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TOEFL iBT practice questions

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Question 1Reading

Read this sentence: "The earliest cities grew up along rivers, where silt deposited by annual floods renewed the soil and made intensive farming possible." In this sentence, the word "renewed" is closest in meaning to

  1. delayed
  2. divided
  3. measured
  4. restored Correct answer.

Explanation

The clause that follows-"made intensive farming possible"-shows that the silt improved the soil's fertility each year. A word meaning "made new or productive again" fits that context, and "restored" does.

Question 2Reading

Read this passage: "When a forager returns to the hive after finding a rich source of nectar, she performs a movement known as the waggle dance. The direction of the dance's central run relative to vertical indicates the angle of the food source from the sun, while the duration of the waggle conveys distance." According to the passage, what does the duration of the waggle run communicate?

  1. The distance to the food source Correct answer.
  2. The kind of flower that produced the nectar
  3. The angle of the food source from the sun
  4. The number of foragers needed

Explanation

The passage assigns two separate meanings to the dance: direction is conveyed by the angle of the run relative to vertical, and duration conveys distance. Matching each feature to its stated function gives distance for duration.

Question 3Reading

Read this passage: "Lichens are partnerships between a fungus and an alga. The fungus supplies shelter and minerals, while the alga produces sugars through photosynthesis. This arrangement allows both partners to survive in places where neither could live alone." The phrase "This arrangement" refers to

  1. the shelter that the fungus provides
  2. the sugars that the alga produces
  3. the ability of both partners to live in harsh places
  4. the partnership between the fungus and the alga Correct answer.

Explanation

"This arrangement" points back to the immediately preceding description of what each partner contributes, which is the partnership itself. The singular noun phrase summarizes the whole mutual arrangement rather than one partner's contribution.

Question 4Reading

Read this passage: "The mechanical clock changed more than the way medieval Europeans told time. Because clocks could divide the day into equal units, hours became uniform regardless of season, and schedules, wages, and eventually factory work all came to be organized around them." Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?

  1. The length of daylight varies from season to season.
  2. Medieval clocks kept time less accurately than modern ones.
  3. Mechanical clocks reshaped daily life by making hours uniform. Correct answer.
  4. Factory owners were responsible for inventing the mechanical clock.

Explanation

The passage's claim is that clocks did more than tell time: uniform hours reorganized schedules, wages, and factory work. A main-idea statement must cover both the invention and its broad social effect.

Question 5Reading

Read this passage: "The saguaro cactus stores water in its expandable trunk, but it cannot open its pores during the day without losing moisture. Instead, it takes in carbon dioxide at night and converts it into a form it can use the next day." It can be inferred that the saguaro's nighttime behavior

  1. prevents it from flowering during dry spells
  2. makes it dependent on animals for pollination
  3. allows it to grow faster than other desert plants
  4. helps the plant conserve water Correct answer.

Explanation

Opening pores during the day would cost the plant moisture, so it shifts gas exchange to the night, when conditions are more favorable. That timing is a water-saving strategy the reader must infer from the stated risk.

Question 6Reading

Read this passage: "Some birds, such as the cowbird, lay their eggs in the nests of other species. The host parents then raise the foreign chick, often at the expense of their own. Yet not all hosts are defenseless: the reed warbler can recognize cowbird eggs and toss them out." Why does the author mention the reed warbler?

  1. To explain how host eggs are incubated
  2. To show that some host species can defend themselves Correct answer.
  3. To show that cowbird parasitism threatens some species with extinction
  4. To describe how cowbirds select a nest

Explanation

The passage contrasts vulnerable hosts with the reed warbler, which detects and removes cowbird eggs. The warbler therefore illustrates that parasitism does not always succeed.

Question 7Reading

Simplify this sentence: "Although the printing press made books cheaper and more plentiful than hand-copied manuscripts had ever been, it also standardized texts in ways that scribes, who often introduced small variations, had never done."

  1. The press made books cheaper and texts more uniform than scribes had. Correct answer.
  2. Scribes copied texts more accurately than printing presses ever could.
  3. Hand-copied manuscripts were expensive chiefly because scribes varied the text.
  4. Printing presses made books cheaper but less accurate than manuscripts.

Explanation

The original sentence contrasts two effects of the press: cheaper, more plentiful books and greater standardization than scribes produced. A correct simplification must keep both the concession and the main contrast.

Question 8Reading

Read this sentence: "Critics initially dismissed the theory as speculative, but the discovery of matching fossils on two continents lent it considerable weight." The phrase "lent it considerable weight" most nearly means

  1. made it more difficult to test
  2. gave it greater credibility Correct answer.
  3. increased the length of the theory
  4. made it physically heavier

Explanation

The phrase is figurative: evidence does not have physical mass, but it can strengthen a theory's credibility. The contrast with "speculative" confirms that the fossils made the theory more believable.

Question 9Reading

Read this passage: "In a geothermal power plant, water is pumped down to hot rock, returns as steam, and drives turbines. Unlike solar and wind facilities, such a plant runs day and night regardless of weather, though suitable hot rock lies only in certain regions." According to the passage, what advantage does geothermal power have over solar and wind power?

  1. It requires no water.
  2. It can be built in any region.
  3. It operates continuously regardless of weather. Correct answer.
  4. It is cheaper to build than solar or wind facilities.

Explanation

The passage explicitly contrasts geothermal with solar and wind, noting that it runs "day and night regardless of weather." That contrast defines the stated advantage.

Question 10Reading

Read this passage: "Coral reefs require warm, shallow, clear water. Sunlight must reach the algae that live inside the coral and supply it with food, and sediment or pollution in the water blocks that light. Reefs also need a stable temperature; sudden warming causes the coral to expel its algae and turn white." All of the following are conditions that coral reefs require EXCEPT

  1. clear water
  2. warm water
  3. a stable temperature
  4. cold, deep water Correct answer.

Explanation

Reefs need warm, shallow, clear water and a stable temperature; sediment and pollution block the light the algae require. Cold, deep water is the opposite of these stated requirements, so it is the exception.

Question 11Reading

Read this passage: "When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995, elk began to avoid open valleys where they were vulnerable. Willows and aspens in those valleys recovered, and beavers, which feed on willow, returned. The beavers' dams then created ponds that supported fish and amphibians." According to the passage, the return of beavers was a direct result of

  1. the creation of ponds by beaver dams
  2. the return of fish and amphibians
  3. the recovery of willow and aspen Correct answer.
  4. the reintroduction of wolves to the park

Explanation

The chain runs from wolves to elk avoiding valleys, then to the recovery of willows and aspens, then to beavers. The beavers' return follows directly from the recovery of the plants they eat.

Question 12Reading

Read this sentence: "The conductor was known for her exacting standards; she rehearsed a single passage twenty times until every player's phrasing matched." In this context, "exacting" most nearly means

  1. concerned mainly with music
  2. strict and demanding Correct answer.
  3. approximate and imprecise
  4. relaxed and informal

Explanation

The second clause defines the standards: twenty rehearsals until every player's phrasing matched. That behavior shows standards that are strict and demanding rather than lenient.

Question 13Reading

Read this passage: "Advocates of the new park plan describe it as a gift to future generations. Yet the plan's budget assumes that maintenance costs will remain flat for thirty years-an assumption that any park manager would find fanciful." The author's attitude toward the plan's budget assumption is best described as

  1. confused
  2. skeptical Correct answer.
  3. indifferent
  4. enthusiastic

Explanation

Calling the assumption "fanciful" signals doubt about a thirty-year flat-cost projection. Skeptical is the attitude that matches that word choice.

Question 14Reading

Read this passage: "A hypothesis in science is not merely a guess. It is a statement specific enough that a researcher can imagine an observation that would show it to be false; a claim that no possible evidence could contradict is not scientific." According to the passage, what makes a statement scientific?

  1. It is based on careful observation of nature.
  2. It could in principle be shown to be false. Correct answer.
  3. It is expressed in mathematical terms.
  4. It is endorsed by most experts in the field.

Explanation

The passage defines a scientific statement by its vulnerability to disproof: researchers must be able to imagine evidence that would refute it. That criterion, not expert approval or form, is what the author stresses.

Question 15Reading

Read this passage: "Bamboo is often called a tree, but it is a grass. ____ It can grow nearly a meter in a single day, and its stems are hollow except at the joints." Which sentence best fits in the blank?

  1. Its wooden stems take decades to mature.
  2. Many species of bamboo are now endangered.
  3. Unlike trees, it has no solid wooden trunk. Correct answer.
  4. Trees, by contrast, grow very slowly.

Explanation

The blank must bridge the claim that bamboo is a grass and the following details about fast growth and hollow stems. A sentence contrasting bamboo with trees supplies the needed account of its non-woody structure.

Question 16Reading

Read this passage: "Archaeologists once assumed that the first Americans arrived about 13,000 years ago via a land bridge from Siberia, hunting big game as they went. Finds at sites such as Monte Verde in Chile, occupied more than 14,000 years ago, forced a revision: people evidently reached the Americas earlier and perhaps by coastal routes." What is the main purpose of the passage?

  1. To establish the exact date of the Monte Verde site
  2. To show that new evidence revised a long-accepted view Correct answer.
  3. To explain how a land bridge between Asia and America formed
  4. To describe the hunting techniques of early Americans

Explanation

The passage presents an older assumption and then shows how a Chilean site overturned it. The purpose is to illustrate how evidence forced scholars to revise a view.

Question 17Reading

Read this sentence: "The novelist's prose is often described as spare: she rarely uses two words where one will do, and she leaves her characters' motives unstated." In this context, "spare" most nearly means

  1. confusing and unclear
  2. economical and unadorned Correct answer.
  3. repetitive and wordy
  4. extravagant and ornate

Explanation

The colon supplies the definition: few words are used, and motives go unstated. That is writing that is economical and unadorned.

Question 18Reading

Read this passage: "Glaciers grind rock into fine powder, and meltwater carries it downstream. These deposits give glacial rivers their characteristic pale blue-green color." The phrase "These deposits" refers to

  1. the pale blue-green color that the water takes on
  2. the glaciers that grind the rock
  3. the rock powder carried downstream by meltwater Correct answer.
  4. the glacial rivers themselves

Explanation

"These deposits" must refer to something plural and depositable mentioned just before. The rock powder that meltwater carries downstream is the only such antecedent, and it causes the water's color.

Question 19Reading

Read this passage: "Both bats and dolphins use echolocation, emitting sounds and interpreting the returning echoes. But because sound travels five times faster in water than in air, a dolphin's clicks must be far shorter than a bat's to resolve objects at similar distances." According to the passage, why must dolphin clicks be shorter than bat clicks?

  1. Dolphins are much larger than bats.
  2. Sound travels faster in water than in air. Correct answer.
  3. Water absorbs sound more strongly than air does.
  4. Bats hunt only in complete darkness.

Explanation

The passage states the cause directly: sound travels about five times faster in water, so dolphin clicks must be shorter to resolve objects. The comparison with bats only sets up that explanation.

Question 20Reading

Read this passage: "The manuscript's pages are made of parchment, and the ink has flaked in a pattern that suggests the book was stored open in a damp place. Its margins also contain notes in a hand that does not match the main text." It can be inferred that the manuscript

  1. was never read after it was copied
  2. is a modern forgery
  3. was added to after it was written Correct answer.
  4. was produced in a damp climate

Explanation

Notes in a hand different from the main text indicate that someone wrote in the book after it was copied. The damp storage explains the flaking ink, not the added notes.

Question 21Reading

Read this sentence: "The instructions were so terse that several participants could not complete the task." In this context, "terse" most nearly means

  1. contradictory
  2. detailed and thorough
  3. brief and to the point Correct answer.
  4. handwritten

Explanation

The consequence clause-participants could not complete the task-shows that the instructions gave too little information. Terse therefore means brief and to the point, even bluntly so.

Question 22Reading

Read this passage: "Most desert rodents are nocturnal. Heat is part of the reason, but so are predators: the hawks and snakes that hunt them rely on sight, and darkness offers the rodents cover." Why does the author mention hawks and snakes?

  1. To explain how deserts are formed
  2. To show that night activity also offers protection Correct answer.
  3. To compare two kinds of desert predators
  4. To identify the main food supply of desert rodents

Explanation

The rodents' night activity is explained by two causes: heat and predators that hunt by sight. The hawks and snakes are cited as the second cause, showing that darkness is protective.

Question 23Reading

Read this sentence: "The team proposed a novel explanation for the unusually cold winter." In this context, the word "novel" most nearly means

  1. lengthy
  2. unlikely
  3. original Correct answer.
  4. fictional

Explanation

"Novel" before a noun such as "explanation" means new or original; the fictional sense applies to novels as books. The context of a team proposing something supports the sense of a fresh idea.

Question 24Reading

Read this passage: "Economic historians have long credited the railroad with transforming nineteenth-century markets. Recent studies, however, show that canals and rivers carried freight at comparable cost over much of the same period, suggesting that the railroad's effect was more gradual than the dramatic accounts imply." Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?

  1. Railroads changed markets more gradually than once thought. Correct answer.
  2. Railroads were far more expensive to operate than canals were.
  3. Economic historians have largely ignored the role of canals.
  4. Markets in the nineteenth century did not really change.

Explanation

The passage contrasts the traditional dramatic account with studies showing that canals competed effectively. Its conclusion is that railroad influence was more gradual, not that railroads were unimportant.

Question 25Reading

Read this passage: "Tree rings record more than age. In wet years the rings are wide; in dry years they are narrow. By comparing ring widths across many trees, researchers can reconstruct rainfall patterns centuries before weather stations existed." Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

  1. A narrow ring indicates a year with little rainfall. Correct answer.
  2. Weather stations are far more reliable than tree rings.
  3. Wide rings occur only in tropical forests.
  4. Tree rings record nothing except a tree's age.

Explanation

The passage links narrow rings to dry years and wide rings to wet ones. Because ring width reflects rainfall, a narrow ring allows the inference that the year was dry.

Question 26Reading

Read this sentence: "The committee's review was so cursory that it skipped the financial records entirely." In this context, "cursory" most nearly means

  1. hasty and superficial Correct answer.
  2. lengthy and repetitive
  3. confidential and private
  4. careful and detailed

Explanation

The clause after the comma explains the effect of the review: it skipped important records, so the review must have been quick and shallow. Context clues like "skipped ... entirely" define the word as much as the dictionary does.

Question 27Reading

Read this passage: "Some ants farm aphids. The aphids drink plant sap and release a sugary liquid, which the ants collect. In return, the ants protect the aphids from predators and carry them to fresh plants." Which sentence best states the main idea?

  1. Ants prefer sugary liquids to all other foods.
  2. Ants and aphids provide each other with benefits. Correct answer.
  3. Aphids release their sugary liquid only when attacked.
  4. Aphids cannot survive without the protection of ants.

Explanation

The passage describes a two-way exchange: food for the ants, protection and transport for the aphids. A main-idea statement must capture both halves of that relationship.

Question 28Reading

Read this sentence: "Each of the bridge's cables was coated with grease, which protected it from moisture." In this sentence, "which" refers to

  1. the grease coating Correct answer.
  2. the moisture
  3. the bridge
  4. the cables

Explanation

The relative clause describes what shields the cable, so the pronoun must point to the substance applied to the cable. Only the grease forms a protective layer against moisture.

Question 29Reading

Read this passage: "Unlike most mammals, naked mole rats live in colonies with a single breeding female. Some colony members dig tunnels and gather food, while others, called soldiers, defend the group against predators." According to the passage, what do soldier mole rats do?

  1. They gather food.
  2. They raise the young.
  3. They defend the colony. Correct answer.
  4. They dig tunnels.

Explanation

The passage assigns each group a task and explicitly links the label "soldiers" to defense against predators. Detail questions require matching the stated role, not guessing from the name.

Question 30Reading

Read this sentence: "The senator's remarks were deliberately ambiguous, allowing supporters and opponents alike to claim her agreement." In this context, "ambiguous" most nearly means

  1. brief and direct
  2. recorded in writing
  3. insulting in tone
  4. unclear in meaning Correct answer.

Explanation

If both sides could read agreement into the remarks, the words must have permitted more than one reading. The second half of the sentence provides that definition.

Question 31Reading

Read this passage: "Before 1850, ice was cut from frozen lakes in winter and stored in insulated sheds until summer, when it was shipped to cities. The trade declined once mechanical refrigeration appeared." Why does the author mention insulated sheds?

  1. To explain how ice was kept from melting Correct answer.
  2. To show that ice was expensive to buy
  3. To describe how lakes freeze in winter
  4. To argue that refrigeration was unnecessary

Explanation

The sheds appear in a chain of steps describing storage between winter and summer. Their insulation is what makes long storage possible, so the detail serves that explanatory purpose.

Question 32Reading

Read this passage: "The museum's new wing was paid for entirely by private donations after the city council rejected the proposal twice." What can be inferred about the new wing?

  1. It cost less than the museum expected.
  2. It was closed to visitors for years.
  3. It was built without any architectural plans.
  4. It received no government funding. Correct answer.

Explanation

Funding came "entirely" from private donations, and the council rejected the proposal, so public money played no part. The inference combines two stated facts.

Question 33Reading

Read this sentence: "The evidence was tenuous at best: a single blurry photograph." In this context, "tenuous" most nearly means

  1. recent
  2. weak Correct answer.
  3. convincing
  4. plentiful

Explanation

The phrase "at best" signals a low evaluation, and the colon introduces a thin piece of evidence. A single blurry photograph is slight support, so the word means weak.

Question 34Reading

Simplify this sentence: "Although the vaccine was tested on thousands of volunteers, researchers caution that its protection may fade within a year, so booster doses will probably be needed."

  1. Because the vaccine was tested on thousands of volunteers, booster doses will not be needed.
  2. The vaccine's protection fades within a year, although researchers tested thousands of volunteers.
  3. The vaccine was widely tested, but its protection may not last, so boosters may be required. Correct answer.
  4. Researchers caution that vaccines tested on volunteers rarely work for a full year.

Explanation

A good simplification keeps the concession (extensive testing), the warning (protection may fade), and the conclusion (boosters may be needed). Option 0 preserves all three relationships without adding claims.

Question 35Reading

Read this passage: "In the 1890s, almost no American household had electricity. By 1930, nearly seventy percent of urban homes did, though farms lagged far behind." What can be inferred from the passage?

  1. Farm households deliberately refused electric service.
  2. Urban homes used less power than farms did.
  3. Rural electrification was finished before 1890.
  4. Electricity spread faster in cities than in rural areas. Correct answer.

Explanation

The contrast between urban homes reaching seventy percent and farms lagging far behind supports the comparison. The inference follows from the stated gap, not from outside knowledge.

Question 36Reading

Read this passage: "Many people assume that goldfish remember things for only a few seconds. In experiments, however, goldfish have been trained to press a lever for food and have recalled the task months later." Why does the author mention the lever experiment?

  1. To supply evidence against a common belief Correct answer.
  2. To describe standard equipment in aquariums
  3. To compare goldfish with other kinds of fish
  4. To explain how fish learn to swim

Explanation

The word "however" marks a contrast with the popular assumption stated first. The experiment is offered as counter-evidence that memory persists for months.

Question 37Reading

Read this sentence: "The professor's explanation was lucid: even students who had struggled with the material grasped the concept at once." In this context, "lucid" most nearly means

  1. lengthy
  2. clear Correct answer.
  3. technical
  4. hurried

Explanation

The colon introduces a result: struggling students understood immediately. An explanation that produces quick understanding must be clear.

Question 38Reading

Read this passage: "The baobab tree stores water in its trunk, which can hold thousands of liters. Its bark can be stripped and woven into rope without killing the tree, and its fruit is rich in vitamin C." According to the passage, what can be made from baobab bark?

  1. rope Correct answer.
  2. fuel
  3. flour
  4. medicine

Explanation

The passage states directly that the stripped bark is woven into rope and that the tree survives the process. Detail questions are answered by the stated words, not by related uses of other plant parts.

Question 39Reading

Read this passage: "Most moths are active at night. ____ Their wing scales scatter sound, which makes the moths harder for bats to detect." Which sentence best fits the blank?

  1. Bats are their chief predators and hunt by echolocation. Correct answer.
  2. Many moths are drawn to artificial lights.
  3. Some moths migrate hundreds of kilometers each year.
  4. Butterflies, by contrast, fly mostly during the day.

Explanation

The sentence after the blank explains how wing scales interfere with bat detection, so the blank must introduce bats and their method of hunting. Only that option supplies the link the following sentence depends on.

Question 40Reading

Read this passage: "The committee's proposal, though praised in the press, deserves scrutiny: it promises savings it never explains and benefits it cannot quantify." The author's attitude toward the proposal is best described as

  1. skeptical Correct answer.
  2. indifferent
  3. enthusiastic
  4. amused

Explanation

The author concedes the good press but then lists unexplained claims, which signals doubt rather than approval. Attitude questions are answered by evaluative words like "deserves scrutiny."

Question 41Reading

Read this passage: "When the Suez Canal opened, shipping between Europe and Asia shortened by weeks. Yet marine species from the Red Sea also crossed into the Mediterranean, where many of them established themselves." According to the passage, one result of the canal's opening was

  1. a decline in Mediterranean shipping traffic
  2. the closing of Red Sea ports
  3. an increase in European fish populations
  4. the spread of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean Correct answer.

Explanation

The sentence introduced by "Yet" reports a biological consequence of the new waterway: species moved through it and took hold in a new sea. The phrase "also" signals this as an additional result beyond shorter shipping.

Question 42Reading

Read this sentence: "The ban on cars in the historic center was controversial at first, but critics were largely mollified once air quality improved." In this context, "mollified" most nearly means

  1. proven wrong
  2. calmed Correct answer.
  3. angered
  4. ignored

Explanation

The contrast word "but" plus the improving conditions show critics moving from opposition toward acceptance. Being soothed or calmed fits that shift.

Question 43Reading

Simplify this sentence: "The city approved the bridge only after engineers demonstrated that it could withstand earthquakes, which the original design could not."

  1. The city rejected the bridge because engineers could not demonstrate that it would withstand earthquakes.
  2. The bridge was approved after engineers proved it could withstand earthquakes, unlike the first design. Correct answer.
  3. The original design could withstand earthquakes, which is why the city approved it without delay.
  4. Engineers showed that no bridge can withstand earthquakes, so the city approved a new design.

Explanation

The original sentence contains a condition (approval came only after proof) and a contrast (the earlier design failed that test). Option 1 keeps both while removing the relative clause.

Question 44Reading

Read this passage: "The library extended its weekend hours last year. Weekend visits rose by a third, but borrowing of books barely changed." What does the passage suggest?

  1. The library purchased many new books.
  2. Few books are available on weekends.
  3. The library plans to shorten its hours again.
  4. Many visitors came for services other than borrowing. Correct answer.

Explanation

More people arrived while borrowing stayed flat, which implies the added visits served other purposes such as studying or using computers. The suggestion rests on the gap between the two statistics.

Question 45Reading

Read this sentence: "Demand for the tickets was so high that the organizers had to allocate seats by lottery." In this context, "allocate" most nearly means

  1. print in advance
  2. sell to the highest bidder
  3. reserve for staff
  4. distribute Correct answer.

Explanation

A lottery is a method of handing out a limited supply, so the verb must mean giving out or assigning. The purpose clause identifies the meaning of the word.

Question 46Reading

Read this passage: "Historians once argued that the medieval manor was largely self-sufficient. Records of purchases, however, show that estates regularly bought iron tools, salt, and cloth from distant towns." The author uses the purchase records mainly to

  1. prove that towns were wealthier than manors
  2. explain how salt was mined in the Middle Ages
  3. describe the tools used on manors
  4. challenge an older interpretation Correct answer.

Explanation

The records are introduced with "however" to contradict the earlier claim of self-sufficiency. The author's aim is to revise a view, and the goods listed are merely supporting examples.

Question 47Reading

Read this passage: "Scientists often describe the deep ocean as a desert: food is scarce and life is sparse. The comparison is useful but imperfect, for hydrothermal vents support dense communities without sunlight, fed by chemicals rather than by material drifting down from above." Why does the author mention hydrothermal vents?

  1. To identify a limit of the desert comparison Correct answer.
  2. To show that the deep ocean has no food at all
  3. To explain how sunlight reaches deep water
  4. To argue that ocean deserts are expanding

Explanation

The vents are offered as a counterexample to the sparse-life implication of the desert image, which is exactly what "useful but imperfect" announces. The detail qualifies the analogy rather than rejecting it outright.

Question 48Reading

Read this passage: "The earliest printed maps of the region copied a coastline drawn by a surveyor who never visited it. Later mapmakers repeated the error, and the phantom cape appeared on charts for more than a century." What can be inferred about the phantom cape?

  1. It was first sighted by a surveyor in person.
  2. It vanished as soon as printing was introduced.
  3. It persisted because later mapmakers trusted earlier maps. Correct answer.
  4. It was invented on purpose by printers.

Explanation

The cape survived because each generation of mapmakers copied the previous one instead of checking the coast. The inference follows from the chain of copying described.

Question 49Reading

Read this passage: "The claim that a low-fat diet automatically produces weight loss has been qualified by research: total calories, not fat alone, appear to determine whether weight changes." Which sentence best states the author's point?

  1. Weight loss is impossible on a high-fat diet.
  2. Cutting fat alone does not guarantee weight loss. Correct answer.
  3. Fat contains more calories than other nutrients do.
  4. Research has shown that calories do not matter.

Explanation

The passage revises a claim by shifting emphasis from fat to total calories, which means reducing fat by itself is insufficient. The word "qualified" signals a limitation rather than a total rejection.

Question 50Reading

Read this passage: "A species can be rare yet secure, or common yet declining. Conservationists therefore track trends as well as numbers: a bird abundant today may be losing habitat quickly, while a scarce plant confined to one reserve may be stable." Which sentence best expresses the main idea?

  1. Conservationists should count only the rarest birds.
  2. Habitat loss harms plants more than it harms birds.
  3. Numbers alone do not show whether a species is safe. Correct answer.
  4. Rare species are always in greater danger than common ones.

Explanation

The passage contrasts abundance with security in both directions, so raw counts are insufficient without trend data. The main idea must cover both examples, not just one.