TOEFL Practice Test #4 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: When did my Mary _____ college?

graduate
graduate from (Correct answer)
graduating
graduating from

Correct answer: graduate from

When referring to graduating from an educational institution, the verb 'graduate' is typically followed by the preposition 'from'. The phrase 'graduate from college' is the standard and most idiomatic way to express this action in English.

Question 2: You look pale. You had better _____ a doctor.

consult (Correct answer)
consult to
consult with
consult by

Correct answer: consult

The idiomatic expression 'had better' is always followed by the base form of a verb (the infinitive without 'to'). 'Consult' means to seek advice from, which is the appropriate action when feeling unwell and considering seeing a doctor. No preposition is needed after 'consult' in this usage.

Question 3: New York is a large city, ____?

aren't it
doesn't it
won't it
isn't it (Correct answer)

Correct answer: isn't it

This is a tag question. The main clause 'New York is a large city' uses the positive form of the verb 'to be' ('is'). To form the tag question, we use the negative form of the same auxiliary verb ('isn't') and the corresponding pronoun for 'New York' ('it').

Question 4: Do you enjoy _____?

hike
to hiking
hiking (Correct answer)
to hike

Correct answer: hiking

The verb 'enjoy' is typically followed by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb) when referring to an activity. Therefore, 'hiking' is the correct grammatical form to complete the sentence, indicating an activity that one finds pleasurable.

Question 5: Japanese houses are made of wood, so they easily______.

catch the fire
catch with fire
catch on fire (Correct answer)
catch to fire

Correct answer: catch on fire

The correct idiomatic expression for something starting to burn is 'catch on fire'. This is a fixed phrase in English used to describe the ignition of an object. The other options are not standard or grammatically correct.

Question 6: Do you have______ to do this afternoon? If not, I'd like to take you to a movie.

many works
much work (Correct answer)
much works
many work

Correct answer: much work

'Work' is an uncountable noun, meaning it cannot be counted individually and does not take a plural 's'. Uncountable nouns are quantified by 'much', not 'many'. Therefore, 'much work' is the grammatically correct phrase.

Question 7: Mary has a trouble _____.

remember her homework
to remembering her homework
to remember her homework
remembering her homework (Correct answer)

Correct answer: remembering her homework

The idiomatic expression 'have trouble' is consistently followed by a gerund (the -ing form of a verb). This structure indicates difficulty in performing a particular action. Thus, 'remembering her homework' correctly completes the phrase.

Question 8: Our friends will _____ for two nights.

put us up (Correct answer)
put us in
provide us in
provide us up

Correct answer: put us up

The phrasal verb 'put (someone) up' means to provide accommodation for someone, which perfectly fits the context of friends staying for two nights. The other options do not convey this specific meaning or are not standard phrasal verbs.

Question 9: When will the conference _____?

take on
take place (Correct answer)
hold on
hold place

Correct answer: take place

The idiomatic expression for an event occurring or happening is 'take place'. This phrasal verb is commonly used to inquire about the timing or location of an event like a conference. The other options are not standard English idioms for this meaning.

Question 10: Read the following paragraph and answer the question at the bottom:1. Researchers in the field of animal behavior have long been interested in the2. ways animals and insects communicate. The most recent findings show that3. honeybees communicate mostly through "dances".4. By performing certain dance routines, the workers let the other members know5. of the location of the food source, its direction and its distance. If the workers6. spot pollen and nectar in the flowers near their hive, they do the circular dance.7. On the other hand, when the food site is remote, they perform a figure-eight8. waggle dance, in which the slow and fast tempo movements will inform the other9. members of the distance to the food source. For instance, a slow waggle of the lower10. part of the abdomen signifies a far-distance, demanding flight. Conversely, a rapid11. waggle indicates within- reach trip. Variations in the dance form exist among12. different species.13. The bee's orientation on the comb is a key directional cue for the bees. In the14. absence of sun light on the comb, the bees waggle moving straight up. If the15. sun's polarized light penetrates the hive, the bees can orient themselves16. toward the direction of the sun's rays. The author's purpose in using "the slow and fast tempo movements" (line 8) is to

make unusual visual effects
illustrate dissimilarities of two movements
clarify a complicated tune
give details for a movement (Correct answer)

Correct answer: give details for a movement

The passage explains that 'slow and fast tempo movements' in the waggle dance 'will inform the other members of the distance to the food source'. It then provides examples: 'a slow waggle... signifies a far-distance' and 'a rapid waggle indicates within-reach trip'. This clearly shows the author is giving specific details about how the movement conveys information.

Question 11: Read the following paragraph and answer the question at the bottom:1. Researchers in the field of animal behavior have long been interested in the2. ways animals and insects communicate. The most recent findings show that3. honeybees communicate mostly through "dances".4. By performing certain dance routines, the workers let the other members know5. of the location of the food source, its direction and its distance. If the workers6. spot pollen and nectar in the flowers near their hive, they do the circular dance.7. On the other hand, when the food site is remote, they perform a figure-eight8. waggle dance, in which the slow and fast tempo movements will inform the other9. members of the distance to the food source.For instance, a slow waggle of the lower10. part of the abdomen signifies a far-distance, demanding flight. Conversely, a rapid11. waggle indicates within- reach trip. Variations in the dance form exist among12. different species.13. The bee's orientation on the comb is a key directional cue for the bees. In the14. absence of sun light on the comb, the bees waggle moving straight up. If the15. sun's polarized light penetrates the hive, the bees can orient themselves16. toward the direction of the sun's rays. The word "conversely"in line 10 could best be replaced by which of the following?

Despite
Consequently
On the other hand (Correct answer)
In spite of

Correct answer: On the other hand

'Conversely' is a transitional word used to introduce a statement that is the opposite or a contrasting idea to the one just presented. In this context, it contrasts a 'slow waggle' indicating 'far-distance' with a 'rapid waggle' indicating a 'within-reach trip'. 'On the other hand' serves the same function of introducing a contrasting point.

Question 12: Read the following paragraph and answer the question at the bottom:1. Researchers in the field of animal behavior have long been interested in the2. ways animals and insects communicate. The most recent findings show that3. honeybees communicate mostly through "dances".4. By performing certain dance routines, the workers let the other members know5. of the location of the food source, its direction and its distance. If the workers6. spot pollen and nectar in the flowers near their hive, they do the circular dance.7. On the other hand, when the food site is remote, they perform a figure-eight8. waggle dance, in which the slow and fast tempo movements will inform the other9. members of the distance to the food source.For instance, a slow waggle of the lower10. part of the abdomen signifies a far-distance, demanding flight. Conversely, a rapid11. waggle indicates within- reach trip. Variations in the dance form exist among12. different species.13. The bee's orientation on the comb is a key directional cue for the bees. In the14. absence of sun light on the comb, the bees waggle moving straight up. If the15. sun's polarized light penetrates the hive, the bees can orient themselves16. toward the direction of the sun's rays. Where in the passage dose the author mention the variety in the dance form?

Lines 2-3
Lines 4-5
Lines 7-10
Lines 11-12 (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Lines 11-12

Lines 11-12 explicitly state, 'Variations in the dance form exist among different species.' This sentence directly addresses the concept of variety or differences in the dance forms, making it the correct location in the passage.

Question 13: Read the following paragraph and answer the question at the bottom:1. Researchers in the field of animal behavior have long been interested in the2. ways animals and insects communicate. The most recent findings show that3. honeybees communicate mostly through "dances".4. By performing certain dance routines, the workers let the other members know5. of the location of the food source, its direction and its distance. If the workers6. spot pollen and nectar in the flowers near their hive, they do the circular dance.7. On the other hand, when the food site is remote, they perform a figure-eight8. waggle dance, in which the slow and fast tempo movements will inform the other9. members of the distance to the food source.For instance, a slow waggle of the lower10. part of the abdomen signifies a far-distance, demanding flight. Conversely, a rapid11. waggle indicates within- reach trip. Variations in the dance form exist among12. different species.13. The bee's orientation on the comb is a key directional cue for the bees. In the14. absence of sun light on the comb, the bees waggle moving straight up. If the15. sun's polarized light penetrates the hive, the bees can orient themselves16. toward the direction of the sun's rays. According to passage, how does a worker find the right path to the food source?

By watching the finder's position on the comb (Correct answer)
By following the finder's direction toward the sun's beam
By studying the finder's dance on the wall of the honey comb
By receiving adequate artificial light in the hive

Correct answer: By watching the finder's position on the comb

The passage states in lines 13-14, 'The bee's orientation on the comb is a key directional cue for the bees.' It further explains that 'In the absence of sun light on the comb, the bees waggle moving straight up,' indicating that the comb's position guides them. This confirms that the worker finds the path by observing the finder's position on the comb.

Question 14: 1. A division of the bryophytes, liverworts are relatively small plants which2. have adapted to different habitats. Two species of liverworts, Riella and3. Ricciocarpus, thrive in aquatic habitats. Some are found in the company of4. other vegetation such as mosses, lichens, and sedges in the tundra in5. Antarctica, while most others prefer moist, shady floors and tree trunks of6. tropical forests. Leafy liverworts, with two or three rows of lobe-shaped7. leaves which overlap incompletely, are discovered plentifully in the8. tropical forests. These plants develop water storage pockets which become9. home to a host of very small animals. They have a prostrate growth, and10. single-cell rhizoids -- hairlike projections -- anchor the plant but are11. incapable of transporting nutrients to the plants. The absence of midrib is12. quite common bryophytes. Sphaerocarpo, a Thallus liverwort,13. sometimes produces round rosettes or extended, flattened lobes.14. The bryophytes not only aid soil formation on rocky and unproductive land15. but balance the moisture content of the soil. Their epidermal cells -- outer16. cells of the plant -- fused with significant air pores enclose the17. photosynthetic cells. These pores play a major role in the photosynthetic18. process in which carbon dioxide is taken in and oxygen is given off. In line 3, the word "thrive" is closest in meaning to which of the following?

Dissolve
Starve
Diminish
Flourish (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Flourish

In line 3, the sentence states that two species of liverworts 'thrive in aquatic habitats.' 'Thrive' means to grow or develop vigorously and successfully. 'Flourish' is a synonym that means to grow well or luxuriantly, making it the closest in meaning. The other options imply decline or dissolution.

Question 15: 1. A division of the bryophytes, liverworts are relatively small plants which2. have adapted to different habitats. Two species of liverworts, Riella and3. Ricciocarpus, thrive in aquatic habitats. Some are found in the company of4. other vegetation such as mosses, lichens, and sedges in the tundra in5. Antarctica, while most others prefer moist, shady floors and tree trunks of6. tropical forests. Leafy liverworts, with two or three rows of lobe-shaped7. leaves which overlap incompletely, are discovered plentifully in the8. tropical forests. These plants develop water storage pockets which become9. home to a host of very small animals. They have a prostrate growth, and10. single-cell rhizoids -- hairlike projections -- anchor the plant but are11. incapable of transporting nutrients to the plants. The absence of midrib is12. quite common bryophytes. Sphaerocarpo, a Thallus liverwort,13. sometimes produces round rosettes or extended, flattened lobes.14. The bryophytes not only aid soil formation on rocky and unproductive land15. but balance the moisture content of the soil. Their epidermal cells -- outer16. cells of the plant -- fused with significant air pores enclose the17. photosynthetic cells. These pores play a major role in the photosynthetic18. process in which carbon dioxide is taken in and oxygen is given off. What is the main topic of the passage ?

Bryophytes
Liverworts (Correct answer)
Mosses, lichens, and sedges
Leafy liverworts

Correct answer: Liverworts

The passage begins by introducing liverworts and then dedicates the entire text to describing their characteristics, habitats, specific species, and ecological roles. While bryophytes are mentioned as a larger group, the detailed focus throughout the passage is specifically on liverworts, making them the main topic.

Question 16: Jadeite, whose color ranges from emerald green to lilac, is more costly that nephrite.

whose
from
costly
that (Correct answer)

Correct answer: that

The sentence uses the comparative adjective 'more costly'. When making a comparison between two items, the correct structure is 'more... than'. The word 'that' is incorrectly used here instead of 'than' to complete the comparison.

Question 17: An insect has no lings, but its holes in the sides if the body through which it breathes.

has no
its holes (Correct answer)
the
breathes

Correct answer: its holes

The sentence structure 'An insect has no lungs, but its holes...' is grammatically incomplete and illogical. It should state what the insect *does* have or how it breathes. The correct phrasing would be 'An insect has no lungs, but *it has holes*...' or 'An insect has no lungs, but *it breathes through holes*...' to form a coherent thought.

Question 18: Wool fabrics go through a number of finishing processes to reach the desiring appearance and feel.

Wool
a number of
desiring (Correct answer)
and

Correct answer: desiring

The word 'desiring' is an active participle, meaning 'wishing for' or 'wanting'. However, the sentence requires an adjective to describe the *intended* or *wished-for* appearance and feel. The correct word is the past participle 'desired', which functions as an adjective meaning 'wanted' or 'sought after'.

TOEFL Practice Test #4

When did my Mary _____ college?