READING COMPREHENSION

TOEFL EXERCISE 9

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READING COMPREHENSION

This section is designed to measure your ability to read and understand short passages similar
in topic and style to those that students are likely to encounter in North American universities
and colleges. This section contains reading passages and questions about the passages.
Directions: In this section you will read several passages. Each one is followed by a number
of questions about it. 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.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-2)

Blood pressure measurement has two components: systolic and diastolic. Systolic
pressure is taken when the heart is contracting to pump blood; diastolic pressure is
taken when the heart is resting between beats. In the usual blood pressure reading, the
systolic measurement is given first and is the higher of the two.
Normal blood pressure is a systolic measurement of 120140, and when the systolic
pressure is 160 or higher, then hypertension exists. Systolic pressure between 140 and
160 indicates borderline hypertension.
1.

Which of the following is NOT true

about systolic blood pressure?
(A) It is taken during the contraction of
the heart.
(B) It is usually given first in a blood
pressure reading.
(C) A normal systolic measurement is 120
140.
(D) Hypertension exists when the systolic
pressure is below 140.

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2.

Which of the following is NOT

stated about diastolic pressure?
(A) It is one of the two components of
blood pressure measurement.
(B) It is taken when the heart is resting.
(C) It is lower than systolic pressure.
(D) A diastolic measurement of 140 is
normal.

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PASSAGE TWO (Questions 3 - 4)

In the 1960s, as space travel was becoming a subject of much discussion, Pan
American Airlines began receiving some fairly unusual requests for flight information.
People began making requests to be on the first flight that Pan Am made to the Moon.
On a whim, Pan Am started a waiting list for the first flight to the Moon. Similar
requests have come to Pan Am over the years, and Pan Am has responded by adding the
names of the requesters to the list.
Unfortunately for Pan Am, the original company is no longer in business, and it
never got to the Moon. However, when it went out of business, it had a waiting list of
more than 90,000 names for its first lunar flight.
3.

All of the following are mentioned

about Pan American Airlines, EXCEPT
that
(A) it started business in the 1960s
(B) it received requests for its first flight
to the Moon
(C) it kept some people on a long waiting
list
(D) it went out of business

4.

Which of the following is NOT true

about Pan Ams Moon flights?
(A) People asked Pan Am about its flights
to the Moon.
(B) Pan Am kept a waiting list for its
Moon flights.
(C) Pan Am never really made any Moon
flights.
(D) Pan Ams waiting list had only a few
names on it.

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 5-8)

The tunnel trees in Yosemite Valley are an amazing attraction to people who visit
there. The tunnel trees are huge trees, giant redwoods, which have had tunnels carved
in them, and cars can actually drive through some of the trees. The fact that the trees
are large enough to have cars drive through them should give you some indication of
just how big the trees are.
There are currently two existing tunnel trees in Yosemite Valley. One of them is
called the Dead Giant. This is just the stump, or bottom part, of a much larger tree.
The hole was cut through the base of the tree in 1878, and stagecoaches used to drive
through it. Today the Dead Giant still exists, but the stagecoaches do not. Passenger cars
can and do drive through the 10-foot-wide opening in the tree stump.
The other existing tunnel tree is the 230-foot high California Tree, which had a hole
carved through it in 1895. This tree is no longer open to the public, so it is not possible
to take a car through it.
Unfortunately, a third tunnel tree no longer exists. The Wawona Tunnel Tree was a
2,100-year-old tree which was carved in 1881. A terrible snowstorm in 1969 caused this
ancient giant of a tree to fall.
5. Which of the following is NOT true about
the tunnel trees in Yosemite Valley?
(A) They are trees with holes cut in them.
(B) They are giant redwoods.

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(C) Three tunnel trees currently exist.

(D) Cars have driven through some of
them.

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6. All of the following are stated about the

Dead Giant, EXCEPT that
(A) it is still a tunnel tree today
(B) it is just the stump of a tree
(C) it was cut less than a century ago
(D) it has a 10-foot opening

7. Which of the following is NOT true about

the California Tree?
(A) Its tunnel still exists.
(B) Its tunnel is 230 feet high.
(C) Its tunnel was cut in 1895.
(D) Cars are not allowed to go through it.
8. All of the following are true about the
Wawona Tunnel Tree, EXCEPT that
(A) it does not exist anymore
(B) the tree lived for more than 2,000
years
(C) the tunnel tree was destroyed in a
snowstorm
(D) the tunnel was destroyed in 1881

PASSAGE FOUR (Questions 9-12)

When the typewriter was first invented, its keys were arranged alphabetically. This
made the keys easy to find. However, this arrangement also caused the bars of the
machine to jam, or get stuck.
To solve this problem, a new letter arrangement was introduced by Christopher
Latham Scholes in 1872. His system, the standard keyboard system, is still used on
typewriters today. He arranged the letters in such a way that the bars hit the inked
ribbon from opposite directions as much as possible. This resulted in far less jamming
than had occurred with the alphabetical models.
9. The main topic of this passage is
(A) the invention of the typewriter
(B) a problem and solution concerning the
early typewriter
(C) how to write a letter on the typewriter
(D) why the keys stick on todays
typewriter
10. According to the passage, on the first
typewriters
(A) the keys were in alphabetical order
(B) the keys were hard to find
(C) the bars on the machine never jammed
(D) Scholess system worked quite well

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11. Which of the following is NOT true about

the system invented by Scholes?
(A) It was introduced in 1872.
(B) It is still used today.
(C) It became the standard system.
(D) It was alphabetical.
12 The passage indicates that under Scholess
system, the bars hit the ribbon
(A) in alphabetical order
(B) from opposite directions
(C) and caused the keys to jam
(D) in the same way as they had on the
original typewriter

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PASSAGE FIVE (Questions 13-17)

Desert tundra, or cold desert, occurs on the Arctic edges of North America, Europe,
and Asia. In these areas the temperatures are almost always freezing, and they cause an
environment in which plant life is virtually impossible. The existence of ice rather than
water for the majority of the year means that vegetation does not have enough moisture
for growth to take place. During the short period of time when the temperature
increases enough for the ice to melt, there is generally a large volume of water. Too
much water and not enough drainage through the frozen subsoil make it difficult for
plants to grow.
13. Which of the following is the best title for
the passage?
(A) Where Desert Tundra Is Found
(B) The Weather in the Arctic
The Effect of Desert Tundra on Plant
Life
(D) The Variety of Plant Life in Desert
Tundra

16. According to the passage, which of the

following does NOT happen when the
weather heats up?
(A) Plants grow well.
(B) The ice melts.
(C) There is not enough drainage.
(D) There is too much water.

14. According to the passage, desert tundra is

found
(A) throughout North America, Europe,
and Asia
(B) in Antarctica
(C) on the Arctic borders of the northern
continents
(D) at the North Pole

17. According to the passage, why is it

impossible for the water to drain after it
melts?
(A) The land beneath the surface is still
frozen.
(B) The temperature is too high.
(C) The period of time is too short.
(D) The vegetation is flourishing.

15. According to the passage, what makes

plant life almost impossible in areas of
desert tundra during most of the year?
(A) Excessive water on the plants
(B) The frozen state of the water
(C) The increase in temperature
(D) The lack of ice

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PASSAGE SIX (Questions 18 - 22)

Whales are mammals rather than fish, yet they live in the worlds oceans rather than
on land. Because of the fact that they are mammals, scientists have believed for quite
some time that whales are descendants of land mammals.
Some interesting evidence to support this theory has recently been found. In Egypt,
fossils have been found of a forty-million-year-old whale leg, kneecap, ankle, footbones,
and toes. It appears from the fossil evidence that the bones were not very strong and not
very large in comparison to the size of the whale.
Based on this fossil evidence, the following evolutionary path has been
hypothesized. As the whale began its evolution toward the water, its legs weakened and
decreased in size. Then, during its millions of years in the water, the legs slowly
disappeared, leaving only the front flippers today.
18. The main idea of this passage is that
(A) numerous whale fossils have been
found in the worlds oceans
(B) there is evidence that whales may
have descended from land mammals
whales are mammals and not fish
(D) whales have not evolved very much
over the last millions of years
19. All of the following are true about whales,
EXCEPT that
(A) they are mammals
(B) they live in the ocean
(C) they are fish
(D) they may have come from the land

21. Which of the following was NOT

mentioned in the list of whale fossils
found in Egypt?
(A) A whales kneecap
(B) A whales ankle
(C) A whales footbones
(D) A whales fingers
22. According to the hypothesis in the passage,
what happened to whales legs?
(A) They got stronger over time.
(B) They got larger over time.
(C) They disappeared quickly.
(D) They became front flippers.

20. Which of the following is NOT mentioned

about the whale fossils in the passage?
(A) They were found in Egypt.
(B) They support the theory that whales
came from land.
(C) They are forty million years old.
(D) They showed that ancient whales had
flippers.

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PASSAGE ONE (Questions 23 - 27)

Before ballpoint pens or fountain pens, pens were made from goose feathers.
These goose feathers, called quills, were sharpened and dipped into inkwells, where they
absorbed enough ink to write a few words. It was necessary to keep an inkwell very
close by, as frequent dipping was necessary.
These quill pens were one of the earliest products designed specifically for leftand right-handed people. Feathers from the left wing of the goose worked best for right
handers because of the way that the feathers arched. Feathers from the right wing were
preferred by left-handers.
23. Which of the following is the best title for
this passage?
(A) Early Ballpoint and Fountain Pens
(B) Quill Pens for Lefties and Righties
(C) Where Quill Pens Came From
(D) Various Uses for Goose Feathers
24. According to the passage, a quill came
from
(A) a tree
(B) a bird
(C) a piece of metal
(D) a fountain pen
25. The passage indicates that a quill pen could
hold enough ink to write
(A) one or two pages
(B) for about one hour
(C) a couple of words
(D) numerous sentences

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26. Which of the following is NOT true about

quill pens, according to the passage?
(A) Left-handers were unable to use quill
pens.
(B) Left-handed people generally
preferred quills from the right wing.
(C) Right-handers could use quill pens.
(D) Right-handed people generally
preferred quills from the left wing.
27. It can be inferred from the passage that
quill pens
(A) are still used regularly today
(B) are preferred over ballpoint pens
(C) are the best pens for left-handers
(D) are no longer used much

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PASSAGE TWO (Questions 28-32)

The English names of the last four months of the Gregorian calendar (September,
October, November, December) have rather interesting histories. The Gregorian
calendar is a twelve-month calendar, so these months are the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and
twelfth months respectively. However, their names do not reflect their positioning in the
calendar. The name September comes from the Latin word septum, which means
seven. This month was originally the name of the seventh rather than the ninth
month. Similarly, the name October comes from the Latin octo (eight); the name
November comes from the Latin novem (nine); the name December comes from the
Latin decem (ten).
28. The main topic of this passage is
(A) the origin of certain month names
(B) the Gregorian calendar
(C) the numbers in Latin
(D) ten- and twelve-month calendars
29. The first month on the Gregorian calendar
is probably
(A) March
(B) May
(C) January
(D) December
30. The passage states that in the original
version of the calendar, September was
the name of
(A) the sixth month
(B) the seventh month
(C) the eighth month

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(D) the ninth month

31. It can be inferred from the passage that
November
(A) used to be the ninth month of the year
(B) is no longer part of the Gregorian
calendar
(C) has always been the eleventh month
(D) was not part of the original Gregorian
calendar
32. Which of the following is NOT mentioned
in the passage about December?
(A) It is the twelfth month on the
Gregorian calendar.
(B) Its name is derived from a Latin word.
(C) Its meaning comes from the number
ten.
(D) It has 31 days.

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PASSAGE THREE (Questions 33 - 35)

Different types of relationships exist between living things. One type of relationship
is parasitism, in which one partner benefits while the other loses. A very different type
of relationship is symbiosis, in which both partners benefit.
An example of a parasitic relationship exists between the stone crab and sacculina, a
type of barnacle. The sacculina attaches itself to the stone crab. It then eats into the
crab, and the stone crab becomes disabled.
An example of a symbiotic relationship exists between the hermit crab and the
calliactis anemone. The anemone attaches itself to the crab, but it is not a parasite
because it does not harm the crab; it feeds on food that is dropped by the crab. The
anemone even helps the crab by protecting the crab from other predators with its
tentacles.

33. The subject of this passage is

(A) two different kinds of relationships
among living things
(B) parasitic relationships
(C) relationships that are mutually
beneficial to living things
(D) symbiosis
34. Which of the following is NOT true about parasitic relationships?
(A) There are two partners in a parasitic
relationship.
(B) One partner in a parasitic relationship
hurts the other.
(C) The stone crab can be part of a
parasitic relationship.
(D) A parasitic relationship is usually
symbiotic.
35. According to the passage, what does sacculina eat?
(A) The stone crab
(B) Barnacles
(C) Food dropped by the crab
(D) Other parasites

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