2017-10-24 TOEFL: word roots, reading fact

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Homework: If you want more detailed feedback on your writing homework (such as correcting specific grammar mistakes), send me another email with your own self-evaluation about what you think you did well or better than your previous writing and what you think you still need to improve.
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Word roots (list 4) - With your partner, think of one or two words to explain the meaning of each root.
icon = image
idio = one’s own (An “idiot” was someone who kept to himself instead of participating in (political) life.)
il/im/in/ir (illegal) = not
il/im/in/ir (illuminate) = in/into (sometimes the opposite of “ex”)
	il - before L (illegal, illegible, illuminate, illegitimate, illustrious)
	ir - before R (irresponsible, irradiate, irredeemable, irrevocable)
	im - before B, P, and M (imbibe, impress, immobile, immaculate)
	in - everywhere else
infra = under/below (the opposite prefix is “ultra”)
inter = between/among
intra/intro = into
ject = throw
junct = join
kine = movement
lab = work
lex/lect = word/read (related to “elect” and “collect”, from the idea that using words involves picking out ideas)
loc = place
luc = light
lum = light
macro = large/big (in size)
magni = great (in size or quality)
mal = bad
man = hand
mar = sea/ocean (often “marine” is opposed to “aquatic”, which refers to fresh water instead of salt water)
mega = huge (unit prefix meaning 1,000,000 or sometimes 1,048,576)
meta (metamorphosis) = change
meta (metadata) = beyond/about (“metacognition” is thinking about thinking)
micro = small (unit prefix meaning 1/1,000,000)
migr = move (to a new place)
mis = wrong
miss/mit = send/throw
mono = one
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under/over
infra/ultra
sub/super
hypo/hyper
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TOEFL - four sections, 30 points each, 120 points total, about 4 hours
1 reading: 60-80 minutes, 3 or 4 passages, 15 questions each, 20 minutes each
2 listening: 60-90 minutes, 2 or 3 sets of three listenings each, 17 questions each, 10 minutes each
	(10-minute break)
3 speaking: 20 minutes, 6 tasks, 5.5 minutes of total speaking time
4 writing: 60 minutes, 2 tasks, 50 minutes of total writing time
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Reading Question Types:
- vocabulary (This word is closest in meaning to which of the following?)
- fact (According to the author, which of the following is true?)
- negative fact (According to the author, which of the following is NOT true?)
- purpose (Why does the author mention _____?)
- paraphrase (Which sentence best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence?)
- reference (The word “they” in paragraph 4 refers to what?)
- inference (What can be inferred from paragraph 3? What does the author imply about ___?)
- sentence insertion (Where in the paragraph should this sentence be inserted?)
- summarize (Choose the three most important ideas from the passage.)
- organize (Put the answer choices in the correct category.)
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DELTA p. 16-17 - Descriptions of typical fact questions and (in part 4) features of incorrect choices.
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BREAK
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Handout (Cambridge) p. 181-182
Take 4 minutes to decide if the sentences are true or false about the first paragraph. Then compare with your partner and try to convince them of your answers if you disagree.
A. T
B. F
C. T (A military risk is a security threat.)
D. T
E. F
F. F (There was no construction of the tunnel in 1930, so the construction couldn’t have led to anything.)
G. F
H. T
Passage 2
A. T
B. F (They likely came from an animal this size, but the bones they found were smaller.)
C. F
D. T (This is more of an inference question.)
E. T (This is also an inference, from “eardrums, which would not have worked in water”.)
F. F (It can recognize the source because the bones are isolated from each other, and it’s just the eardrum that is vestigial, not the middle ear.)
G. T
H. T (This can be concluded from the final sentence. “The separation of these bones” means the bones are in fact separated in (modern) marine whales.)
Passage 3
A. T
B. F
C. F (It emits glue, not a smell.)
D. T
E. T
F. F
G. T
H. T
Passage 4
A. F (If A cannot match B, it means A is worse than B.)
B. T
C. T
D. F
E. F (The color of the varnish wasn’t important, and it ranges in color from orange to reddish-brown.)
F. T
G. F
H. T
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A Stradivarius is unmached. (passive) = Other violins don’t match a Stradivarius. (active)
(“unmatched”, “unequaled”, “unrivaled” - these all mean something is the best)
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Grammar: relative clauses
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The secret is the wood that was used and the varnish, which ranges from orange to brown.
- “which ranges from orange to brown” comes directly after the noun “varnish”, so that’s the noun it modifies
John is the man with the hat, who you met yesterday.
- “who you met yesterday” refers to “the man”, not “the hat”
My siblings and I used to play games, which we made up on the spot.
- “which we made up on the spot” refers to “games”
My siblings and I used to play games, which is why we all still like to play with our friends.
- “which...friends” refers to the entire preceding sentence
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“The construction in 1930 led to…” this sentence tells you two things:
1) There was construction in 1930.
2) This construction led to…
“The separation of the bones in marine whales lets them detect direction.
1) There is separation of the bones in marine whales. = The bones are separated (isolated) in whales.
2) This lets them detect direction.
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There are no T/F questions on the TOEFL, but all the false statements above could be incorrect answer choices for a typical fact question.
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Handout (Longman) p. 51 - Scan the text for the answers.
1 “Crescent-shaped Lake Baikal” = it’s shaped like a crescent moon -> D
	(If you don’t know “crescent”, you should still be able to eliminate the other answers.)
2 “the ninth largest lake in area” = there are 8 other lakes with larger area -> A
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Homework: Handout (Cengage) p. 35-42 - Answer the fact and negative fact questions about the passages