TOEFL Reading 11

 

[1] Unlike animal migration, which typically involves groups of animals moving back and forth between seasonal habitats, human migration involves the movement of people who intend to leave one area for good and settle in a new one. This does not include travel for the purposes of pleasure or business; nor does it include nomadism, which is a decreasingly common lifestyle that involves moving from place to place (often in the search for resources) but with no intention of settling permanently or semi-permanently in any one place.

[2] Although migration, and “immigration” – or the movement to a new country, is a common feature of the 21st-century globalized economy, mass human migration is not limited to modern times. Rather, it is a continually recurring development in human societies. Human migration began with the movement of Homo sapiens throughout the African continent 150,000 years ago, out of Africa 80,000 years ago, and into Asia and Australia 40,000 years ago. Since those first prehistoric migrations, human history the world over has continued to be a story of movement. Traditional history books invariably feature maps of different times showing arrows representing mass migrations. In fact, the history of virtually every part of the world, besides the original site of human evolution in Africa, is tied up with migration.

[3] Of course, economic development has brought a whole new impetus for human movement, as well as the methods of transport that facilitate it. Beginning with the industrial revolution, people migrated from the countryside to cities to work in the new factories (migration within a country is often called internal migration). This movement marked the beginning of an ever-increasing trend of economic migration, in which people move in search of better employment opportunities or better wages. And today’s global economy, it is unsurprising to find groups of hard-working immigrants remitting money home, where job prospects are slimmer and lower-paying.

[4] Migrating in search of employment is only one of what is known as “pull” factors in migration theory. Pull factors are those attractive aspects of a destination country – or region – that are appealing to migrants. Of course, employment and money are common pull factors, but so is an overall higher standard of living. This explains, in part, why much human migration takes place from less developed to more developed economies or regions. The reason seems obvious: people go where life is better (or perceived to be better, since migrants face a whole new set of obstacles in their new homes that they may not have anticipated). It is not only immediate job prospects that are attractive but also an education that can enhance future employment opportunities. A better standard of living may include pull factors related to health and safety; for example, many people resettle for better medical care and overall greater safety to life and person.

[5] Jobs and money are economic factors in migration. But the idea of safety leads us into other general reasons for migration. Safety may be related either to environmental factors, or socio-political factors. That is, migrants may see their destination as providing an environment that is more stable and safer than the one they are leaving, or they may be seeking a political system that is less arbitrary or authoritarian, with greater assurances of civil liberty and basic protection. But it is wrong to think that migrations take place only out of a sense of urgency about security; consider the mass of North American senior citizens who, in their retirement, choose to migrate to locations with warmer weather. It’s not that their life is at imminent risk in a place with four seasons, but simply that they prefer sunnier climes. Of course, implicit in any decision to migrate is a comparison between two places: seeking a place of greater freedom, or better weather, means escaping a place of lesser freedom, or worse weather, which brings us to “push” factors in migration.

[6] Push factors are those related to the area or country that a migrant is leaving. That is, they are aspects of a place that make people want to leave it (in some cases, they are forced to leave). Many push factors are economic, including lack of job opportunities and rampant inflation. Others may be socio-political, such as cruel or authoritarian governments, leaders, or political systems that mistreat their citizens or rely on torture and repression to inspire fear. Environmental push factors may include natural disasters, or the possibility of them, including tropical storms, earthquakes, floods, and drought. Still, other factors may be cultural.

1 Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence? Incorrect answer choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

Although migration, and “immigration” – or the movement to a new country, is a common feature of the 21st century globalized economy, mass human migration is not limited to modern times.

• Mass migrations are only a modern occurrence, a result of 21st century economic globalization.
• Immigration is very familiar in the 21st century economy, but mass human migrations have happened throughout history.
• Mass human migration has happened for a long time, although it is less common today than it used to be.
• People can now move, or immigrate, from country to country in a much less limited fashion than they used to.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: b
Your Selection: Not Answered

To choose the correct answer, we need two key ideas: migration is common in the 21st century, and migration is not limited to modern times. The relationship between these ideas is expressed with “although.”

(A) is incorrect because “although” does not express a relationship of cause and result, and this choice states the opposite of the original, that migration is only modern.

(B) is correct. This choice contains the two basic ideas, and joins them with “but,” which can express the same relationship as “although.”

(C) is incorrect because the original sentence does not say that migration is less common today, only that it has occurred at all times in history.

(D) is incorrect. This choice uses the word “limited,” which is used in the original, but incorrectly. The original does not say people are more limited now, only that migration is not limited to modern times.

2 The word 'it' in paragraph 3 refers to:

• economic development
• human movement
• transport
• impetus

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: b
Your Selection: Not Answered

In this sentence, “it” is the object of “facilitate,” which means to make something easier. And the thing that makes “it” easier is “methods of transportation.” So what is made easier through methods of transportation?

(A) is incorrect. Economic development influences “it,” but economic development is not “it.”

(B) is correct. Earlier in the sentence, human movement is said to have a whole new impetus. That means the focus is on making human movement happen, and methods of transportation certainly facilitate human movement.

(C) is incorrect. Methods of transport can, perhaps, facilitate transport, but that makes the sentence confusing and awkward.

(D) is incorrect. “Impetus” is a motivating force. The impetus for something actually facilitates it, so “it” is not impetus.

3 The factors that lead to migrants moving to a place for better job opportunities or higher pay can be categorized as

• socio-political pull factors
• economic push factors
• environmental push factors
• economic pull factors

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: d
Your Selection: Not Answered

The answer choices indicate different types of factors. Note that the discussion of moving for job opportunities is discussed in paragraph 3, and paragraph 4 follows this with a discussion of other “pull” factors.

(A) is incorrect because moving for jobs is not socio-political, but economic; it is, however, a pull factor.
(B) is incorrect because, while moving for a job is “economic,” it is not a “push” factor.
(C) is incorrect because moving for jobs is neither environmental nor a push factor.
(D) is correct.

4 What can be inferred from paragraph 4 about economic migrants?

• They are largely educated people.
• They are less concerned about standard of living than about safety.
• They typically migrate in large groups.
• They don’t always have an accurate preconception of their destination.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: d
Your Selection: Not Answered

This is an inference question, so the information will not be stated directly. Instead, we need to interpret the information and draw a logical conclusion. But we should be careful not to assume too much. Sometimes the correct answer to an inference question is just a subtle restatement or summary of a key idea.

(A) is incorrect. The only indication of the migrant’s education level might be the sentence that says “It is not only immediate job prospects that are attractive, but also the education that can enhance future employment opportunities.” That sentence, however, might suggest that they are largely uneducated, or not as well educated as they wish to be.

(B) is incorrect. Both standard of living and safety are mentioned as concerns, but they are not compared.

(C) is incorrect. This is a dangerous answer. It is tempting because it is an idea that we might believe to be true, that migrants move in large groups. They often do. But nothing in the paragraph suggests this.

(D) is correct. The paragraph mentions that migrants “perceive” the new place to be better and “face a whole new set of obstacles in their new homes that they may not have anticipated.” If they have not anticipated some things, then that means they don’t always have an accurate preconception (literally: before thought / idea) of the place.

5 Which of the following would be a socio-political factor for migration?

• the desire for greater civil liberty and basic protection
• the desire for better weather
• the desire for improved education
• the desire for higher wages

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: a
Your Selection: Not Answered

In paragraph 5, the author mentions the following about socio-political factors:

they may be seeking a political system that is less arbitrary or authoritarian, with greater assurances of civil liberty and basic protection.

Correctly identifying this section makes the question easy.

(A) is correct because it correctly matches what is stated clearly in the passage.
(B) is incorrect, because weather might be an environmental factor, not a socio-political one.
(C) is incorrect, since earlier it is said that education is economic.
(D) is incorrect because higher wages is clearly an economic issue.

6 The author mentions “North American senior citizens” in paragraph 5 in order to

• compare environmental and socio-political factors
• show that not all migration is impelled by fear or trouble
• illustrate the importance of environmental factors
• introduce the idea of “push” factors in migration

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: b
Your Selection: Not Answered

If we find “North American senior citizens” in the passage, we see the following:

But it is wrong to think that migrations take place only out of a sense of urgency about security; consider the mass of North American senior citizens who, in their retirement, choose to migrate to locations with warmer weather. It’s not that their life is at imminent risk in a place with four seasons, but simply that they prefer sunnier climes.

The gist of this statement is that senior citizens aren’t in danger, but they just want nice weather. Focus on the first sentence in the above section and we can figure out why the author mentions them.

(A) is incorrect. We might think there is a contrast or comparison, because we see “but.” However, this doesn’t compare these two types of factors; it only shows that migration is not just inspired by danger.

(B) is correct. The American senior citizens are given as an example of the idea in the first sentence, which says it is wrong to think that all migration comes through a sense of urgency. This means that not all migration is impelled by fear or trouble, just as senior citizens looking for nice weather show us.

(C) is incorrect. The point is simply that not all migration is for terrible reasons, not about the importance of environment.

(D) is incorrect. Just because push factors is the next topic in the passage doesn’t mean that this is used to introduce it. Instead, it is related to the idea just before it. The final sentence of paragraph 5 is the one that introduces push factors.

7 The word 'imminent' in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to:

• impending
• impossible
• impertinent
• important

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: a
Your Selection: Not Answered

This sentence is about senior citizens, whose lives are not at “imminent” risk. The point is that they are not in danger.

(A) is correct, since “impending” means about to happen. The point is that these people are not facing immediate, or imminent, or impending risk.

(B) is incorrect. It is confusing to say they do not face impossible risk. If risk is impossible, nobody can face it.

(C) is incorrect. “Impertinent” can either mean irrelevant, which doesn’t match the context, or “not showing respect,” which also doesn’t match the context or the word “risk.”

(D) is incorrect. “At important risk” simply isn’t a correct English collocation.

8 Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an example of a push factor in migration?

• inflation
• cruel government
• natural disasters
• job opportunities

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: d
Your Selection: Not Answered

To answer a “NOT” question, we must eliminate answer choices that are mentioned.

(A) is mentioned in the third sentence (“rampant inflation”), so this is wrong.
(B) is mentioned in the fourth sentence (“cruel or authoritarian governments”).
(C) is mentioned in the second to last sentence (beginning with “Environmental push factors include…”).
(D) is not mentioned as a push factor, but rather as a pull factor discussed earlier in the passage, so this is correct.

Many students are confusing the lack of job opportunities, found in paragraph 6, with answer choice D.

"Many push factors are economic, including lack of job opportunities"

When you are lacking something, that is negative, so the lack of job opportunities means there are little to no job opportunities.

All push factors are negative, so if there is a lack of job opportunities, then it is a push factor, and if there are job opportunities, it's a pull factor.

Therefore, D, job opportunities is NOT mentioned as a push factor. :)

9 Examine the four █ in the selection below and indicate at which block the following sentence could be inserted into the passage:

For example, a group of people may not be permitted to practice their religion and so migrate to a place with more religious freedom.

 

Push factors are those related to the area or country that a migrant is leaving. █ [A] That is, they are aspects of a place that make people want to leave it (in some cases, they are forced to leave). Many push factors are economic, including lack of job opportunities and rampant inflation. █ [B] Others may be socio-political, such as cruel or authoritarian governments, leaders, or political systems that mistreat their citizens or rely on torture and repression to inspire fear. Environmental push factors may include natural disasters, or the possibility of them, including tropical storms, earthquakes, floods, and drought. █ [C] Still other factors may be cultural. █ [D] .

• [A]
• [B]
• [C]
• [D]

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: d
Your Selection: Not Answered

The inserted sentence is an example (“for example”). To find the right place, we must consider what not being able to practice your religion might be an example of. Perhaps something cultural? Also remember not to break the connection between two related ideas by cramming this sentence between them.

(A) is incorrect. While this example might be a push factor, it is awkward to introduce push factors then go straight into religious reasons. Besides, this would break the connection
between the first sentence and “That is,” which introduce an explanation of that first sentence.

(B) is incorrect because religion is not related to economic factors.

(C) is incorrect because religion is not related to environmental factors, as discussed in the sentence before this point.

(D) is correct, because the sentence before briefly mentions “cultural factors,” of which religious freedom could certainly be one example.

10Directions: An introductory sentence for a brief summary of the passage is provided below. Complete the summary by selecting the THREE answer choices that express the most important ideas in the passage. Some sentences do not belong in the summary because they express ideas that are not presented in the passage or are minor ideas in the passage. This question is worth 2 points.

Drag your answer choices to the spaces where they belong. To remove an answer choice, drag it back. To review the passage, click VIEW TEXT.

 

Migration is when people leave one place to settle in a new place.

• A.Economic pull factors are a major reason why people migrate, as they are searching for a better life and higher standard of living.
• C.Migration has occurred throughout human history in all parts of the world, caused by both push and pull factors.
• D.Besides economic reasons, there are also environmental, cultural, and socio-political motivators for migration.

 

• A.Economic pull factors are a major reason why people migrate, as they are searching for a better life and higher standard of living.
• B.Some senior citizens migrate because they are looking for better weather.
• C.Migration has occurred throughout human history in all parts of the world, caused by both push and pull factors.
• D.Besides economic reasons, there are also environmental, cultural, and socio-political motivators for migration.
• E.In some cases, people are forced to leave one place and therefore must find a new place to live.
• F.In a globalized world, migration is responsible for increasing diversity in many countries, particularly in Europe and North America.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 2 points.

Correct Answer: a,c,d
Your Selection: Not Answered

Remember with a summary question to choose the answers that relate to the main idea of one or more paragraphs and avoid simple details.

(A) is correct, since it identifies the main ideas of paragraphs 3 and 4.

(B) is incorrect because, while this may be true, it is a minor detail and not a main idea.

(C) is correct, since it summarizes the basic historical ideas in Paragraph 2 and identifies both push and pull factors, which are main ideas.

(D) is correct, since it correctly identifies the main reasons for migration which receive explanation throughout the passage.

(E) is incorrect. This is true, but only a detail that fits into the larger themes of the passage.

(F) is incorrect. Increasing diversity is not actually related to the main purpose of the passage, which is about why people migrate, not about demographic changes that result from migrations.