Kaplan's English/TOEFL Edge
Kaplan English Programs
In this issue:
TOEFL Practice
TOEFL Vocabulary
The English/TOEFL Edge
Sponsored by www.kaplanenglish.com.
Test-Taking Tips and Strategies
The TOEFL iBT, one year later
This month marks the first anniversary of the worldwide launch of the TOEFL iBT,* or internet-Based Test. Introduced in the United States on September 24, 2005, this much-anticipated format has replaced the TOEFL CBT (computer-based test) and PBT (paper-based test) versions around the world in all but a limited number of regions.
As you might expect, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) continues to review its first-year experience with the new format and has recently announced the following policy changes that should be of interest to future applicants:
* Pricing. In an attempt to correlate the TOEFL testing fee to the actual costs of administering the test in each locale, the ETS has announced a �differential-pricing� structure, which is also linked to regional economic conditions. On June 30, 2006, the fee for US administrations was increased from $140.00 to $150.00.
* Repeating the test. When the TOEFL iBT was first rolled out, test-takers were permitted to sit for the exam once in any calendar month. Effective August 1, 2006, this policy now permits testing once in any seven-day period. Note that electing to cancel your scores after any given administration does not cancel the waiting period before being eligible for a retest.
For a list of countries where the iBT has yet to be rolled out, visit the ETS website at: http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/countries_not_rolling_out.pdf.
TOEFL Practice
The reading section of the TOEFL iBT contains a number of questions that test your ability to correctly identify the referent for a given highlighted word. Even students who initially fumble this question type are quickly able to turn �struggle� into �success� by relying on these simple tips:
* With few exceptions, the referent precedes the highlighted word. Putting it another way, the highlighted word generally refers back to something or someone that was previously mentioned. Writers often use this technique as a means of avoiding redundancy.
* In order for his or her readers to properly connect the highlighted word to its referent, a good writer will place it in close proximity to that word.
* Don't overlook grammatical clues embedded in the highlighted word. As a general rule, the highlighted word and the referent must match in gender and number. If the highlighted word is plural (i.e., the pronoun 'they'), the referent must also be plural. In a case where the word indicates a particular gender (i.e., the pronoun 'he'), the referent can only be masculine.
*********
Consider this excerpt from the TOEFL Practice section above. Based on the tips you just read, try your hand at this referent question:
With few exceptions, the referent precedes the highlighted word. Putting it another way, the highlighted word generally refers back to something or someone that was previously mentioned. Writers often use this technique as a means of avoiding redundancy.
In order for his or her readers to properly connect the highlighted word to its referent, a good writer will place it in close proximity to that word.
In paragraph 2 above, the word it refers to
A. his or her readers
B. the highlighted word
C. its referent
D. this technique
TOEFL Vocabulary
Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes
Did you know that…an awareness of word prefixes, roots, and suffixes can actually help to improve your comprehension scores on Test Day?
It's interesting to note that some 80% of the lexicon of modern-day English, particularly academic English, has its origins in Greek and Latin. With a fundamental understanding of how such words are formed, English language learners can use this information not only for purposes of long-term vocabulary development but also for 'educated guessing' of the meanings of words in their particular contexts. Consider the following question:
Did the ancestors of first-generation Americans immigrate or emigrate?
* Look closely at the italicized words above. What smaller word is contained in each of these two terms? It's easy to see that they share a common root—the word 'migrate'.
* Search your internal "knowledge base" for other contexts in which this root word may be familiar to you…don't birds migrate south in winter? Okay, so 'migrate' probably has something to do with moving from one place to another.
* But what is the precise difference between the two terms? As you might have guessed, the answer lies in understanding the meaning of their respective prefixes.
* Work with your dictionary to complete this final step in the 'decoding' process; then use what you have learned to respond to the question posed above.
The answer will appear in next month's edition of the Edge—stay tuned!
*********
Solution to last month's vocabulary challenge
Is it possible to be a pedestrian pedestrian?
In a word, yes! As you continue to develop your academic English vocabulary, it's important to note that a substantial number of English vocabulary items can and do function as more than just a single part of speech—regular use of your dictionary will illustrate this point.
Looking at our example from last month's Edge, the adjective 'pedestrian' describes someone or something that is ordinary or commonplace in nature, whereas the noun 'pedestrian' refers to a person who moves about on foot. Since the grammatical function on adjective is to modify nouns, it is indeed possible to be 'a pedestrian (adj) pedestrian (n)', however unlikely it may be that we would actually use such a phrase in our speaking and writing.
The point is, of course, that you want your spoken and written language to be interesting and varied—anything BUT pedestrian! An awareness of the full range of grammatical variations for each vocabulary item that you acquire will help keep your readers or listeners (or, for that matter, the official TOEFL iBT graders) tuned in from your scintillating thesis statements right through to your captivating conclusions!
Back to Top
The Correct Answer to the Question above is: (C): its referent.
Back to Top
Kaplan English Programs and your local Kaplan Center
join together to wish each of our September test-takers success on the TOEFL iBT!
Making Subscription Changes:
You are receiving this email newsletter from Kaplan because you are currently a subscriber. To modify or cancel your subscription to the Kaplan Edge, go to http://www.kaptest.com/subscription.jhtml.
If you need additional help, please visit kaptest.com/contactus.
*TOEFL® is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service.
Copyright © 2006 by Kaplan, Inc., 1440 Broadway, New York, NY 10018
All Rights Reserved. Kaplan is a registered trademark of Kaplan, Inc.
In this issue:
TOEFL Practice
TOEFL Vocabulary
The English/TOEFL Edge
Sponsored by www.kaplanenglish.com.
Test-Taking Tips and Strategies
The TOEFL iBT, one year later
This month marks the first anniversary of the worldwide launch of the TOEFL iBT,* or internet-Based Test. Introduced in the United States on September 24, 2005, this much-anticipated format has replaced the TOEFL CBT (computer-based test) and PBT (paper-based test) versions around the world in all but a limited number of regions.
As you might expect, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) continues to review its first-year experience with the new format and has recently announced the following policy changes that should be of interest to future applicants:
* Pricing. In an attempt to correlate the TOEFL testing fee to the actual costs of administering the test in each locale, the ETS has announced a �differential-pricing� structure, which is also linked to regional economic conditions. On June 30, 2006, the fee for US administrations was increased from $140.00 to $150.00.
* Repeating the test. When the TOEFL iBT was first rolled out, test-takers were permitted to sit for the exam once in any calendar month. Effective August 1, 2006, this policy now permits testing once in any seven-day period. Note that electing to cancel your scores after any given administration does not cancel the waiting period before being eligible for a retest.
For a list of countries where the iBT has yet to be rolled out, visit the ETS website at: http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/TOEFL/pdf/countries_not_rolling_out.pdf.
TOEFL Practice
The reading section of the TOEFL iBT contains a number of questions that test your ability to correctly identify the referent for a given highlighted word. Even students who initially fumble this question type are quickly able to turn �struggle� into �success� by relying on these simple tips:
* With few exceptions, the referent precedes the highlighted word. Putting it another way, the highlighted word generally refers back to something or someone that was previously mentioned. Writers often use this technique as a means of avoiding redundancy.
* In order for his or her readers to properly connect the highlighted word to its referent, a good writer will place it in close proximity to that word.
* Don't overlook grammatical clues embedded in the highlighted word. As a general rule, the highlighted word and the referent must match in gender and number. If the highlighted word is plural (i.e., the pronoun 'they'), the referent must also be plural. In a case where the word indicates a particular gender (i.e., the pronoun 'he'), the referent can only be masculine.
*********
Consider this excerpt from the TOEFL Practice section above. Based on the tips you just read, try your hand at this referent question:
With few exceptions, the referent precedes the highlighted word. Putting it another way, the highlighted word generally refers back to something or someone that was previously mentioned. Writers often use this technique as a means of avoiding redundancy.
In order for his or her readers to properly connect the highlighted word to its referent, a good writer will place it in close proximity to that word.
In paragraph 2 above, the word it refers to
A. his or her readers
B. the highlighted word
C. its referent
D. this technique
TOEFL Vocabulary
Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes
Did you know that…an awareness of word prefixes, roots, and suffixes can actually help to improve your comprehension scores on Test Day?
It's interesting to note that some 80% of the lexicon of modern-day English, particularly academic English, has its origins in Greek and Latin. With a fundamental understanding of how such words are formed, English language learners can use this information not only for purposes of long-term vocabulary development but also for 'educated guessing' of the meanings of words in their particular contexts. Consider the following question:
Did the ancestors of first-generation Americans immigrate or emigrate?
* Look closely at the italicized words above. What smaller word is contained in each of these two terms? It's easy to see that they share a common root—the word 'migrate'.
* Search your internal "knowledge base" for other contexts in which this root word may be familiar to you…don't birds migrate south in winter? Okay, so 'migrate' probably has something to do with moving from one place to another.
* But what is the precise difference between the two terms? As you might have guessed, the answer lies in understanding the meaning of their respective prefixes.
* Work with your dictionary to complete this final step in the 'decoding' process; then use what you have learned to respond to the question posed above.
The answer will appear in next month's edition of the Edge—stay tuned!
*********
Solution to last month's vocabulary challenge
Is it possible to be a pedestrian pedestrian?
In a word, yes! As you continue to develop your academic English vocabulary, it's important to note that a substantial number of English vocabulary items can and do function as more than just a single part of speech—regular use of your dictionary will illustrate this point.
Looking at our example from last month's Edge, the adjective 'pedestrian' describes someone or something that is ordinary or commonplace in nature, whereas the noun 'pedestrian' refers to a person who moves about on foot. Since the grammatical function on adjective is to modify nouns, it is indeed possible to be 'a pedestrian (adj) pedestrian (n)', however unlikely it may be that we would actually use such a phrase in our speaking and writing.
The point is, of course, that you want your spoken and written language to be interesting and varied—anything BUT pedestrian! An awareness of the full range of grammatical variations for each vocabulary item that you acquire will help keep your readers or listeners (or, for that matter, the official TOEFL iBT graders) tuned in from your scintillating thesis statements right through to your captivating conclusions!
Back to Top
The Correct Answer to the Question above is: (C): its referent.
Back to Top
Kaplan English Programs and your local Kaplan Center
join together to wish each of our September test-takers success on the TOEFL iBT!
Making Subscription Changes:
You are receiving this email newsletter from Kaplan because you are currently a subscriber. To modify or cancel your subscription to the Kaplan Edge, go to http://www.kaptest.com/subscription.jhtml.
If you need additional help, please visit kaptest.com/contactus.
*TOEFL® is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service.
Copyright © 2006 by Kaplan, Inc., 1440 Broadway, New York, NY 10018
All Rights Reserved. Kaplan is a registered trademark of Kaplan, Inc.
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9/27/2006 10:50:00 PM
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