TOEFL Practice Test #8 3

Question 1

A TOEFL Reading passage on linguistics discusses "code-switching"—the practice of alternating between two languages or dialects in a single conversation.
The author notes this is most common in bilingual communities.
What inference can be drawn from this observation?

Accepted Answer

Code-switching reflects the speaker's linguistic flexibility and the social contexts in which they operate.

Answer

Code-switching indicates a deficiency in one of the speaker's languages.

Answer

Code-switching occurs only in formal academic settings.

Answer

Bilingual speakers always prefer to speak in one language at a time.

Question 2

In a TOEFL Listening conversation, a student tells an academic advisor: "I was planning to take four courses next semester, but I'm not sure I can handle the workload." The advisor responds: "You know yourself best." What does the advisor's response suggest?

Accepted Answer

The advisor is deferring to the student's own judgment about their capacity.

Answer

The advisor thinks four courses is too many.

Answer

The advisor believes the student should take fewer courses.

Answer

The advisor is uninterested in helping the student decide.

Question 3

A TOEFL Reading passage about oceanography uses the phrase "thermohaline circulation" and explains: "Differences in water temperature and salinity drive this global conveyor belt of ocean currents." The metaphor "global conveyor belt" suggests:

Accepted Answer

Ocean currents follow a fixed, continuous loop similar to how a conveyor belt moves material along a circuit

Answer

Ocean currents are human-made systems similar to industrial machinery

Answer

Ocean water temperature varies like a mechanical process

Answer

The conveyor belt was invented to explain how ocean currents were discovered

Question 4

In a TOEFL Speaking response, a student says: "In conclusion, both options have advantages, so there is no right answer." Why might this conclusion receive a lower score?

Accepted Answer

The conclusion fails to reinforce the student's position or summarize the key reasons given, and appears evasive.

Answer

The word "conclusion" is too informal for academic speaking.

Answer

The student spoke too quickly in this final sentence.

Answer

The student should have introduced new evidence in the conclusion.

Question 5

A TOEFL Reading passage about the history of medicine describes how bloodletting was a standard treatment for centuries. The author writes: "The persistence of bloodletting despite a lack of evidence of its efficacy illustrates how tradition can override empirical reasoning in medical practice." The word "efficacy" means:

Accepted Answer

The ability to produce the desired or intended result

Answer

Popularity among patients

Answer

The cost-effectiveness of a treatment

Answer

The simplicity of a medical procedure

Question 6

A TOEFL Academic Writing Integrated Task response should be approximately how long?

Accepted Answer

150–225 words

Answer

50–100 words

Answer

150–250 words

Answer

250–300 words