For each individual passage, about two to four questions will ask about details. These questions are usually asked in the same order that the information appears in the passage. Details are the specific pieces of information like facts, statistics, examples, reasons, or illustrations that support other ideas in the passage. They make main ideas stronger and more convincing. TOEFL questions about the details in a passage look like this:

  • According to the passage, who / what / why (and other wh- questions) _____?
  • According to the author, _____?
  • The passage / author states that _____.
  • The author makes the point that _____.
  • The author indicates that _____.
  • What was one of the main reasons for _____?
  • The author compares _____ with _____.
  • The author mentions _____ as an example of _____.

Another kind of detail question on the TOEFL asks about information not presented in the passage. When there is NOT or EXCEPT in the question, look for the one answer choice with information that is 1) not in the passage or 2) not true according to the passage. These questions look like this:

  • According to the passage, which of the following does NOT _____?
  • Which of the following is NOT mentioned as / about _____?
  • The author mentions all of the following EXCEPT
  • The passage discusses all of the following EXCEPT
  • Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage?
  • Which of the following sentences should NOT be included in a summary of the passage?

Certain key expressions that can help you understand the relationships between ideas within sentences and paragraphs are words and phrases called transitions or correctors.  Here is a list of the most common ones organized by their function.

Transitions

Function Examples
Illustrate for example
such		 for instance
such as		 next
Explain at this point
in this case		 furthermore in fact
Compare both
like		 equally important
similarly		 in the same way
similar to
Contrast in contrast instead on the other hand
Add also
in addition		 first, second, third...
moreover		 furthermore
not only...but also
Limit although
however		 but
yet		 except for
Emphasize certainly indeed
surely		 most importantly
Show Result as a result
otherwise		 accordingly
therefore		 consequently
thus
Conclude at last
in summary		 finally
to sum up		 in conclusion

Unlock full access by logging in. Registered users can explore the entire lesson and more.

keyboard_arrow_up