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TOEFL iBT Test practice test paper

Reading Practice Set 1: Passage and Questions

Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions. Give yourself 20 minutes to complete this practice set.

Paragraph 1 The city of Teotihuacán, which lay about 50 kilometers northeast of modern-day
Mexico City, began its growth by 200 –100 B.C. At its height, between about A.d.
150 and 700, it probably had a population of more than 125,000 people and covered
at least 20 square kilometers. It had over 2,000 apartment complexes, a great
market, a large number of industrial workshops, an administrative center, a number of
massive religious edifices, and a regular grid pattern of streets and buildings. Clearly,
much planning and central control were involved in the expansion and ordering of this
great metropolis. Moreover, the city had economic and perhaps religious contacts
with most parts of Mesoamerica (modern Central America and Mexico).
How did this tremendous development take place, and why did it happen in the
Teotihuacán Valley? Among the main factors are Teotihuacán’s geographic location
on a natural trade route to the south and east of the Valley of Mexico, the obsidian1
resources in the Teotihuacán Valley itself, and the valley’s potential for extensive
irrigation. The exact role of other factors is much more difficult to pinpoint—for
instance, Teotihuacán’s religious significance as a shrine, the historical situation
in and around the Valley of Mexico toward the end of the first millennium B.C.,
the ingenuity and foresightedness of Teotihuacán’s elite, and, finally, the impact of
natural disasters, such as the volcanic eruptions of the late first millennium B.C.
This last factor is at least circumstantially implicated in Teotihuacán’s rise. Prior to
200 B.C., a number of relatively small centers coexisted in and near the Valley of
Mexico. Around this time, the largest of these centers, Cuicuilco, was seriously
affected by a volcanic eruption, with much of its agricultural land covered by lava.
With Cuicuilco eliminated as a potential rival, any one of a number of relatively
modest towns might have emerged as a leading economic and political power
in Central Mexico. The archaeological evidence clearly indicates, though, that
Teotihuacán was the center that did arise as the predominant force in the area by
the first century A.d.
It seems likely that Teotihuacán’s natural resources—along with the city elite’s ability
to recognize their potential—gave the city a competitive edge over its neighbors.
The valley, like many other places in Mexican and Guatemalan highlands, was
rich in obsidian. The hard volcanic stone was a resource that had been in great
demand for many years, at least since the rise of the Olmecs (a people who
flourished between 1200 and 400 B.C.), and it apparently had a secure market.
Moreover, recent research on obsidian tools found at Olmec sites has shown
that some of the obsidian obtained by the Olmecs originated near Teotihuacán.
Teotihuacán obsidian must have been recognized as a valuable commodity for
many centuries before the great city arose.

Paragraph 5 Long-distance trade in obsidian probably gave the elite residents of Teotihuacán
access to a wide variety of exotic goods, as well as a relatively prosperous
life. Such success may have attracted immigrants to Teotihuacán. In addition,
Teotihuacán’s elite may have consciously attempted to attract new inhabitants. It
is also probable that as early as 200 B.C. Teotihuacán may have achieved some
religious significance and its shrine (or shrines) may have served as an additional
population magnet. Finally, the growing population was probably fed by increasing
the number and size of irrigated fields.
The picture of Teotihuacán that emerges is a classic picture of positive feedback
among obsidian mining and working, trade, population growth, irrigation, and
religious tourism. The thriving obsidian operation, for example, would necessitate
more miners, additional manufacturers of obsidian tools, and additional traders
to carry the goods to new markets. All this led to increased wealth, which in turn
would attract more immigrants to Teotihuacán. The growing power of the elite, who
controlled the economy, would give them the means to physically coerce people
to move to Teotihuacán and serve as additions to the labor force. More irrigation
works would have to be built to feed the growing population, and this resulted in
more power and wealth for the elite.
1obsidian: a type of volcanic glasslike rock used for manufacturing tools and ceremonial objects

Directions: now answer the questions.

1. The word “massive” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to
(A) ancient
(B) carefully planned
(C) very large
(d) carefully protected

2. In paragraph 1, each of the following is mentioned as a feature of the city of
Teotihuacán between a.D. 150 and 700 eXCePT
(A) regularly arranged streets
(B) several administrative centers spread across the city
(C) many manufacturing workshops
(d) apartment complexes

3. The word “pinpoint” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
(A) identify precisely
(B) make an argument for
(C) describe
(d) understand





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