12. This final summary question requires you to work with the main idea of the pa=ge.

pa=ge. As we've lea rned,

the main idea appears throughout the passage; use the active reading strategies discussed earlier to
find it. For this type of question, avoid picking answers that refer to specific details. Here are the cor-
rect answers.
Rachel Carson was a pioneering environmentalist who helped draw public attention to
the effects of human activity on wildlife.
• Carson's three books abour ocean ecology increasingly focused on the dangers humans
posed ro marine life.
• The book Silmt Spring has had both immediate and long-term iJlfluence on
environmentalism.
• The government considered Carson a valued expert and invited her input on ecological
policy.

Each of the correct answers is somehow related to the initial boldfaced sta tement. The first correct re-
sponse refers tO the effects of"huma n acdviry on wild life," and rhe second and third refer to Carson's
environmental inAuence.

For this question, it is helpful to look at the wrong answers. Here's the first one that we eliminated.
Carson at first considered majoring in English and becoming a nonscientific writer.
This is a detail mentioned in the paragraph, but it is not related to the summary, which focuses on
Carson as a "pioneering environmentalist who helped draw public attention to the effects of human
activity on wildlife.•

Let's look at another incorrect answer choice.

Many scientists doubted Carson's conclusions, causing her to write more books to
support them.
This choice mentions scientists doubting Carson's conclusions, which doesn't match the summary.
Look ro eliminate answers that are opposite of the tone of the summary.
Here's chc lasr incorrect answer choice.
Carson did much of her research by talking to people with everyday experience
using pesticides.
Once again, we have a specific detail. Eliminate this choice because it doesn't touch on rhe main
themes of environmentalism or drawing people's attention to the problem. Instead, it focuses on re-
search methods.

READING DRILL #2
I. C Our first question is a derail question. Return ro the first paragraph and look for the information
about the "design of the typical Hag.•
The traditional flag of fabric is still used to mark buildings, ships, and diplomatic
caravans by national affiliation, but its visual design makes it adaptable for other
roles as well.

246 I Cracking lhe TOEFL IBT

 This matches nicely with a nswer choice (C). Here's why the orher answer choices are incorrect.
• Choice (A) is wrong; if anything, the passage stares that flags arc "instantly recognizable."
• There is no mendon of Rags changing wirh rechnology, so climinare choice (B).
• Choice (0) states that rhe flag is older than the country it rcpresenrs, but this is beyond
the informacion in the passage. The passage only stares char flags a.re an "anc:ient" symbol.

2. 0 For this vocabufilry in conuxt question, ler's look at the following lines:
Their strong colors and geometric patterns are usually instantly recognizable even if _
_ _ to less than a square centimeter. Images of flags can thus seNe as identifying
icons on airliners, television broadcasts, and computer displays.
A good word for the blank may be somerhing like rtduced because the Rag is ''less than a square cen-
timeter" and can fir on "relevision broadcasts" and "computer displays.• O nly answer choice {D) fits
this meani ng. Here's why the ocher a nswer choices a re incorrect.
• Answer choice (A) is a rrap answer. Be careful nor ro add your own inrerprcrarion to rhc
passage.
• Although you may chink that purring rhc Aag on a n airliner or a computer is a form of
publiciry, rhe passage doesn'r srate chat. There is no support for e:irher answer (B) or (C).

3. B Here's another vocabufilry in COIIUxt qucsrion. Look at the following sentences from chc passage:
Despite its simplicity. the national flag as we know it today is in no way a _ __
artifact. It is, rather, the product of millennia of development in many corners of the
globe.
This semence has some good context clues. The first sentence s.1ys tktpite iu simplicity, which means
the shaded word should have a meaning close to simplicity. Also, the n<:Xr line states rhar the Aag is
"the product of.. .development.. ." which means a good word for the blank could be simp/• or und•-
vtloped. Ofren on vocabulary questions, the right answer is found in rhe texr. Here's why the other
answer choices are incorrt:cr.
• C hoice (A) is rhe trap answer. One way of avoiding it is ro norice that nncimt shows up
earl ier in rhe passage, in the first li ne. Remember that for vocabu lary quesdons, you should
be looki ng at only the rwo or rhree lines closest ro the word you're being questioned about.
Therefore, if you see a word that appears outSide of that range, it is probably a trap answer.
• C hoice (C) is similar ro choice (A) in thar rhe firsr paragraph mentions how easy it is to
identify a Rag, but rhar information is nor relevant ro rhis sentence.
• There is oo support for answer choice (0).

4. B This nformce question asks us to find the word to which a pronoun refers. Here are the sentences in
quesrion.
Even after various grains had been domesticated, people needed cooperation
from the elements to assure good harvests. For all these reasons , they feared and
depended on the power of the wind , which could b ring warmth from one direction
and cold from another.
For a pronoun reference, it is sometimes helpful to "trim the fur." Lee's ger rid of some of rhe extra
information.

Reading Practice Answers and Explanations I 24 7

 Even alter various grains !'lad eeen domesticated, people needed cooperation
from the elements to assure good harvests. Fef-allti'lese reasoAs, they feared and
depended on the power of the wind, which could ering warmth from OAC direction
and cold freFA another.
Based on this, who "feared and depended on the power of wind"? lc must be the "people" from the
first sem ence. 1r wou ld n't make sense for aoy of the other answers to fear aod depend on wind.

5. C Make sure you rephrase the question first . lh is is a detail question that asks.
Why were Aags as.<ociated with d ivi ne power?
Look in the passage for the phrase divine power. Here are the lines we need.
Ascertaining the direction of the wind using a simple strip of cloth tied to the top of a
post was more reliable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke
from a fire or the swaying of field g rasses. The association of these prototypes of
the flag with divine power was therefore a natural one. • Tribes began to fix long
cloth flutters to the tops of totems before carrying them into battle, believing that the
magical assistance of the wind would be added to the b lessings o f lhe gods and
ancestors represented by the totem itself.
From these lines, ir seems that there is a connection between the wind and divine power, hence choice
(C). Here's why the other a nswer choices are incorrect.
• Look for extreme wording in answers, such as in choices (A) and (D). The first choice says
Aags were Aown "as high as people could reach" whereas (D) says that tribes with Bags
"always won" bat des. These concepts arc not supported in the passage.
• '!here is no memion of"valuable" lield grasses, as in choice (B).

6. C l'he same lines will help us with this lrad word question. lbe first Line tel ls us that tribes used a "sim-
ple strip of doth tied to the top of a post.'' This matches with the sentence "Tribes bega n t o _ long
cloth Rutters to rhe tops of tOtems." Thus, a good word for the blank may be lit. That makes (C) the
best choice. The other answers are tempting. but they do not relate to the shaded word.

7. A Q uestion 7 is a paraplmue question. Here's the boldfaced sentence.

These flutters may seem like close kin of our present-day flags, but the path through
history from one to the other wanders through thousands of years and over several
continents.
This sentence doesn't have a lot offat to trim, so POE may be a good strategy here.
• Ston with the ~ rst part of the sentence and find the subject-it's referring 10 Rags. There-
fore, we can dim inatc choice (C). which is aboUt historians, not Rags.
• Now look at the second pan of 1he sentence. It says the path "through history .. .wanders
through thousands of yea rs and ... sevcral continents." Eliminate answers that bring in new
informarion not related 10 these terms. Choice (D) mentions ojjidal jourrll!ys, which is not
pan of the sentence. Eli minate it.
• C hoice (B) Scates that ancient Aags arc "still used in some pans of the world." Nothing
about that appears in the sentence, so the answer must be (A).

248 I Cracking the TOEfl iBT

8. D First rephrase the quesrion, which asks about a dttnil from the passage. It asks us
What do we know abom the first known Aag in history?
Return ro paragraph 4 and read these lines.
The first known flag of a nation or ruler was unmarked: The king who established the
Chou Dynasty in China (around 1000 e.c.) was reputed to have a white flag carried
ahead of him.
Thus, the Rag wa.s unmarked. which makes choice (D) the best. You may have noticed that rhe answer
ro reading questions on the TOEFL ar< often very close ro rhe lead word or line reference provided
in rhe question. Remembering rhis will help you avoid many trap answers. Notice how rhe orher an-
swers ore nor memioned at all in the relevanr line, making them all easy to e.liminate.

9. C This vocabulary in co11ttxt question asks "Whar is a crest?" Let's look for the word "crest" in tbe pas-
sage. We find it in the following lines:
In Europe, the Chinese-derived flag met up with the modern flag's second ancestor.
the heraldic crest. The flags used in Asia may have been differentiated by color,
but they rarely featured emblems or pictures. European nobles of the medieval
period had. however. developed a system of crests (symbols or insignias specific
to particular families) that were commonly mounted on hard surfaces; shields to be
used In battle often displayed them especially prominently.
lhe first line tells us that the crest was the Rag's "second ancestor." However, that is nor memioned
in the answer choices, so keep reading. The next mention of crests stares that nobles had "developed
a system of crests (symbols or insignias specific ro parricular families) ...."1his information is what we
need.. Here's why the O[her -answer choices an~ incorrect.
• Answers (A) and (D) don't make sense because they srare rhar the crest is a person instead
of an object.
• Answer (B) is wrong because ir rofcrs ro Rags, not crests .

10. D We know the answer tO th is d~tnil question is somewhere in paragraph 6, so let's find it. The question
asks
Why did the number of Hag designs increase?
Take a look ar the following lines, which mention the word "increasing":
While crests began to appear on flags as well as shields, the number of prominent
families was also increasing. They required an ever greater number of combinations
of stripes. crosses, flowers. and mythical animals to distinguish themselves. These
survived as the basic components of flag design when small regional kingdoms
were later combined into larger nation-states. They remain such for many European
countries today.
These lines stare that rhere were more families, and they needed an "ever greater number of combina-
tions of stripes, crosses, Rowers, and mythical animals tO distinguish themselves." Therefore, choice
(D) musr be correct. Here's why the other answer choices ar< incorrect.
Answer choice (A) states tbe opposite of what rhe passage says.
• Although iris true char kingdoms were combined imo "larger" narion-stares, this doesn't
answer the question of why Rag designs increased, which eliminates choice (B).

Reading Practice Answers and Explanations I 249

 • Finally, eliminate choice (C) because there is no mendon of arrists having greater freedom.

II. A This is another pro11oun rifn'm« qucs<ion. ~t's look ar the passage excerpt again.
European nobles of the medieval period had. however. developed a system of crests
(symbols or insignias specific to particular families} that were commonly mounted
on hard surfaces; shields to be used in battle often displayed _ _ especially
prominently.
Try to JlUI your own word in the blank. According to the sentence, what is being "displayed"? h must
be the cresrs. lr wou ldn't make sense for 1he orher choices to be displayed.

12. 0 Question 12 is a more typical vocabulary;, ~omtxt question. Again, let's look :n the passage excerpt.
They required an ever greater number of combinations of stripes. crosses. flowers.
and mythical animals to dislinguish themselves. These survived as the basic _ __
of flag design when small regional kingdoms were later combtned into larger nation-
slates.
What word would fit in the blank? We need a word thar would mean Jtripn. rrouct, jiown1, a11d
liiJUJiral anima& because these arc the items rhar are referred to by the sentence. A good choice for
the shaded ponion may be thi11gs or itnm. and choice (D) comes closest to that. Here's why the other
answer choices are incorrect.
• Answers (B) and (C) don't make sense; the seruence says "these survived ...; which must
refer to the things in the previous sentence.
• Choice (A) may be tempting. bur the scnrcncc refers 10 individual parts of tht Oags. not
the overall sryle.

13. 0 Stan by taking a moment to understand what this dnail question is asking you tO find.
How do the two Rags of Poland differ?
Go ba.ck to the final passage and read about the rwo Rags of Poland, looking for something different
between them.
For example. the flag of Poland is a srmple rectangle with a whtle upper half and
red lower half. The colors themselves have been associated with Polish nationalism
since the 1700s. They originated as the colors of the Piast family, which during its
rule displayed a crest bearing a white eagle on a red field. Homage Is paid to the
Piast Dynasty in the Polish ensign, the flag officially used at sea. Unlike the familiar
plain flag flown on land, the ensign has a red shield with a white eagle centered on
its upper white stripe.
One difference mentioned in the passage is that one Rag is Aown at sea and one on land; however, that
difference is not one of our choices. If you're not sure what the answer is based on your reading, don't
forget the imporrance of POE. Here's how rouse POE ro determine why the other answer choices are
incorrecl.
• Answer (A) says che rwo Rags don't use the same colors, but chat is incorrc:ct- thty both
usc red and white:, according to the passage.

250 I C<actlng the TOEFL iBT

 • lh~ next dtoic~ says that the Rags represented different families. Be careful on this one•
lh~ passage states th~ flag used at sa represents the Piast Dynasty, but there is no mention
of :a.ny oth~r family. So eliminate choice (B).
• Choice (C) must be wrong as wdl because the passage doesn't narc that rhe flag used on
land isn't the officia l flag.

lhcrofore, we're left with choice (0). The sea flag, according to the passage, has "a red shield wirh a
white eagle," which is "unlike the plain flag flown on land."

14. This is a gi/Wl« iturmon question. Recall that for this question rypc, you have to look at the sen-
tences before and after the black squares (• ) to rry to match the informuion in those sentences with
the new sentence. Her~'s rhe sentence w~ arc going to add.
Therefore, strong winds could easily tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that
imperiled travelers.
Now we'll check each of the potential insertion places.
Historians believe it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to indicate
wind direction. Therefore, strong winds could easily tear roofs from houses or cause
high waves that imperiled travelers. Early human societies used very fragile shelters
and boats.
How well do these sentences march? Nor very well, as you can see. The boldf.tc~ sentence r:alks about
strong winds tcarins olf roofs. but the first sentence docsn'r ralk about houses at all. llte second S<:n·
tence does, bm it doesn't make sense to provide a detail about the houses before imroduting the idea.
So, let's look at the next black square.
Early human societies used very fragile shelters and boats. Therefore, strong winds
could easily tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that imperiled travelers. Their
food sources were similarly vulnerable to dtsruption.
Now look at how well these sentences match. The first sentence introduces "fragile shdters and boats,"
which matches with the boldfaced sentence's mention of"houses" and "high waves." And rhe second
sentence says thar the "food sources were simi larly vulnerable," which links rhe ideas of dangers en-
countered by rhc early human ancestors. Thus, the second square is our choice.

15. The final question of the group is a summary question. From the previous questions and our initial
reading of the passage, you should have a pretry good sense of the main idea. Usc this to help you
eliminate answers. Her~'s the completed table.
There were many historical steps in the evolution of the national flag as it's known
today.
• Ancient tribes rcspecred the power of the wind and began to carry totem poles with Aunets
for good luck in battle.
• A Chinese king's practice of having a Aag carried ahead of him spread across Asia to
Europe.
• Heraldic crests and colors combined with a standard rocrangular shape tO make a symbol
wirh m;tny uses.

Reading Ptacllce Answe1s and Explanations J 251

 The lim ~mence refers to the "steps" in the dcvdopmem of the Hag. and each of th~ thr« choices
gives one of the steps.

Looking at the wrong answers is hdpful as well.

• "Early humans lived lives that were vulnerable to disruption by natural forces" doesn't men-
tion Oags at all, so you should eliminate it.
• "Many countries have followed Poland's example and used an eagle on their Aags to
symbolize strength and power" is mentioned os an example, not a main parr of the passage.
Remember to diminate choices that refer to specific details.
• "Some Aags used in Asian countries may have been colored in distinct ways" is just a minor
detail. Eliminate it.

READING DRILL #3
I. C This vtXabulary in conrrxt question requires us to look at the following lines:
When reviewing the current journals of taxonomy, the science of organizing animals
into neat classifications. it is important to remember that names are a human _ _
_ _ . Nature is not concerned with putting her creations into simple and objective
categories.
Based on these lines, ir appears that although nature doesn't put animals imo "simple and objective
categories," humans do. So our word for the blank should be someth ing rhat has to do with this idea
of making things simple. We may use the word brfp or astistance. C hoice (C) is the dosesr match to
this word. Here's why the other answer choices are incorrect.
• Choices (A) and (D) are similar in meaning to the word convmienrt, but they don't make
~~in this context. Nothing in the ~mence indicates that the names comfon anythjng
or are luxurious.
• Similarly, there is no evidence that the names support anytrung, so eliminate choice (B).

2. A On this uorobulnry in comrxe question, you may have to read a few more li nes than you are accus-
romed to. Let's look at the passage.
An excellent example of the problem with naming species is the case of Ensatina, a
_ _ of salamander found in the Central Valley area of California. Central Valley is
about 40 miles wide, and although salamanders do not live in the valley itself, they
are found 1n the forests and mountains that ring the valley. At the southern tip of the
valley live two distinct types of salamander....
For this question, you may be able ro figure out the answer right away if you know the word rprdts. If
not, don't give up! Rend a Few more lines, and you'll see that the passage refers tO "rwo distinct types
of sa lamander." ' rhis is to what the blank refers. Another way of approaching rhis question is with
POE. Here's how tO use POE to determine why the other answer choices are incorrect.
• There is no mention of the color of the s:~lamonders or the qualiry. so diminore (B) and
(D).
• Answer choice (C) doesn't make se~ dther becau~ you wouldn't s:~y a "location" of
salamander.

252 I CreckongtheTOEFliBT