TOEFL Sentence Simplification Questions Questions and Answers 2

Question 1

Original: "The proliferation of invasive species, facilitated by increased global trade and travel, has led to the disruption of native ecosystems, sometimes with catastrophic consequences for indigenous wildlife." The best simplification is:

Accepted Answer

Invasive species spread by global trade and travel can devastate native ecosystems and wildlife.

Answer

Global trade is always harmful to wildlife because it introduces invasive species.

Answer

Indigenous wildlife adapts successfully to the arrival of invasive species.

Answer

Travel and trade should be restricted to prevent harm to ecosystems.

Question 2

Original: "Although early computers were unwieldy machines that occupied entire rooms and required teams of specialists to operate, they laid the conceptual and technological groundwork for the miniaturized, ubiquitous devices of today." The best simplification is:

Accepted Answer

Despite being large and complex, early computers established the foundations for today's small, widespread devices.

Answer

Early computers were too large to be useful, unlike modern computers.

Answer

Early computers were only used by specialists, which is why they were not popular.

Answer

Today's computers are better than early computers in every way.

Question 3

Original: "The discovery of antibiotics fundamentally transformed medical treatment by enabling physicians to cure bacterial infections that had previously been fatal, thereby dramatically extending average human lifespans." The best simplification is:

Accepted Answer

Antibiotics revolutionized medicine by allowing doctors to cure formerly deadly bacterial infections, greatly increasing life expectancy.

Answer

Antibiotics were discovered by physicians who wanted to extend human lifespans.

Answer

Before antibiotics, no one survived bacterial infections.

Answer

Antibiotics are the most important medical discovery in human history.

Question 4

Original: "While photovoltaic technology was initially prohibitively expensive, continuous improvements in manufacturing efficiency and economies of scale have rendered solar power increasingly cost-competitive with fossil fuels." The best simplification is:

Accepted Answer

Solar power was once too expensive but has become more affordable due to manufacturing improvements and scale.

Answer

Photovoltaic technology is now cheaper than all fossil fuels in every market.

Answer

Fossil fuels are more expensive than solar energy in most countries today.

Answer

Solar energy has always been competitive with fossil fuels in terms of cost.

Question 5

Original: "The gradual disappearance of traditional languages, accelerated by the dominance of global languages in commerce, education, and media, represents an irreversible loss of cultural knowledge embedded in linguistic structures." The best simplification is:

Accepted Answer

The fading of traditional languages, driven by global languages in key domains, means permanent loss of culturally encoded knowledge.

Answer

Global languages should replace traditional languages to improve commerce and education.

Answer

Cultural knowledge is unimportant compared to economic language competency.

Answer

Traditional languages are disappearing because their speakers choose to abandon them freely.

Question 6

Original: "Although the placebo effect is frequently dismissed as mere psychological suggestion, its demonstrable physiological impact on pain perception and immune function suggests that the mind-body connection is far more complex than previously assumed." The best simplification is:

Accepted Answer

Despite being seen as only psychological, the placebo effect has measurable physical effects, indicating that mind and body interact in more complex ways than once thought.

Answer

The placebo effect has no real medical value because it is only psychological.

Answer

The placebo effect proves that all medical treatments are based on suggestion.

Answer

Psychological factors are more important than physical factors in treating pain.