Chapter 2: Practice Test 1: Diagnostic

TOEFL TEST

PRACTICE TEST 1: DIAGNOSTIC

Directions: In questions 115 each sentence has a word or phrase underlined.

Beloweachsentencetherearefourotherwordsorphrases,marked(A),(B),(C),and
(D). You are to choose the one word or phrase that best keeps the meaning of the
original sentence if it is substituted for the underlined word or phrase.

His students think he is odd.

(A) dangerous
(B) friendly
(C) strange
(D) humorous

Thecorrectansweris(C).The
sentence,Hisstudentsthinkhe
isstrange,isclosestinmeaning
to,Hisstudentsthinkheisodd.

As soon as you understand the
directions, begin work on the
problems.



1. Oil is one of the principal sources of en ergy.
(A) most expensive
(B) most important
(C) most difficult
(D)most popular

2. No one can survive for very long without
water.
(A) reproduce
(B) prosper
(C) transcend
(D)exist

3. Theassignmentwastowriteasynopsisof
our favorite novel.
(A) evaluation
(B) summary
(C) critique
(D)dramatization

4. It is futile to go shopping when you dont

have any money.

(A) useless
(B) brilliant
(C) idiotic
(D)challenging

5. Theactresshadtoraisehervoiceinorder
to be audible in the balcony.
(A) musical

(B) dramatic
(C) heard
(D)appreciated

6. Dictatorsdonottolerateoppositionofany
kind.

(A) understand
(B) permit
(C) justify
(D)execute

7. Earthquakes occur frequently in parts of

California.

(A) instantly
(B) annually
(C) spontaneously
(D)often

8. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King fought

to put an end to racial segregation in the
United States.

(A) integration
(B) education
(C) separation
(D)torture

PART II: Diagnosing Strengths and Weaknesses

9. The number of illiterate young people in

her country continues to rise.

13. A familiar adage says that the early bird

gets the worm.

(A) unable to read and write
(B) without children
(C) sports participants
(D)wealthy

10. Since his wound was superficial, only a

small bandage was required.
(A) frivolous

(B) on the surface
(C) deep
(D)supercilious

(A) proverb
(B) lady
(C) gentleman
(D)book

14. Atelevisionadshowsabusybakerwitha
new computer that the advertiser claims
will help him make dough.

(A) a baking mixture
(B) more customers
(C) money
(D)bread

11. The main road will be closed until the

15. At every faculty meeting, Ms. Volatile
blizzard ends.
always manages to put her foot in her
(A) snowstorm
mouth.
(B) hurricane
(A) trip over her big feet
(C) tornado
(B) say the wrong thing
(D)thunderstorm
(C) move rapidly

12. Tennis wear has become a very lucrative

businessforbothmanufacturersandtennis stars.

(A) illegal
(B) circumstantial
(C) expansive
(D)profitable

(D)fall asleep

Chapter 2: Practice Test 1: Diagnostic

ANSWER KEY AND EXPLANATIONS

1.

2.








3.

1.

6.

11.

2.

7.

12.

3.

8.

13.

4.

9.

14.

5.

10.

15.

The correct answer is (B). If your

answer is wrong, write the word on a 3

5-inchcard.Includethesynonymsmain,
chief,andmajor.Asyoucontinuetostudy
in this book, add to your file all words
that you discover you do not know. Keep
the cards in alphabetical order for easy
reference.

6.

The correct answer is (D). All four

choices can be used to make a meaningful sentence. Therefore, you had to know
that survive is the same as (D), exist. If
you do not know the meaning of the
wordsgivenasalternatives,addthemto
your card list.
Thecorrectansweris(B).Ifyouknow
that critique and evaluation have approximately the same meaning, critical
writing, then you can assume that neither is the correct answer. Dramatization of a novel would certainly not be an
assignment a teacher would give. By
elimination and using your good sense,
you get the correct answer.

4.

5.

The correct answer is (B). The key

words in this sentence are dictators and
opposition. You know that dictators by
nature do not (B), permit opposition, so
the other three alternatives will not fit
with what you know about dictators.

7.



8.

The correct answer is (D). The word

frequently is commonly used, so you
should know its meaning.
The correct answer is (C). Knowing
about Martin Luther King will help you
answer this item correctly. The fact that
segregation and separation both begin
with se may lead you to the correct answer here. However, there is no guarantee that all words that begin with the
same syllable will mean the same thing.
The correct answer is (A). The word
illiterate is composed of two partsil,
which is a prefix meaning not, and literate, which means able to read and write.

9.

10. The correct answer is (B). The prefix

super means above. Another clue is that
only a small bandage is needed, so the
The correct answer is (A). Neither
wound must not be deep. It is true that a
brilliant nor challenging would describe
frivolous person is superficial, but the
theexperienceofshoppingwithnomoney.
word applies to people not to inanimate
Idiotic is not a word used to describe the
things.Superciliousmightbethecorrect
shopping experience.
answer, since it begins with the same
The correct answer is (C). All of the
prefix. You would have to know that
alternatives relate to an actresss experisupercilious means haughty and thereence on stage. The key word in this senfore applies only to people.
tenceisbalcony.Whatwouldbenecessary
11. The correct answer is (A). All four
for an actress if there are people in the
alternatives relate to a serious weather
balcony? She would have to be (C), heard,
disturbance.Youwouldhavetoknowthat
not musical, dramatic, or appreciated.
onlyablizzardcreatesthehazardofsnow.

PART II: Diagnosing Strengths and Weaknesses

15. Thecorrectansweris(B).Toputyour
footinyourmouthisanidiomaticexpres13. Thecorrectansweris(A).Familiarity
sion that means (B), to say the wrong
with old sayings such as the one given in
thing. Like most such expressions, this
this sentencethe early bird gets the
wouldbeimpossibletotranslateliterally
wormwill give you answer (A), provinto another language. It has simply beerb. The other alternatives are senseless
comeafrequentlyusedexpressionthatis
in the context of this sentence.
generally understood by native speakers. Another such expression is to have a
14. The correct answer is (C). This is a
heart, which means to be sympathetic.
difficult item because the word dough is
a slang expression for (C), money. The
advertiser is making a play on words to
get a humorous effect, since a baker necessarily makes dough, a mixture of flour
and water. The computer will help the
baker make more money, not more baking mix.
12. The correct answer is (D).