Jumat, 31 Mei 2019

The Importance of Toefl


As time goes on, we must be able to improve our quality, especially in the field of English which is an international language. English is the unifying language of all world languages ​​that can be used throughout the country. Therefore, the ability to speak English is one of the important aspects that must be owned by everyone to facilitate communication with migrants from all over the world.
As students, we must be able to speak English well because it can be used as one of the added values ​​when we want to work in a company. Therefore, we must know the level of English language skills that we have. One way to find out the level of English language skills we have can be done by running the toefl test. Toefl is a test used to measure a person's English language skills.
Now, toefl is a general requirement when we want to apply for scholarships abroad or as work conditions. Many companies require employees to test Toefl. Especially with the existence of the ASEAN economic community (MEA), namely the free trade agreement in ASEAN countries which makes us have to be able to compete with foreigners who can conduct free trade in Indonesia.
Learning English is not only an obligation for literary students but also the obligation of students in all departments because the benefits of learning English can be felt for everyone. Other than that, For students who want to get a scholarship abroad, the TOEFL test is required for college entry requirements for almost all universities in the world.
Therefore, the Toefl test is very important to know the level of English language skills that we have. Good language proficiency must be owned by everyone to facilitate communication, such as English language skills that must be possessed by all students not only students majoring in literature.

Rabu, 29 Mei 2019

TOEFL Reading Comprehension


TOEFL Reading Introduction
The reading section is the first section of the TOEFL iBT test. It tests your ability to read and answer questions at an academic level. It contain 3-4 passages with each passage containing 12-14 questions for a total of 36-56 questions. Each passage is generally 600 to 700 words long. You'll have 60-80 minutes in which to finish this section.
When you are taking the reading test, you can skip answers and come back to them later. You can come back and change your answers at any time during the reading testing period.

Reading Difficulty Level
The TOEFL reading difficulty level is equivalent to an introductory undergraduate university textbook. Most of the passages' context is North American, but you may also see some international contexts from United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. The passages cover a wide range of topics such as:
·         Social science including anthropology, economics, psychology, urban studies, and sociology
·         Science and technology including astronomy, geology, chemistry, biology, physics, engineering
·         History, government, biography, geography, and culture
·         Art including literature, painting, sculpture, drama, and architecture

Even though the reading passages can be difficult to understand, you don't necessarily have to understand it all. By learning the strategies to answer each reading question type, you can get a high TOEFL score without fully understanding the reading passage. The first thing you need to learn are the different types of TOEFL reading question types.

The 10 TOEFL Reading Question Types
The TOEFL reading questions can be broken down into 10 different reading question types:
1.      Vocabulary
2.      Reference
3.      Inference
4.      Purpose
5.      Negative Factual Information
6.      Essential Information
7.      Detail
8.      Sentence Insertion
9.      Complete the Summary
10.  Complete the Table

Tips and tricks for answering the reading comprehension problem
1.      Answer main idea questions correctly
A.    How to Identify Question:
-          What is the topic of the passage?
-          What is the subject of the passage?
-          What is the main idea of ​​the passage?
-          What is the author's playing point in the passage?
-          With what is the author primarily concerned?
-          Which of the following would be the best title?
B.     Search for Answers: Answers to this question in general can be found at the first part of each paragraph.
C.     Answer Questions:
-          Read the first line in each paragraph.
-          Look for a general theme or idea in the first line.
-          Take a quick look at the reading to check if you really are have found the main topic / idea.
-          Eliminate the existence of inappropriate answers choose the best answer from the remaining choices
Example:
The passage:
            In the philosophy of John Dewey, a sharp distinction is made
            between "intelligence" and "reasoning". According to Dewey,
            intelligence is the only absolute way to achieve a balance between
 Line    realism and idealism, between practicality and wisdom of life.
   (5)    Intelligence involves "interacting with other things and knowing
            them," while reasoning is merely the act of an observer, "... a mind
            that beholds or grasps objects outside the world of thing.... "
            With reasoning, a level of mental certainty can be achieved, but it
            is through intelligence that control is taken of events that shape
 (10)    one's life.
The question:
    What is the topic of this passage?
    (A)    The intelligence ofjohn Dewey
    (B)    Distinctions made by John Dewey
    (C)    Dewey’s ideas on the ability to reason
    (D)    How intelligence differs from reasoning in Dewey’s works
Discussion and answer:
The first sentence in this passage discusses a difference between the idea of "intelligence" and "reasoning" in John Dewey's life view, so this is probably the topic. Quickly check the parts of the sentence in this reading to ensure that the topic being discussed is a fact of the difference between "intelligence" and "reasoning". Then, check each answer option to determine which is most appropriate.
Answer (A) only mentions intelligence (intelligence), so it is not the topic. Answer (B) mentions the difference John Dewey made, but does not say specifically what kind of difference. Answer (C) only mentions reasoning, and is incomplete. Therefore, the correct answer is (D); The idea of how intelligence differs from reasoning comes from the first sentence in that reading, which mentions a sharp distinction is made between "intelligence" and "reasoning".

2.      Recognize the Organization of Ideas
A.    How to Identify Question:
-          How is information in the passage organized?
-          How is the information in the second paragraph related to the information in the first paragraph?
B.     Search for Answers: Answers to this type of question can generally be determined by see the first sentence of each paragraph.
C.     Answer Questions:
-          Read the first line of each paragraph.
-          See words that appear to have inter-religious relationships.
-          Choose the answer that has the strongest connection.
Example:
The passage:
            If asked who invented the game of baseball, most
            Americans would probably reply that it was their belief that
            Abner Doubleday did. They believe this because the story
 Line    about Doubleday is part of the tradition of baseball.
  (5)     Doubleday was given credit for this invention early in the
            twentieth century when sporting-goods manufacturer
            Spaulding inaugurated a commission to research the question
            of who invented baseball. In 1908, a report was published by
            the commission in which Abner Doubleday, a U.S. Army
 (10)    officer from Cooperstown, New York, was given credit for the
            invention of the game. The National Baseball Hall of Fame
            was established in Cooperstown in honor of Doubleday.
                Today, most sports historians are in agreement that
            Doubleday really did not have much to do with the
  (15)   development of baseball. Instead, baseball seems to be a close
            relative of the English game of rounders and probably has
            English rather than American roots.
The Question:
        In this passage
        (A)    an idea is presented and then refuted
        (B)    a concept is followed by examples
        (C)    a cause is followed by an effect
        (D)    a belief is supported with reasons
Discussion and answer:
This question is about how information is arranged in the reading. To answer this question, it is necessary to pay attention to the main idea every three paragraphs. The main idea of ​​the first paragraph is found at the beginning of the sentence: namely "If asked who invented the game of baseball, most Americans would probably reply that it was their belief that Abner Doubleday did" (if asked who invented the baseball game, most Americans might answer confidently, Abner Doubleday). The main idea of ​​the second paragraph was found in the first line: namely "Doubt was given credit for this invention" (Doubleday was given an award for his discovery). The main idea of ​​the third paragraph was found in the first line: "most sports historians are in agreement that don't have much to do with the development of baseball" (most sports historians agree that Doubleday doesn't really do much baseball development). If you study the information on each of the first lines of each paragraph, you can determine that the third paragraph opposes (refutes) the information presented at the beginning of the two paragraphs. For this reason, answer (A) is the most correct for this question.

3.      Stated Detail Questions
A.    How to Identify Question:
-          According to the passage, ....
-          It is stated in the passage ...
-          The passage indicates that ....
-          Which of the following is true ....
-          The author mentions that ...
B.     Search for Answers: The answers are in the reading sequence
C.     Answer Questions:
-          Select keywords from the question
-          Filter the parts that match the key words or reading points
-          Read the sentence that reads the keyword or reading point carefully.
Example:
The passage:
                Williamsburg is a historic city in Virginia that was settled
            by English colonists in 1633, twenty-six years after the first 
            permanent English colony in America was settled at 
 Line    Jamestown. In the beginning, the colony at Williamsburg was 
  (5)     named Middle Plantation because of its location in the middle
            of a peninsula between two rivers, the York and the James.
            The site for Williamsburg had been selected by the colonists 
            because the soil drainage was better there than at the 
            Jamestown location, and there were fewer mosquitoes.
The question:
    The passage indicates that Jamestown
    (A)    was settled in 1633
    (B)    was settled twenty-six years after Williamsburg
    (C)    was the first permanent English colony in America
    (D)    was originally named Middle Plantation
Discussion and answer:
This question asks what readings indicate about Jamestown. So, you know that the answer is immediately stated in the reading. Take a quick look at the reading sections that discuss Jamestown. The answer to this question was found in the statement that "Williamsburg .... was settled by English colonists in 1633, twenty-six years after the first permanent English colony in America was settled at Jamestown." (Williamsburg was occupied by British invaders in Th 1633, 26 years after settling for the first time British colonists in America occupied Jamestown). Answer (A) is wrong, because Williamsburg was occupied in 1633. Answer (B) is wrong, because Jamestown was occupied before Williamsburg. The answer (D) is wrong, because the name Middle Plantation is for Williamsburg. The correct answer is (C), because the reading directly states that Jamestown was first occupied by the British colony in America, "... the first permanent English colony in America ...".

Example of TOEFL reading
DIRECTIONS                                                                                                                                In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by several questions about it. For questions 1-50, you are to choose the one best answer, (A), (B), (C), or (D), to each question. Then, on your answer sheet, find the number of the question and fill in the space that corresponds to the letter of the answer you have chosen. Answer all questions following a passage on the basis of what is stated or implied in that passage.
READ THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE:
A distinctively American architecture began with Frank Lloyd Wright, who had taken to heart the admonition that form should follow function and who thought of buildings not as separate architectural entities but as parts of an organic whole that included the land, the community, and the society. In a very real way the houses of colonial New England and some of the southern plantations had been functional, but Wright was the first architect to make functionalism the authoritative principle for public as well as for domestic buildings. As early as 1906 he built the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the first of those churches that did so much to revolutionize ecclesiastical architecture in the United States. Thereafter he turned his genius to such miscellaneous structures as houses, schools, office buildings, and factories, among them the famous Larkin Building in Buffalo, New York, and the Johnson Wax Company building in Racine, Wisconsin.
1.      The phrase “taken to heart” in line 1 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
(A)  Taken seriously
(B)  Criticized
(C)  Memorized
(D)  Taken offence
2.      In what way did Wright’s public buildings differ from most of those built by earlier architects?
(A)  They were built on a larger scale.
(B)  Their materials came from the southern United States.
(C)  They looked more like private homes.
(D)  Their designs were based on how they would be used.
3.      The author mentions the Unity Temple because, it
(A)  was Wright’s first building
(B)  influenced the architecture of subsequent churches
(C)  demonstrated traditional ecclesiastical architecture
(D)  was the largest church Wright ever designed
4.      The passage mentions that all of the following structures were built by Wright EXCEPT
(A)  factories
(B)  public buildings
(C)  offices
(D)  southern plantations
5.      Which of the following statements best reflects one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural principles?
(A)  Beautiful design is more important than utility.
(B)  Ecclesiastical architecture should be derived from traditional designs.
(C)  A building should fit into its surroundings.
(D)  The architecture of public buildings does not need to be revolutionary
Discussion
A distinctively American architecture began with Frank Lloyd Wright, who had taken to heart the admonition that form should follow function and who thought of buildings not as separate architectural entities but as parts of an organic whole that included the land, the community, and the society. In a very real way the houses of colonial New England and some of the southern plantations had been functional, but Wright was the first architect to make functionalism the authoritative principle for public as well as for domestic buildings. As early as 1906 he built the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois, the first of those churches that did so much to revolutionize ecclesiastical architecture in the United States. Thereafter he turned his genius to such miscellaneous structures as houses, schools, office buildings, and factories, among them the famous Larkin Building in Buffalo, New York, and the Johnson Wax Company building in Racine, Wisconsin.

1.      The phrase “taken to heart” in line 1 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
Answer: A → Taken seriously 
Discuss: The phrase taken to heart is a form of idiomatic expression and means "do it wholeheartedly / seriously".
2.      In what way did Wright’s public buildings differ from most of those built by earlier architects?
Answer:  D → Their designs were based on how they would be used.
Discuss: In the sentence "... that form should follow function ..." indicates that the design should be based on its function, for what purpose the building will be used and such an answer is found in choice D.
3.      The author mentions the Unity Temple because, it
Answer:  B → influenced the architecture of subsequent churches 
Discuss: :  In the sentence "... the story of those churches that are so much to revolutionize the ecological architecture in the United States" states that the building greatly influenced the design of the subsequent buildings. Answers that contain similar ideas are in option B.
4.      The passage mentions that all of the following structures were built by Wright EXCEPT
Answer:  D → southern plantations 
Discuss: In the last sentence it is clear that offices, factories and public building, including churches are his works. Whereas South Plantations is not the result of his work because it has been designed by previous people as mentioned in the reading.
5.      Which of the following statements best reflects one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural principles?
Answer:  C → A building should fit into its surroundings.
Discuss:  The sentence "... as parts of an organic whole that includes land, the community, and the society" states that the building should be considered as part of the whole environment and the surrounding community so that in other words the building must be in accordance with its environment.




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