TOEFL Reading 15

 

[1] The Stone Age consists of seven subdivisions, including the Paleolithic Age (from 2 million to 10,000 years BC) – about 3000 years after the Ice Age - and The Neolithic period (‘New’ Stone Age), from 1000 to about 2,500BC. The discovery of fossils indicates that scavenging and hunting began in the Stone Age. However, researchers believe that early humans lived not only on meat but also on plants from foraging in the forest. Ancient humans used skins and mats – made of leaves – to collect plants such as berries, seeds, and fruit. Archaeologists think that people used doughnut-shaped stones to serve as weights to make wooden digging sticks effective.
 

[2] The vast caverns of Lascaux, discovered in 1940, reveal the earliest human works of art. Along with the cave paintings of Spain and the discovery of stone tools, there is much evidence for the rich skills and culture that date back to ancient civilization. The art of stone tool-making first appeared around 2 million years ago. Many tools, however, were not just made of stone but also of bone, skin, and wood. Ancient humans used these tools to pulverize grain, cut grass and chop meat for cooking and eating.
 

[3] During the Stone Age, the development of domesticated plants is considered to have occurred in two stages: firstly, taking plant cuttings, particularly vines and root crops and secondly, using seeds based on grains which are more common in temperate zones. Starchy yams have been grown and processed as far back as 100,000 years ago in the Middle Stone Age. Observation and evidence date the consumption of yams back to Neanderthals in fact, as proven with fossilized deposits of yams in the teeth and gums of Neanderthal remains. Furthermore, archaeologists, such as Julio Mercader, have recovered several stone tools from caves in Mozambique that indicate that wild sorghum, bananas and wild oranges were consumed by humans.
 

[4] Cooking food makes it tastier to eat and easier to digest. Cooking could have been discovered by accident after wildfires burned food. Evidence of cooking, however, dates back to 12,500 years ago with the discovery of clay cooking pots in East Asia. Early cave art suggests that men hunted and women gathered food. Early foragers lived together to defend themselves from predators. People built huts to protect themselves from harsh weather and climate, and they used animal skins as clothing. The earliest clothing actually dates back to 26,000 years ago. As groups spent only a few hours searching for food and shelter, they would have had plenty of time for tool-making, socializing and artistic pursuits.
 

[5] The beginnings of science, art, and religion lie in the Stone Age period. People learned which plants were edible, developed herbal remedies and an awareness of the use of plants for other purposes began. Stone Age people studied the behaviour of animals, experimented with material for clothing and began to identify minerals for paint and tools.
 

[6] The cavern paintings in European and North Africa show hunting scenes as well as people dressed in animal skins and paint, such as the cave of at Vallon Pont-d'Arc in southern France. Researchers suggest that these markings show the first attempt at writing and counting. Religious belief at this time is unclear, although graves from around 100,000 years ago have stone implements and red-ochre powder, showing a reverence for their leaders and a possible belief in immortality.

1 Which of the following can be inferred from paragraph 1 about Stone Age people?

• Stone Age people were carnivores.
• Stone Age people were omnivores.
• Stone Age people wanted to eat plants and crops, but did not have the capacity to collect them.
• Stone Age people stopped hunting and became vegetarians.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: b
Your Selection: Not Answered

b is the correct answer because there is evidence to support this statement in paragraph 1:
'However, researchers believe that early humans lived not only on meat, but also on plants from foraging in the forest' (lines 5 and 6).

a is not the correct answer because lines 5 and 6 in paragraph 1 clearly indicate that humans did not only live on meat.

c is not the correct answer because lines 6 and 7 in paragraph 1 state that stone age people had the capacity to forage and collect food: 'Ancient humans used skins and mats – made of leaves – to collect plants such as berries, seeds and fruit'.

d is not the correct answer because lines 4 and 5 in paragraph 1 indicate that stone age people were hunters and gatherers: 'The discovery of fossils indicates that scavenging and hunting began in the Stone Age'.

2 In paragraph 2, why does the author mention the caves of Lascaux and Spain?

• The caves contain the first Stone Age tools.
• The caves suggest that Stone Age people made tools for hunting.
• The caves have painting that illustrate that Stone Age people had their own culture.
• The caves are the only remains of Stone Age time.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: c
Your Selection: Not Answered

c is the correct answer because there is evidence to support this idea in paragraph 2:
'The vast caverns of Lascaux, discovered in 1940, reveal the earliest human works of art. Along with the cave paintings of Spain and the discovery of stone tools, there is much evidence for the rich skills and culture that date back to ancient civilization'. (lines 1 to 3).

a is not the correct answer because there is no reference to this point in the passage
b is not the correct answer because although Stone Age people made tools for hunting, there is no evidence in the passage that the caves suggest this information.
d is not the correct answer because there is no evidence in the passage to suggest the caves are the only remains of Stone Age time.

3 According to paragraph 3, how have scientists proved that Neanderthals ate yams?

• They recovered stone tools that indicate Neanderthals used them to produce food from yams.
• They found tools and ancient yams in the caves of Mozambique.
• They found fossilized remains of yams dating back to the Middle Stone Age.
• They have fossilized deposits of yams in the teeth and gums of Neanderthals.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: d
Your Selection: Not Answered

d is the correct answer because there is evidence to support this statement in paragraph 3:
'Observation and evidence dates the consumption of yams back to Neanderthals in fact, as proven with fossilized deposits of yams in the teeth and gums of Neanderthal remains'.
(lines 6 to 8).

a is not the correct answer because although Neanderthals used tools, there is no reference in the passage to them using them to produce food from yams.

b is not the correct answer because although stone tools were found, no ancient yams were found in the caves of Mozambique.
'...have recovered several stone tools from caves in Mozambique that indicate that wild sorghum, bananas and wild oranges were consumed by humans'. (paragraph 3, lines 9 to 11).

c is not the correct answer because there is no evidence to support this statement.

4 According to paragraph 4, all of the following statements are true about Stone Age cooking, EXCEPT:

• Clay cooking pots were discovered in East Asia.
• Women probably searched for food and men hunted for meat.
• Stone Age people spent too much time searching for food to have time for creative pursuits.
• Cooking might have been discovered accidentally, after wildfires.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: c
Your Selection: Not Answered

c is correct because in fact, stone age people had time for creative pursuits and they did not spend 'too much' or excessive time searching for food:
As groups spent only a few hours searching for food and shelter, they would have had plenty of time for tool-making, socializing and artistic pursuits.
(paragraph 4, lines 8 - 10).

a, b and d are incorrect because they are all true statements from the passage
a>'Evidence of cooking, however, dates back to 12,500 years ago with the discovery of clay cooking pots in East Asia' (paragraph 4, Lines 2 to 4).
b> 'Early cave art suggests that men hunted and women gathered food'. (paragraph 4, Lines 4 and 5).
d> 'Cooking food makes it tastier to eat and easier to digest. Cooking could have been discovered by accident after wildfires burned food'. (paragraph 4, Lines 1 and 2).

5 Paragraph 5 supports which of the following statements about Stone Age culture:

• Stone Age culture was very limited, if not non-existent.
• Stone Age culture was quite developed with a rich awareness of plants, minerals and animals.
• Stone Age culture had no understanding of the vast use of plants.
• Stone Age culture indicates little development in science, art or religion.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: b
Your Selection: Not Answered

b is the correct answer because there is evidence to support this statement in paragraph 5:
'The beginnings of science, art and religion lie in the Stone Age period. People learned which plants were edible, developed herbal remedies and an awareness of the use of plants for other purposes began' (paragraph 5, lines 1 to 3).

a is not the correct answer because there it contradicts the first three sentences of paragraph 5.
c is not the correct answer because the statement also contradicts the fact that there was an 'awareness of the use of plant' in line 2, paragraph 5.
d is not the correct answer because the statement is in contradiction with the first line of paragraph 5: 'The beginnings of science, art and religion lie in the Stone Age period'.

6 The word 'reverence' in paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to:

• Religiousness
• Understanding
• Deep respect
• Shock

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: c
Your Selection: Not Answered

c is the correct answer because it is closest in meaning to the word 'reverence'.

a is not the correct answer because this word means 'devoutness to a religion'.
b is not the correct answer because this word means 'comprehension'.
d is not the correct answer because this word means 'great surprise'.

7 Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the following sentence?

Ancient humans used these tools to pulverize grain, cut grass and chop meat for cooking and eating.

• Stone Age people used these tools to eat cereals, cut grass and chop up meat for food.
• Stone Age people used these tools to get rid of cereals, cut grass and chop up meat for food.
• Stone Age people used these elements to cook cereals, cut grass and chop up meat to cook and eat.
• Stone Age people used these implements to refine cereals, cut grass and chop up meat to cook and eat.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: d
Your Selection: Not Answered

d is the correct answer because it is closest in meaning to the sample sentence ('refine' means to 'pulverise').

a is not the correct answer because it changes the meaning of the sentence by using different words.
b is not the correct answer because it also changes the meaning of the sentence by using different words.
c is not the correct answer because there is no reference in the sentence to 'cooking cereals'.

8 Which of the following is true according to the passage?

• a. Evidence shows that Stone Age culture was limited and indicates a transition from foraging to hunting.
• b. Evidence shows that Stone Age culture was harsh and there was little development in cooking or food production.
• c. Evidence shows that Stone Age culture was rich and indicates a transition from hunting to foraging and food production.
• d. There is no evidence of Stone Age culture but we make assumptions based on our theories.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: c
Your Selection: Not Answered

c is the correct answer because it is inferred in the passage:

Paragraph 1: 'The art of stone tool-making first appeared around 2 million years ago. Many tools, however, were not just made of stone but also of bone, skin and wood. Ancient humans used these tools to pulverize grain, cut grass and chop meat for cooking and eating.
Paragraph 2: 'However, researchers believe that early humans lived not only on meat, but also on plants from foraging in the forest'.

a is not the correct answer because there it inverts the idea of the passage by suggesting that Stone Age people transitioned from foraging to hunting.
b is not the correct answer because there it contradicts the points in the passage that in fact, cooking developed during the Stone Age period: 'Evidence of cooking, however, dates back to 12,500 years ago with the discovery of clay cooking pots in East Asia'.
d is not the correct answer because, according to the text, there is a great deal of evidence about Stone Age culture.

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

This is clear from the pictures in ancient caves showing people using paint and tools.

 

█ [A] The beginnings of science, art, and religion lie in the Stone Age period. █ [B] People learned which plants were edible, developed herbal remedies and an awareness of the use of plants for other purposes began. █ [C] Stone Age people studied the behaviour of animals, experimented with material for clothing and began to identify minerals for paint and tools. █ [D] .

• [A]
• [B]
• [C]
• [D]

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 1 point.

Correct Answer: b
Your Selection: Not Answered

b is correct because the sample sentence clearly follows the statement A 'The beginnings of science, art, and religion lie in the Stone Age period'. The word 'This' refers to 'The beginnings of science, art, and religion' in sentence A.

D is incorrect because, although it appears "this" refers to paint and tools, the previous sentence mentioned studying animals, experimenting with material, and identifying minerals for paint and tools. "this" would be referring to all those points, which would not be clear from pictures of people using paint and tools.

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.

 

The cavern paintings in European and North Africa show hunting scenes as well as people dressed in animal skins and paint, such as the cave of at Vallon Pont-d'Arc in southern France.

• A.The ancient cave paintings of Europe and North Africa indicate that Stone Age people had their own rich culture.
• B.The very beginning of writing and counting possibly began in the Stone Age.
• C.It’s possible that there was a beginning in religious belief and respect during the Stone Age.

 

• A.The ancient cave paintings of Europe and North Africa indicate that Stone Age people had their own rich culture.
• B.The very beginning of writing and counting possibly began in the Stone Age.
• C.It’s possible that there was a beginning in religious belief and respect during the Stone Age.
• D.Stone Age people developed the skills or reading and writing.
• E.There was a deep awareness and reverence for their leaders.
• F.Stone implements and red ochre powder were religious tools for ceremonies.

ANSWER EXPLANATION

Question is worth: 2 points.

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

a, b and c are the correct answers because there is evidence in the passage supporting each point.
a>'The cavern paintings in European and North Africa show hunting scenes as well as people dressed in animal skins and paint, such as the cave of at Vallon Pont-d'Arco in southern France'.
b>'Researchers suggest that these markings show a first attempt at writing and counting'.
c>'Religious belief at this time is unclear, although graves from around 100,000 years ago have stone implements and red-ochre powder, showing a reverence for their leaders and a possible belief in immortality'.

d is not the correct answer because there is no direct reference in the passage to the fact that Stone Age people developed both reading and writing.
e is not the correct answer because there is no direct reverence of an 'awareness' of Stone Age leaders.
f is not the correct answer because there is no statement that stone implements and red ochre powder were religious tools in ceremonies, although red ochre powder is mentioned in the passage.