TOEFL iBT Question type
Since NOT/EXCEPT questions involve factual information,the strategies are very similar to those for fact/detail questions.First,read the following short except about the music form called rock and roll, then review the strategies.
Rock and Roll
Rock and roll is a form of music that was invented in United States in the 1950s.It has become popular in the United States,Europe,and many other parts of the world.African-American performers like Richard,Fats Domino,Ray Charles,and big Joe Turner were among the first people to come out with true rock and roll,a combination of various elements from country and western,gospel,rhythm, blues,and jazz.The influence of early performers like bluesman Muddy Water,gospel performer Ruth Brown,and jazz musician Louis Jordan on rock and roll are still felt today.For example,songs early country legend Hank Williams affected musicians from early rock star Buddy Holly to 1980s rocker Bruce Springsteen.
At first,only small but growing segment of the population had heard the new musical form.In the segregated 1950s,African-American musical forms were not initially considered appropriate for white audiences.Therefore,much of U.S. population had not been exposed to them.All that changed,however when,in 1953,Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed began to play rhythm and blues to a largely non-African-American radio audience.Freed was successful and sold many records.The music spread and the term that Freed had adopted for the music-rock and roll-began to spread as well.
Teenagers,and the money they were willing to spend on records,provided an impetus for rock and roll. On their way to becoming rock stars,many performers copied songs from the original artists.For instance,Pat Boone scored a hit with a toned-down version of little Richard`s songs,"Tutti Frutti" causing Little Richard to comment,"He goes and outsells me with mt songs that i wrote."Elves Presley`s first television appearance in January 1956 marks rock and roll`s ascension into the world of pop music.
Strategy 1 : Identify the question type based on the clue words NOT or EXCEPT.
The words NOT and EXCEPT are always in capital letters to emphasize the type of question. Therefore,if you read the question carefully,you should recognize them easily.It`s important to emphasize the peculiar nature of NOT/EXCEPT questions.The correct answer is actually not mentioned in the passage, or it is different from what is written in the passage.As the clue words suggest,the correct answer to a NOT/EXCEPT question is not true in relation to the passage.For example,read the following sample question based on the passage above :
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as factor in the commercial success of early rock and roll?
A The use of different broadcast media
B The purchasing power of young enthusiasts
C The charismatic personality of disc jockey Alan Freed
D The exposure of non-African-American audience to African-American musical forms
This question can be confusing.Three of the four answer choices are accurate restatements of ideas in the passage.If you miss or forget the significance of NOT or EXCEPT,you may connect one of these answer choices with information in the passage and choose that answer,which would be a mistake.The correct choice is the one that is unmentioned or inaccurately paraphrased.
B The purchasing power of young enthusiasts
C The charismatic personality of disc jockey Alan Freed
D The exposure of non-African-American audience to African-American musical forms
This question can be confusing.Three of the four answer choices are accurate restatements of ideas in the passage.If you miss or forget the significance of NOT or EXCEPT,you may connect one of these answer choices with information in the passage and choose that answer,which would be a mistake.The correct choice is the one that is unmentioned or inaccurately paraphrased.
Strategy 2 : Identify a key idea or set of ideas in the question.
The word NOT/EXCEPT identifies the question type,but you must still find clues to the relevant sentence(s) in the passage.So,as you did for detail questions,you must choose key ideas (words,a phrase,or a clause) for which you will scan the passage.For example.the question mentions the key words factor,success and early.Rock and Roll can`t be considered too useful since it is part of the main topic of the passage.The term rock and roll is repeated too often,but the nouns factor and success are far more useful in identifying particular parts of the passage.However,remember that you must look for the ideas,not the exact words,since the passage will contain restatements.
Strategy 3 :
Identify a key idea or set of ideas in each answer choice if the question has none.
As is the case with detail questions,a NOT/EXCEPT question could include no key ideas
For example,the preceding question could be rewritten as follows :
All of the following are mentioned in the passage EXCEPT
A The use of different broadcast media
B The purchasing power of young enthusiasts
C The charismatic personality of disc jockey Alan Freed
D The exposure of non-African-American audience to African-American musical forms
As you can see,the question itself gives no clue about what idea(s) look for in the passage or where too look.Understandably,this makes the question more difficult to answer,for you must identify key ideas in each answer choice and scan for them individually.
Strategy 4 : Scan the passage for the key idea(s)
First use your outline or passage map as a guide.Then scan the passage to locate the relevant information based on the key ideas from the question and/or the answer choices.The following could be a possible outline of the excerpt form the rock and roll passage :
P1 : rock and roll,popular,combination of styles,influence
P2 : not all,change = Freed R&B to white Americans
P3 : teens,money,stars,copied songs,Elves on TV = pop music
The necessary information might be located in one paragraph,or it could be located in several different paragraphs throughout.The outline above indicates that the information about rock and roll`s success is probably in the second and third paragraphs.If you don`t find the information immediately,scan the whole passage as well as use your memory of your first reading to guide you.
Strategy 5 : Read the relevant sentences closely.
Read the passage closely,not quickly,when you find ideas related to the question.Don`t skin the passage,because you need to pay attention to the particular details related to identify place,time direction,sequence,reason/cause,effect/result,intention,number, and so on.Check the information in the passage with each answer choice,and eliminate any choice that accurately paraphrases the passage.
Strategy 6 : Choose the answer with missing,altered,or contradictory ideas.
The best choice for NOT/EXCEPT questions is the one that does not support or reflect information in the passage.The correct choice for this question type resembles one or several of the distracters for fact/detail questions.The correct choice could rearrange detail (actors,actions,states,objects,etc.) or it could add information that is not in the passage or that is the opposite of the information in the passage.For example,the correct answer to the sample question above is (C).Although Alan Freed is mentioned,the passage mentions nothing about his personality.
C The charismatic personality of disc jockey Alan Freed
D The exposure of non-African-American audience to African-American musical forms
As you can see,the question itself gives no clue about what idea(s) look for in the passage or where too look.Understandably,this makes the question more difficult to answer,for you must identify key ideas in each answer choice and scan for them individually.
Strategy 4 : Scan the passage for the key idea(s)
First use your outline or passage map as a guide.Then scan the passage to locate the relevant information based on the key ideas from the question and/or the answer choices.The following could be a possible outline of the excerpt form the rock and roll passage :
P1 : rock and roll,popular,combination of styles,influence
P2 : not all,change = Freed R&B to white Americans
P3 : teens,money,stars,copied songs,Elves on TV = pop music
The necessary information might be located in one paragraph,or it could be located in several different paragraphs throughout.The outline above indicates that the information about rock and roll`s success is probably in the second and third paragraphs.If you don`t find the information immediately,scan the whole passage as well as use your memory of your first reading to guide you.
Strategy 5 : Read the relevant sentences closely.
Read the passage closely,not quickly,when you find ideas related to the question.Don`t skin the passage,because you need to pay attention to the particular details related to identify place,time direction,sequence,reason/cause,effect/result,intention,number, and so on.Check the information in the passage with each answer choice,and eliminate any choice that accurately paraphrases the passage.
Strategy 6 : Choose the answer with missing,altered,or contradictory ideas.
The best choice for NOT/EXCEPT questions is the one that does not support or reflect information in the passage.The correct choice for this question type resembles one or several of the distracters for fact/detail questions.The correct choice could rearrange detail (actors,actions,states,objects,etc.) or it could add information that is not in the passage or that is the opposite of the information in the passage.For example,the correct answer to the sample question above is (C).Although Alan Freed is mentioned,the passage mentions nothing about his personality.
No comments: