English Test Preparation TOEFL Sentence Completion Exam Actual Questions

It is ironic and somehow tragic that good people are often dull while evil people can be endlessly

Correct Answer: D 🗳️
The word "ironic" signifies a contradiction of ideas within the sentence, and the conjunction "while:" indicates that the characteristics of the good people and the evil people are being contrasted. Therefore, if the good people are often 'dull', the evil people must be having a characteristic which is the opposite of being 'dull'.
Among the given choices, it is only the word 'fascinating' that is opposite in meaning to the world 'dull'. So, D is the answer.

Because most of them lack recreational facilities, high rise apartments have been criticized in recent years as _______ for families with children.

Correct Answer: A 🗳️
The use of conjunction because in the beginning of the sentence shows that there is no contradiction within the sentence but, on the contrary, the second part of the sentence follows logically from the first part. If high rise buildings are 'important', 'inevitable' or 'appropriate' for families with children, they cannot be 'criticized' for that reason. So, C, D and E can be rejected straightway, and the choice is only between A and B. The lack of recreational facilities in most high-rise buildings cannot lead to a conclusion that all high-rise buildings are 'degrading' for families with children. The logical statement can be that such buildings are 'unsuitable' for families with children. So, A is the best choice.

Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, which graphically exposed the _______ of the indiscriminate use of pesticides, is widely credited with having _______ the modern environmental movement.

Correct Answer: C 🗳️
The word 'exposed', and the phrase 'indiscriminate use of pesticides', imply that the first missing word must be one which stands for something bad that is associated with the use of pesticides. So, the choices 'advantages' and 'benefits' can be ruled out first. Since the phrase 'deaths of the indiscriminate use of pesticides' does not make sense, the choice 'deaths' can also be ruled out, leaving 'hazards' {meaning 'risks') and dangers as the only possible choices for the first missing word. If the pair 'hazards., defused' is chosen, the sentence would mean that the exposure of the hazards of using pesticides defused (or weakened) the modern environmental movement, which is illogical. The pair 'dangers., inspired' completes a cogent and logical sentence.

Having turned out forty solo recordings, this hardworking harpsichordist can almost be classed as

Correct Answer: E 🗳️
The harpsichordist (a musician who plays the instrument harpsichord) referred to in the sentence is described as hardworking, and is stated to have turned out as many as forty solo recordings. He can therefore not be classed as a contradiction, or a sluggard (meaning a lazy person) or an apprentice. Classifying him as an event is not as appropriate as classifying him as an industry by himself. So, E is the answer.