TOEFL iBT Reading Section

By Abhi Tom on Jan 20, 2012 with Comments 0

In TOEFL iBT, the first section is the Reading section in which you will read three passages. Each passages will followed by specific number questions. All questions are worth one point; however the last question in each set is worth more than one point. You will have 20 minutes to complete the first passage and 20 – 20 minutes for to complete both second and third passages.

TOEFL reading section passage may contain as few as 600 words or as many as 800 words. Mostly all passages focus on the academic topics.

The Reading section measures your ability to understand university-level academic texts and passages.

The questions may ask about vocabulary, pronoun reference, sentence meaning, sentence insertion, stated and unstated details, inferences, rhetorical purpose, and organization.

All passages are classified into three basic categories:-

1.  Exposition- Material that provides an explanation of a topic.

2. Argumentation- Material that presents a point of view about a topic and provides evidence to support it.

3. Historical

Academic Reading Skills-

In evaluation of academic reading skills, the students are expected to read and understand information from textbooks and other academic materials written in English.

The three purposes for academic reading:

1. Reading to find information-   The effectively scanning of   text for key facts and for the important information by the increasing rate of reading fluency.

2. Basic comprehension- Understanding the general topic or main idea, major points, important facts and details, vocabulary in context, and pronoun references1 and making inferences2 about -what is implied in a passage.

3. Reading to learn- The reorganization of the organization and purpose of a passage and understands the relationships between ideas. Organizing information into a category chart or a summary in order to recall major points and important details.

Reading Section Format