On the TOEFL test, questions about details require you to scan the passage for specific information using key words found in either the question or among the answers. This does not always work as many correct answers will be restatements, or paraphrases of information from the passage. Look at this example:

Questions 1-3

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5		 Sedimentary rocks were formed from grains or fragments of older rocks scrubbed off by erosion and washed by rivers downstream. Then, with accumulated masses of organic materials and sometimes volcanic ash, they were deposited at the edges of floodplains or shallow seas. Water seepage from above carried chemicals such as calcium and clay, which acted as cements to bind sediments together. But even with the proper ingredients, it took eons of pressure, heat, and chemical action to create the rocks we see today.
Sediments containing particles of sand produce sandstone, while fragments of shells and other remains of marine creatures form limestone. Ancient mud and silt deposits, when well compacted, form shales.
  1. The passage mentions all of the following in the formation of sedimentary rocks except
    • pieces of older rocks
    • water
    • earthquakes
    • pressure

Key vocabulary in the question, "formation," enables you to scan the text for the needed information. As you scan the first paragraph, you see the phrase "Sedimentary rocks were formed," tells you the answer is probably in the first paragraph. Another very important word in the question is except, which tells you that three of the choices are mentioned in the passage. A quick scan makes it easy to see that those words are mentioned and the third choice, "earthquakes," is not and is, therefore, the correct answer.

  1. According to the passage, which substances bound sediments together?
    • Organic materials
    • Calcium and clay
    • Fragments and shells
    • Shales

A key phrase in the question is "bound sediments together." In the passage, you can see key words from the question repeated in the phrase cements "to bind sediments together," so the correct answer is the second choice, "Calcium and clay." The three incorrect answer choices are all mentioned in the passage, but not in relation to the question.

  1. Which of the following is not mentioned as an example of sedimentary rock?
    • Granite
    • Sandstone
    • Shale
    • Limestone

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Exercise

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