discussed
(D) challenged
28. The word it in the passage refers to
(A) chemical
(B) body
(C) bloodstream
(D) tissue
29. The word expelled in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) eliminated
(B) subtracted
(C) changed
(D) supplied
30. In paragraph 3, the author states that PCBs are responsible for all of the following health problems EXCEPT
(A) issues with reproductive abnormalities
(B) conditions related to the immune system
(C) different kinds of cancer
(D) circulatory disorders and heart disease
31. The word negligence in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) attitude
(B) disregard
(C) behavior
(D) boldness
32. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
(A) In the 1970s, new applications for PCBs were discovered, and the government encouraged the chemicals’ production and distribution.
(B) When the TSCA was passed, people began to express their concerns about the hazards associated with PCBs in the environment.
(C) Because of the public’s concern about PCBs, the government placed restrictions on the use of the chemicals.
(D) The TSCA prevented manufacturers from using PCBs to produce or distribute their commercial products.
33. According to paragraph 4, which of the following sentences most accurately reflects the authors opinion about General Electric’s use of PCBs?
(A) Because PCBs were legal, the company should not be punished for its innocent mistake.
(B) The company behaved irresponsibly by dumping PCBs into the Hudson River.
(C) It is justified because the company manufactured products that were useful in everyday life.
(D) It is unfortunate, but those types of mistakes are necessary for technological progress.
34. In paragraph 4, why does the author mention activist groups?
(A) To argue that PCBs are not as harmful as they were once believed to be
(B) To point out that, for some time, PCBs were essential to the manufacturing industry
(C) To explain why most people were not aware of the harmful nature of PCBs
(D) To introduce the efforts that people made to prevent the further use of PCBs
35. According to paragraph 5, how are some researchers attempting to reduce PCB pollution?
(A) By organizing groups of volunteers to clean up local rivers
(B) By encouraging the government to pass laws preventing pollution
(C) By using bacteria to break down the PCBs in water supplies
(D) By performing studies based on past cleanup projects
36. The word conversion in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) transformation
(B) combustion
(C) opposition
(D) incision
37. Look at the four squares H that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
If discarded in water or soil, for instance, the chemicals can cause major ecological problems.
Where would the sentence best fit?
38. Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.
The presence of harmful PCBs in the environment remains a current and global pollution issue.
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Answer Choices
(A) PCBs are a class of chemicals that were once widely used in manufacturing electrical equipment
(C) Humans may be exposed to PCBs by drinking polluted water, eating contaminated fish, coming in physical contact with the chemicals, or breathing polluted air.
(E) Before the 1970s corporations dumped millions of pounds of PCBs into the environment, but as people became aware of the dangers, the government restricted the chemicals’ use.
(B) PCBs have a stable nature that allows them to remain in the environment for a long time, causing serious health problems to humans and animals.
(D) Because they are not water-soluble, PCBs are especially dangerous in the human body, where they remain in fatty tissues for long periods of time.
(F) Researchers are working on ways to clean up the PCB waste that, though discarded before the 1970s, continues to pollute the environment.
Reading Passage 1 Reading Passage 2 Answer Keys & Explanation