BT TOEFL-writing 2005.10.

13 1:28 PM Page 3

Building
iBT
TOEFL
®

Skills
Beginning
w erman
Bo
r k
•
La
es ter
rc
m Wo
Ada

WRITING
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Table of Contents
Introduction to TOEFL® Writing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

Chapter 1 Thinking and Writing

Skill A Integrated Writing: Organizing Information ---------------------------------------------------- 17

Skill B Integrated Writing: Paraphrasing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 31

Skill C Independent Writing: Brainstorming --------------------------------------------------------------- 45

Skill D Independent Writing: Writing Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences ------- 59

Vocabulary Review --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67

Chapter 2 Making Writing Complete

Skill A Integrated Writing: Making Connections --------------------------------------------------------- 75

Skill B Independent Writing: Making Ideas Flow ------------------------------------------------------- 89

Vocabulary Review --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 111

Chapter 3 Focus: Writing Grammar

Focus A Verb Tenses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 124

Focus B Word Forms ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 126

Focus C Subject-Verb Agreement ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 128

Focus D Sentence Fragments and Run-ons -------------------------------------------------------------- 130

Focus E Noun Phrases and Clauses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 132

Focus F Coordinating Conjunctions and Coordinating Adverbs ------------------- 135

Practice Test for Writing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 139

Transcripts ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 147

Answer Key -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 151

BT TOEFL-writing 2005.10.13 1:28 PM Page 17

Skill A Integrated Writing: Organizing Information

Necessary Skills
• Understanding information from both reading and listening passages
• Taking notes on the reading and listening passages
• Using information from your notes in your writing
• Synthesizing the information taken from both the reading and listening passages

Process Strategy

You will not see the prompt until after you finish reading and
Read and listen, then writing, so taking notes is essential.
take notes
Take notes of major points from both reading and listening.

▼
Read the question and Identify what kind of relationship between the reading and the
understand the task listening the question asks you to discuss.

▼
Choose the points that you need to discuss. Think about how
the points in the lecture relate to the points in the reading. The
Select ideas from listening passage will present details that will either challenge the
your notes information presented in the reading, present a counter example,
or describe the consequences of an attempt to solve a problem
presented in the reading.

Organize the ideas
▼
Include information from both the reading and listening passages.
Clearly show the relationship between the information presented
in the listening and that presented in the reading passage.
Limit the time for organizing to less than 2 minutes, in order to
give yourself more time for writing and editing.

Integrated Writing: Organizing Information 17

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Skill A Q1 Culture

Practice 1

Step 1

Read the following passage. Then, look at the note diagram and fill in the missing information.

issue (n):
Should students in Turkey be allowed to wear their head scarves in a topic of discussion or debate
debate (n):
class? This issue is currently under debate. There are even politicians in a discussion in which two or
more different opinions on a
the Turkish parliament suggesting head scarves be banned by law. topic are expressed
Most universities in Turkey have rules forbidding Muslim students from parliament (n):
the top law-making group of
wearing head scarves inside buildings, but not all professors agree with politicians in a country
ban (v):
these rules. Many professors are sympathetic toward their female Muslim to prohibit or forbid; to not
allow
students. Muslim women are typically uncomfortable not wearing head
sympathetic (adj):
scarves in public. feeling the same emotions as;
relating to the feelings of

Issue: ______________ head scarves in class

Pro: Some ______________ in parliament, most ______________

--- proposed law

--- existing ______________ at universities

Con: Muslim women, many ______________

--- women ______________ without head scarves

18 Chapter 1 Thinking and Writing

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Step 2

Now listen to a lecture related to the topic in Step 1. Fill in the blanks of the note diagram
below with the keywords or key phrases shown. Not all of the words or phrases will be used.

Problem with head scarves: ______________ image (n):

a style; an opinion based on
physical appearance
--- image of head scarves --- old-fashioned, ______________ tarnish (v):
to damage the appearance of; to
make imperfect
--- modern image --- look like a ______________ person outlaw (v):
to ban by law; to make
something punishable by law
Another example of ______________ fashion: the fez illegal (adj):
contrary to the law; against the
rules
--- ______________ hat for men
traditional (adj):
in accordance with a standard that
--- banned in ______________ 20 century
th has been used for a long time

keywords / big deal early image outlawed

key phrases public traditional uncivilized Western

Step 3

Review your notes from both the reading and the lecture. Pay attention to the main ideas and
supporting details. Rewrite the ideas as complete sentences.

Reading:

Main idea: _______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting idea: __________________________________________________________________________

Supporting idea: __________________________________________________________________________

Lecture:

Main idea: _______________________________________________________________________________

Supporting idea: __________________________________________________________________________

Supporting idea: __________________________________________________________________________

Integrated Writing: Organizing Information 19

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Step 4

Use the main ideas and details from Steps 1, 2, and 3 to complete the passage. Include information
from both the reading and the lecture.

According to the reading, some people in _____________ _____________ to ban head scarves

_____________ _____________. _____________ politicians and _____________ universities are in favor

of _____________ or laws _____________ head scarves in class. However, Muslim women and some

professors are _____________ such rules and laws. Those who are against _____________

_____________ argue that they give Turkey a bad _____________. Women wearing head scarves give

Turkey an _______________________________ or _______________________________ image. This issue

is similar to one in the past when the _____________ in _____________ outlawed _____________ from

wearing the _____________ in public.

20 Chapter 1 Thinking and Writing

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Skill C Q2 Experience

Practice 1

Step 1

Read the question and think about your own experience. List some ideas about your experiences
in the blanks.

Some people learn by reading about things. Others learn by doing things. Which of these methods of
learning is better for you? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice.

Things I learned by reading: Things I learned by doing:

math swimming
changing the ink in my printer installing programs on my computer
_______________________________ _______________________________
_______________________________ _______________________________

Step 2

Read the sample response below and underline three sentences that are central to the organization
of the passage.

We learn new things all the time. When we are children, we learn information (n):
facts; knowledge
information from our parents, from our friends, or from teachers in school. adult (n):
a person over the age of 18; not
When we are adults, we learn things from older people, from colleagues, a child
or even from younger people. Although we are all learning all the time, colleague (n):
a coworker
people learn in different ways. Some people learn by reading. Others
personally (adv):
learn by doing. Personally, I learn better by doing than by reading. as far as I'm concerned; in my
case
One thing I learned by doing was how to install programs on my install (v):
computer. This is a simple thing if you know how to do it. If you do not to put in place; to load into a
computer
already know, it can be confusing. The first time I got a new program program (n):
a series of coded instructions
for my computer, I read the instructions for how to install it. I did not really that make a computer perform a
understand the instructions. It seemed like they were written in a foreign specific function
confusing (adj):
language. Then, I put the CD in my computer. I pushed buttons and difficult to understand clearly
clicked with my mouse. I installed the program without the instructions instructions (n):
directions that tell how to do
at all. Now, I know how to install any program on my computer. something
foreign (adj):
Some people disagree with my point of view. They say they have from a different place; different
to read the instructions to learn how to do things. They do not want in origin
mistake (n):
to make any mistakes. I think it is OK to make mistakes. When I make an incorrect act; an error
a mistake, I learn not to do it that way again. I also learn what happens
when I make that mistake. These are both important things to know
when you learn to do something new.

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Step 3

Answer the following questions in relation to the thesis and topic of the response in Step 2.

1. What is the thesis statement of the essay? (Write it.)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the topic sentence of the body paragraph? (Write it.)

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Step 4

Answer the following questions in relation to the organization of the response in Step 2.

1. Which “side” of the prompt does this essay take?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

2. What example does the writer give to support the thesis statement?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Does the writer present a comment or idea from the other side in the conclusion? If so, what is

the comment or idea?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the main idea of the conclusion?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Independent Writing: Brainstorming 47

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Focus A - Verb Tenses

To discuss things in present or past time, use the tenses below.

Tense
Present Simple Present Continuous Present Perfect
Time

Dave teaches history Right now, Dave is Dave has taught history
Present
twice a week. teaching history in class. for ten years.

Tense
Past Simple Past Continuous Past Perfect
Time

Dave was teaching Dave had taught

Dave taught a history
Past history when I arrived in archaeology before he
class yesterday.
class. taught history.

Exercise 1

Each of the paragraphs below has 8 errors in verb tenses. Find the errors and correct them.

1. John has lived in Spain for over six months. He moves here shortly after finishing university. John
spoke Spanish very well, having studied it for many years. He likes Spanish culture, and he is loving
the food also. His plan is being to live in Spain for a few years in order to improve his Spanish, then
he planned to return to England to teach in a university. John going to move back to England in May
because he missed his family. Because his girlfriend has been Spanish, he believes that one day he
might return to Spain and start a family there.

2. Stephen and Sarah got married in May of last year. They married just over a year. They are looking for
a house for over nine months now. Yesterday, they finally found a house that they really liked. They
decide to move in next month, after all of the furniture has been bought. They both work in the
same hospital. Stephen is a doctor and Sarah was a doctor, too. Both of them worked very hard, and
have little time for organizing their new house. As a result, they hire a decorator to buy all the fur-
niture and decorate the house. In a few weeks, they hope everything will had been organized and
they looked forward to living in their new home.

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Exercise 2

Write the correct form of the verb.

1. When I traveled around Europe, it was one of the best times of my life. I _____________ (have)

just finished university and I _____________ (decide) I wanted to see some more of the world. It

was amazing to see so many different cultures in such a small area. While I was _____________

(travel) through Germany, I met some people who, like me, were from America. We had a great

time, so we decided to travel together for the rest of the holiday. It was so much fun. We

_____________ (make) a promise that sometime in the future we would return and do it again,

together.

2. Dublin City is home to the world’s tallest sculpture. The Dublin Spire _____________ (be) over 120

meters in height and _____________ (be complete) in January 2003. When the structure was first

being _____________ (build) in 2002, there were delays because of bad weather. However, when the

strong winds _____________ (pass), the spire was eventually able to be finished, and Dublin’s tallest

structure was finally completed.

Verb Tenses 125