TOEFL Reading Practice Test 2026 – 30 Advanced Questions

Question 1: Passage: ‘The Neolithic transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settled agricultural communities fundamentally altered human social organization.’ The word ‘transition’ most nearly means:

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  Reversal
  
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  Collapse
  
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  Shift
  
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  Discovery
  

Question 2: According to the passage, what was the PRIMARY effect of the Neolithic agricultural transition?

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  Decline in population
  
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  Fundamental change in social organization
  
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  Increased nomadic travel
  
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  Elimination of trade routes
  

Question 3: The author uses the word ‘fundamentally’ in line 1 most likely to:

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  Suggest the change was temporary
  
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  Emphasize the depth and permanence of the change
  
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  Indicate scientific uncertainty
  
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  Qualify a controversial claim
  

Question 4: Passage: ‘While early astronomers relied on naked-eye observation, modern telescopes equipped with adaptive optics can resolve details smaller than 0.05 arcseconds.’ What does ‘resolve’ mean in this scientific context?

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  Decide
  
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  Distinguish clearly
  
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  Eliminate
  
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  Repair
  

Question 5: The phrase ‘naked-eye observation’ implies that early astronomers:

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  Used primitive magnifying lenses
  
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  Relied solely on unaided human vision
  
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  Worked only at night
  
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  Had access to basic telescopes
  

Question 6: Passage: ‘Coral reefs, often called the rainforests of the sea, support approximately 25% of all marine species despite covering less than 1% of the ocean floor.’ The analogy ‘rainforests of the sea’ primarily serves to:

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  Compare ocean temperatures to rainforest climates
  
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  Illustrate that coral reefs are extremely biodiverse
  
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  Show that reefs grow in tropical zones
  
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  Highlight the danger of deforestation for reefs
  

Question 7: Based on the coral reef passage, which conclusion is best supported?

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  Coral reefs are declining due to pollution
  
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  Coral reefs are disproportionately important for marine biodiversity
  
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  Ocean floors are mostly covered by reefs
  
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  Marine species rarely interact with reefs
  

Question 8: Passage: ‘Neuroplasticity research has demonstrated that the adult brain retains far greater capacity for structural reorganization than previously assumed.’ The word ‘assumed’ suggests that:

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  Scientists were certain about earlier beliefs
  
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  Earlier scientific beliefs have been revised
  
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  The brain’s structure never changes
  
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  Neuroplasticity is a new field
  

Question 9: Which sentence, if added to the neuroplasticity passage, would MOST strengthen the author’s main point?

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  The brain weighs approximately 3 pounds
  
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  Studies show stroke patients can relearn lost skills through targeted therapy
  
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  Neurons were discovered in the 19th century
  
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  Some animals have larger brains than humans
  

Question 10: Passage: ‘The Industrial Revolution, though accelerating economic growth, simultaneously created unprecedented levels of urban poverty and labor exploitation.’ The author’s tone is best described as:

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  Enthusiastically supportive
  
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  Critically balanced
  
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  Harshly condemnatory
  
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  Nostalgically positive
  

Question 11: The phrase ‘unprecedented levels’ in the Industrial Revolution passage implies:

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  Previous generations experienced similar poverty
  
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  Urban poverty had never existed before the industrial era
  
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  The poverty was historically unusual in its scale
  
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  Poverty was expected by economists of that era
  

Question 12: Passage: ‘Unlike fossil fuels, which release sequestered carbon rapidly, renewable energy sources operate within the existing carbon cycle.’ The word ‘sequestered’ most nearly means:

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  Stored away
  
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  Burned
  
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  Released
  
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  Converted
  

Question 13: According to the renewable energy passage, the key distinction between fossil fuels and renewables is:

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  Cost of energy production
  
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  Impact on the existing carbon cycle
  
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  Geographic availability
  
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  Energy output per unit
  

Question 14: Passage: ‘The placebo effect demonstrates that patient expectations and psychological states can produce measurable physiological changes.’ Which of the following best restates this idea?

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  Physical symptoms are always psychosomatic
  
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  Mind and body interact in ways that affect physical health outcomes
  
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  Patients who expect to improve always recover faster
  
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  Medical treatments are less effective than placebos
  

Question 15: The passage on placebo effect implies that medical researchers should:

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  Ignore patient psychological states
  
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  Consider psychological factors when designing treatment protocols
  
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  Prescribe only placebos for minor illnesses
  
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  Eliminate expectation bias from all studies
  

Question 16: Passage: ‘Mitochondria, often described as cellular power plants, generate ATP through oxidative phosphorylation in their inner membrane.’ What is the PRIMARY function of mitochondria as described?

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  Storing genetic information
  
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  Producing cellular energy
  
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  Controlling protein synthesis
  
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  Regulating cell division
  

Question 17: The phrase ‘oxidative phosphorylation’ serves primarily to:

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  Simplify the concept for general readers
  
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  Provide the technical name for the ATP-generation process
  
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  Argue for a particular scientific theory
  
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  Contrast mitochondria with chloroplasts
  

Question 18: Passage: ‘Ancient Rome’s decline has been attributed to a constellation of factors, including military overextension, economic instability, and political corruption.’ The metaphor ‘constellation of factors’ suggests:

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  The factors were astronomical in scale
  
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  Multiple interconnected causes contributed to Rome’s fall
  
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  The causes were unrelated to each other
  
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  Roman astronomers predicted the decline
  

Question 19: According to the Rome passage, which explanation for Rome’s decline is NOT mentioned?

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  Military overextension
  
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  Economic instability
  
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  Religious conflict
  
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  Political corruption
  

Question 20: Passage: ‘Keystone species exert influence on ecosystems disproportionate to their biomass.’ ‘Disproportionate to their biomass’ means:

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  Their influence equals their physical size
  
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  Their impact is greater than their physical size would suggest
  
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  They consume more resources than other species
  
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  They reproduce more rapidly than other species
  

Question 21: Which of the following would be the best example of a keystone species based on the passage?

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  A large whale that migrates seasonally
  
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  A small predator whose removal causes dramatic ecosystem collapse
  
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  A plant that covers 40% of a forest floor
  
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  A fish species with the largest population in a lake
  

Question 22: Passage: ‘The printing press democratized access to information that had previously been restricted to clerical and aristocratic elites.’ ‘Democratized’ most nearly means:

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  Politicized
  
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  Made widely available
  
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  Restricted
  
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  Simplified
  

Question 23: The printing press passage implies that before its invention:

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  Books were free for anyone to purchase
  
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  Only clergy and aristocrats could read books
  
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  Information spread rapidly through oral culture
  
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  Paper was not yet invented
  

Question 24: Passage: ‘Unlike descriptive linguistics, which documents language as it is used, prescriptive linguistics attempts to establish rules for how language should be used.’ The passage primarily draws a distinction based on:

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  The age of each linguistic approach
  
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  Whether each approach judges or describes language use
  
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  The geographic focus of each school
  
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  The languages each approach studies
  

Question 25: Passage: ‘Quantum entanglement allows particles to remain correlated regardless of distance, a phenomenon Einstein famously called spooky action at a distance.’ Einstein’s phrase ‘spooky action’ suggests he:

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  Enthusiastically accepted quantum mechanics
  
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  Was skeptical of or unsettled by the phenomenon
  
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  Discovered quantum entanglement himself
  
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  Believed particles communicated instantaneously
  

Question 26: Based on the quantum entanglement passage, which is the best inference?

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  Einstein and quantum physicists agreed on all fundamental issues
  
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  There was tension between Einstein’s intuitions and quantum mechanical findings
  
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  Particles can communicate faster than light
  
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  Entanglement has been definitively disproven
  

Question 27: Passage: ‘While social media platforms claim to connect communities, critics argue they paradoxically increase social isolation by replacing deep interactions with superficial digital contact.’ A ‘paradox’ is:

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  A proven scientific fact
  
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  An apparent contradiction that may be true
  
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  An exaggerated comparison
  
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  An established social norm
  

Question 28: The author of the social media passage would most likely agree that:

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  Social media has no negative effects
  
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  Digital connection cannot fully replace face-to-face interaction
  
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  Social media should be banned globally
  
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  Young people are addicted to all technology
  

Question 29: Passage: ‘The Coriolis effect, caused by Earth’s rotation, deflects moving air and water masses to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.’ The Coriolis effect is caused by:

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  Ocean currents
  
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  Gravitational pull of the moon
  
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  Earth’s rotation
  
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  Solar wind pressure
  

Question 30: Which title best reflects the overall focus of a passage about the Coriolis effect, neuroplasticity, and coral reefs?

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  Economic Factors in Natural Systems
  
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  How Physical Forces Shape Natural and Biological Systems
  
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  Ancient History and Modern Science
  
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  Climate Change and Its Consequences