ibt reading slides

7/27/2019 Ibt Reading Slides

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iBT: Reading Section

Passages = 3

Questions = 3942

Topics = science, technology, history,

government, geography, arts,

social sciences, the humanities,

biography, autobiography,

culture, etc.

Time = 60 minutes


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Types of Skills

1. Vocabulary

2. Reference

3. Restatement/Paraphrasing4. Details

5. Inferences

6. Authors Purpose and Method7. Sentence Addition

8. Summaries and Charts


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Reading Strategy

Read the entire passage first. The main topic isusually stated at the beginning of the passage.(Cambridge)

Read the title and quickly stroll through thepassage to get an idea what the passage isgenerally about. (Thomson [Bruce Rogers])

Do not spend too much time reading the

passage. Skim each passage to determine themain idea and overall organization of ideas inthe passage. (Longman)


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Vocabulary Questions

identify the meanings of individual words andphrases as they are used in the readingpassage (a word might have more than onemeaning, but in the reading passage, only oneof those meanings is relevant.)

On the TOEFL iBT, words in the passage that

are unusual, technical, or have specialmeanings in the context of the topic aredefined for you.


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Vocabulary Questions

The word X in the passage is closest in

meaning to

In the case of a phrase, the question might be:

In stating X, the author means that


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Tips

The question is not just asking the meaning ofa word; it is asking for the meaning as it isused in passage.

Do not just choose an answer just because it

can be a correct meaning of the word;understand which meaning the author is usingin the passage.

Reread the sentence in the passage,substituting the word or phrase you havechosen. Confirm that the sentence still makessense in the context of the whole passage.


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Reference Questions

The word X in the passage refers to

The four answer choices will be words orphrases from the passage. Only one choice is the

word to which the highlighted word refers.


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Tips

If the reference question is about apronoun, make sure your answer is thesame number (singular to plural) and

case (first person, second person, thirdperson) as the highlighted pronoun.

Substitute your choice for the highlighted

word or words in the sentence. Does itviolate any grammar rules? Does it makesense?


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Insert Text Questions

There are four black squares located at the

beginnings or ends of sentences, and

sometimes appear in one paragraph or spread

across the end of one paragraph and thebeginning of another:

Look at the four squares [] that indicate

where the following sentence could be addedto the passage.

Where would the sentence best fit?


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Tips

Try the sentence in each of the places indicatedby the squares

Look at both the structure of the sentence andthe logic.

Pay special attention to logical connecting words:On the other hand, For example, On the contrary,

Similarly, In contrast, Further, or Furthermore,

Therefore, In other words, As a result, Finally Make sure that the inserted sentence connects

logically to both the sentence before it and thesentence after it.


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Sentence Simplification Questions

(Restatement)

Which of the following best expresses the

essential information in the highlighted

sentence? Incorrect answer choices change

the meaning in important ways or leave

out essential information.


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Tips

A choice can be incorrect:

It contradicts something in the highlighted

sentence.

It leaves out something important from the

highlighted sentence.

Make sure your answer does not contradict

the main argument of the paragraph in whichthe sentence occurs, or the passage as a

whole.

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