TOEFL iBT · practice (vocabulary, grammar, reading): free online simulation

5 sample questions with answers and explanations

1. 1. Read the passage: "Is it possible for a language to die? Linguists estimate that one language disappears roughly every two weeks, usually when its last fluent speaker dies without having passed it on." The author begins the passage with a question in order to

   1. A. admit uncertainty about the topic
   2. B. engage readers and introduce the topic of language extinction
   3. C. challenge the estimates of linguists
   4. D. suggest that languages never disappear
   Correct answer: B

   The opening question draws readers in and introduces the subject, which the next sentence answers with data. It does not express doubt or challenge linguists.

2. 2. Read the passage: "Honeybees communicate the location of food through a 'waggle dance.' The angle of the dance relative to vertical indicates direction, while its duration signals distance. This remarkable system is rare among invertebrates." Which best describes the function of the second sentence?

   1. A. It offers a counterargument to the first sentence
   2. B. It tells a story about one particular bee
   3. C. It explains the mechanism of the behavior introduced earlier
   4. D. It states the author's conclusion about invertebrates
   Correct answer: C

   The second sentence details how the dance conveys direction and distance, elaborating the first sentence. The conclusion about invertebrates comes later, in the third sentence.

3. 3. Read the passage: "Cultural relativism holds that a person's beliefs and practices should be understood in terms of their own culture rather than judged by the standards of another." Which attitude is opposed to cultural relativism?

   1. A. Ethnocentrism
   2. B. Empathy
   3. C. Open-mindedness
   4. D. Cross-cultural curiosity
   Correct answer: A

   Ethnocentrism judges other cultures by one's own standards, which is exactly what relativism rejects. The other options are compatible with relativism.

4. 4. Which word best completes the sentence? "Because the sample was not representative, the findings cannot be _____ to the whole population."

   1. A. generalized
   2. B. generated
   3. C. graduated
   4. D. gathered
   Correct answer: A

   To "generalize findings to a population" is the standard research phrase. "Generated" looks similar but does not fit the meaning.

5. 5. Read: "Rather than disappearing, the traditional craft was transformed by tourism, which created new markets but altered its original meaning." Which sentence best expresses the essential information?

   1. A. Tourism destroyed the traditional craft completely.
   2. B. Tourism changed the craft by opening new markets while modifying what it originally signified.
   3. C. The craft kept its original meaning and lost its markets.
   4. D. The craft disappeared and then tourism revived it unchanged.
   Correct answer: B

   The craft survived but was transformed: new markets, altered meaning. Other options claim disappearance or no change.