TOEFL Practice Test #8 3 — Questions and Answers
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?
- Code-switching indicates a deficiency in one of the speaker's languages.
- Code-switching reflects the speaker's linguistic flexibility and the social contexts in which they operate. (Correct answer)
- Code-switching occurs only in formal academic settings.
- Bilingual speakers always prefer to speak in one language at a time.
Correct answer: Code-switching reflects the speaker's linguistic flexibility and the social contexts in which they operate.
The inference that code-switching reflects linguistic flexibility and social context can be drawn from the facts that it is (1) common in bilingual communities (suggesting fluency in both) and (2) contextually driven. The inference does not overclaim—it does not state code-switching proves deficiency, which the passage does not support.
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?
- The advisor thinks four courses is too many.
- The advisor believes the student should take fewer courses.
- The advisor is deferring to the student's own judgment about their capacity. (Correct answer)
- The advisor is uninterested in helping the student decide.
Correct answer: The advisor is deferring to the student's own judgment about their capacity.
"You know yourself best" is an expression of deference to the other person's self-knowledge and judgment. The advisor is not prescribing a course of action but respecting the student's autonomy to make an informed decision based on self-awareness.
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:
- Ocean currents follow a fixed, continuous loop similar to how a conveyor belt moves material along a circuit (Correct answer)
- Ocean currents are human-made systems similar to industrial machinery
- Ocean water temperature varies like a mechanical process
- The conveyor belt was invented to explain how ocean currents were discovered
Correct answer: Ocean currents follow a fixed, continuous loop similar to how a conveyor belt moves material along a circuit
A "conveyor belt" moves material continuously around a circuit. The metaphor applied to ocean circulation suggests that water moves in a continuous, connected global loop—driven by temperature and salinity differences. The comparison makes the abstract oceanic system visually intuitive.
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?
- The word "conclusion" is too informal for academic speaking.
- The student spoke too quickly in this final sentence.
- The conclusion fails to reinforce the student's position or summarize the key reasons given, and appears evasive. (Correct answer)
- The student should have introduced new evidence in the conclusion.
Correct answer: The conclusion fails to reinforce the student's position or summarize the key reasons given, and appears evasive.
TOEFL Speaking raters value task completion and opinion expression. An evasive conclusion ("no right answer") undermines the student's earlier argument and fails to solidify the response. Strong conclusions briefly restate the key argument and main reasons, reinforcing the overall response structure.
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:
- Popularity among patients
- The ability to produce the desired or intended result (Correct answer)
- The cost-effectiveness of a treatment
- The simplicity of a medical procedure
Correct answer: The ability to produce the desired or intended result
"Efficacy" means the ability to produce a desired result—effectiveness. In medical contexts, a treatment's efficacy refers to whether it actually achieves its intended outcome under ideal conditions. The sentence notes that bloodletting lacked evidence of this effectiveness, yet persisted.
Question 6: A TOEFL Academic Writing Integrated Task response should be approximately how long?
- 50–100 words
- 150–225 words (Correct answer)
- 150–250 words
- 250–300 words
Correct answer: 150–225 words
ETS recommends responses of approximately 150–225 words for the Integrated Writing Task. The response should summarize how the lecture's points relate to the reading without excessive detail. Responses below 150 words are likely underdeveloped; responses well over 225 words risk adding unnecessary padding.
TOEFL Practice Test #8 3
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?