6.

IDENTIFYING EXCEPTIONS
After reading a passage on the TOEFL, you will be asked to select from four possible answers
the one that is NOT mentioned in the reading.
Use your scanning skills to locate related words and phrases in the passage and the answers
choices.
EXAMPLE 1
DIRECTIONS : First, read the following passage. Then, read the question after the reading
passage. Last, scan the passage again for related words and phrases. Try to eliminate three of the
choices.
All music consists of two elements expression and design. Expression is
inexact and subjective, and may be enjoyed in a personal or instinctive way.
Design, on the other hand is exact and must be analyzed objectively in order to be
understood and appreciated.
The folk song, for example, has a definite musical design which relies on simple
repetition with a definite beginning and ending. A folk song generally consists of
one stanza of music repeated for each stanza of verse.
Because of their communal, and usually uncertain origin, folk songs are
often popular verse set to music. They are not always recorded, and tend to be
passed on in a kind of musical version of oral history. Each singer revises and
perfects the song. In part as a consequence of this continuous revision process,
most folk songs are almost perfect in their construction and design. A particular
singer’s interpretation of the folk song may provide an interesting expression, but
the simple design that underlies the song itself is stable and enduring.
1. All of the following is true of a folk song EXCEPT…
A. There is a clear start and finish C. The design may change in the interpretation
B. The origin is often not known D. Simple repetition is characteristic of its
design

EXAMPLE 2
Is it important to know what your kids are watching? Of course yes. Television
can expose things you have tried to protect them from, especially violence,
pornography, consumerism, etc.
A study demonstrated that spending too much time on watching TV during
the day or at bedtime often causes bedtime disruption, stress, and short of sleep
duration.
Another research found that there is a significant relationship between the
amount of time spent for watching television during adolescence and early
adulthood, and the possibility of being aggressive.
Meanwhile, many studies have identified a relationship between kids who
watch TV a lot and being inactive and overweight.
1. The following are the effects of watching TV a lot except….
A. stress D. bedtime disruption
B. being active E. shorten sleep duration
C. being aggressive

2. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

A. Spending too much time for watching TV may cause kids inactive.
B. It is very important for children to have a TV set in their bedrooms.
C. It is good for a kid to watch TV all day long.
D. Children know what programs to watch.
E. All TV programs are good for children.

C HE C K D E T AI L S A N D F A C T U AL I NF ORM A TI ON

A large number of questions on the Reading Comprehension Section of the

TOEFL ask about the details and facts in reading passages. These quest ions are
usually asked in t he order that the infor mat io n appears in t he passage. Your
under st anding o f t he t opic and ma in idea and t he overall organization of the passage
will help you to answer these questions.
There are two types of fact and detail questions on the TOEFL: questions about
what IS true according to the information and questions about what IS NOT true. Answer
choices for questions abo ut fact s and det a ils ma y use t he exact wo r ds o f t he
passage, but mo r e o ft en t he y ar e restatements of the information and require that you know
synonyms and related words.
Think about t he following passage and quest ions. Answer t he quest ions
before reading t he explanation.
MODEL
Throughout t he year, chimpanzee food is quit e varied, but it is
mainly v e g e t a b l e m a t e r i a l . At t i m e s , h o w e v e r , G o m be P a r k i s
lo a d e d w it h insect s—t ermit es, ant s, cat erpillars —and t he
chimpanzees will eat huge numbers o f t hem. T he chimpanzees' real l y
remarkable behavior appears when they gather termites. According to
Suzuki and Van Lawick-Goodall, when chimpanzees see that termites
have pushed open their tunnels on the surface, they will go off to find a
suitable termiting tool. It may look simple, but the job takes skill and patience.
1. According to the passage, which of t he fo l lowing are NOT mentioned
as part of the chimpanzee's diet?
(A) T e r m i t e s
(B) Vegetable material
(C) Ants
(D) Mosquitoes
 2. The aut hor st ates in t he passage t hat t he chimpanzees" most .
remarkable behavior can best be seen
(A) when they are hungry.
(B) as they are resting.
(C) when they are looking for termites.
(D) in the spring.

3. According to the author, when chimpanzees gather termites they show

(A) a dependence on each other.
(B) remarkable strength.
(C) understanding and caring.
(D) ability and persistence.

Answers:

* Explanation*
The correct answer to Question 1 is (D) Mosquitoes. This question asks you t identify the answer
that is NOT in this passage. By knowing where in the passage the food that chimpanzees eat mentioned,
you can quickly look at those sentences and match the items in the sentence with those in the answer
choices. Mosquitoes are not mentioned in the passage.

NOTE : in questions that ask what is NOT in the passage, information that is true is not the correct
answer.

The correct answer to Question 2 is (C) when they are looking for termites. To answer
this question you need to match the words chimpanzees' most remarkable behavior in the
question with those words in the passage. T his will t ell you in what par t of the passage you
will f ind the ans wer . Aft er car eful r eading of the s ent ence, you can match the inf or mation
in the passage with th e answer choice. In this case the passage states when they gather
termites, and a restatement of this is found in answer choice (C).
The correct answer to Question 3 is (D) ability and persistence. In this question you
are asked to find what chimpanzees show, rather than do when they gather ter mites. The last
sentence of the passage states that the job (of gather ing ter mit es) takes skill and patience.
Scanning t he ans wer choices will tell you that the best r estatement of the infor mati6n in
the passage is ability and persistence.
Questions about details and facts are often worded in the following ways:
About information that IS in the passage :
According to the passage, Who…….; When………;
Why…….; How………..; etc,
Where…..;

According to the author,……

The author states in the passage that……….
The author indicates that.............
The author refers to which of the following as... ……
It is stated in the passage that..........
About information that IS NOT in the passage:
All of the following ar e mentioned in the passage as ... EXCEPT...
According to the passage all of the following are true about... EXCEPT...
Which of t he f ollow in g is NO T ment io n ed i n t he pas sa ge as... ?
Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage?
T o be successful at answer ing qu estions about facts and details in a shor t r eading
passage, follow these steps:
1. Read the question and identif y the key wor ds and contr olling idea. REMEMBER that
the questions will be in order of the information in the passage.
2. Scan the passage for the key words and controlling ideas. REMEMBER that you should
look for synonyms and related words as well as exact words.
3. Carefully read this part of the passage to answer the question.
4. Scan the answer choices to match the inf or mati on in the passage with the cor r ect
answer choice.
5. Be careful to look for the information that is not true in a TOEFL question worded with
NOT and EXCEPT.

EXERCISES 6A : Practice Answering Questions About Facts and Details As

They Appear on the TOEFL

When we think of time, we think of clock time. Action all around the
world is synchronized by clock time, starting with train schedule, worldwide
plane schedule, navigation, astronomy, world wide telecommunication, etc.
line These depend completely on accurate timing. The accuracy standards of time
(5) keeping devices have been increasing rapidly due to the demands for more
accurate timing for space communication, navigation, astronomy, etc. Rather
than use mechanical clocks, we are relying nowadays on “atomic clock.” This
is not a clock in the usual sense but a device that uses the very stable oscillation
of the cesium atoms as a standard for timekeeping.
(10) From grandfather clocks to wristwatches, all these clocks are
supposed to chop up for us the 24 hours of the day more or less reliably into
hours, minutes, and seconds. Let’s call this kind of time “objective” since
everybody’s watches are supposed to cut time into slices of even thickness.
However, we know from personal experience that time does not “feel” as
(15) passing evenly under different circumstances. When pursuing some interesting
activity, time “flies”; while waiting in the dentist’s office, it “drags.” When
Einstein was once asked about this “psychological time,” he replied with a
now famous observation: “When you spend two hours with a nice girl, you
think it’s only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you
(20) think it’s two hours.” Realizing the relativity of time, let us see, then, how this
subjective time can be put to some use.

Answer the following questions about the passage above. Circle the correct answer.
1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT an example of accurate timing?
(A) Clock time (C) Atomic clock time
(B) Psychological time (D) Objective time

2. According to the passage, demands for more accurate timing have resulted in
(A) the growth of telecommunications, navigation, and astronomy
(B) the development of better mechanical clocks
(C) the improvement of accuracy standards for timekeeping devices
(D) the dependence on atomic power

3. The author states in file passage that because of I lie need for more accurate
standards of timekeeping, today we are
(A) thinking about time in a different way (C) relying more on atomic clocks
(B) revising schedules of trains and planes (D) enjoying more leisure time

4. According to the passage, a defining characteristic of objective time is that

(A) it divides time evenly for everyone (C) it seems to pass quickly
(B) it is different from clock time (D) it uses a 24-hour system

5. According to the passage, personal experience tells us that for different circumstances
(A) different clocks should be used
(B) our impression of how quickly time passes will vary
(C) different standards of accuracy will apply
(D) more interesting activities should be chosen

6. According to the passage, Einstein when asked about psychological time,

(A) declined to answer
(B) commented oil its stability
(C) said that socializing was Whore time-consuming than tending the fire
(D) observed that time seems to pass quick ly or slowly according to our activity.

EXERCISIE 6B: More Practice Answering Questions on Facts and Details

Read the following passage. Circle the correct answer to each question.

The world above the forest floor can be observed by all of us. Rarely,
however, do we t ake t he t ime t o not ice t he t eeming life and bust ling
activity that occurs beneath the ground we walk on.
O f a l l s o i l- d w e l l i n g c r e a t u r e s , t he mo st a bu nd a nt a r e
m it e s a nd springtails, insect -like creatures that literally eat their way
through, caverns of subt erranean vegetat ion. The t iny, eight -legged
mites lay their eggs oil plant matter, which their larvae eat and convert
into fresh soil. The bright -colored springtails are named for their
 abilit y to leap long distances during their search for decomposed plant
matter to eat.
Bot h mit es and spr ingt ails are pre y t o a host of so il -dwelling
predat ors. They thus anchor one end of the food chain that extends to
higher forms of forest "lowlife," such as moles that feed on earthworms
and shrews that eat beetles.
T ho se ma mma ls, in t ur n, dig t unne ls t hat fu nct io n as
under gr o und byways for ot her subt erranean species. Hiber nat ing
chipmunks, t urt les, and salamanders sift and mix t he soil when they
burrow to winter dens. Co t t o nt ai ls a nd gr a y fo xes e xc a vat e
s ha l lo w de ns as s a nct uar y fr o m predators and harsh weat her, while
gray squirrels, hiding acorns for t he lean season, further blend the earth.
From microbe to people, thousands of species work the land upon which all life
depends.

1. The passage states that which of the following are the most numerous inhabitants of the
soil?
(A) Foxes and cottontails (C) Mites and springtails
(B) Earthworms and ants (D) Shrews and moles

2. According to the passage, all of the following are true about mites and springtails
EXCEPT
(A) they make new soil (C) they form the lower end of the food chain
(B) they resemble insects (D) they hibernate for the winter

3. An example of predator and prey given in this passage is

(A) mit es and springt ails (C) moles and earthworms
(B) turtles and salamanders (D) grey squirrels and acorns

4. Which of the following are mentioned in the passage as living underground during
the winter?
(A) Shrews (C) Squirrels
(B) Foxes (D) Salamanders
5. According to the author, the contributions that all the animals mentioned in the
passage make to their habitat is
(A) they form the food chain (C) they find safety in the soil
(B) they work the soil (D) they convert plant material to new earth
EXERCISE 6C: M ore Practice Answering Questions on Facts and Details
Read the following passage. Circle the correct answer to each question.
Only humans have a spoken, symbolic language; scientists
have long t h o u g h t t h a t n o n h u m a n p r i m a t e s h a d m u c h
l e s s s o p h i s t i c a t e d co mmu nicat io n s yst e ms. T rue, but
line chi mpa nzees use gest ur es and m a n y v o i c e s o u n d s
in t he w ild, w hile o t her ape s use so und s t o
communicat e territorial informat ion. Chimpanzees seem to
have a natural t alent fo r lear ning s ym bo lic la nguage
under co nt ro lled co nd it io ns. A fa mo us chi mpa nze e
na med Was ho e was t r a ined t o co mmu nicat e w it h
humans, using no less t han 175 sign language gesture s
similar to those of t he Amer ican S ign Language. Aft er
mo r e t han a year Washo e could asso ciat e part icular signs
wit h act ivit ies, such as eat ing and dr ink ing. Ano t her
c hi mpa nze e na me d S ar a h wa s t aug ht t o r ead a nd wr it e
w it h plast ic symbo ls and acquired a vocabular y of 130
different words, to t he extent that she obeyed sequences of
written instructions given with the symbols. But such experiments in
communication with primates are a far cry from the versatility and
grace of human speech.

1. According to the passage, all of the following are true of chimpanzee communication
EXCEPT
(A) it is less sophisticated than human language
(B) it is observable in the wild
(C) it uses gestures
(D) it is as versatile as human communication

2. The passage states that the ability of chimpanzees to learn symbolic language in
certain situations is due to
(A) their territoriality
(B) their use of gestures and voice sounds in the wild
(C) their natural talent
(D) their use of the American Sign Language

3. According to the passage, the chimpanzee Washoe

(A) was able to associate some signs with activities after a year
(B) used fewer than 175 signs to communicate
(C) was fluent in the American Sign Language
(D) could read and write
4. The passage states that Sarah's ability
(A) the size of her vocabulary
(B) her dexterity in using the plastic symbols
(C) her obedience to instructions given in the symbol language
(D) the number of symbol sequences that she could manipulate

5. According to t he aut hor, spoken, symbolic language is

(A) not a sophisticated communication system
(B) only available to humans
(C) shared by both humans and chimpanzees
(D) similar to the language used by chimpanzees