Tugas Softskill (Reading comprehension)

How to do english reading test

Problem shaped multiple choice or multiple-choice tests are often encountered in Reading Comprehension in English language tests such as TOEFL. Here's how the test worked :

1. Should note the time that you need to do the test (20 minutes per section / sections in TOEFL)
2. Read the entire contents of the text quickly without stopping to understand a single word. First read is to obtain a general idea about the reading.
3. Refer to the text for the second time with more caution. This is when you can stop for a moment on the part may be more difficult.
4. Then, quickly read the question without looking at the answer. See if you can answer it yourself easily. Drive through the question that you can not directly jwab.
5. Refer back to questions and multiple choice answers. Skip difficult questions.
6. If you can not find an answer similar to your own answers (step 4) in question, see reading again.
7. After you answer each question, go back to reading to find any justification for your answer.
8. Later, back on the last question you can not answer directly and see if you can do it now.
9. Finally, if you still have time left, check the answer that may not be included in the text in detail

Tips:
• If you find a text that is easy, do step 3 before step 4.
• Do not ever spend any time on any one question.
• Do not worry about understanding every word in the text as Reading Comprehension focuses on common understanding.

Example :

1.  What does the passage mainly discuss?

     (A) The advantages of using wood in the colonies

     (B) The effects of an abundance of wood on the colonies
     (C) The roots of the Industrial Revolution

     (D) The difference between charcoal iron and coke iron

answer to question No. 1 is, we do not need to read the whole passage. Read only the first sentence of each paragraph. The first thing that must be considered for the type of question that asks whether the topic is the passage in question or topic each topic paragraphnya? Inquire about the topics above passage means that we must find an answer that includes all the existing paragraph in the passage.

In this case the correct answer is B because the passage discusses the plentiful supply of wood in the colonies and the advantages and disadvantages this INVOLVED. Answer A is incorrect because only advantages alone while also discusses the disadvantages passage (paragraph 4), answer C is wrong because the focus is Industrial Revolution. Answer D is wrong because the focus is the difference between charcoal iron with coke iron.

2. The word strikingly in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to

(A) realistically.

(B) dramatically.

(C) completely.

(D) immediately.

This is the point in reading about the new first refers to the passage. Inquire about the above types of vocabulary so focus only on the sentence that contains the word in question. In this matter in question is said Strikingly, the sentence that contains the word is the technology of the North American colonies did not Strikingly Differ from that of Europe, but in one respect, the colonists enjoyed a great advantage.

From the above context, the meaning of the word Strikingly approach dramatically. Details of how we can know the meaning of the word-diartikel will be discussed next article. The exact meaning of the word can only be obtained from a sentence that uses the word, Guessing Meanings from Contacts.

3. Which of the following is a common assumption about the forests of North America during the colonial period?

(A) They contained only a few types of trees.

(B) They existed only along the Atlantic seaboard.

(C) They had little or no economic value.

(D) They covered the entire continent.

Problem on the key word is common Assumption, so we scan first to get the meaning of the sentence containing the answer then. From the first sentence of the second paraghraph "The first colonists did not, as many people imagine, find an entire continent covered by a climax forest." This we can determine the correct answer. Answer surely distinguished D.

4. According to the passage, by the end of the colonial period, the price of wood in eastern cities

(A) rose quickly because wood was becoming so scarce.

(B) was much higher than it was in Britain.

(C) was slightly higher than in previous years.

(D) decreased rapidly because of lower demand for wood.

Problem on the price of wood key words, scan the sentence that contains the meaning and obtained "By the end of the colonial era, the price of wood had risen slightly in eastern cities. . . "The last sentence of paragraph 2. New specify the correct answer, and the answer is C. Slightly higher = had risen slightly

Still strong to continue the discussion on this blog toefl trick? Let us go straight to the next question which is about the number 5. Please refer to and watch carefully the following explanation!

5. What can be inferred about houses in Britain during the period written about in the passage?

(A) They were more expensive than American houses.

(B) They were generally built with imported materials.

(C) They were typically smaller than homes in North America.

(D) They were usually built from materials other than wood

Problem is the key word houses, so scan the sentence that contains the word or the meaning of the word.  "Houses and all manner of buildings were made ​​of wood to a degree unknown in Britain." So the answer is D.

sources:
http://beginerboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/cara-mengerjakan-test-reading-english.html
http://kumpulan-soal-dan-jawaban.blogspot.com/2014/04/contoh-soal-toefl-reading-comprehension.html

Tugas softskill bahasa inggris 2

STRUCTURE TOEFL

Structure is a fundamental, tangible or intangible notion referring to the recognition, observation, nature, and permanence of patterns and relationships of entities. 

What is " stucture " ?

Whatever the field of science in which you worked , you would know about the concept of " structure " . In the engineering disciplines , sociology , anthropology , art , mathematics , economics , geography , and all branches of science known concept and the term ' structure ' with different definitions . But if we look carefully , there is a common thread of all the definitions of the different concepts such .

A ' structure ' certainly presupposes the existence of three main things , namely :

1 ) parts / elements / structure -forming elements

2 ) linkages / relationships between elements / elements / sections

3 ) law / order / specific pattern that binds all the elements / elements / parts

Therefore ' structure ' implies three things mentioned above , then the same way the questions on the Structure & Written Expression is also presupposes three things . Therefore, the smallest unit being tested are sentences ( not paragraphs as in section 3 ) , then we should be able to recognize :

1 ) sentence -forming elements

2 ) relationships between elements sentence

3 ) the pattern of binding of all these elements .

example :

 A camel ______________ 30 gallons of water in ten minutes .

( a) it can drink

( b ) a large drink of

( c ) can drink

( d ) with a drink of

If seen , the above sentence contains components Subject ( ' A camel ' ) but no Verb its components ( in Indonesian we know this component as a predicate ) . So we have to find a Verb in the options provided . Of the four options , there are 2 options are NOT Verb , that option ( b ) and ( d ) , so that automatically we will ignore these two options . Answer choices ( a) contains a Verb , but still contains the Subject , that 'it ' . Because the sentence already contains Subject , option ( a) is therefore also wrong . The answer to the question above is ( c ) , considering this is the only option that contains the verb . Remember , in the 2nd part TOEFL ( Structure) answer to the question should be fit to answer the question , If the omitted verb , then seek Verb , should not be less ( no load Verb ) or more ( contain other components that are not needed ) .

About Subject and Verb

The main components of a sentence in English is Subject ( S ) and verb ( V ) . However, the term Verb (verb ) here commensurate with the predicate in Indonesian . Let us look at the following illustration :

Sentence : I'm hungry .

Subject : I

Predicate : hungry

The above sentence consists of two words , ' I ' and ' hungry ' . In the Indonesian sentence is grammatically acceptable . Judging from the type he says , components subject ' I ' is the pronoun ( Pronoun or pronouns ) , and consists of a predicate adjective ( adjective ) ' hungry ' . A sentence which contains only one form of subject pronouns and adjectives form a predicate or noun ( N ) is possible in the Indonesian .

However, unlike the case in English . The phrase ' I am hungry . ' in Indonesian is not the same as " I hungry ' , although I = I , and hungry = hungry . sentence should English is " I am hungry . " Now , that sentence contains ' am ' between I ( i ) and hungry ( hungry ) . in other words , there is an additional component in the English tongue predicate .

So far we know ' am ' as one of the 'to be' . However, if viewed in the dictionary entry ' be ' categorized as a verb ( verb ) . Therefore , the striking difference between the predicate Indonesi language and English is that the English predicate must contain a verb ( verb ) , and therefore we will refer to the basic components of English sentences as Subject & Bases Verb ( S + V ) , is no longer the S + P.

Now let's see , how many types of verb that can fill the components ' predicate ' in English :

1 ) To be : is , am , are , was , were , be , been , being .

2 ) Finite verb : drive , walk , write , say , and other variants such as says , walks , writes , drives , sleeps , and others . Included in this is kelopok 2nd form of the verb ( V2 / past ) , namely , drove , slept , wrote , said , walked , etc. .

3 ) modals : can , may , must , should , would . shall , will

4 ) Auxiliary verb : do , does, did , as well as other variants such as have , had , has .

There is no regular expressions in English which do not contain any of the groups listed above or a combination thereof . Remember : Verb form - ing ( sleeping , driving , walking , writing, etc. ) are not included in the above group considering the use of this word has rules of its own .

Now try the following questions :

The President ______________ the election by a landslide .

( a) won

( b ) he won

( c ) yesterday

( d ) fortunately

S - V Agreement , Appositive , and the Object of Preposition

Unlike in Indonesian , in English subject must be in conformity with the Verb . For example , in the sentence ' She is writing a letter ' subject ' She' and the verb ' is writing ' accords , because if I replace it with ' are writing ' , then the subject is not in conformity with the verb . Questions relating to the suitability pretty much found the TOEFL .

In general , in the context of some of the Simple Present Tense and the Past , S and V must be compatible . For example :

We are students .

We have been waiting for him for more that five hours .

She was eating dinner when I arrived .

Consider another example :

The value of precious gems is determined by their hardness and brilliance .

Although the remote location of S and V as in the example sentence above , they still have to be compatible .

In general, a short way to memorize these concepts are :

S + V + s - s

S - s + V + s

This means that if S contains the letter ' s' ( plural , eg Brothers ) then V is not using the letter ' s' ( eg work , not works ) . Vice versa . Examples .

My brothers work at the post office .

My brother works at the post office .

Apposition ( Appositive ) is a word or group of words that typically do not contain S and V , the meaning of which is equal to S , or explain S. He could be placed between the S and V are flanked by two commas , or can also be placed before the S and separated by a comma.

example :

Influenza , a common disease , has no cure .

Its apposition : 'a common disease'

or it could be :

A common disease , influenza has no cure .

Meanwhile , an S shall not contain prepositions ( preposition ) like ' at , on , in , of , with' etc. . If on an S we find the next word , then it is not included as part of S. For example , if the S is : ' The value of precious gems ' then calculated as S to be adjusted to V ( see SV Agreement ) is the part before the preposition , namely ' the value' course , remember the words which afterwards preceded by the preposition ' of ' .

So if S ' The value of precious gems ' have V ' Determines ' then S and V are NOT accords . Do not be fooled by the plural form after the preposition . Beware , participants often stuck .

It should also be noted that there exist some S which requires V is singular or plural . It is however a few exceptions . For example :

The number of single V wants .........

The number of female doctors is ..... ( not ' are ' )

A number of the Multi V desires .............

A number of students are ...... ( not ' is ' )

Uptake Words from Latin and Greek following also have irregular patterns :

Single : medium --- > media ( plural )

               bacterium --- > bacteria

               datum --- > data

               alumnus - > Alumni

               radius --- > radii

               algae - > algae

               vita - > vitae

               phenomenon - > phenomena

               criterion - > criteria

               index - > indeces

TENSES

Therefore it is only 2 forms of time alone , PAST and PRESENT , then on the TOEFL questions about tenses only two tenses are struggling in this course . Why is that ? Of the four forms of the verb , V1 , V2 , V3 , and V - ing , only V1 and V2 was related to time .

example :

1 ) She is writing a letter ( PRESENT )

2 ) She was writing a letter ( PAST )

Explanation : in sentence 1 ) : words in V that shows Present is ' is ' ( V1 ) is not ' writing ' ; in sentence 2 ) : words in V that shows is the Past ' was ' ( V2 ) instead of ' writing ' . Try to see if the form - ing ' writing ' to change due to time ? He replied NO ! ! To be honest , we often get caught saying that the existing V - ing that it is PRESENT . From now on let us understand that the V - ing that there is no relation whatsoever with the PRESENT .

Another example :

1 ) She has written her thesis .

2 ) She had written her thesis .

Explanation : in sentence 1 ) the word ' has ' ( V1 ) showed PRESENT , not ' written ' ; in sentence 2 ) kata'had ' ( V2 ) shows the PAST , not ' written ' . Once again , we sometimes get stuck as PAST understand the V3 , but V3 has nothing to do with the PAST .

In the TOEFL , questions about tenses only revolve around the issue of whether the V shape is in conformity with the context of the sentence or not ; and it was just about the only form of PAST and PRESENT . example :

In the Milkyway Galaxy , the most recently observed supernova has Appeared in 1604.

                                                                                                                                          

Verb ' has Appeared ' in the above sentence is not appropriate , given the marker 's time is past , namely 1964.

FORMULA relating to USING VERBS

Each verb has four forms , namely V1 , V2 , V3 , and V - ing . Each verb when used as a predicate , it means the verb has an S on the left or right side , there are certain formulas that need to be understood and , of course , be memorized :

S + V1 / s : They write letters every week .

                             She writes a letter every week .

The use of V1 directly after the S , can not use to be or has , have , had .

S + V2 : She wrote a letter last week .

The use of V2 also directly after the S !

S + to be + V - ing : She is writing a letter .

The use of V - ing should always be accompanied by one of the forms to be when used as a predicate . Remember : if NOT as a predicate , then V - ing may not use to be .

Example : The boy standing in the corner is naughty .

The word ' standing ' in the sentence above is NOT the one of a predicate ,

S + has / have / had / to be + V3 : She has written a letter .

Use of V3 must always be accompanied by Has / have / had / to be when used as a predicate ! Remember : if NOT as a predicate , then V3 must be ' alone ' .

Example : The letter written last week arrived today .

The word ' written ' in the sentence above is NOT a Verb , but only an Adjective . Verb ( predicate ) sentence above is ' arrived ' .

Source: http://popi-irawan.blogspot.com/p/section-ii.html