By mastering the skill of active reading, you'll be able to not only find the most important informa¬tion in a passage but also effectively answer the questions that follow. After all, you get no points on the TOEFL for simpJy rending the passages; you get points only for answering the questions. | Template 2 Choose an Option Question The second type of task on the TOEFL presents you with two options. You ll have to decide which one is best and support your decision. Here s an example. Some universities give financial aid in the form of grants which don t have to be paid back whereas others provide financial assistance in the form of loans which must be paid back. Which option do you think is better and why Support your decision with reasons and examples. Here s the template we ll use. State option I think It s better to offer students loans Reason 1 1 prefer loans because they make the student responsible. Specific detail for reason 1 A student who has to pay back a loan becomes personally responsible for his or her education. Reason 2 Furthermore loans are safer for the school. Specific detail for reason 2 Grants require the school to give away large amounts of money and there is no guarantee that the school will get the money back. Reason 3 Lastly a student with a loan is probably more likely to stay in school. Specific detail for reason 3 If the student doesn t complete the degree it will be harder to pay back the money. Try out this template. As before keep track of your time. Give yourself 15 seconds to prepare and 45 seconds to respond. CRACKING THE SPEAKING SECTION 2 S Some people believe that universities should requireindents to take classes on ethics whereas others believe a school should focus only on academic issues. Which do you think is better Support your decision with reasons and examples. State option Reason 1 Specific detail for reason 1 Reason 2 Specific detail for reason 2 Reason 3 Specific detail for reason 3 You can try out this template on your own as well. Newspaper editorial pages often present two sides of an issue. Also political issues are good practice. Template 3 Summarize an Opinion Question The third type of task requires you to read a brief passage and listen to a conversation about it. You ll then have to summarize the .
