Challenging types of reading questions on the TOEFL are those that deal with how a passage is organized or what the author’s purpose or intention is.
Organization
The organization of a passage is the way the author presents the information and ideas. Good writers always considers the structure of their writing and whether or not is suits the message they are trying to convey. TOEFL questions about organization typically look like this:
- Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?
- Which of the following best describes the development of the passage?
- The format of the passage could best be described as _____.
- The passage discusses _____ in terms of _____.
- Where in the passage does the author mention / refer to _____?
Passages and paragraphs on the TOEFL are most often organized according to certain criteria. Some of the words below may appear in the answer choices for questions about organization.
- cause and result
- definition
- explanation
- process
- classification
- description
- history
- reasons
- compare and/or contrast
- examples
- instructions
- summary
Purpose
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