Answer: "impossible to defend or maintain." Read the surrounding sentence rather than relying on a memorised definition — TOEFL vocabulary questions always test the word as it is used here.
TOEFL Reading — Format, Question Types & Strategy
The TOEFL Reading section gives you two academic passages — the kind you would meet in a first-year university textbook — with about 20 questions in roughly 35 minutes. It tests whether you can find main ideas, locate detail, understand vocabulary in context and make inferences.
You do not need outside knowledge; every answer is in the passage. The skill being tested is efficient academic reading under time pressure, and it is very trainable.
What the Reading section looks like
- Two passages of about 700 words each, on academic topics (science, history, social science, the arts).
- About 10 questions per passage, most worth one point, answered on a computer.
- Around 35 minutes total; you can move freely between questions within the section.
- No prior subject knowledge is needed — the answers are all in the text.
The Reading question types
| Question type | What it asks |
|---|---|
| Factual & negative factual | Find a detail stated in the passage (or the one option NOT stated). |
| Vocabulary | The meaning of a word as used in context. |
| Inference & rhetorical purpose | What is implied, or why the author included something. |
| Sentence simplification | Choose the sentence that best restates a highlighted one. |
| Insert text | Place a given sentence at the right point in the passage. |
| Prose summary / fill-in-a-table | Select the main ideas of the whole passage (worth 2 points). |
Strategy that works
- Skim the passage first for structure — the topic of each paragraph — before reading the questions.
- Answer detail and vocabulary questions by returning to the exact lines; never rely on memory.
- For inference questions, choose the option the passage supports, not the one that sounds generally true.
- Leave the prose-summary question until last — it needs the whole passage in your head and is worth the most.
- Watch your pace: about 17–18 minutes per passage, and never leave a question blank (there is no penalty).
Sample question (original, in the TOEFL format)
An original example in the official style — not a real test question.
That the predator contributed to the decline — the option the passage supports. Avoid options that are true in general but not backed by the text.
Frequently asked questions
Two academic passages of about 700 words each, with roughly 20 questions in total, in about 35 minutes.
No. Vocabulary questions test meaning in context, so you must infer the word's sense from the sentence around it.
No — there is no penalty for wrong answers, so always answer every question even if you have to guess.
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