TRIK JITU MENGERJAKAN SOAL TOEFL(READING 8)
Civil War(1861-1865)a goverment train carrying oxen
traveling through the northern plains of eastern wyming
was caught in a snowstorn and had to be abandoned.The
driver returned the next spring to see what had become
line his cargo.Instead of the skeletons he had expected to find
(5) ,he saw his oxen,living,fat,and healthy.How had they
survived?
The answer lay in a resource that unknowing
Americans lands trampled underfoot in their haste to
cross the “Great American Desert”to reach lands that
sometimes proved barren.In the eastern parts of the
United States,the preferred grass for forage was a
cultivated plant.It grew well with enough rain,then when
(10) cut and stored it would cure and become nourishing hay
for winter feed.But in the dry grazing lands of the West
that familiar bluejoint grass was often killed by drought.
To raise cattle out there seemed risky or even hopeless
Who could imagine a fairy-tale grass that required
no rain and somehow made it possible for cattle to feed
themselves all winter?But the surprising western wild
(15) grasses did just that.They had wonderfully convenient
features that made them superior to the cultivated
eastern grasses.Variously known as buffalo grass,grama
grass,or mesquite grass,not only were they immune to
drought;but they were actually preserved by the lack of
summer and autumn rains.They were not juicy like the
the cultivated eastern grasses,but had short,hard stems.
And they did not need to be cured in a barn,but dried
(20) right where they grew on the ground.When they dried
in this way,they remained naturally sweet and nourising
through the winter.Cattle left outdoors to fend for
themselves thriver on this hay.And the cattle
themselves helped plant the fresh grass year after year
for they trampled the natural seeds firmly into the soil
to be watered by the melting snows of winter and the
occasional rains of spring.The dry summer air cured
(25) them much as storing in a barn cured the cultivated
grasses.
1.What does the passage mainly discuss?
a.Western migration after the Civil War
b.The climate of the western United States
c.The raising of cattle
d.A type of wild vegetation
Jawab:(D)A type of wild vegetation
Key word:Americans lands
Pembahasan:bacaan di atas membicarakan tentang vegetasi liar yang ada di Amerika.
2.What can be inferred by the phrase”legend has it”in line 1?
a.The story of the train may not be completely factual.
b.Most history books include the story of the train
c.The driver of the train invented the story
d.The story of the train is similar to other ones from that time
period.
Jawab:(A)The story of the train may not be completely factual.
Key word:legend
Pembahasan:Kalimat sebelumnya menjelaskan tentang lembu sebagai objek ,yang berlanjut dijelaskan di kalimat berikutnya
3.The word”they”i line 5 refers to
a.plains
b.skeletons
c.oxen
d.Americans
Jawab:(C)oxen
Key word:he saw his oxen
Pembahasan:kalimat sebelumnya menjelaskan tentang lembu sebagai objek,yang berlanjut dijelaskan di kalimat berikutnya.
4.What can be inferred about the”Great American Desert”mentioned in line 7?
a.It was not originallyassumed to be a fertile area.
b.Many had settled there by the 1860’s
c.It was a popular place to raise cattle before the Civil War
d.It was not discovered until the late 1800’s
Jawab:(A)It was not originally assumed to be a fertile area
Key word:Desert
Pembahasan:Desert atau padang pasir tidak dianggap sebagai daerah yang subur
5.The word”barren”in line 8 is closest in meaning to
a.lonely
b.dangerous
c.uncomfortable
d.infertile
Jawab:(D)infertile
Key word:tandus
Pembahasan:barren=tandus=tidak subur=infertile,lonely=kesepian
dangerous=berbahaya,Uncomfortable=tidak nyaman
6.The word’preferred”in line 8 is closest in meaning to
a.ordinary
b.available
c.required
d.favored
Jawab:(d)favored
Key word:disukai
Pembahasan:preferred=disukai=favored,Ordinary=biasa
Available=tersedia,required=wajib
7.Which of the following can be inferred about the cultivated grass mentioned in the second paragraph?
a.Cattle raised in the wetern United States refused to eat it
b.It would probably not grow in the Western United States
c.It had to be imported into the United Stated
d.It was dificul for cattle to digest
Jawab:(B)It would probably not grow in the western United States
Key word:But in the dry grazing lands of the West thatfamiliar bluejoint grass was often killed by drought.
Pembahasan:di bagian barat America yang kering,rumput yang tumbuh mati kekeringan.
8.Which of the following was not one of the names given to the Western grasses?
a.Grama grass
b.Bluejoint grass
c.Buffalo grass
d.Mesquite grass
Jawab:(B)Bluejoint grass
Key word:paragraf ketiga
Pembahasan:disebut dalam paragraf ketiga nama-nama rumput di daerah barat yaitu buffalo grass,grama grass,atau mesquite grass
9.Which of the following was not mentioned as a characteristic of western grasses?
a.They have tough stems
b.They are not affected by dry weather
c.They can be grown indoors
d.They contain little moiture
Jawab:(C)They can be grown indoors
Key word:paragraf ketiga
Pembahasan:karakteristik rumput di daerah barat adalah mereka memiliki batang yang keras,tidak terpengaruh oleh cuaca kering dan mengandung sedikit uap air.
10.The word”hard”in line 19 is closest in meaning to
a.firm
b.severe
c.difficult
Jawab:(A)firm
Key word:keras
Pembahasan:hard=keras=firm,severe=parah,difficult=sulit,bitter=pahit
11.According to the passage,the cattle helped promote the growth of the wild grasses by
a.stepping on and pressing the seeds into the ground
b.Naturally fertilizing the soil
c.continually moving from one grazing area to another
d.eating only small quantities of grass
Jawab:(A)stepping on and pressing the seeds firmly into the ground
Key word:And the cattle trampled the natural seeds firmly into the soil
Pembahasan:Ternak membantu tumbuhnya rumput segar tahun demi tahun dengan menginjak injak bibit dengan kuat ke dalam tanah.
Reference
Tim Master Eduka-Bank soal dan strategi toefl
Thank for reading TRIK JITU MENGRRJAKAN SOAL TOEFL.