NAMA.

: WELLYAM HALOMOAN SIHAAN

NIM. : 190707067

MATKUL : TOEFL

DIAGNOSTIC PRE-TEST 
READING COMPREHENSION
Section 3
Time—approximately 55 minutes
(including the reading of the directions)

 
This section of the test measures your ability to comprehend written materials. It contains reading passages and questions
about the passages.

 
Directions: This section contains several passages, each followed by a number of questions. Read the passages and, for each
question, choose the one best answer—(A), (B), (C), or (D)—based on what is stated in the passage or on what can be inferred
from the passage.

 
Read the following passage. 

 
Jhon Quincy Adams, who served as the sixth president of the United States from 1825 to 1829, is today recognized for him
masterful statesmanship and diplomacy. He dedicated his life to public service, both in the presidency and in various other
political offices that he held. Throughout his political career he demonstrated his unswerving belief in freedom of speech, the
antislavery cause, and the right of Americans to be free from European and Asian domination.

 
Example I
To what did Jhon Quincy Adams devote his life?

 
(A) Improving his personal life
(B) Serving the public
(C) Increasing his fortune
(D) Working on his private business

 
According to the passage, Jhon Quincy Adams “dedicate his life to public service.” Therefore, you should choose answer (B).

 
Example II
In line 4, the word “unswerving” is closest in meaning to

 
(A) moveable
(B) insignificant
(C) unchanging
(D) diplomatic
 
The passage states that Jhon Quincy Adams demonstrated his unswerving his belief “throughout his career”. This implies that
the belief did not change. Therefore, you should choose answer (C).

 
As soon as you understand the directions, begin work on this section. 

 
 
 
 
PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-2)
Like mammals, birds claim their own territories. A bird’s territory may be small or large. Some birds claim only their nest and the
area right around it, while others claim far larger territories that include their feeding areas. Gulls, penguins, and other
waterfowl nest in huge colonies, but even in the biggest colonies, each male and his mate have small territories of their own
immediately around their nests. 
Male birds defend their territory chiefly against other males of the same species. In some cases, a warning call or threatening
pose may be all the defense needed, but in other cases, intruders may refuse to leave peacefully.

 
1. What is the main topic of this passage?
(A) Birds that live in colonies 
(B) Birds’ mating habits
(C) The behavior of birds
(D) Territoriality in birds
Answer: D

 
2. According to the passage, male birds defend their territory primarily against which of the following?
(A) Female birds
(B) Birds of other species.
(C) Males of their own species
(D) Mammals
Answer: C

 
PASSAGE TWO (Questions 3-4)
The number of rings in a tree can be used to determine how old a tree really is. Each year a tree produces a ring that is
composed of one light-colored wide band and one dark-colored narrow band. The wider band is produced during the spring and
early summer, when tree stem cells grow rapidly and become larger. The narrower band is produced in fall and early winter,
when cell growth is much slower and cells do not get very large. No cells are produced during the harsh winter and summer
months.

 
3. It is implied in the passage that if a tree has 100 wide bands and 100 narrow bands then it is
      (A) a century old
      (B) two centuries old
      (C) fifty years old
      (D) two hundred years old
Answer: A
 
4. It can be inferred from the passage that cells do not grow
     (A) when the tree is ill
     (B) during extreme heat or cold
     (C) when it rains too much
     (D) if there are more light-colored bands than dark-colored bands
Answer: B

 
PASSAGE THREE (Questions 5-6)
The number of rings in a tree can be used to determine how old a tree really is. Each year a tree produces a ring that is
composed of one light-colored wide band and one dark-colored narrow band. The wider band is produced during the spring and
early summer, when tree stem cells grow rapidly and become larger. The narrower band is produced in fall and early winter,
when cell growth is much slower and cells do not get very large. No cells are produced during the harsh winter and summer
months.
5. It is implied in the passage that if a tree has 100 wide bands and 100 narrow bands then it is
(A) a century old
(B) two centuries old
(C) fifty years old
(D) two hundred years old
Answer: A

 
6. It can be inferred from the passage that cells do not grow
(A) when the tree is ill
(B) during extreme heat or cold
(C) when it rains too much
(D) if there are more light-colored bands than dark-colored bands
Answer: B

 
PASSAGE FOUR (Questions 7-10)
When the typewriter was first invented, its keys were arranged alphabetically. This made the keys easy to find. However, this
arrangement also caused the bars of the machine to jam, or get stuck. To solve this problem, a new letter arrangement was
introduced by Christopher Latham Scholes in 1872. His system, the standard keyboard system, is still used on typewriters today.
He arranged the letters in such a way that the bars hit the inked ribbon from opposite directions as much as possible. This
resulted in far less jamming than had occurred with the alphabetical models.

 
7. The main topic of this passage is 
(A) the invention of the typewriter
(B) a problem and solution concerning the early typewriter
(C) how to write a letter on the typewriter
(D) why the keys stick on today’s typewriter
Answer: A

 
8. According to the passage, on the first typewriters
(A) the keys were in alphabetical order
 (B) the keys were hard to find
(C) the bars on the machine never jammed
(D) Scholes’s system worked quite well
Answer: A

 
9. Which of the following is NOT true about the system invented by Scholes?
(A) It was introduced in 1872.
(B) It is still used today.
(C) It became the standard system.
(D) It was alphabetical.
Answer: C

 
10. The passage indicates that under Scholes’s system, the bars hit the ribbon
(A) in alphabetical order
(B) from opposite directions
(C) and caused the keys to jam
(D) in the same way as they had on the original typewriter
Answer: C

 
 
PASSAGE FIVE (Questions 11-15)
Desert tundra, or cold desert, occurs on the Arctic edges of North America, Europe, and Asia. In these areas the temperatures
are almost always freezing, and they cause an environment in which plant life is virtually impossible. The existence of ice rather
than water for the majority of the year means that vegetation does not have enough moisture for growth to take place. During
the short period of time when the temperature increases enough for the ice to melt, there is generally a large volume of water.
Too much water and not enough drainage through the frozen subsoil make it difficult for plants to grow.

 
11. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
(A) Where Desert Tundra Is Found
(B) The Weather in the Arctic
(C) The Effect of Desert Tundra on Plant Life
(D) The Variety of Plant Life in Desert Tundra
Answer: A

 
12. According to the passage, desert tundra is found
(A) throughout North America, Europe, and Asia
(B) in Antarctica
(C) on the Arctic borders of the northern continents
(D) at the North Pole
Answer: C

 
13. According to the passage, what makes plant life almost impossible in areas of desert tundra during most of the year?
(A) Excessive water on the plants
(B) The frozen state of the water
 (C) The increase in temperature
(D) The lack of ice
Answer:  B

 
14. According to the passage, which of the following does NOT happen when the weather heats up?
(A) Plants grow well.
(B) The ice melts.
(C) There is not enough drainage.
(D) There is too much water.
Answer: D

 
15. According to the passage, why is it impossible for the water to drain after it melts?
(A) The land beneath the surface is still frozen.
(B) The temperature is too high.
(C) The period of time is too short.
(D) The vegetation is flourishing.
Answer: A

 
PASSAGE SIX (Questions 16-20)
Whales are mammals rather than fish, yet they live in the world’s oceans rather than on land. Because of the fact that they
are mammals, scientists have believed for quite some time that whales are descendants of land mammals. Some interesting
evidence to support this theory has recently been found. In Egypt, fossils have been found of a forty-million-year-old whale leg,
kneecap, ankle, footbones, and toes. It appears from the fossil evidence that the bones were not very strong and not very large
in comparison to the size of the whale.
Based on this fossil evidence, the following evolutionary path has been hypothesized. As the whale began its evolution toward
the water, its legs weakened and decreased in size. Then, during its millions of years in the water, the legs slowly disappeared,
leaving only the front flippers today.

 
16. The main idea of this passage is that
    (A) numerous whale fossils have been found in the world’s oceans
    (B) there is evidence that whales may have descended from land mammals
    (C) whales are mammals and not fish
    (D) whales have not evolved very much over the last millions of years
Answer: A

 
17. All of the following are true about whales, EXCEPT that
     (A) they are mammals
     (B) they live in the ocean
     (C) they are fish
     (D) they may have come from the land
Answer: B

 
18. Which of the following is NOT mentioned about the whale fossils in the passage?
     (A) They were found in Egypt.
     (B) They support the theory that whales came from land.
     (C) They are forty million years old.
     (D) They showed that ancient whales had flippers.

 
19. Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the list of whale fossils found in Egypt?
(A) A whale’s kneecap
(B) A whale’s ankle
(C) A whale’s footbones
(D) A whale’s fingers
Answer: D

 
20. According to the hypothesis in the passage, what happened to whales’ legs?
     (A) They got stronger over time.
     (B) They got larger over time.
     (C) They disappeared quickly.
     (D) They became front flippers.
Answer: C