Welcome to the TOEFL test

Reading Section
Instructions
The reading section is designed to test how well you understand and interpret academic texts. You will read two passages and answer a set of questions on each passage.
Give yourself 40 minutes to complete the full reading section, including both texts and all questions. You may look back at a text when answering related questions. You may also skip questions and return to them later if there is time remaining.
Each of the questions is worth one point except the final question in each set. The directions of the final question note how much it is worth.
Some words may be marked with a small number (example 1 ). At the bottom of the page,
there are definitions for these words.

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions.
History of the Chickenpox Vaccine
Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the Varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. The
disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the young are particularly vulnerable. Individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. The ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the U.S. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. This view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. Over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.
A vaccine against chickenpox was originally invented by Michiaki Takahashi, a Japanese doctor and research scientist, in the mid-1960s. Dr. Takahashi began his work to isolate and grow the virus in 1965 and in 1972 began clinical trials with a live but weakened form of the virus that caused the human body to create antibodies. Japan and several other countries began widespread chickenpox vaccination programs in 1974. However, it took over 20 years for the chickenpox vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), finally earning the U.S. government’s seal of approval for widespread use in 1995. Yet even though the chickenpox vaccine was available and recommended by the FDA, parents did not immediately choose to vaccinate their children against this disease. Mothers and fathers typically cited the notion that chickenpox did not constitute a serious enough disease against which a person needed to be vaccinated.
Strong belief in that view eroded when scientists discovered the link between Varicella
zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox, and shingles, a far more serious, harmful, and longer-lasting disease in older adults that impacts the nervous system. They reached the conclusion that Varicella zoster remains dormant inside the body, making it significantly more likely for someone to develop shingles. As a result, the medical community in the U.S. encouraged the development, adoption, and use of a vaccine against chickenpox to the public. Although the appearance of chickenpox and shingles within one person can be many years apart—generally many decades—the increased risk in developing shingles as a younger adult (30-40 years old rather than 60-70 years old) proved to be enough to convince the medical community that immunization should be preferred to the traditional alternative.
Another reason that the chickenpox vaccine was not immediately accepted and used by parents in the U.S. centered on observations made by scientists that the vaccine simply did not last long enough and did not confer a lifetime of immunity. In other words, scientists considered the benefits of the vaccine to be temporary when given
to young children. They also feared that it increased the odds that a person could become infected with chickenpox later as a young adult, when the rash is more painful and prevalent and can last up to three or four weeks. Hence, allowing young children to develop chickenpox rather than take a vaccine against it was believed to be the “lesser of two evils.” This idea changed over time as booster shots of the vaccine elongated immunity and countered the perceived limits on the strength of the vaccine itself.
Today, use of the chickenpox vaccine is common throughout the world. Pediatricians
suggest an initial vaccination shot after a child turns one year old, with booster shots
recommended after the child turns eight. The vaccine is estimated to be up to 90% effective and has reduced worldwide cases of chickenpox infection to 400,000 cases per year from over 4,000,000 cases before vaccination became widespread. In light of
such statistics, most doctors insist that the potential risks of developing shingles outweigh the benefits of avoiding rare complications associated with inoculations. Of
course, many parents continue to think of the disease as an innocuous ailment, refusing to take preemptive steps against it. As increasing numbers of students are vaccinated and the virus becomes increasingly rarer, however, even this trend among parents has failed to halt the decline of chickenpox among the most vulnerable populations.

Directions: Now answer the questions.
Paragraph 1
Chickenpox is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the Varicella zoster virus; sufferers develop a fleeting itchy rash that can spread throughout the body. The
disease can last for up to 14 days and can occur in both children and adults, though the
young are particularly vulnerable. Individuals infected with chickenpox can expect to experience a high but tolerable level of discomfort and a fever as the disease works its way through the system. The ailment was once considered to be a “rite of passage” by parents in the U.S. and thought to provide children with greater and improved immunity to other forms of sickness later in life. This view, however, was altered after additional research by scientists demonstrated unexpected dangers associated with the virus. Over time, the fruits of this research have transformed attitudes toward the disease and the utility of seeking preemptive measures against it.
1. The word tolerable in the passage is closest in meaning to

2. According to paragraph 1, which of the following is true of the chickenpox virus?

3. Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

Paragraph 2
A vaccine against chickenpox was originally invented by Michiaki Takahashi, a Japanese doctor and research scientist, in the mid-1960s. Dr. Takahashi began his work to isolate and grow the virus in 1965 and in 1972 began clinical trials with a live but weakened form of the virus that caused the human body to create antibodies. Japan and several other countries began widespread chickenpox vaccination programs in 1974. However, it took over 20 years for the chickenpox vaccine to be approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), finally earning the U.S. government’s seal of approval for widespread use in 1995. Yet even though the chickenpox vaccine was available and recommended by the FDA, parents did not immediately choose to vaccinate their children against this disease. Mothers and fathers typically cited the notion that chickenpox did not constitute a serious enough disease against which a person needed to be vaccinated.
4. Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 2 about the clinical trials for the chickenpox vaccine?

5. The word notion in the passage is closest in meaning to

Paragraph 3:
Strong belief in that view eroded when scientists discovered the link between Varicella
zoster, the virus that causes chickenpox, and shingles, a far more serious, harmful, and
longer-lasting disease in older adults that impacts the nervous system. They reached the conclusion that Varicella zoster remains dormant inside the body, making it significantly more likely for someone to develop shingles. As a result, the medical community in the U.S. encouraged the development, adoption, and use of a vaccine against chickenpox to the public. Although the appearance of chickenpox and shingles within one person can be many years apart—generally many decades—the increased risk in developing shingles as a younger adult (30-40 years old rather than 60-70 years old) proved to be enough to convince the medical community that immunization should be preferred to the traditional alternative.
6. According to paragraph 3, which of the following is true of Varicella Zoster?

Paragraph 4
Another reason that the chickenpox vaccine was not immediately accepted and used by parents in the U.S. centered on observations made by scientists that the vaccine simply did not last long enough and did not confer a lifetime of immunity. In other words, scientists considered the benefits of the vaccine to be temporary when given to young children. They also feared that it increased the odds that a person could become infected with chickenpox later as a young adult, when the rash is more painful and prevalent and can last up to three or four weeks. Hence, allowing young children to develop chickenpox rather than take a vaccine against it was believed to be the “lesser of two evils.” This idea changed over time as booster shots of the vaccine elongated immunity and countered the perceived limits on the strength of the vaccine itself.
7. The word prevalent in the passage is closest in meaning to

8. The author uses booster shots as an example of

9. The word countered in the passage is closest in meaning to

10. According to paragraph 4, many parents did not choose the chickenpox vaccine
because

Paragraph 5
Today, use of the chickenpox vaccine is common throughout the world. Pediatricians suggest an initial vaccination shot after a child turns one year old, with booster shots recommended after the child turns eight. The vaccine is estimated to be up to 90% effective and has reduced worldwide cases of chickenpox infection to 400,000 cases per year from over 4,000,000 cases before vaccination became widespread. ■ (A) In light of such statistics, most doctors insist that the potential risks of developing shingles outweigh the benefits of avoiding rare complications associated with inoculations. ■(B) Of course, many parents continue to think of the disease as an innocuous ailment, refusing to take preemptive steps against it. ■ (C) As increasing numbers of students are vaccinated and the virus becomes increasingly rarer, however, even this trend among parents has failed to halt the decline of chickenpox among the most vulnerable populations. ■ (D)
11. According to paragraph 5, which of the following was true of the rates of chickenpox before the chickenpox vaccine became widely used?

12. Look at the four squares [▪] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
Meanwhile, some continue to remain unconvinced, citing a supposed potential of the vaccine to do harm.
Where would the sentence fit best?

13. Directions: Complete the table below by indicating which statements describe chickenpox and which describe shingles. Two answer choices will NOT be used. This question is worth 3 points

A. Public vaccination campaigns against it began in the 1970s.
B. It was considered an irksome but relatively harmless ailment.
C. It primarily afflicts adults.
D. It is a serious, lingering illness.
E. It negatively affects the nervous system.
F. Infection primarily occurs as a result of close contact with infected rashes.
G. There is confusion as to exactly what virus causes it.

Directions: Read the passage below and answer the questions.
The Four Great Kangaroos
Although the kangaroo is Australia’s most famous indigenous species, few people outside of the country know many details about the animal. In fact, there are several different kangaroo species, including the western grey kangaroo, the eastern grey kangaroo, the red kangaroo, and the antilopine kangaroo. Though still bound together by traits characteristic of the genus Macropus, the four different types of kangaroo—also known as the four “Great Kangaroos,” as they are the largest species in the genus—can behave very differently in terms of their native habitats, activities, and migration patterns.
The eastern grey kangaroo lives, as its name implies, on the east coast of Australia. Not only is the eastern grey the most common kangaroo, but it is also the quickest, as the fastest recorded kangaroo was a large female traveling at 40 miles per hour. It is by far the most populous kangaroo species; around ten million eastern greys inhabit the continent. To put that in perspective, Australia’s current human population is only 23 million. The eastern grey prefers to inhabit large open areas of grassland, with shrubbery for daytime shelter, as it forages for food at night. Nevertheless, eastern greys have been seen in various climates, including coastal areas, woodlands, subtropical forests, and mountainous regions.
The western grey is difficult to distinguish from the eastern grey; for many years, the two were thought to belong to the same species. The western grey is distinguished, in the first place, by its habitat, on the west (rather than the east) coast of Australia. Secondly, it is different from the eastern grey in that it is a very vocal species. Mother western grey kangaroos communicate to their offspring, or joeys, with a series of clicking noises, which eastern grey mothers do not do. Though less adaptable than the eastern grey, the western grey can still be found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, forests, or woodlands near water. Zoologists believe that the population of western grey kangaroos increased dramatically as Europeans settled in Australia, because this led to the creation of more pastures, where members of the species could find their main food source, grass.
Unlike the two species of grey kangaroos, the red kangaroo is found throughout Australia, though there is a concentration of reds in the west corner of New South Wales, in the southeastern part of the country. The red has the ability to store water for periods of time, and so does not need to inhabit the same fertile areas as its grey cousins. Instead, this species can be found in more arid climates, including scrubland and deserts. The species has a remarkable ability to find nutritious food sources even in areas that seem devoid of life. Less social and more nomadic than the grey
kangaroos, the red has the distinctions of being the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest living marsupial1.
Finally, the antilopine kangaroo breaks the trend among the three greats named for their color, drawing instead from a comparison to the antelope, which zoologists thought the kangaroo resembled with its distinctive appearance. Traveling in packs of up to 30 kangaroos, the antilopine inhabits the northern tropical and western regions of Australia, preferring flat, open lands, though their habitat does sometimes extend to eucalyptus woodlands. Like the eastern gray, the antilopine sleeps under the shade of shrubs during the hottest part of the day, grazing during the evenings from approximately an hour after sunset until 8am. It has the largest range of all the great kangaroo species, and is known to travel up to a third of a mile (76 hectares) from its group’s territory. In the wet season, antilopine females outnumber the males by a ratio of two to one; in the dry season, this increases to three to one.
Even these four species of kangaroos do not fully represent their genus. Although the
most populous are the “great” kangaroos, or the largest, there are many other, smaller
species (up to 47) found throughout Australia. Like the four greats, these kangaroos are often descriptively named. There are large populations of tree-kangaroos, for example, in wooded areas, as well as various species of rat-kangaroos. If you’re traveling through Australia, keep your eyes open: You never know if you’re actually looking at a kangaroo you never knew existed.
1 A mammal of an order whose members are born incompletely developed an typically carried in a pouch on the mother’s belly.
Directions: Now answer the questions.
Paragraph 1
Although the kangaroo is Australia’s most famous indigenous species, few people outside of the country know many details about the animal. In fact, there are several different kangaroo species, including the western grey kangaroo, the eastern grey kangaroo, the red kangaroo, and the antilopine kangaroo. Though still bound together
by traits characteristic of the genus Macropus, the four different types of kangaroo-also known as the four “Great Kangaroos,” as they are the largest species in the genus—can behave very differently in terms of their native habitats, activities, and migration patterns.
1. The word “ indigenous ” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

2. The author discusses the term “Great Kangaroos” in paragraph 1 in order to emphasize the kangaroos’

Paragraph 2
The eastern grey kangaroo lives, as its name implies, on the east coast of Australia. Not only is the eastern grey the most common kangaroo, but it is also the quickest, as the fastest recorded kangaroo was a large female traveling at 40 miles per hour. It is by far the most populous kangaroo species; around ten million eastern greys inhabit the continent. To put that in perspective, Australia’s current human population is only 23 million. The eastern grey prefers to inhabit large open areas of grassland, with shrubbery for daytime shelter, as it forages for food at night. Nevertheless, eastern greys have been seen in various climates, including coastal areas, woodlands, subtropical forests, and mountainous regions.
3. According to paragraph 2, the eastern grey kangaroo is different from other species in its

4. The word “shrubbery” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

Paragraph 3
The western grey is difficult to distinguish from the eastern grey; for many years, the two were thought to belong to the same species. The western grey is distinguished, in the first place, by its habitat, on the west (rather than the east) coast of Australia. Secondly, it is different from the eastern grey in that it is a very vocal species. Mother western grey kangaroos communicate to their offspring, or joeys, with a series of clicking noises, which eastern grey mothers do not do. Though less adaptable than the eastern grey, the western grey can still be found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, forests, or woodlands near water. Zoologists believe that the population of western grey kangaroos increased dramatically as Europeans settled in Australia, because this led to the creation of more pastures, where members of the species could find their main food source, grass.
5. It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that

6. The word “adaptable ” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to

Paragraph 4 Unlike the two species of grey kangaroos, the red kangaroo is found throughout Australia, though there is a concentration of reds in the west corner of New South Wales, in the southeastern part of the country. The red has the ability to store water for periods of time, and so does not need to inhabit the same fertile areas as its grey cousins. Instead, this species can be found in more arid climates, including scrubland and deserts. The species has a remarkable ability to find nutritious food sources even in areas that seem devoid of life. Less social and more nomadic than the grey kangaroos, the red has the distinctions of being the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest living marsupial2.
7. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 4? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

8. According to paragraph 4, red kangaroos are able to be more nomadic than either species of gray kangaroo because the reds

9. The word “arid” in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

Paragraph 5
Finally, the antilopine kangaroo breaks the trend among the three greats named for their color, drawing instead from a comparison to the antelope, which zoologists thought the kangaroo resembled with its distinctive appearance. Traveling in packs of up to 30 kangaroos, the antilopine inhabits the northern tropical and western regions of Australia, preferring flat, open lands, though their habitat does sometimes extend to eucalyptus woodlands. Like the eastern gray, the antilopine sleeps under the shade of shrubs during the hottest part of the day, grazing during the evenings from approximately an hour after sunset until 8am. It has the largest range of all the great kangaroo species, and is known to travel up to a third of a mile (76 hectares) from its group’s territory. In the wet season, antilopine females outnumber the males by a ratio of two to one; in the dry season, this increases to three to one.
10. The author’s discussion of the antilopine kangaroos’ gender balance in paragraph 5 indicates that

11. According to paragraph 5, which of the following is NOT a unique feature of the antilopine kangaroo?

Paragraph 6
Even these four species of kangaroos do not fully represent their genus. Although the most populous are the “great” kangaroos, or the largest, there are many other, smaller species (up to 47) found throughout Australia. Like the four greats, these kangaroos are often descriptively named. There are large populations of tree-kangaroos, for example, in wooded areas, as well as various species of rat-kangaroos. If you’re traveling through Australia, keep your eyes open: You never know if you’re actually looking at a kangaroo you never knew existed.
12. The phrase “these kangaroos ” in paragraph 6 refers to

Paragraph 5
■ (A) The western grey is difficult to distinguish from the eastern grey; for many years, the two were thought to belong to the same species. ■ (B) The western grey is distinguished, in the first place, by its habitat, on the west (rather than the east) coast of Australia. ■ (C) Secondly, it is different from the eastern grey in that it is a very vocal
species. ■ (D) Mother western grey kangaroos communicate to their offspring, or joeys, with a series of clicking noises, which eastern grey mothers do not do. Though less adaptable than the eastern grey, the western grey can still be found in a variety of habitats, including grasslands, forests, or woodlands near water. Zoologists believe that the population of western grey kangaroos increased dramatically as Europeans settled in Australia, because this led to the creation of more pastures, where members of the species could find their main food source, grass.
13. Look at the four squares [◙] that indicate where the following sentence can be added to the passage.
However, the Western and Eastern Grey kangaroos actually do not interbreed and remain entirely separate.
Where would the sentence best fit?

14. An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentence do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points
There are four main kinds of kangaroos in Australia, known as the “Great Kangaroos.”
•
•
•
A. Individual species of kangaroo vary in their activities and habitats.
B. The eastern and western grey kangaroo are often confused.
C. The Great Kangaroos pre-dated European settlement in Australia.
D. These kangaroos include the eastern and western greys, the red, and the antilopine kangaroos.
E. Some species of kangaroo are nocturnal and sleep during the day.
F. Kangaroo species are not limited to the Great Kangaroos.

Direction: Read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
The Silent Era
The first thirty-five years of motion picture history are called “the silent era,” even though films were accompanied by music or live narration—from the Japanese benshi
(narrators) crafting multi-voiced dialogue narratives, and original musical compositions performed by pianists or organists, to symphony-size orchestras—because there was no mechanical means for recording and playing back recorded dialogue or music in synchronization1 with the reel of film. Films of this era progressed from very rudimentary to much more elaborate in the years that bookended the era of silent films, 1894 to 1928.
The silent era of motion pictures began when the Kinetograph and the Kinetoscope, inventions created in Thomas Edison’s New Jersey laboratory in 1892 to film and to view short sequences respectively, were used to create and present 30-second films of novelty acts to American and European audiences in 1894.The Kinetoscope was a cabinet that was designed for a single viewer; the viewer would look through a eyepiece in the cabinet and watch a short series of moving pictures. Edison’s decision not to pursue international patents on his devices led to many improvements by European inventors on Edison’s initial ideas. One such improvement is the Cinematographe, which was developed by the French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere. The Cinematographe was a three-in-one device that could record, develop, and most notably, project motion pictures for a large audience, and it was this machine that turned the motion picture into a worldwide phenomenon. The Lumieres held the first public screening of their motion pictures at the Grand Cafe in Paris in 1895.(5A) Their debut was received enthusiastically and had a significant impact on popular culture at that time.(5B) For the next few years, the films created were rather brief an often cited as the first primitive documentaries: each film consisted of a single shot from a lone stationary viewpoint.(5C) By 1897 the initial enthusiasm for the Lumiere films faded as audiences desired something more entertaining.(5D)
A transitional period from 1908 to 1917 was an era in which motion pictures changed
from a primitive documentary medium to a more expressive art form. Actors developed their ability to convey ideas without words and creative inter-titles provided written commentary between sections of the moving images. Filming techniques were developed, with the introduction of such stylistic devices as alternating closeups and long shots. Films became longer, and the range of genres expanded considerably from the earlier documentaries. The French filmmaker Georges Melies, whose uncanny ability for creating imaginary worlds in his films, pioneered the emerging genre of science fiction.
By 1917, a major shift in the film industry had occurred. France had been the world’s
leading exporter of films prior to World War I, but the destructive effects of the war had decimated the film industry in France. By 1917, the United States had assumed leadership in the motion-picture industry, and the sleepy town of Hollywood,
California, which had been used as a winter shooting site for filmmakers from the east coast of the United States as early as 1907, had become the center of the filmmaking industry. D.W. Griffith’s film, The Birth of a Nation (1915), was a milestone during this period of both technical advancement in cinematography and inventive narrative technique. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation is considered by many not only to be the motion picture industry’s first blockbuster, breaking all previous box office records, but also the first feature-length movie (having a running time of over an hour), and paved the way for the eventual dominance of the feature-length movie in subsequent years.
However, by the end of the 1920s, the era of silent films ended rather abruptly. Edison
and other inventors had introduced technology for creating motion pictures with sound at various times throughout the early decades of the twentieth century, but those early devices could not ensure good enough sound quality and amplification2 to induce studios to try any of them out. Finally, Warner Brothers took a chance with the 1927 film, The Jazz Singer, which starred popular recording artist Al Jolson and featured both singing and talking. When The Jazz Singer became a tremendous hit, Warner Brothers and Fox immediately converted to producing motion pictures with sound; the other large studios, believing that talking pictures might be only a flash in the pan, continued making silent pictures for one more year. When it became clear that talking pictures were the future of film rather than merely a passing fad, the remaining studios converted to the exclusive production of talking films a year later; by 1929, all of the films produced in Hollywood studios were talking pictures, and the era of silent films was over.

Directions: Now answer the questions.
Paragraph 1
The first thirty-five years of motion picture history are called “the silent era,” even though films were accompanied by music or live narration—from the Japanese benshi
(narrators) crafting multi-voiced dialogue narratives, and original musical compositions performed by pianists or organists, to symphony-size orchestras—because there was no mechanical means for recording and playing back recorded dialogue or music in synchronization1 with the reel of film. Films of this era progressed from very rudimentary to much more elaborate in the years that bookended the era of silent films, 1894 to 1928.
1. According to paragraph 1, despite the fact that there was no mechanical means of playing back recordings synchronized to movies,

2. The word “rudimentary” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

primitive
Paragraph 2
The silent era of motion pictures began when the Kinetograph and the Kinetoscope, inventions created in Thomas Edison’s New Jersey laboratory in 1892 to film and to view short sequences respectively, were used to create and present 30-second films of novelty acts to American and European audiences in 1894.The Kinetoscope was a cabinet that was designed for a single viewer; the viewer would look through a eyepiece in the cabinet and watch a short series of moving pictures. Edison’s decision not to pursue international patents on his devices led to many improvements by European inventors on Edison’s initial ideas. One such improvement is the Cinematographe, which was developed by the French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere. The Cinematographe was a three-in-one device that could record, develop, and most notably, project motion pictures for a large audience, and it was this machine that turned the motion picture into a worldwide phenomenon. The Lumieres held the first public screening of their motion pictures at the Grand Cafe in Paris in 1895. [5A] Their debut was received enthusiastically and had a significant impact on popular culture at that time. [5B] For the next few years, the films created were rather brief an often cited as the first primitive documentaries: each film consisted of a single shot from a lone stationary viewpoint. [5C] By 1897 the initial enthusiasm for the Lumiere films faded as audiences desired something more entertaining. [5D]
3. According to paragraph 2, in what way was the Cinematographe an improvement on the Kinetoscope?

4. The word “stationary” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

5. Look at the four squares [■] that indicate where the following sentence could be added to the passage.
They depicted short everyday scenes of people taking part in outdoor activities, laborers working at a construction site, and travelers scurrying through a train station.
Where would the sentence best fit? Write the square [■] number to add the sentence to the passage.

Paragraph 3
A transitional period from 1908 to 1917 was an era in which motion pictures changed
from a primitive documentary medium to a more expressive art form. Actors developed their ability to convey ideas without words and creative inter-titles provided written commentary between sections of the moving images. Filming techniques were developed, with the introduction of such stylistic devices as alternating closeups and long shots. Films became longer, and the range of genres expanded considerably from the earlier documentaries. The French filmmaker Georges Melies, whose uncanny ability for creating imaginary worlds in his films, pioneered the emerging genre of science fiction.
6. According to paragraph 3, all of the following are characteristics of the transitional period from 1908 to 1917 EXCEPT

Paragraph 4
By 1917, a major shift in the film industry had occurred. France had been the world’s
leading exporter of films prior to World War I, but the destructive effects of the war had decimated the film industry in France. By 1917, the United States had assumed leadership in the motion-picture industry, and the sleepy town of Hollywood, California, which had been used as a winter shooting site for filmmakers from the east coast of the United States as early as 1907, had become the center of the filmmaking industry. D.W. Griffith’s film, The Birth of a Nation (1915), was a milestone during this period of both technical advancement in cinematography and inventive narrative technique. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation is considered by many not only to be the motion picture industry’s first blockbuster, breaking all previous box office records, but also the first feature-length movie (having a running time of over an hour), and paved the way for the eventual dominance of the feature-length movie in subsequent years.
7. In paragraph 4, it can be inferred that the film industry in the United States

8. In paragraph 4, all of the following make the film The Birth of a Nation notable EXCEPT

Paragraph 5
However, by the end of the 1920s, the era of silent films ended rather abruptly. Edison
and other inventors had introduced technology for creating motion pictures with sound at various times throughout the early decades of the twentieth century, but those early devices could not ensure good enough sound quality and amplification2 to induce studios to try any of them out. Finally, Warner Brothers took a chance with the 1927 film, The Jazz Singer, which starred popular recording artist Al Jolson and featured both singing and talking. When The Jazz Singer became a tremendous hit, Warner Brothers and Fox immediately converted to producing motion pictures with sound; the other large studios, believing that talking pictures might be only a flash in the pan, continued making silent pictures for one more year. When it became clear that talking pictures were the future of film rather than merely a passing fad, the remaining studios converted to the exclusive production of talking films a year later; by 1929, all of the films produced in Hollywood studios were talking pictures, and the era of silent films was over.
9. According to paragraph 5, why did other movie studios not immediately change to producing motion pictures with sound after Warner Brothers’ success with The Jazz Singer?

10. The word “induce” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to

11. The word “them” in paragraph 5 refers to

12. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in paragraph 5? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

13.
Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points (2 points for 3 correct answers, 1 point for 2 correct answers, and 0 points for 1 or 0 correct answers).
In the history of motion pictures, the years from 1894 to 1928 are known as the silent era.
⚫
⚫
⚫
Answer Choices (choose 3 to complete the chart):

Instructions
The listening section tests your ability to understand and remember information from
English lectures and conversations.
Listen to each recording only once. Do not look at the questions before you listen. You may take notes while you listen. After each recording, you will be asked five to six
questions. You may look at your notes while you answer, but you may not listen again to the recording.
Answer each question before moving to the next question. You may not return to already answered questions.
Give yourself 10 minutes to answer all the questions. While listening to a recording,
pause the timer. In total, this section will take about 25 minutes, with 15 minutes spent
listening and 10 minutes spent answering.