TOEFL Reading: Simplify the Meaning of Sentences
I. INCORRECT CHOICES CHANGE the MEANING in IMPORTANT WAYS
II. Steps: (pg. 26)
1. Study the highlighted section CAREFULLY.
2. Break the sentence into meaningful parts by looking for PUNCTUATION & TRANSITION EXPRESSIONS.
3. If the highlighted section refers to information outside of it, READ THE CONTEXT AROUND the highlighted section.
4. Study the ANSWERS. COMPARE them to the HIGHLIGHTED SECTION to see what information is correct.
III. Ex 1: pg. 27
Step 1. Study the section
However, the summer and winter landscapes there are so diverse that a single protective coloring scheme would, of course, prove ineffective in one season or the other.
Step 2. Break the sentence into important info.
summer and winter landscapes there are so diverse
that a single protective coloring scheme would, of course,
prove ineffective in one season or the other.
Step 3. Using Context
Camo. most effective way to avoid attack in treeless Arctic
Many animals Arctic change camo 2ice/year
Step 4. Compare Answers
· Ask yourself:
- What info. is wrong? (DIFFERENT INFO. from the ORIGINAL text)
- What info. is right? (SAME IDEA as the ORIGINAL text, NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME EXACT WORDS)
· Then, Compare. LOOK for the incorrect elements w/ the text from the highlighted portion.
A. Opposite conditions in summer and in winter necessitate different protective coloration for Arctic animals.
B. The coloration of the summer and winter landscapes in the Arctic fails to protect the Arctic tundra.
C. In a single season, protective coloring schemes are ineffective in the treeless Arctic. (This phrase is taken directly from the reading. This DOES NOT MEAN it is the correct answer.)
D. For many animals, a single protective coloring scheme effectively protects them during summer and winter months.
IV. Ex 2: pg. 27
Step 1.Study the section
The arctic fox is a clear-cut example of this phenomenon; it sports a brownish-gray coat in the summer which then turns white as cold weather sets in, and the process reverses itself in the springtime.
Step 2: Break the sentence into important info.
arctic fox example (camo) phenomenon
brown-gray coat in summer
turns white as COLD WEATHER sets in
process reverses in spring
Step 3: Not always necessary
Step 4: Compare Answers
· Ask yourself:
- What info. is wrong? (DIFFERENT INFO. from the ORIGINAL text)
- What info. is right? (SAME IDEA as the ORIGINAL text, NOT NECESSARILY THE SAME EXACT WORDS)
· Then, Compare. LOOK for the incorrect elements w/ the text from the highlighted portion.
A. The arctic fox is unusual in that color of its coat changes for no reason. (there is a reason for the change)
B. The arctic fox lives in an environment that is brownish gray in the summer and white in the winter. (the environment IS NOT brownish gray)
C. It is a phenomenon that the coat of the arctic fox turns white in the springtime and gray in the fall. (this is opposite of the info. in the reading)
D. The arctic fox demonstrates that protective coloration can change during different seasons. (here we see, the SAME IDEA being expressed)