TOEFL ITP Practice Tests Level 1 Volume 3 Study Guide

Overview and Institutional Purpose of the TOEFL ITP Tests

• The TOEFL ITP tests are designed to measure the English-language proficiency of non-native speakers of English.
• The results of these tests are used for several specific educational and administrative goals, including:
  • Identifying current proficiency levels of students.
  • Evaluating student progress at the conclusion of a course.
  • Determining placement within a specific program of study.
  • Screening candidates for scholarship programs.
  • Satisfying requirements for graduation.
• It is critical to note that the TOEFL ITP cannot serve as a substitute for the actual TOEFL test.
• Scores generated are intended for use only by the institution that administers the exam.
• There is no universal passing or failing score established by ETS; every institution maintains the right to set its own acceptable score thresholds.

Detailed Breakdown of Test Content and Sections

• The TOEFL ITP tests utilize a multiple-choice format, providing $4$ possible answers for every question. The test is divided into $3$ primary sections, each targeting a specific critical skill.

Section 1: Listening Comprehension

• This section employs recorded material to evaluate the ability to understand spoken English as it is used in academic environments.
• Content includes vocabulary and idiomatic expressions common to spoken English, as well as grammatical structures specific to speech.
• Test-takers must demonstrate comprehension of:
  • Short conversations.
  • Longer conversations.
  • Academic or general talks.

Section 2: Structure and Written Expression

• This section evaluates mastery of structural and grammatical elements in standard written English through various sentence-based questions.
• Topics covered are varied and do not favor any specific field of study; they may include contexts related to United States or Canadian history, culture, art, or literature.
• Knowledge of the specific cultural or historical contexts is not required to correctly identify the grammatical or structural points being tested.

Section 3: Reading Comprehension

• This section measures the ability to read and understand short passages of academic English similar to those found in North American universities.
• Questions assess both information explicitly stated in the text and information that is implied.
• Vocabulary is tested within the context of the passage, recognizing that many English words possess multiple meanings.

Essential Preparation and Test-Taking Procedures

• The time allotted for each section must be used for both reading the section directions and answering the questions.
• Every section or part begins with special directions and sample questions; it is essential to read these before starting.
• Strategic guessing is encouraged; if an answer is unknown, the test-taker should make the best guess possible, as there is no penalty for incorrect answers.
• Test-takers must work rapidly but carefully, avoiding excessive time on any single question.
• Time limits are strictly enforced. Section 1 is controlled by recorded instructions, while Sections 2 and 3 require the use of a watch or clock:
  • Section 2 Time Limit: $25\,\text{minutes}$.
  • Section 3 Time Limit: $55\,\text{minutes}$.
• If a section is finished early, the test-taker must not move to the next section until the time ends; they should use the remaining time to check their work for that specific section only. Moving ahead is considered cheating and results in score cancellation.
• Preparation requirements for the practice tests include:
  • Reserving approximately $2\,\text{hours}$ of uninterrupted time.
  • Locating a quiet workspace.
  • Securing two sharpened $\#2$ or $\text{HB}$ black lead pencils and an eraser.
  • Testing the audio device for Section 1.

General Study Tips for Reading, Listening, and Grammar

Reading Skills Improvement

• Read regularly from academic materials, including science, social science, art, and business textbooks.
• Practice scanning passages to locate key facts, including $dates$, $numbers$, or specific $terms$.
• Practice skimming to identify the main idea and major points rather than reading every word initially.
• Identify pronoun referents (e.g., determining which nouns are replaced by "he," "they," or "them").
• Develop vocabulary by guessing word meanings through the surrounding context before using a dictionary.

Listening Skills Improvement

• Utilize external resources such as movies, television, podcasts, and online audio from www.npr.org, www.bbc.co.uk/radio, or www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish.
• Focus on the content and flow rather than the speaker's style or delivery.
• Stay active by anticipating what will be said and asking questions like "What is the main idea being communicated?"
• Note-taking should be structured with specific sections for "Main Idea," "Major Points," and "Important Details."
• Listen for signal words that indicate the introduction, major steps, examples, and the summary.
• Consider the purpose of the speech: is the speaker apologizing, complaining, or suggesting?
• Observe the speaker's tone, degree of certainty, and use of stress or intonation.

Structure and Written Expression Improvement

• Establish a daily routine of communicating exclusively in English.
• Listen, read, and write in English at every opportunity to normalize the use of standard written grammar.

Instructions for Completing the Answer Sheet

• Only one answer must be marked for each question.
• Answers must be marked in the row corresponding to the question number.
• Ovals must be filled in carefully and completely using a $\#2$ or $\text{HB}$ pencil.
• If an answer is changed, the original mark must be completely erased before marking the new selection.

Scoring Methodology and Calculation

• The first step in scoring is determining the "number-right" score for each of the $3$ sections.
• This raw count is then converted into a "scaled" score using a unique table for each section to account for varying difficulty levels.
• Total score calculation involves:
  1. Adding the lower numbers of the converted score ranges for the $3$ sections.
  2. Adding the higher numbers of the converted score ranges for the $3$ sections.
  3. Multiplying the resulting sums by $\frac{10}{3}$.
• Rounding rules for the final decimal value:
  • For a decimal of $.33$, round down to the nearest whole number.
  • For a decimal of $.66$, round up to the nearest whole number.
• Example calculation: If converted ranges are $48-49$, $56-58$, and $57-58$:
  • Lower sum: $48 + 56 + 57 = 161$.
  • Upper sum: $49 + 58 + 58 = 165$.
  • Lower calculation: $161 \times \frac{10}{3} = 536.67 \rightarrow 537$.
  • Upper calculation: $165 \times \frac{10}{3} = 550.00 \rightarrow 550$.
  • Final score range: $537-550$.

Practice Test A: Detailed Listening and Reading Content

Listening Comprehension Transcripts and Scenarios (Part A)

• Scenario $1$: A man asks about a calculator; a woman suggests looking under his book.
• Scenario $4$: A man's parents brought him a unique sweatshirt from Japan.
• Scenario $9$: A student asks Professor Jones for an extension on a paper due to a power failure; the professor denies it, noting the library was open until midnight.
• Scenario $10$: A man mentions his neighbors are moving out of an apartment one block from the university, suggesting it as a housing option for a woman without a car.
• Scenario $17$: A woman complains about a $20\text{-page}$ paper and a final exam; the man clarify's that Professor Johnson offered a choice between the two.

Listening Comprehension Scenarios (Part B & C)

• Singing Competition: A student discusses coming in second place for three consecutive years, losing to the same group. They were too busy with practicing and performing to enjoy the beach.
• Isamu Noguchi: An artist influenced by Brancusi and Japanese gardens. His "economy" in art refers to stripping away unnecessary details to emphasize basic form. He learned to work with natural materials as a child in Japan while helping a carpenter build a house.
• Consumer Behavior Lecture: Discusses the "power of touch." Handling merchandise fosters a psychological sense of ownership, making a purchase more likely. For online marketers, descriptive text should evoke the feeling of touching the item.
• Mesopotamian Mathematics Talk: Historians once mistakenly believed Mesopotamians could calculate triangle measurements. However, they lacked the concept of measuring angles. The tablets found were likely math exercise sheets for other calculations.
• Canadian Fossil Discovery: Fossilized animal footprints found in sandstone in Canada suggest animals moved from sea to land $40\,\text{million}$ years earlier than previously believed. The footprints were deep, indicating land-based movement rather than buoyant underwater movement.

Reading Comprehension Passages

• Expansion and Migration ($1870\text{s}-1890\text{s}$): Discusses the shift from rural to urban settlement in the U.S. Mechanization allowed successful farmers to buy out neighbors, leading to rural depopulation. Interestingly, young women migrated to western cities at higher rates than men due to limited rural vocational options.
• Earth's Interior: Knowledge of the interior depends on seismic waves (earthquake vibrations). Earth has a solid inner core (radius $1,600\,\text{km}$) and a liquid outer core ($1,800\,\text{km}$ thick) reaching $5,000\,^{\circ}\text{C}$. Heat is maintained by the decay of radioactive isotopes.
• Amber Characteristics: Amber is organic tree resin, not mineralized rock. It is buoyant and often carried by water to lagoons or deltas. It preserves organisms in exquisite detail. Common myths suggest it comes only from pine trees, but it originated from various conifers and tropical trees.
• Native American Oral Literature: Before writing, Native Americans had oral literatures of power and beauty. The "artfulness" of verbal creation defines it as literature. Oral performance is an "emergent form" involving mutual engagement between performer and audience.
• History of Dyes: Before the $19\text{th}$ century, dyes came from plants (madder, indigo, woad, weld, saffron, turmeric) or animals (scale insects). Synthetic chemical dyes developed in the $1800\text{s}$ eventually exceeded natural ones in light and wash resistance. Petroleum later added new dyestuffs, especially for synthetic fibers like Acetate rayon, Nylon, and Terylene.

Practice Test B: Detailed Listening and Reading Content

Highlights from Listening Comprehension

• Conversation on Study Breaks: A man agrees to a coffee break, noting "Life's too short to stay in the library all day."
• Library Summer Schedule: A library closes early at $5\,\text{o'clock}$ because of low demand during summer months.
• Peter's Humor: A man notes that Peter is often funny, suggesting a woman just hasn't been around him much.
• The Baryton: Sally and a friend discuss Joseph Haydn's music featuring the baryton, an unusual stringed instrument with two sets of strings—one for bowing and one for plucking.
• Polarized Light Pollution: Light becomes polarized when it bounces off smooth surfaces like water. Animals use this to navigate, but artificial surfaces like glass buildings or plastic bags mislead them.
• Psychology Research Methods: Comparisons of longitudinal studies (same participants over years), cross-sectional studies (different ages at one time), and cohort studies (groups born in the same year).
• Geoscience and Gravity: Gravity varies with Earth's mass. "Gravity anomaly maps" from satellites show strong gravity over mountains and weaker gravity over depressions or aquifers. These maps reveal that aquifers in California are shrinking due to irrigation usage exceeding replenishment.
• The Ice Industry ($1800\text{s}$): Before refrigeration, people used springhouses (small buildings over cold springs) or iceboxes (cabinets using blocks of harvested lake ice). This major industry became obsolete with modern technology.

Reading Comprehension Passages

• Mapping Venus: Thick clouds prevented direct surface views until radar was used. Probes like Venera $9$ and $10$ landed in $1975$. Pioneer-Venus $1$ ($1978$) mapped plains and highland regions (Ishtar and Aphrodite). Maxwell Montes is the highest peak at $12,000\,\text{meters}$. Magellan ($1990$) showed the surface is mostly volcanic with tectonic evidence.
• George Pullman's Model City ($1880$): Built Pullman, Illinois, to address housing issues. He expected workers to be thrifty and moral. The city became a tourist attraction during the $1893$ World's Columbian Exposition. Despite the "high gloss," residents had grievances regarding overcharging for rent.
• Chesapeake Bay Oyster Industry: Discovered in the early $19\text{th}$ century, oystering peaked in $1886$ with $15\,\text{million}$ bushels. Intense dredging flattened the bay's bottom reefs. The industry influenced the creation of the nation's most modern sewage plant in Baltimore to protect water quality.
• Insect Flight: Distinct from birds/bats (limbs), insect wings evolved specifically for flight from thoracic flaps. Advanced insects (beetles, butterflies) link forewings and hindwings. Veins in wings provide strength and flexibility and are used for species identification.
• Formalism vs. Contextualism: Formalism focuses on internal aesthetic qualities (color, shape, composition) separate from the world. Contextualism views art in relation to the artist, society, and culture. Formalists criticize contextualists for emphasizing facts over sensuous responses.