TOEFL IBT Reading Practice Test 12 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 | Psychology
Piaget’s Theory
Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory stems from the assumption that childhood development can be examined as a series of distinct stages representing a child’s evolving ability to perceive the world around him or her. He proposed that as a child progresses from one developmental stage to the next, his or her way of thinking changes.
Piaget conceived four stages of childhood development and described the level of awareness of the external world children exhibit at each stage. At birth, children are in the first stage of development —the sensorimotor stage—exercising their reflexes by grasping objects with their hands, following movements with their eyes, and sucking on objects in their mouths. Until about the age of two, children remain in the sensorimotor stage, progressing through substages until they have developed the ability to accomplish objectives by planning steps toward a goal. Between the ages of two and seven, children progress through the preoperational stage, where they learn to use symbols as representations of physical things. In this stage, children’s understanding of the world is based on egocentrism, limited to their own perception and unable to consider others’ points of view. In the following stage—the concrete operational stage—children begin to apply consistent logic to the world around them, solving problems by considering more than one aspect of a problem at a time, identifying and organizing objects with shared characteristics, and discovering that other people’s perspectives differ from theirs. This stage lasts until children are about twelve years old. At approximately this age, children progress to the final stage of development, the formal operational stage, which lasts through adulthood. Children in this stage begin to think like adults, acquiring the skills to refine their social interactions and to understand abstract ideas like love and moral values. According to Piaget’s theory, this stage represents a person’s way of thinking at its most sophisticated.
A child’s progress through these stages is determined by a process of learning that Piaget described in two basic steps: assimilation, the incorporation of new information into existing thought patterns—notions about how the world operates; and accommodation, the alteration of present cognitive structures to accommodate the new information. [A] Piaget reasoned that a biological drive motivates children to make sense of their environments and then develop ideas about how the world operates. [B] In early childhood, children are constantly bombarded with new information, and they use that information to develop expectations about their environments. [C] However, because of their limited experience, children often find that the new information they have received conflicts with some of their existing ideas about the world. [D] When a child discovers this kind of conflict, he or she experiences what Piaget considered an upset in equilibrium, which lasts until the new information can be absorbed, returning a sense of balance to the child’s view of the world. For example, if a child learns that a cat is a small, four-legged animal, he or she may assume that all small, four-legged animals are cats, an assumption that would be challenged, however, if a child pointed out an animal he or she considered to be a cat and then learned that it was actually a puppy. In this example, the child would need to adjust his or her idea of what a cat is, and in so doing, he or she would be accommodating the new knowledge, changing an existing thought pattern in order to return to equilibrium.
Piaget has remained an influential figure in the field of developmental psychology for decades. In fact, many of the central ideas in his cognitive development theory had been proposed as early as the 1920s. Although there has been some criticism of his work children actually go through stages as Piaget have added that some people never attain the final stage, the formal operational stage -Piaget’s theories still remain relevant and persuasive in modern developmental psychology.
1. The word evolving in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) developing
(B) surprising
(C) understanding
(D) knowing
2. In paragraph 2, the author explains Piaget’s stages of childhood development by
(A) narrating stories about children in different developmental stages
(B) explaining how he first realized that children think differently than adults
(C) comparing the behaviors of adults with the behaviors of children
(D) describing the behavioral characteristics and approximate ages of each stage
3 The word they in the passage refers to
(A) children
(B) substages
(C) objectives
(D) steps
4 According to paragraph 2, what can be inferred about a child’s method of problem solving before the concrete operational stage?
(A) It is based on rational conclusions.
(B) It is not based on the child’s experiences.
(C) It focuses on others’ perspectives.
(D) It is based on a narrow view of the problem.
5. The word abstract in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) incomplete
(B) conceptual
(C) mature
(D) popular
6. According to paragraph 2, the formal operational stage
(A) occurs between the ages of seven and twelve
(B) can be seen in female children before male children
(C) is a person’s most advanced way of thinking
(D) is a period of egocentrism and limited perspective
7. According to paragraph 2, the developmental stage when a child’s reflexes are most important is
(A) the sensorimotor stage
(B) the preoperational stage
(C) the concrete operational stage
(D) the formal operational stage
8. The word absorbed in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) accepted
(B) explained
(C) checked
(D) found
9. Why does the author mention cats in paragraph 3?
(A) To suggest that children have different ways of thinking than adults
(B) To imply that children’s psychological development is slow
(C) To give an example of the process of assimilation and accommodation
(D) To explain why children have incorrect ideas about their environment
10. Why does the author mention the 1920s in paragraph 4?
(A) To emphasize the length of time Piaget’s theory has persisted
(B) To admit that Piaget’s theory is outdated
(C) To explain why some people disagree with Piaget’s theory
(D) To indicate that Piaget’s theory had little impact
11. According to paragraph 4, some psychologists have criticized Piaget’s theory
(A) because they are not certain that children develop in the stages he identified
(B) because it has remained unchanged for more than eighty years
(C) because children are not born into the sensorimotor stage
(D) because it is based on old-fashioned ideas
12 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) Because Piaget was not certain whether all children experienced the formal operational stage, some psychologists criticize his theory.
(B) Piaget’s theory became less popular after receiving criticism from experts in the field of developmental psychology.
(C) Some people still have questions about the stages in Piaget’s theory, but overall his theory continues to be important.
(D) Piaget’s theory was important when it was created, and it is still at the foundation of modem developmental psychology.
13. Look at the four squares m that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
These two steps allow children to develop working theories about their surroundings that help them to property adapt.
Where would the sentence best fit?
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.
Piaget’s cognitive development theory suggests that childhood development progresses through distinct stages.
*
*
*
Answer Choices
(A) During childhood, children take in huge amounts of information because they are starting without any preconceived notions about the world.
(C) The characteristic behaviors of the four stages begin with babies’ reflexes in the sensorimotor stage and develop into sophisticated interactions in the formal operational stage.
(E) Children learn new things through a learning process that involves assimilating and accommodating information about the world around them.
(B) In the concrete operational stage, children first discover that other people do not have the same perspectives they do, and they develop the ability to consider others’ points of view.
(D) Some critics of Piaget’s theory suggest that some people never actually reach the fourth stage of development described in the cognitive development theory.
(F) Although some people have doubted that children develop in stages like Piaget proposed, his cognitive development theory continues to be a central idea in psychology.
Reading Passage 2 Reading Passage 3 Answer Keys & Explanation
Passage 2 | Geology
Classifying Earth’s Rocks
Our Earth is made up of a great variety of organic and inorganic compounds. At a fundamental level, though, its physical structure is primarily composed of rock. Deep within the Earth, rock exists at intense temperatures as liquid magma; closer to the surface, we find the solid rocks we are accustomed to seeing in the landscapes that surround us. These solid rocks are composites of different minerals, at times with some organic materials mixed in. Minerals are crystallized structures made up of either a single pure element or a mixture of elements. There are over 4,000 known species of minerals in our world, combining in various ways to create more than 100 different kinds of rocks.
One method of classifying rocks labels them according to the kinds of minerals ?c they contain: silicates, carbonates, sulfates, etc. However, there is an even more basic system for categorizing the multitude of rock types. Every rock on the planet can be put into one of three distinct groups based on T the processes that were responsible for its creation. These are the igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic categories.
Igneous rocks make up the majority of the Earth’s crust. They form when magma 30 is able to cool and solidify. Sometimes this happens below the Earth’s surface, when conditions change in a way that allows the ordinarily scalding subterranean temperatures to drop. The resulting igneous rocks are called intrusive, or plutonic. In other circumstances, magma manages to travel all the way to the crust, where it is ejected and then solidifies above the surface, creating extrusive, or volcanic, igneous rocks. From the term “volcanic,” it is easy to discern where such rocks may be found. Other places where magma comes to the surface to form extrusive igneous rocks include tectonic divergence zones, which are usually active deep underwater on the ocean floor. An igneous rock’s physical features depend on the location and duration of its cooling process in addition to its mineral composition.
While igneous rocks begin far beneath the crust as magma, sedimentary rocks form much closer to the surface. As the name implies, they are composed of numerous individual sediments, packed tightly together and forced into a fused state. Most of these sediments come from other rocks— igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary— slowly broken apart by the weathering forces that occur on the Earth’s surface. Pieces of organic material, such as the shells of marine creatures or decaying plant matter, can be included in the mixture as well. Layers of these sediments are deposited in an area by wind or water and are slowly buried over time. As more and more debris accumulates on top of these layers, the underlying materials are subjected to increasing degrees of pressure, and this force eventually cements the once loose sediments into a thin, solid layer of rock, a physical change referred to as lithification. The characteristics of rocks of this type are influenced mostly by the size, shape, and mineral makeup of the sediments that coalesce to form them.
Metamorphic rocks can only develop 75 deep underground—up to 20 kilometers below the Earth’s crust. Tectonic activity is constantly pulling some landmasses down into the Earth while thrusting others up to the surface. Subducted rocks, which can belong to any of the three types, sometimes reach depths where the conditions of temperature and pressure are far different from the places where they were originally formed. Certain chemical changes result, producing new rocks that now fall into the metamorphic category. Though the temperatures and pressures that create metamorphic specimens must be intense enough to bring about such changes, they are not so great that the rocks melt and become magma. The specific strengths of these forces are the primary factors dictating what physical properties a metamorphic rock will display.
It is not difficult to see that all three types of rock are interconnected. [A] Igneous rocks at the surface are slowly weathered away, creating the building blocks for sedimentary rocks. [B] Once formed, these sedimentary rocks may be submerged to the point where they become metamorphic. [C] Some metamorphic rocks then reach depths with temperatures that can liquefy them, creating magma and beginning the entire process again.[D] In this way, the minerals and other materials that make up the Earth have been undergoing radical transformations for millennia.
15. The word composites in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) signs
(B) blends
(C) relatives
(D) examples
16 According to paragraph 1, which relationship is true?
(A) Rocks are made of minerals, which combine to form elements.
(B) Minerals are made of rocks, which are composed of one or more elements.
(C) Elements are made of minerals, which combine to form rocks.
(D) Rocks are made of minerals, which are composed of one or more elements.
17.The word its in the passage refers to
(A) system
(B) multitude
(C) rock
(D) planet
18. Why does the author repeat the term “volcanic” in paragraph 3?
(A) To fully explain a complicated geological concept
(B) To focus on the similarities between igneous and metamorphic rocks
(C) To emphasize the specific information that the name provides
(D) To illustrate the uniqueness of igneous rocks that form underwater
19. The word discern in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) offer
(B) study
(C) mistake
(D) determine
20. According to paragraph 3, how are igneous rocks separated into two categories?
(A) By the type of volcano from which they are ejected
(B) By whether they form at high or low temperatures
(C) By the characteristics of the minerals they contain
(D) By whether they form above or below the surface
21. 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) Lithification occurs when a sediment mixture turns to solid rock as a result of the pressure it experiences when buried.
(B) As loose debris accumulates on the Earth’s surface, older sediments become more and more submerged until they change to rock.
(C) When sediments undergo the process of lithification, they form thin layers of solid rock beneath the ground.
(D) It is the pressure exerted by the weight of overlying materials that alters the physical properties of underground rocks.
22. The word coalesce in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) join
(B) wait
(C) move
(D) change
23. According to the passage, it can be inferred that plant and animal fossils are most commonly observed in
(A) crystallized minerals
(B) metamorphic rocks
(C) sedimentary rocks
(D) igneous rocks
24 What can be inferred about metamorphic rocks from paragraph 5?
(A) They melt before undergoing chemical changes.
(B) Their formation cannot be directly observed.
(C) There are not many specimens known to exist.
(D) They are the cause of Earth’s tectonic activity.
25 According to paragraph 5, what plays the biggest role in determining the characteristics of metamorphic rocks?
(A) The amounts of heat and pressure
(B) The content of the surrounding magma
(C) The chemicals in the original rocks
(D) The depth where formation occurs
26.The word radical in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) necessary
(B) extreme
(C) delayed
(D) diverse
27. Look at the four squares m that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Indeed, the materials involved in rock formation are part of a gradual yet continuous cycle that is constantly redistributing the matter of the Earth.
Where would the sentence best fit?
Click on a square [] to add the sentence to the passage.
28. Directions: Complete the table by matching the phrases below.
Select the appropriate phrases from the answer choices and match them to the type of rock 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) Can contain particles of organic matter |
(B) Form when soiid rocks are chemically altered
(C) Are composed of pure carbonate
(D) Form from accumulations of weathered debris
(E) Are the most common rocks in the crust
(F) Occur after materials are deeply submerged
(G) Retain the physical features of their constituent parts
(H) Occur anywhere that hot magma becomes solid
(I) Form when two different magma types mergeIgneous Rocks**Sedimentary Rocks***Metamorphic Rocks**
Reading Passage 1 Reading Passage 3 Answer Keys & Explanation
Passage 3 | Entomology
Decline of Wild Bee Populations
At one time, wild bee populations – with the help of other natural pollinators like birds, butterflies, and bats—were sufficient to pollinate food crops, transferring pollen 5 from what is referred to as the male part of the flower (the anther) to the female part (the stigma), in a crucial part of plant reproduction that enables crops to produce fruits and vegetables. Although agricultural production o has grown too large to rely solely on wild bees for pollination, these pollinators still play a role in crop pollination and, in some cases, are more effective than the domesticated bees that are used in U.S. agriculture. Therefore, s it is alarming that wild bee populations are shrinking.
Wild bees are threatened by a number of factors, including habitat degradation, pesticides, and parasites. Habitat degradation o is a serious problem for wild bee populations. When land is cleared for logging or farming purposes, ecological diversity in the area decreases, and this may cause food-supply and habitat losses for the species that once lived in the area. For example, the loss of hardwood blossoms and hollow trees results in a loss of wild bees. Over the course of a fourteen-year period, habitat degradation in Costa Rica caused the number of wild bee ¡o species to drop from seventy to thirty-seven. All over the world, human activities threaten the natural habitats of wild bees.
[A] The effect of pesticides has been an environmental issue for decades, and many species have been harmed by agricultural chemical spraying. [B] Although both commercial and wild bees play a role in crop pollination, commercial bees remain in pesticide-sprayed fields only long enough to o pollinate them, but wild bees inhabit those fields and spend all their time there. [C] For example, native bumblebees that feed on the blossoms of cotton crops receive large, harmful doses of pesticides as cotton fields s are sprayed with chemicals while the bees are feeding on the blooming flowers. [D] During the 1970s, pesticide spraying in Canada was so harmful to bee populations that the yields from blueberry crops —pollinated by native o bees—were reduced for four years.
Parasites and diseases have become more of a threat as international trade spreads foreign pests to places where native species have developed no resistance to or defense s against the invaders. In the American South, fire ants imported from South America in the early twentieth century have caused problems by destroying wild bee populations that make their nests in the ground. Some diseases, like foulbrood and chalkbrood, have recently spread internationally, and parasites like the African hive beetle and the Varroa mite have traveled beyond the continents of their origins.
Of all the threats to wild bees, the s greatest is the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. The Varroa mite, originally from Asia, has had an alarmingly damaging impact on the Western honeybee. When contact is made, adult female Varroa mites fasten themselves to the bee between its abdominal segments, an ideal site that makes their detection very difficult and allows the mites to easily suck the blood of their hosts. Varroa mites assault bees at every stage of development, from 5 formative stages to adulthood. Female mites lay their eggs with bee larvae so that the young bees will become hosts for the mites. Consequences for the hosts include deformed abdomen, abnormal wings, and misshapen legs. In colonies of Western honeybees, Varroa mite infestations, if untreated, generally cause the death of the colony. In the United States, Varroa infestations have nearly eradicated wild honeybee colonies.
Unfortunately, if the problems currently threatening wild bee populations are not resolved, there may be troubling results. If the number of wild bees continues to dwindle, it is likely that some of the fruits and vegetables d being enjoyed today may simply vanish from supermarket shelves in the not-too-distant future.
29. 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) Fruit and vegetable plants no longer require the assistance of wild bees and other flying animals to become pollinated.
(B) Birds, butterflies, bats, and bees are used in agricultural operations to help pollinate food crops.
(C) Wild bees were once able to move enough pollen to ensure the reproduction of food crops.
(D) Pollination is the process of transferring pollen from male flower parts to female flower parts.
30. The word solely in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) only
(B) partially
(C) usually
(D) eventually
31. Why does the author mention the change in the number of wild bee species in paragraph 2?
(A) To show that wild bee species exist in the same habitats as humans
(B) To give an example of reasons why people clear forests
(C) To show the effect of land degradation on wild bees
(D) To demonstrate that the habitat of wild bees has recently changed
32. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that hardwood blossoms and hollow trees
(A) are not destroyed when a forest is cleared for farming purposes
(B) are used by wild bees as food and shelter
(C) are found in all regions of the world
(D) are abundant in Costa Rica
33. What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about commercial bees?
(A) Their populations are larger than wild bee populations.
(B) They have evolved a resistance to agricultural chemicals.
(C) They are not harmed by pesticides as much as wild bees.
(D) They play a minimal role in crop pollination.
34. Why does the author mention the Canadian blueberry crops in paragraph 3?
(A) To show the importance of wild pollinators in Canadian agriculture
(B) To explain the commercial value of wild pollinators
(C) To indicate the effect of pesticides on wild bees
(D) To demonstrate the effectiveness of chemical pesticides
35. The word defense in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) protection
(B) action
(C) expectation
(D) survival
36. According to paragraph 4, why is international trade problematic for wild bees?
(A) They seldom survive overseas journeys.
(B) They are vulnerable to diseases from overseas.
(C) There are few international laws to protect endangered species.
(D) They are exported to places with unsuitable habitats.
37. The word their in the passage refers to
(A) Varroa mites
(B) segments
(C) hosts
(D) bees
38. The word assault in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) attack
(B) encounter
(C) dread
(D) track
39. According to paragraph 5, Varroa mites affect bees by
(A) causing physical defects
(B) spreading lethal diseases
(C) impairing their reproductive capabilities
(D) destroying their food sources
40. The word dwindle in the passage is closest in meaning to
(A) shrink
(B) weaken
(C) sicken
(D) remain
41. Look at the four squares [] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Wild bees are particularly susceptible to the damages caused by pesticides because of their constant exposure to agricultural chemicals.
Where would the sentence best fit?
42. 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.
Wild bee populations are declining because they are facing several serious threats.
*
*
*
Answer Choices
(A) By depriving them of food and shelter, loss of habitat has severely reduced the number of wild bee species in some areas.
(C) Bumblebees are poisoned by pesticides because the cotton fields they live in are heavily sprayed with chemicals.
(E) Fire ants from South America have endangered ground-nesting bees in the southern United States.
(B) Pesticides endanger wild bees because they are constantly exposed to the chemicals that are applied to crop fields.
(D) Blueberries are a crop that requires
significant amounts of pesticides in order to thrive.
(F) Parasites and diseases are a very severe problem for wild bee populations, which have nearly been destroyed by this menace.
Reading Passage 1 Reading Passage 2 Answer Keys & Explanation