Finding+Accurate+Stated+Information

In the Reading section of the iBT TOEFL test, you may be asked questions about factual infor­mation. The answers to these multiple-choice questions are often restatements of what is given in the passage. This means that the correct answer often expresses the same idea as what is written in the passage but that the words are not exactly the same. The answers to these ques­tions are generally given in order in the passage, and the questions generally indicate which paragraph contains the answers, so the answers are not too difficult to locate. **The following chart outlines the key information that you should remember about questions ** 
 * IDENTIFY THE QUESTION
 * FIND THE ANSWER
 * ANSWER THE QUESTION

 According to paragraph X ... It is stated in paragraph X ... It is indicated in paragraph X ... It is mentioned in paragraph X ...





** Look at an example of a factual information question. **
 * || ** Reading passage: Ghost Words **
 * || ** Reading passage: Ghost Words **

A ghost word is a nonexistent word that has made its way into a reference work by mistake. One well-known example of a ghost word is the word Dord, which appeared in a 1934 American dictionary defined as density, as it is used in physics and chemistry. Dord was added to the dictionary when a typesetter who was making entries into the dictionary misread the entry 0 or d and typed it as Dord. In reality, the letter d (or its capitalized version) was used to refer to density in physics or chemistry. When the error was discovered, the ghost word Dord was removed from the dictionary. Not all ghost words are recognized as errors, removed from reference works, and forgotten. One example of a well-established ghost word is the word syllabus. The Roman writer Cicero had correctly used the Latin word syllabus in his writings to refer to the title and author label on a manuscript. In a 1470 edition of Cicero's works, syllabus was miswritten as syllabus; the miswritten ghost word syllabus has now achieved status as a commonly used word referring to an outline of the contents of a course. ||  || ** Example 1: **  According to paragraph 1, the word Dord: ** a. ** has appeared in numerous physics and chemistry texts <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">** b. ** was mistakenly added to a dictionary <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">** c. ** can be used in physics and chemistry to refer to density <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">** d. ** can still be found in dictionaries <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">The question asks you to answer a question // according to paragraph I, //which means that the correct answer is factual information from the first paragraph. It is stated in the first para­graph that // Dord was added to the dictionary when a typesetter. //.. // misread the entry //D // or //d. This means that the word // Dord //was mistakenly added to a dictionary. To answer this question, you should click on the second answer. <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">Now look at another example of a factual information question. <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #008080; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">** Example 2: ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;"> It is indicated in paragraph 2 that the word // syllabus // <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">** a. ** was used by Cicero <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">** b. ** today refers to a label on a manuscript <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">** c. ** came about as a misspelling of a different word <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">** d. ** appeared in dictionaries in the fourteenth century <span style="color: #525253; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small; vertical-align: baseline;">The question asks about what is // indicated //in paragraph 2, which means that you are being asked about factual information in the second paragraph. It is stated in paragraph 2 that // in a 1470 edition of Cicero's works, //syllabus // was miswritten as //syllabus. This means that the word // syllabus //came about as a misspelling of a different word. To answer this question, you should click on the third answer.