TOEFL Reading Practice: Passages, Question Types & Study Plan

If you're looking for toefl reading practice, here's the short version: the TOEFL iBT Reading section (2023 redesign, still current for 2026) has 2 passages, 10 questions each, 35 minutes total, no extra passage and no extra time. Below you'll find the exact format, all 10 question types, a full sample passage with worked explanations, and a 4-week plan.

TOEFL Reading Section Format

Since the 2023 redesign, every TOEFL iBT Reading section has exactly 2 academic passages (roughly 700 words each) with 10 questions per passage — 20 questions total, 35 minutes. There is no longer an unscored "dummy" passage and no extra time is added for it. This format is the same whether you take the test at a test center or TOEFL iBT Home Edition; the Home Edition simply changes the delivery location, not the section structure.

The 10 TOEFL Reading Question Types

ETS groups Reading items into these official types: factual information, negative factual information, inference, rhetorical purpose, vocabulary, reference, sentence simplification, insert text, prose summary, and fill-in-a-table. The first eight are worth 1 point each; prose summary and fill-in-a-table carry partial credit (see scoring below).

Free Sample Passage with Answer Explanations

Passage (adapted, ~320 words): "The Spread of Urban Trees"

Cities plant trees for shade, beauty, and cooling, but urban trees face harsher conditions than forest trees. Sidewalk soil is compacted, often lacking the air pockets roots need to absorb water and nutrients efficiently. Heat radiating from pavement raises root-zone temperatures well above those in open soil, stressing species unaccustomed to such conditions. Road salt used in winter also seeps into soil near streets, and many common trees are not salt-tolerant.

Despite these challenges, certain species consistently survive. London plane trees, for example, tolerate compacted soil and pollution better than most. Their thick, flaking bark sheds pollutants along with old bark, a trait that likely helps explain their prevalence along busy avenues worldwide. City planners increasingly favor such resilient species over ornamental trees that thrive only in controlled nursery conditions.

Still, resilience has limits. Even salt-tolerant trees can die if salt accumulates over many winters without adequate rain to flush it from the soil. Some cities have responded by switching to alternative de-icers or installing permeable pavement that allows better drainage and aeration. These interventions are costly, though, and many municipalities simply accept shorter urban tree lifespans as a tradeoff for the benefits trees provide.

Q1 (Factual Information): According to the passage, why is sidewalk soil harmful to tree roots? A) It lacks air pockets needed for water and nutrient absorption — Correct, stated directly in paragraph 1. B) It contains no nutrients at all — Wrong; the passage says compaction limits absorption, not that nutrients are absent. C) It is too shallow for roots — Not mentioned. D) It attracts pests — Not mentioned.

Q2 (Vocabulary): The word "resilient" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to: A) decorative — Wrong; that's the opposite (ornamental trees are decorative). B) hardy — Correct; resilient trees survive harsh conditions, matching "hardy." C) expensive — Not supported. D) rare — Not supported; resilient trees are described as common.

Q3 (Inference): What can be inferred about ornamental trees? A) They require nursery-like, controlled conditions to thrive — Correct, implied by the contrast with resilient species. B) They tolerate road salt well — Contradicts the passage. C) They are never planted in cities — Too extreme; passage says planners "increasingly favor" alternatives, not that ornamentals are never used. D) They have thick bark — Not stated.

Q4 (Rhetorical Purpose): Why does the author mention London plane trees' bark? A) To explain a mechanism behind their pollution tolerance — Correct; the bark-shedding detail supports the claim about pollutant resistance. B) To compare bark thickness across species — No comparison is made. C) To describe their appearance for aesthetic reasons — Not the purpose; it's functional, not decorative. D) To criticize city planners — Not relevant.

Q5 (Negative Factual Information): According to the passage, which is NOT a response cities have made to salt damage? A) Switching de-icers B) Installing permeable pavement C) Removing all roadside trees — Correct; this is not mentioned as a response. D) Accepting shorter tree lifespans

How TOEFL Reading Is Scored

Most questions are worth 1 point for a correct answer and 0 for an incorrect one. Prose summary and fill-in-a-table questions are worth more than 1 point and award partial credit — for example, a prose summary item may require selecting 3 correct answers out of 6 choices, and choosing 2 correct ones still earns partial credit. Raw points across both passages are converted to the 0–30 scaled Reading score using ETS's conversion table, so losing one or two points rarely drops you a full scaled point.

Common Mistakes That Cost Points

Test-takers often answer from memory instead of re-reading the relevant lines, confuse "negative factual information" (find the false statement) with standard factual questions, and skip pacing checks — leaving the two hardest prose-summary/table items for the final minute instead of the first.

4-Week TOEFL Reading Study Plan

• Week 1: Learn all 10 question types; do 1 passage per day without a timer, reviewing every wrong answer.
• Week 2: Add timing — aim for 18 minutes per passage; focus on vocabulary-in-context and reference questions.
• Week 3: Full two-passage sets under 35-minute conditions; track accuracy by question type.
• Week 4: Simulate full sections back-to-back with other exam sections to build stamina; review remaining weak question types daily.

Vocabulary-in-Context Strategy

Cover the answer choices, predict a synonym from context alone, then match your prediction to the closest choice — this prevents choices that are valid definitions elsewhere but wrong for this specific sentence.

ExamStep's TOEFL practice includes free reading questions you can use to try these question types without committing to a full course.

FAQ: TOEFL Reading Practice

How many passages and questions are on the TOEFL Reading section? Two passages, 10 questions each, 20 questions total, in 35 minutes. Is TOEFL iBT Home Edition Reading different from the test-center version? No — the section structure, timing, and question types are the same; only the testing location changes. Do all Reading questions count equally toward my score? No — most are worth 1 point, but prose summary and fill-in-a-table questions are worth more and offer partial credit.

Sources

• https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/about/content/reading.html
• https://www.ets.org/toefl/test-takers/ibt/about/scores.html