Materi-materi TOEFL yang Perlu Kamu Pelajari

Kampung Inggris Bandung E-PLC – Tes bahasa Inggris sering kita temui untuk digunakan menjadi syarat untuk lulus atau bahkan memasuki sekolah baru, tempat kerja baru. Untuk menguji kemampuan bahasa Inggris kamu, ada beberapa tes yang bisa kamu ikuti, salah satunya adalah test TOEFL. Jika kamu mengikuti TOEFL jenis ITP maka kamu akan mengerjakan sebanyak 140 soal yang terdiri dari Listening, Structure and Writing Expression, and Reading. Mari kita lihat contoh-contoh soal dari masing-masing bagian tes, sehingga kamu nantinya terbayang untuk mempelajari materi TOEFL.

Contoh soal Listening

Kamu akan mendengar percakapan yang lebih panjang dalam speakers. Di setiap akhir percakapan, akan ada beberapa pertanyaan. Baik percakapan maupun pertanyaan tidak akan diulangi. Setelah kamu mendengar pertanyaan, simak 4 pilihan jawaban di kertas soal dan pilih yang seiranya tepat.

Jawab dalam lembar jawaban sesuai dengan pilihan jawaban yang kamu anggap tepat.

Pria: “Are you ready for “The Big Apple”?

Wanita: “Excuse me?”

Pria: “You know, New York City. You are going to New York with us, aren’t you? I wanted to show everybody around my old neighborhood.”

Wanita “Oh… sure! I wouldn’t miss it, especially when the tour guide is a native New Yorker.”

Pria: “I thought we could start at the Museum of Modern Art. Right now there’s an exhibit on twentieth-century American painters.”

Wanita: “Fine with me… but what were you saying about… a big apple?”

Pria: “The Big Apple.” It’s a nickname for New York. I think I heard once that it started with jazz musicians in the 20’s.”

Wanita“Oh.”

Pria: “Whenever they played a concert in a city, they called that city an “apple.” In those days, New York was the biggest city in the country, so they called it “The Big Apple.”

Wanita: “Hey, I have an idea! Let’s go to a jazz club while we’re there.”

Pria: “Sounds good.”

Pertanyaan 1: What is the man planning to see?

Pilihan jawaban:

1. An art exhibit.
2. A Broadway play.
3. A modern dance production.
4. An opera.

Jawaban yang tepat adalah (A) disimpulkan dari pernyataan speaker pria pada kalimat “I thought we could start at the Museum of Modern Art”, salah satu objek ternama di New York.

Pertanyaan 2: What can be inferred about the man?

Pilihan jawaban:

1. He is a jazz musician.
2. He wants to join the woman’s club.
3. He is in his twenties.
4. He was born in New York.

Jawaban dari pertanyaan kedua adalah (D) karena pada awal percakapan, speaker pria menyebut New York sebagai “my old neighborhood”.

Pertanyaan 3: What does the word “Apple” in the phrase “The Big Apple” refer to?

Pilihan jawaban:

1. An instrument.
2. A city.
3. A theater.
4. A concert.

Pertanyaan yang cukup menjebak karena ada banyak informasi yang diucapkan speaker pria mengenai The Big Apple, yang merupakan julukan untuk kota yang dikunjungi di masa tahun 1920an. Jawaban yang tepat adalah (B).

Pertanyaan 4: Who gave New York its nickname?

Pilihan jawaban:

1. Painters.
2. Tour guides.
3. Musicians.
4. Grocers.

Pertanyaan keempat senada dengan pertanyaan ketiga, terkait dengan sejarah bahwa musisi jazz pada zaman itu memberi julukan New York sebagai The Big Apple, sehingga jawaban yang tepat adalah (C).

Contoh Soal Structure and Writing Expression

Soal dari jenis written expression memang sedikit menjebak, tapi sangat akurat untuk mengetahui pemahaman kamu akan konsep dan struktur bahasa Inggris. Dalam contoh soal di bawah ini, setiap kalimat memiliki 4 kata atau frasa yang digarisbawahi. Semuanya ditandai dengan huruf (A), (B), (C), dan (D). Identifikasi satu kata bergarisbawah dan salah hingga perlu diubah untuk memperbaiki keseluruhan kalimat.

WRITTEN EXPRESSION

1. The earliest (A) stunt performers was traveling (B) entertainers and circus professionals (C), particularly (D)

Subjek dalam kalimat di atas bersifat plural yaitu “stunt performers” sehingga seharusnya pilihan jawaban (B) diikuti dengan kata “traveled” bukan “was traveling”.

2. Today modern textile mills can manufacture as much fabrics (A) in a few (B) seconds as it once took workers (C) weeks to produce (D) by hand.

Jawaban dari kalimat di atas yang kurang tepat adalah (A) karena “much” adalah kata untuk uncountable noun sehingga seharusnya kata benda yang digunakan adalah “fabric” bukan “fabrics”.

3. Despite (A) television is the dominant entertainment medium for United States households, Garrison Keillor’s Saturday night radio show (B) of folk songs and stories is (C) heard by millions (D) of people.

Kata “despite” dalam kalimat di atas kurang tepat karena seharusnya menggunakan “although” dan semacamnya, sebagai perbandingan bahwa acara radio Garrison Keillor lebih menarik di tengah hiburan dari televisi. Dengan demikian jawaban yang perlu diperbaiki adalah (A).

4. The work which (A) the poet (B) Emma Lazarus is best known is “The New Colossus”, which is inscribed (C) on the pedestal of (D) the Statue of Liberty.

Selain ada 2 kata “which” dalam kalimat di atas, seharusnya kata “which” di pilihan jawaban (A) menggunakan kata “where” agar lebih terpadu dengan seluruh struktur kalimat.

5. In (A) the New England colonies, Chippendale designs were adapted to locally (B) tastes, and beautiful (C) furniture resulted (D).

Kata dalam pilihan jawaban (B) seharusnya tidak menggunakan adverb locally melainkan kata sifat atau adjective “local” untuk menerangkan kata “tastes” yang mengikutinya.

6. A musical genius (A), John Cage is noted for high highly unconventional (B) ideas, and he respected (C) for his unusual compositions and performances (D).

Frasa dalam pilihan jawaban (C) adalah kalimat pasif sehingga diperlukan to be, dengan demikian kata yang tepat adalah “he is respected” bukan hanya “he respected” yang merupakan format kalimat aktif.

7. Antique collecting became (A) a significant pastime in the 1800’s when (B) old object (C) began to be appreciated for (D) their beauty as well as for their historical importance.

Seharusnya digunakan kata “objects” bukan “object” dalam pilihan jawaban (C) karena ada banyak objek antik yang dibicarakan dalam kalimat di atas.

8. American painter Georgia O’ Keeffe is well known as (A) her large paintings of flowers in which (B) single blossoms (C) are presented (D) as if in close-up.

Kata hubung “as” dalam pilihan jawaban (A) kurang tepat karena seharusnya menggunakan kata “of” untuk menunjukkan karya lukisan siapa yang sedang dibicarakan. Jika menggunakan “as”, seharusnya diikuti dengan subjek bukan kata benda.

STRUCTURE

Pertanyaan dalam bagian structure adalah kalimat yang tidak lengkap. Di antara tiap kalimat ada 4 pilihan kata atau frasa, ditandai dengan pilihan jawaban (A) hingga (D). Pilihlah satu kata yang paling tepat untuk melengkapi kalimat sebagai jawaban.

1. Because it was so closely related to communication, ____ art form to develop.

Pilihan jawaban:

1. drawing was probably the earliest
2. to draw early was probably
3. early drawing probably
4. the earliest draw

Pilihan jawaban (A) adalah yang paling tepat karena menjelaskan tentang “drawing” yang dalam kalimat di atas berperan sebagai kata benda.

2. Mahalia Jackson, ____ combined powerful vitality with great dignity, was one of the best-known gospel singers in the United States.

Pilihan jawaban:

1. it was her singing
2. which songs
3. who sang
4. whose singing

Bagian yang kosong dalam kalimat di atas perlu untuk menjelaskan cara bernyanyi dari Mahalia Jackson. Dengan demikian, kalimat yang tepat adalah “whose singing” yang ada dalam pilihan jawaban (D).

3. The best known books of Ross Macdonald, ____ writer of detective novels, feature the character Lew Archer, a private detective.

Pilihan jawaban:

1. is the
2. is an
3. they are by
4. the

Jawaban yang paling tepat adalah (D) karena menjelaskan subjek buku dari Ross Macdonald; tidak perlu menggunakan to be atau subjek lainnya.

4. A singer’s struggle to succeed in popular music is the kind of story ____ a fascinating film could be made.

Pilihan jawaban:

1. with
2. by
3. for whom
4. about which

Frasa yang tepat untuk melengkapi kalimat di atas adalah (D) yaitu “about which” yang menjelaskan bagaimana cerita kesuksesan bisa menjadi material cerita film yang menarik.

Contoh Soal Reading

Artikel berikutnya yang menjadi sumber latihan reading comprehension kamu adalah dunia parfum dan sejarahnya yang menarik.

Simak narasi di bawah ini untuk membantu kamu menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang ada di bawahnya. Selamat mencoba!

The craft of perfumery has an ancient and global heritage. The art flourished in Ancient Rome, where the emperors were said to bathe in scent. After the fall of Rome, much of the knowledge was lost, but survived in Islamic civilizations in the Middle Ages. Arab and Persian pharmacists developed essential oils from the aromatic plants of the Indian peninsula. They developed the processes of distillation and suspension in alcohol, which allowed for smaller amounts of raw materials to be used than in the ancient process, by which flower petals were soaked in warm oil. This knowledge was carried back to European monasteries during the Crusades.

At first, the use of fragrances was primarily associated with healing. Aromatic alcoholic waters were ingested as well as used externally. Fragrances were used to purify the air, both for spiritual and health purposes. During the Black Death, the bubonic plague was thought to have resulted from a bad odour which could be averted by inhaling pleasant fragrances such as cinnamon. The Black Death led to an aversion to using water for washing, and so perfume was commonly used as a cleaning agent.

Later on, the craft of perfume re-entered Europe, and was centered in Venice, chiefly because it was an important trade route and a centre for glass-making. Having such materials at hand was essential for the distillation process. In the late seventeenth century, trade soared in France, when Louis XIV brought in policies of protectionism and patronage which stimulated the purchase of luxury goods. Here, perfumery was the preserve of glove-makers. The link arose since the tanning of leather required putrid substances. Consequently, the gloves were scented before they were sold and worn. A glove and perfume makers’ guild had existed here since 1190. Entering it required 7 years of formal training under a master perfumer.

The trade in perfume flourished during the reign of Louis XV, as the master glove-and-perfume makers, particularly those trading in Paris, received patronage from the royal court, where it is said that a different perfume was used each week. The perfumers diversified into other cosmetics including soaps, powders, white face paints and hair dyes. They were not the sole sellers of beauty products. Mercers, spicers, vinegar-makers and wig-makers were all cashing in on the popularity of perfumed products. Even simple shopkeepers were coming up with their own concoctions to sell.

During the eighteenth century, more modern, capitalist perfume industry began to emerge, particularly in Britain where there was a flourishing consumer society. In France, the revolution initially disrupted the perfume trade due to its association with aristocracy, however, it regained momentum later as a wider range of markets were sought both in the domestic and overseas markets. The guild system was abolished in 1791, allowing new high-end perfumery shops to open in Paris.

Perfume became less associated with health in 1810 with a Napoleonic ordinance which required perfumers to declare the ingredients of all products for internal consumption. Unwilling to divulge their secrets, traders concentrated on products for external use. Napoleon affected the industry in other ways too. With French ports blockaded by the British during the Napoleonic wars, the London perfumers were able to dominate the markets for some time.

One of the significant changes in the nineteenth century was the idea of branding. Until then, trademarks had had little significance in the perfumery where goods were consumed locally, although they had a long history in other industries. One of the pioneers in this field was Rimmel who was nationalized as a British citizen in 1857. He took advantage of the spread of railroads to reach customers in wider markets. To do this, he built a brand which conveyed prestige and quality, and were worth paying a premium for. He recognised the role of design in enhancing the value of his products, hiring a French lithographer to create the labels for his perfume bottles.

Luxury fragrances were bly associated with the affluent and prestigious cities of London and Paris. Perfumers elsewhere tended to supply cheaper products and knock-offs of the London and Paris brands. The United States perfume industry, which developed around the docks in New York where French oils were being imported, began in this way. Many American firms were founded by immigrants, such as William Colgate, who arrived in 1806. At this time, Colgate was chiefly known as a perfumery. Its Cashmere Bouquet brand had 625 perfume varieties in the early 20th century.

1. The purpose of the text is to…

Pilihan jawaban:

1. compare the perfumes from different countries
2. describe the history of perfume making
3. describe the problems faced by perfumers
4. explain the different uses of perfume over time

Ide utama dari artikel di atas adalah menjelaskan sejarah pembuatan parfum, seperti yang tertera dalam jawaban (B).

2. Which of the following is NOT true about perfume making in Islamic countries?

Pilihan jawaban:

1. They created perfume by soaking flower petals in oil.
2. They dominated perfume making after the fall of Roman Empire.
3. They took raw materials for their perfumes from India.
4. They created a technique which required fewer plant materials.

Pilihan jawaban (A) adalah yang paling kurang tepat menggambarkan bagaimana pembuatan parfum di negara-negara Muslim, sementara pilihan lainnya sudah tepat.

3. What does “putrid” in paragraph 3 mean?

Pilihan jawaban:

1. bad-smelling
2. rare
3. prestigious
4. numerous

Kunci dari jawaban di atas terdapat pada kalimat yang menjelaskan bahwa perlu diberi pewangi setelah substansi “putrid” dihasilkan dalam proses pembuatan sarung tangan, sehingga jawaban yang tepat adalah (A).

4. Which city is being described in this sentence? “The perfume industry developed here because the city produced materials and equipment necessary for perfume production”.

Pilihan jawaban:

1. Paris
2. London
3. Venice
4. New York

Venice adalah kota yang dimaksud karena memiliki peran penting dalam proses distilasi mengingat perannya sebagai kota penghasil kaca, sehingga jawaban yang tepat adalah (C).

Nah, itulah contoh-contoh soal dari ketiga materi TOEFL, ini penting untuk kamu ketahui sebagai persiapan dan mulai mempelajari materi-materi TOEFL yang tepat dalam menghadapi soal-soal TOEFL, tetap semangat ya.