English Proficiency 3Part 2

Structurerevision

QUESTION 1

• 1. Because of the enormous pull gravitational of the Moon, the shape of the Earth actually changes as the largest oceans are "pulled" toward the Moon. a. Because ofb. pull gravitationalc. asd. toward

• Correction: gravitational pull. In this case, pull is a noun (it means attraction) even though we usually use pull as a verb. gravitational is an adjective. Therefore, we need this pattern: adjective + noun.

QUESTION 2

• 2. Only with the advent of refrigerator were most Americans able to begin to consume fresh meat. a. refrigeratorb. werec. to begind. meat

• Correction: refrigeration. • First, we need a noun here because of is a preposition.

refrigerator is a noun, but it is the wrong form of the noun. A refrigerator is the machine that we have in our kitchens to keep food cold. In this case, we should use the noun that refers to the technology.

QUESTION 3

• 3. Although ______ a successful film, none of her other works have to date been adapted to the film format. a. The Joy Luck Club is best known novel by Amy Tan

was made intob. The Joy Luck Club was made into a film by Amy

Tan’s best knownc. Amy Tan’s best known novel, The Joy Luck Club,

was made into d. Amy Tan’s best known novel, The Joy Luck Club,

made • In this case, we need a sentence after the

subordinating conjunction Although. In this case, the sentence is novel was made.

QUESTION 4

• 4. The gross domestic product of a country is a figure expressed in monetary terms that represents the entire economy value of the goods and services produced in that country. a. a figureb. expressedc. economyd. goods

• Correction: economic • We need the adjective form here to modify the noun

value. economy is a noun.

QUESTION 5

• 5. In addition to the more traditional simple oven many ______ either by circulating heated air around the food or by heating the moisture contained in the food with microwaves, and a few do both. a. functioning modern ovensb. modern ovens that functionc. modern ovens function d. the function of modern ovens

• We need a main subject and a main verb in this sentence.

QUESTION 6

• 6. One of the first state of the United States, Rhode Island is the smallest of all the states and is located north of the largest city in the United States, New York City.

a. stateb. the smallestc. is locatedd. north

• Correction: states • We need the plural form of state here because we are

talking about more than one state.

QUESTION 7• 7. Critical to understand the phenomenon of human intelligence is

the notion that not all human thought patterns are either predictable or rational. a. understandb. not allc. ared. or

• Correction: understanding • This is a tricky one! In this case to is a preposition, it is not part of

the infinitive. Therefore, we should have a noun after to. Here's a similar example: dedicated to. to is a preposition, so we should have a noun after to. For example, we can say: I am dedicated to my family. Right? Now, what if I want to use the idea of a verb after dedicated to? For example, what if I want to say that I like to help my family? Then I would say I am dedicated to helping my family. I cannot say I am dedicated to XhelpX my family since to needs a noun after it and help is not a noun. Many of my students think this is one of the hardest grammar points to remember, so I have a sentence for them to memorize to help them remember this grammar pattern:

• Mother Theresa dedicated her life to helping the poor.

QUESTION 8

• 8. The advent of the personal computer and easy access to information via the Internet has allowed many more entrepreneurs ______ than ever before. a. to open home-based businesses b. who open home-based businessesc. opening businesses home-basedd. base at home their business

• After the verb allow we should use the infinitive form. For example, she allowed me to use her car.

QUESTION 9

• 9. Deciduous trees are those who have leaves that fall off once a year, typically before the advent of winter. a. whob. once a yearc. typicallyd. winter

• Correction: that • We should only use who for people, or

sometimes, for such animals as pets.

QUESTION 10

• 10. ______ "orca" means whale, the orca is actually a member of the dolphin family, the delphinids. a. Thatb. Whyc. While d. It is

• We need a subordinating conjunction to show contrast here. In other words, we need to use a word that means even though or despite the fact that.

QUESTION 11• Narwhals, small arctic whales, are interesting in that they have

single tusk, rather than two like most other mammals having tusks. A. Narwhals B. in thatC. single tuskD. having tusks

• C is the best answer. Correction: a single tusk. • tusk is a singular count noun and it does not have a determiner (a,

the, my, some, John's, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.).• We need a determiner for every singular count noun. This is one of

the most common mistakes--we need to look at every underlined noun and figure out whether it is a count or non-count noun. If it is a count noun, is singular and does not have a determiner, then it is wrong. You have a big clue here because of the word single which means that tusk is singular and countable. Did you choose having tusks? This is correct because it is reduced from that have tusks.

QUESTION 12

• While their name implication that they are whales, pilot whales are actually dolphins. A. While their B. implicationC. that theyD. are

• B is the best answer. Correction: implies. • This is a word form question. This is one of the

top five problem areas! implication is a noun; we need a verb, implies. If you were confused by While their, you should remember that while = although.

QUESTION 13• Another misnomer is the so-called "sperm whale," ______ the liquid

contained in its head, called spermaceti. A. whose name comes B. whose name comes fromC. which name comes fromD. whose name come

• B is the best answer. • Many people forget this rule. We need a possessive subordinating

conjunction, whose here. Here's a simple test: can we say sperm whale's name? If we can use the 's form here (the possessive form), then we should use whose and not which.

• Finally, we need to say that the name comes from something, not comes something since come cannot be used with another noun after it, i.e., come is intransitive and cannot take an object. 

QUESTION 14• This toothed whale has a large, square head with ______ the so-

called spermaceti. A. cavity containing B. cavity to containC. the cavity for containingD. a cavity that contains

• D is the best answer. • First of all, we need a determiner for the singular count noun

cavity. We need a determiner for every countable noun. This is one of the most common mistakes--we need to look at every underlined noun and figure out whether it is a count or non-count noun. If it is a count noun, is singular and does not have a determiner, then it is wrong. That means we should choose C or D. Remember, TOEFL doesn't test the difference between a and the, so we don't have to worry about whether a or the is better. Finally, D is better because we should use an adjective clause here, that contains. We should use for containing to explain a purpose, for example Copper is one of the best metals for cooking.

QUESTION 15• This waxy, pearly solid is ______ and was once used as a fuel.

A. used chiefly in cosmetics B. the chief cosmeticC. chiefly cosmeticD. using cosmetics

• A is the best answer. • This is basically another word form question and a meaning

question together. All of the answers fit into certain grammar patterns, but only A has the correct meaning. This question is difficult also because cosmetic can be both a noun and an adjective. For example, in B, cosmetic is a noun and in C cosmetic is an adjective. We want to say that the solid is used in cosmetics, as in A. B says that the solid is the cosmetic (noun). C says that the solid is cosmetic (adjective). Finally, we should remember that chief means main and chiefly means mainly. If this question was hard for you, don't worry--most TOEFL questions depend on grammar and not on meaning! 

QUESTION 16

• The so-called "sperm oil" is a water-insoluble liquid that is used for a lubricant. A. so-called B. aC. that isD. for

• D is the best answer. Correction: as. • This is a preposition question. This is one of the top five

problem areas! We need to say that the liquid is used as a lubricant. used for can be used when we want to tell the purpose; for example, We should not use a computer for a simple task.

QUESTION 17• Canaries used to be used in mines to detect odorless, colorless,

and poisonous gas--when the canary died, ______ was present. A. to mean poisonous gas B. it meant that poisonous gasC. meaning the poisonous gasD. the poisonous gas meant it

• B is the best answer. • We need a main subject and a main verb here. This sentence

actually has two sentences--Canaries used to be used in mines to detect odorless, colorless, and poisonous gas is the first sentence and when the canary died, it meant that poisonous gas was present is the second sentence, so we need to choose B. If we choose D, we don't know what it refers to--? We have no referent for the pronoun: the poisonous gas meant what was present??

QUESTION 18

• Linguists believe that the clicking and squeaking of porpoises ______ of larynxes is actually a form of communication. A. are thinking indication B. that once thought to be indicativeC. once thinking indicationD. once thought to be indicative

• D is the best answer. • We have a reduced adjective clause here--that were

once thought to be indicative of larynxes is reduced to  once thought to be indicative of larynxes. We should remember that when we reduce an adjective clause, we keep the adverb. This question is hard because the grammar and vocabulary is pretty advanced.

QUESTION 19• Pilot whales have big, round, bulbous head and are members

of the dolphin family.A. have B. bulbous headC. are membersD. of

• B is the best answer. Correction: bulbous heads. • head is a singular count noun. We need a determiner for

every singular count noun or we need to make the singular count noun a plural noun. This is one of the most common mistakes--we need to look at every underlined noun and figure out whether it is a count or non-count noun. If it is a count noun, is singular and does not have a determiner, then it is wrong. In this case, we need to change head to heads. We have some other clues here as well--whales, are, and members all tell you that we are talking about many whales and we should also use the plural form of head

QUESTION 20• Also known for orcinus orca, the killer whale is a predatory member

of the dolphin family. A. known for B. isC. predatory memberD. the

• A is the best answer. • Correction: known as. We need to say known as. In general, known

as should be used to show that we can use a different name for something, for example, Matsuda, the giant Japanese automaker is known as Mazda in the United States. We should use known for when we want to talk about the reputation that something has, for example, The state of Bahia in Brazil is known for its delicious fish stews and beautiful music.

QUESTION 21

• The large-headed, toothed, sperm whale has a large, square head with a cavity ______. A. to holding sperm oil B. held sperm oilC. that holds sperm oilD. to hold a sperm oil

• C is the best answer. • We can use an adjective clause here: a cavity that holds

sperm oil. Each of the other answers contains a mistake. In A, to holding is incorrect; we should say to hold. In B, held is wrong; we should use present tense and we also need to use that. Finally, D is wrong because we should not say a sperm oil since oil in a non-count noun and should not be used with a.

QUESTION 22• The remarkable progress made in the efforts to eradicate polio from the face of the

earth ______ because of cooperation among various nations. A. largely is possible B. being possible largelyC. been largely possibleD. has been possible largely

• D is the best answer. • First of all, we need a main verb since the main subject is progress and there is no

verb in the sentence. That leaves us with A and D. A is wrong for two reasons. First, the easiest thing to explain, is that we should use the present perfect, has been, for progress here because we can infer from this sentence that this progress is something that has been occurring for a long time and is still occurring in the present. 

• The second reason A is wrong is the placement of the adverb largely. Rules for adverbs are difficult in English! In this case, we need the adverb of frequency between the auxiliary verb has and the past participle been. One way to help we can remember this is to remember a simple sentence with an adverb of frequency, for example, My mother has always told me to work hard. If we can remember this sentence, we can remember the rule for adverbs of frequency.

• You need an article for every countable noun. 

QUESTION 23• The kitchens of many dormitories are common area and can be

used by all residents of the dormitory. A. many B. common areaC. can be usedD. by

• B is the best answer. Correction: common areas. • area is a singular count noun and it does not have a determiner (a,

the, my, some, John's, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.).• We need a determiner for every singular count noun or we need to

make it plural. This is one of the most common mistakes--we need to look at every underlined noun and figure out whether it is a count or non-count noun. If it is a count noun, is singular and does not have a determiner, then it is wrong.

QUESTION 24• Price of a new car can run anywhere from around $11,500 to $1

million or more. A. Price B. can runC. up toD. or more

• A is the best answer. Correction: The price. • Price is a singular count noun and it does not have a determiner (a,

the, my, some, John's, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.).• We need a determiner for every singular count noun or we need to

make it plural. This is one of the most common mistakes--we need to look at every underlined noun and figure out whether it is a count or non-count noun. If it is a count noun, is singular and does not have a determiner, then it is wrong.

QUESTION 25• Many mountain animals have hooves more ______ than similar

animals living on land. A. develop B. developingC. developedD. to develop

• C is the best answer. • This is another top five problem area! Here we have a reduced

adjective clause: hooves that are more developed reduces to hooves more developed. Also, we can't say more developing because it would mean hooves that are more developing. We should use more with the adjective developed to show the degree. If we wanted to use a comparative with developing, we would have to use a sentence like this: Many businesses in Asia and Latin America are developing more quickly than those in  Europe and North America.

QUESTION 26

• Many American tea kettles whistle when the ______ starts to boil. A. containing water inside B. water contained insideC. water containing insideD. contain water

• B is the best answer. • In this sentence, we need a subordinate subject

for the verb starts. Also, we have a reduced adjective clause: the water that is contained inside reduces to the water contained inside.

QUESTION 27• The great white shark earned nickname 'man eating shark' from its

tendency to attack and maim human swimmers. A. nickname B. fromC. to attackD. human swimmers

• A is the best answer. Correction: its nickname. • nickname is a singular count noun and it does not have a

determiner (a, the, my, some, John's, 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.).• We need a determiner for every singular count noun or we need to

make it plural. This is one of the most common mistakes--we need to look at every underlined noun and figure out whether it is a count or non-count noun. If it is a count noun, is singular and does not have a determiner, then it is wrong.

QUESTION 28

• The loyalty of dogs to their masters has earned ______ 'man's best friend.' A. the nickname of B. them the nicknameC. a nicknameD. nicknames

• B is the best answer. • earn takes two objects--a direct object and an

indirect object. In this sentence, the main subject is loyalty, the direct object is the nickname, and the indirect object is them.

QUESTION 29

• ______, the homing pigeon is now extinct. A. To be abundant B. It is abundantC. Once abundantD. In abundance

• C is the best answer. • Essentially, this is a reduced adjective clause: the

homing pigeon, which was once abundant, is now extinct reduces to the homing pigeon, once abundant, is now extinct which, in turn, can be changed to once abundant, the homing pigeon is now extinct. Remember, when we reduce an adjective clause, we keep the adverb.

QUESTION 30• Composed over 99% of the studied universe, hydrogen is by far the

most abundant element in the known universe. A. Composed B. by farC. the most abundantD. known universe

• A is the best answer. Correction: Composing. • Essentially, this is a reduced adjective clause: hydrogen, which

composes over 99% of the studied universe, is by far the most abundant element in the known universe reduces to hydrogen, composing over 99% of the studied universe, is by far the most abundant element in the known universe which, in turn, can be changed to Composing over 99% of the studied universe, hydrogen is by far the most abundant element in the known universe.