6 original Read an Academic Passage passages (30 questions) written for the current TOEFL iBT format, each with a full explanation. Free, with no account needed.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026
How to use this page
Skim each paragraph for its job first, then answer. Questions that name a paragraph or quote a word tell you exactly where the evidence is.
Check each answer to see whether you are right; the explanation opens automatically and covers every option, not just the correct one. New to the task? Read the Read an Academic Passage guide first for the format and strategies.
30 questions to try
1. Undershot and Overshot Water Wheels
5 questions
Paragraph 1For centuries, the water wheel was a leading source of mechanical power. The simplest form, the undershot wheel, was set directly in a stream so that the current struck flat paddles at its bottom and pushed them along. Such a wheel was easy to build and could sit in almost any river, but it captured only a small part of the energy passing beneath it. Much of the water simply slipped past the paddles or splashed away without doing useful work.
Paragraph 2The overshot wheel worked differently. Water was channeled to the top of the wheel and poured into buckets around its rim. Rather than being pushed by the speed of a current, the wheel was turned by the weight of the water in its descending buckets. In the eighteenth century, John Smeaton tested both designs. He found that a typical undershot wheel made use of only about a fifth of the energy available to it, while overshot wheels performed far better.
Paragraph 3Yet the better wheel did not suit every site. Feeding an overshot wheel from above required a considerable drop in the level of the water. In hilly country such a drop was often close at hand; on broad, level plains, creating it might require a long channel or a costly dam. Landscape, therefore, often decided the choice, and simpler wheels remained in use long after their weaknesses were understood.
Q1The word “Feeding” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. supplying
Feeding the wheel from above means supplying water to the buckets at its top, which requires a drop in the water level.
Evidence: “Feeding an overshot wheel from above required a considerable drop in the level of the water.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. nourishing — ‘Nourishing’ is the everyday sense of feeding a person or animal; a wheel does not eat.
C. raising — ‘Raising’ reflects feeding and rearing young animals, which does not fit a machine.
D. grazing — ‘Grazing’ reflects feeding livestock in a field, which does not fit.
Q2What can be inferred about the undershot wheel from paragraphs 1 and 2?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Its output depended on how fast the water moved
Paragraph 1 says the current pushed the paddles; paragraph 2 sets the overshot wheel apart by saying it was not driven by the current's speed. Together they show the undershot wheel relied on speed.
Evidence: “the current struck flat paddles at its bottom and pushed them along” / “Rather than being pushed by the speed of a current, the wheel was turned by the weight of the water”
Why the other options are wrong
A. It worked best where rivers flowed slowly — If the wheel was driven by the current’s speed, slow rivers would give it less power, not more; the passage never links it to slow water.
C. It was used mainly in hilly regions — Hilly country suited the overshot wheel; the undershot wheel “could sit in almost any river”.
D. It was turned by water falling onto its paddles — Water falling from above is how the overshot wheel worked; the undershot wheel's paddles were “struck” by the current at the bottom.
Q3How does paragraph 3 relate to paragraph 2?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. It shows where the better design falls short
Paragraph 2 establishes that the overshot wheel was far more efficient; paragraph 3 qualifies that advantage: the overshot wheel needed a drop in water level, which level country often lacked, so the better design was not always the practical one.
Evidence: “overshot wheels performed far better” (paragraph 2); “Yet the better wheel did not suit every site.” (paragraph 3)
Why the other options are wrong
A. It explains why Smeaton tested both designs — Paragraph 3 does not mention Smeaton; his tests belong to paragraph 2 and no reason for them is given.
B. It explains why overshot buckets often failed — The “weaknesses” in paragraph 3 are those of the simpler wheels; nothing says the overshot wheel’s buckets failed.
C. It gives further results from Smeaton’s tests — No test results appear in paragraph 3; it discusses sites, drops in water level and cost.
Q4Why does the author state that much of the water “slipped past the paddles or splashed away”?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. To account for the undershot wheel's low efficiency
The image of water slipping past and splashing away explains why the undershot wheel captured only a small share of the stream's energy.
Evidence: “it captured only a small part of the energy passing beneath it. Much of the water simply slipped past the paddles or splashed away without doing useful work.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. To show why undershot wheels needed a dam — Dams are associated with the overshot wheel in paragraph 3; the undershot wheel sat directly in a stream.
B. To suggest that the paddles were too small — The passage does not blame paddle size; the problem is that a current striking flat boards transfers only part of its energy.
D. To explain why undershot wheels were easy to build — Ease of building is stated just before, but water slipping past the paddles describes a weakness, not a reason the wheel was simple.
Q5It can be inferred from paragraph 3 that a miller on a broad plain might continue to use an undershot wheel because
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. the necessary construction would be too expensive
The overshot wheel needed a drop in height. On a plain, creating one meant expensive construction, so a miller might accept the less efficient wheel.
Evidence: “on broad, level plains, creating it might require a long channel or a costly dam. Landscape, therefore, often decided the choice”
Why the other options are wrong
B. undershot wheels produced more power on level land — Smeaton found overshot wheels far better; nothing suggests undershot wheels were more powerful on level land.
C. the current there was too fast for buckets — Current speed on plains is not discussed; the problem is the lack of a drop.
D. he did not know it was less efficient — The passage says simpler wheels stayed in use “long after their weaknesses were understood”, so ignorance is not the reason.
2. Watt's Separate Condenser
5 questions
Paragraph 1The first practical steam engine, built by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, was designed to pump water out of mines. Its power came less from the force of steam than from the weight of the atmosphere. Steam was let into a large cylinder beneath a piston, and cold water was then sprayed inside. The steam condensed, leaving a partial vacuum, and the pressure of the surrounding air pushed the piston down, working a pump through a beam.
Paragraph 2The design had a costly flaw. Because the cold spray chilled the cylinder on every stroke, much of the steam let in for the next stroke was spent simply warming the metal again. In 1765 James Watt, who had been repairing a model of the engine, found a remedy. He connected the cylinder to a separate vessel, a condenser, where the steam was condensed while the cylinder itself stayed hot. He later added a steam jacket to keep it hotter still.
Paragraph 3The improvement was dramatic: a Watt engine used only about a quarter of the fuel needed by a Newcomen engine doing the same work. Watt and his partner Matthew Boulton charged owners a fee based on the value of the coal saved. At coal mines, however, where fuel was cheap and plentiful, many owners kept their older engines. Where fuel was costly, as in the copper and tin mines of Cornwall, Watt's engines found eager buyers.
Q1What is the passage mainly about?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. How one improvement cut the fuel wasted by early engines
The passage moves from the original engine, to its flaw and Watt's remedy, to the consequences of the saving.
Evidence: “The design had a costly flaw … He connected the cylinder to a separate vessel, a condenser … The improvement was dramatic”
Why the other options are wrong
B. Why Boulton and Watt became successful partners — The partnership is mentioned only in connection with the fee based on the fuel saving.
C. Why coal-mine owners kept using Newcomen's engine — True of some owners (paragraph 3), but a minor point within the story of Watt's improvement.
D. How the earliest steam engines drained water from mines — Paragraph 1 explains this as background; the passage as a whole is about correcting the engine's waste.
Q2What can be inferred from paragraph 1 about the steam in a Newcomen engine?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. It mattered mainly because it left a vacuum.
In Newcomen's design the steam's job was to be condensed, creating a partial vacuum under the piston; atmospheric pressure supplied the working force.
Evidence: “Its power came less from the force of steam than from the weight of the atmosphere.” / “The steam condensed, leaving a partial vacuum, and the pressure of the surrounding air pushed the piston down”
Why the other options are wrong
A. It pushed the piston down with great force. — The engine's power came “less from the force of steam than from the weight of the atmosphere”; the air, not the steam, pushed the piston down.
B. It was kept hot so as not to waste fuel. — Keeping the cylinder hot was Watt's later improvement; in Newcomen's engine the spray chilled it on every stroke.
C. It was cooled by being sent through a beam. — The beam worked the pump; the steam was cooled by cold water sprayed into the cylinder.
Q3Why does the author mention coal mines in paragraph 3?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. To show where the savings mattered least
Coal mines are mentioned because cheap fuel made the Watt engine's main advantage, fuel saving, worth little there, in contrast with Cornwall, where fuel was costly.
Evidence: “At coal mines, however, where fuel was cheap and plentiful, many owners kept their older engines.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. To explain how Watt's fee was calculated — The fee is described in the previous sentence; the coal mines show where it offered least, not how it was calculated.
B. To show that older engines burned less coal — This reverses the comparison: a Watt engine used “only about a quarter of the fuel” of a Newcomen engine.
C. To show where Newcomen engines were first built — Newcomen's engine was built to pump mines, but the passage never says where the first ones were built.
Q4The word “dramatic” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. striking
A dramatic improvement is striking because of its size; here fuel use fell by about three quarters.
Evidence: “The improvement was dramatic: a Watt engine used only about a quarter of the fuel needed by a Newcomen engine doing the same work.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. temporary — Nothing suggests the saving was short-lived; Boulton and Watt based their fee on it.
B. theatrical — ‘Theatrical’ is the sense related to drama and the stage, which does not fit an engineering improvement.
D. emotional — ‘Emotional’ reflects dramatic behavior, not a measured change in fuel use.
Q5What can be inferred from paragraph 2 about a Newcomen engine?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Part of its steam condensed on the cold cylinder
The steam let into a cold cylinder lost its heat to the metal, which means part of it condensed before it could do useful work.
Evidence: “Because the cold spray chilled the cylinder on every stroke, much of the steam let in for the next stroke was spent simply warming the metal again.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. Its cylinder was kept hot by a steam jacket — The steam jacket was Watt's later addition to his own engine.
B. It needed less fuel once it had warmed up — The cylinder was chilled “on every stroke”, so it never stayed warm.
D. It condensed its steam in a separate vessel — The separate condenser was Watt's remedy; in the Newcomen engine, cold water was sprayed into the cylinder itself.
3. Why Power Lines Carry High Voltages
5 questions
Paragraph 1Electricity travelling along a wire always loses some energy as heat. For a given wire, this loss grows with the square of the current: doubling the current quadruples the loss. Since the power a line delivers equals voltage multiplied by current, the same power can be sent with a small current if the voltage is high. This is why long-distance transmission lines operate at hundreds of thousands of volts, even though homes use electricity at only a few hundred.
Paragraph 2The first public power systems of the early 1880s used direct current, which flows steadily one way. At the time, there was no practical way to raise or lower the voltage of direct current. Electricity therefore had to travel at the same low voltage at which customers used it, losses mounted quickly with distance, and generating stations could serve only buildings a short distance away.
Paragraph 3Alternating current, which reverses direction many times each second, removed this limitation. It can pass through a transformer, a device with no moving parts that raises or lowers voltage using two coils wound on an iron core. With transformers, power could be generated in large stations far from cities, stepped up to high voltage for transmission, and stepped down again near the point of use. Modern high-voltage direct-current lines, however, now serve some very long routes and cables laid beneath the sea.
Q1According to paragraphs 1 and 2, early direct-current systems lost energy quickly over distance because they had to carry
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. a large current at a low voltage
Paragraph 2 says early direct current stayed at customers' low voltage. Paragraph 1 explains that delivering power at low voltage requires a large current, and losses grow with the square of the current.
Evidence: “Since the power a line delivers equals voltage multiplied by current, the same power can be sent with a small current if the voltage is high.” / “Electricity therefore had to travel at the same low voltage at which customers used it, losses mounted quickly with distance”
Why the other options are wrong
B. a current that kept reversing direction — Reversing direction describes alternating current, which “removed this limitation”.
C. power through bulky transformers — Transformers belong to alternating-current systems; “there was no practical way to raise or lower the voltage of direct current”.
D. a small current at a high voltage — This is the arrangement that keeps losses low; early systems could not raise their voltage at all.
Q2The word “mounted” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. increased
Here “mounted” means rose or increased: the farther electricity travelled, the more energy was lost.
Evidence: “Electricity therefore had to travel at the same low voltage at which customers used it, losses mounted quickly with distance”
Why the other options are wrong
A. fastened — ‘Fastened’ is the sense in ‘a mounted camera’; losses are not attached to anything.
B. organized — ‘Organized’ is the sense in ‘mounted an exhibition’ or ‘mounted a campaign’.
C. rode — ‘Rode’ is the sense in ‘mounted a horse’.
Q3According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true of long-distance transmission today?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. It requires keeping the current high
Three statements come from different parts of the passage. The fourth contradicts the central idea that high voltage allows a low current and therefore low losses.
Evidence: “the same power can be sent with a small current if the voltage is high” / “power could be generated in large stations far from cities” / “stepped down again near the point of use”
Why the other options are wrong
A. It lets power come from stations far from cities — True: with transformers, “power could be generated in large stations far from cities” (paragraph 3).
B. It uses voltages of hundreds of thousands — True: “long-distance transmission lines operate at hundreds of thousands of volts” (paragraph 1).
C. Its voltage is lowered before reaching homes — True: power is “stepped down again near the point of use” (paragraph 3).
Q4It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that if a line carried the same power at ten times the voltage, the energy lost as heat would
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. fall to about one hundredth
Power equals voltage times current, so ten times the voltage means one tenth the current. Because the loss grows with the square of the current, it becomes (1/10)² = 1/100 of the original.
Evidence: “this loss grows with the square of the current: doubling the current quadruples the loss … Since the power a line delivers equals voltage multiplied by current, the same power can be sent with a small current if the voltage is high.”
Why the other options are wrong
B. rise because the voltage is higher — The loss depends on current, not voltage; higher voltage lowers the current and therefore the loss.
C. stay about the same — The same power at higher voltage uses less current, so the loss changes.
D. fall to about one tenth — This applies the current reduction but ignores that the loss depends on “the square of the current”.
Q5Why does the author mention high-voltage direct-current lines in paragraph 3?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. To show that direct current still has a role
The mention qualifies the story of alternating current's success: direct current is still used for certain long routes and undersea cables.
Evidence: “Modern high-voltage direct-current lines, however, now serve some very long routes and cables laid beneath the sea.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. To explain how undersea cables lose less heat — Undersea cables are named as one use of these lines, but the passage does not explain their heat losses.
B. To give another example of a transformer — A transformer is described earlier in the paragraph; direct-current lines are not an example of one.
D. To explain why early systems used direct current — The early systems are the subject of paragraph 2; the modern lines are a later development.
4. Geothermal Power at Larderello
5 questions
Paragraph 1In the hills of Tuscany, in central Italy, natural steam escapes from the ground in many places. The area's hot, muddy pools were long valued chiefly for the boric acid dissolved in them. In 1827 François de Larderel began extracting the acid industrially, using the natural steam itself as his source of heat. The town that grew up around his works bears his name.
Paragraph 2The same steam was eventually put to a different use. In 1904, Prince Piero Ginori Conti tested a small generator driven by the steam at Larderello and lit four light bulbs, the first demonstration that the earth's heat could produce electricity. In 1911 the world's first geothermal power plant was built nearby, and Larderello remained the world's only large-scale source of geothermal electricity until New Zealand opened a plant at Wairakei in 1958.
Paragraph 3Larderello's success rested on unusual geology. Most geothermal fields deliver a mixture of hot water and steam, which must be separated before the steam can spin a turbine. Larderello is a dry-steam field, where the wells yield steam with little liquid water, the simplest condition for generating power. Even so, the resource is not unlimited. Steam pressure in the field has fallen by about 30 percent since the 1950s, a sign that heat and fluid can be withdrawn faster than nature restores them. Today Larderello still produces roughly a tenth of the world's geothermal electricity.
Q1Why does the author mention boric acid in paragraph 1?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. To introduce a use that came before electricity
Boric acid was the area's first industrial use, and it sets up paragraph 2's turn to generating electricity from the same steam.
Evidence: “The area's hot, muddy pools were long valued chiefly for the boric acid dissolved in them.” / “The same steam was eventually put to a different use.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. To show how geothermal steam produces electricity — Electricity is the subject of paragraph 2; boric acid was extracted for its own sake.
B. To explain why steam pressure has declined — The fall in pressure is linked to withdrawing heat and fluid “faster than nature restores them” (paragraph 3), not to acid extraction.
D. To show that the town was named for the acid — The town “bears his name”, that is, Larderel's, not the name of the acid.
Q2According to paragraph 2, what was significant about the test carried out in 1904?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. It proved underground heat yields electricity
The 1904 test was small but showed for the first time that electricity could be made from the earth's heat; a real power plant followed in 1911.
Evidence: “lit four light bulbs, the first demonstration that the earth's heat could produce electricity. In 1911 the world's first geothermal power plant was built nearby”
Why the other options are wrong
A. It was the first power plant of its kind — The first geothermal power plant was built in 1911; the 1904 test used a small generator.
B. It used steam to separate acid from mud — Using steam in acid extraction was Larderel's method of 1827 (paragraph 1).
D. It supplied electricity to the town of Larderello — Four light bulbs were lit; nothing says the town was supplied.
Q3What is the relationship between paragraph 3 and paragraph 2?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. It explains what made those achievements possible
Paragraph 2 tells what Larderello achieved; paragraph 3 explains the geological reason it could do so, then notes a limit.
Evidence: “Larderello's success rested on unusual geology.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. It describes the problems that ended production — Steam pressure has fallen, but Larderello “still produces roughly a tenth of the world's geothermal electricity”.
C. It compares Larderello with the plant at Wairakei — Wairakei is mentioned only in paragraph 2, as the next large-scale source.
D. It shows that dry steam is found in most fields — This reverses the point: “Most geothermal fields deliver a mixture of hot water and steam”; dry steam is what makes Larderello unusual.
Q4What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about a geothermal field that delivers a mixture of hot water and steam?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. It needs an extra step before generating power
Mixed fields must separate steam from water before using it, which is why the passage calls Larderello's dry steam the simplest condition.
Evidence: “Most geothermal fields deliver a mixture of hot water and steam, which must be separated before the steam can spin a turbine.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. Its steam pressure will decline more slowly — Pressure decline is reported only for Larderello; nothing compares rates of decline.
B. It is rarer than a dry-steam field — This reverses the passage: “Most geothermal fields deliver a mixture of hot water and steam”, so dry-steam fields are the unusual ones.
C. It cannot be used to generate electricity at all — The passage says such fields are the most common kind and that their steam can be used once separated; it does not say they are useless.
Q5The word “restores” in the passage is closest in meaning to
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. replaces
In this sentence, to restore something is to bring back an amount that was taken away.
Evidence: “a sign that heat and fluid can be withdrawn faster than nature restores them.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. renovates — ‘Renovates’ is the sense of restoring an old building.
B. repairs — ‘Repairs’ is the usual sense of restoring a broken object, but heat and fluid are not damaged; they are used up.
C. cures — ‘Cures’ is the sense of restoring someone to health.
5. Rain Shadows
5 questions
Paragraph 1When moist air from the ocean meets a mountain range, it is forced up the slope that faces the wind, known as the windward side. As the air rises, it expands and cools, and much of the water vapor it carries condenses into clouds and falls as rain or snow. For this reason, the windward slopes of coastal ranges are often among the wettest places in their regions.
Paragraph 2By the time the air passes over the summit, it has lost much of its moisture. As it descends the far, or leeward, side, it is compressed and grows warmer, and instead of releasing water it tends to absorb it. The result is an area of sharply reduced precipitation called a rain shadow. The Southern Alps of New Zealand intercept moist air coming off the Tasman Sea, and their western side receives roughly 6,300 to 8,900 millimeters of precipitation a year, enough to feed large glaciers. Barely 50 kilometers east of the peaks, yearly totals fall below 760 millimeters.
Paragraph 3A rain shadow need not be the work of a single range. Death Valley lies behind both the coastal ranges of California and the Sierra Nevada, and it is the driest place in North America. On a much larger scale, the Tibetan Plateau is sheltered by the Himalayas, and the rains that the South Asian monsoon carries northward do not get far beyond those mountains.
Q1According to paragraph 2, why does the leeward side of a range receive little precipitation?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. The air has already been drained and is warming.
Two facts in paragraph 2 combine: the air crossing the summit has already lost much of its moisture, and as it descends it warms and takes up water instead of releasing it.
Evidence: "By the time the air passes over the summit, it has lost much of its moisture. As it descends the far, or leeward, side, it is compressed and grows warmer, and instead of releasing water it tends to absorb it."
Why the other options are wrong
A. The slope there faces directly into the wind. — The slope "that faces the wind" is the windward side (paragraph 1); the leeward side is the "far" side.
C. The air there cools too much to form clouds. — Paragraph 2 says the descending air "is compressed and grows warmer"; cooling happens on the rising, windward side.
D. Compression there forces the vapor to condense. — Compression is mentioned, but it warms the air so that "instead of releasing water it tends to absorb it."
Q2The word “summit” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. top
The summit is the top of the mountain range, the point the rising air crosses before descending the leeward side.
Evidence: “By the time the air passes over the summit, it has lost much of its moisture.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. aim — ‘Aim’ reflects a summit as the highest goal; the air is not aiming at anything.
B. climax — ‘Climax’ reflects the summit of a career or story, a figurative sense that does not fit.
C. meeting — ‘Meeting’ is the political sense of a summit between leaders, which does not fit air crossing a range.
Q3Why does the author mention Death Valley?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. To show that two ranges together deepen the effect
Paragraph 3 opens by saying a rain shadow "need not be the work of a single range," and Death Valley, behind two ranges, is the example.
Evidence: "A rain shadow need not be the work of a single range. Death Valley lies behind both the coastal ranges of California and the Sierra Nevada, and it is the driest place in North America."
Why the other options are wrong
A. To identify the largest rain shadow described — Death Valley is the driest place in North America, but the Tibetan Plateau is presented as the case on "a much larger scale."
B. To show that distance from the sea causes dryness — The passage attributes the dryness to mountain barriers, not to distance from the sea as such.
C. To contrast a coastal climate with a plateau climate — The passage does not compare the climate of the coast with that of the Tibetan Plateau.
Q4According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true of the Southern Alps?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Their heaviest precipitation falls east of the peaks.
The western side of the Southern Alps is the wet side; the land east of the peaks is in the rain shadow, so a claim that the heaviest precipitation falls east of the peaks is false.
Evidence: "their western side receives roughly 6,300 to 8,900 millimeters of precipitation a year, enough to feed large glaciers. Barely 50 kilometers east of the peaks, yearly totals fall below 760 millimeters."
Why the other options are wrong
A. Precipitation on their western side supports glaciers. — True: the western side receives "enough to feed large glaciers."
B. Moist air reaches them from the Tasman Sea. — True: the range intercepts "moist air coming off the Tasman Sea."
C. The change in yearly precipitation occurs over a short span. — True: the drop occurs within "Barely 50 kilometers east of the peaks."
Q5What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about the monsoon rains in relation to the Tibetan Plateau?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. They are largely used up on the way there.
The monsoon carries rain north, but the rains "do not get far beyond" the Himalayas; applying the windward mechanism of paragraph 1, the moisture falls on the mountains' southern side before reaching the plateau.
Evidence: "the rains that the South Asian monsoon carries northward do not get far beyond those mountains" (paragraph 3); rising air on the windward side loses its moisture (paragraph 1).
Why the other options are wrong
A. They are heaviest where the mountains are lowest. — The passage says nothing about where the mountains are lowest; it describes the Himalayas as a barrier.
C. They are the main water source of the Tibetan Plateau. — The passage says the rains "do not get far beyond those mountains," so they cannot be the plateau's main source.
D. They move south from the plateau toward the sea. — The rains are carried "northward," toward the plateau, not away from it.
6. The South Asian Monsoon
5 questions
Paragraph 1The English word "monsoon" comes, by way of Portuguese, from the Arabic mawsim, meaning "season," and it refers to winds that reverse direction with the time of year. In South Asia the reversal is pronounced. In summer, moist winds blow from the Indian Ocean onto land, delivering nearly 80 percent of India's annual rainfall. In winter the pattern turns around: air flows from the continent toward the sea, and much of the region stays dry.
Paragraph 2The traditional explanation treats the monsoon as a sea breeze on a vast scale. Water stores heat well, so land warms faster than the ocean. In summer, then, air over the continent grows hotter than air over the water, pressure falls over the land, and moist ocean air is drawn inland. In winter the contrast reverses. Because the land also loses heat faster, pressure builds over the continent, and air flows out toward the warmer sea.
Paragraph 3Many climate scientists now regard this picture as incomplete. They describe the monsoon as part of a planetary pattern: the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a belt of rising air and heavy rain that circles the globe near the equator and shifts north and south with the seasons. The land-sea heating contrast still matters, since it helps determine how far the belt travels, and the high Tibetan Plateau is thought to influence how far north the South Asian monsoon reaches.
Q1What is the passage mainly about?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. How views of a seasonal wind pattern have changed
Paragraph 1 describes the seasonal wind reversal, paragraph 2 gives the traditional explanation, and paragraph 3 presents the view many scientists now hold. The passage is about how the explanation of this seasonal wind has changed.
Evidence: "The traditional explanation treats the monsoon as a sea breeze on a vast scale." / "Many climate scientists now regard this picture as incomplete."
Why the other options are wrong
A. How the plateau limits the reach of the rains — The Tibetan Plateau is mentioned only in the final sentence as one influence on the monsoon.
B. Why summer brings most of the rain to India — The share of rainfall in summer is one fact from paragraph 1, not the subject of the whole passage.
C. Why land and water differ in storing heat — The difference in heat storage supports the traditional explanation in paragraph 2; it is not the main topic.
Q2According to paragraph 2, what do the summer and winter patterns have in common?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Air flows toward the warmer surface.
The explanation works the same way in both seasons: the warmer surface has lower pressure, and air flows toward it, inland in summer and out to sea in winter.
Evidence: “In summer, then, air over the continent grows hotter than air over the water, pressure falls over the land, and moist ocean air is drawn inland.” / “Because the land also loses heat faster, pressure builds over the continent, and air flows out toward the warmer sea.”
Why the other options are wrong
A. The land is warmer than the sea. — The land is warmer only in summer; in winter the sea is the warmer surface.
B. Moist ocean air is drawn inland. — Moist air is drawn inland only in summer; in winter “air flows out toward the warmer sea”.
C. Pressure is lowest over the land. — Pressure falls over the land in summer, but in winter “pressure builds over the continent”.
Q3The word "pronounced" in the passage is closest in meaning to
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. noticeable
The sentences that follow describe a sharp, obvious reversal, so "pronounced" means noticeable.
Evidence: "In South Asia the reversal is pronounced. In summer, moist winds blow from the Indian Ocean onto land, delivering nearly 80 percent of India's annual rainfall. In winter the pattern turns around ..."
Why the other options are wrong
B. familiar — The sentence describes how strong the reversal is, not how well known it is.
C. announced — "Announced" reflects the common sense of pronounce, to declare, which does not fit a description of winds.
D. gradual — The description of wet summers and a dry winter points to a sharp change, not a gradual one.
Q4What can be inferred about the scientists whose view is described in paragraph 3?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. They keep part of the older explanation.
Calling the older view "incomplete" while saying the land-sea contrast "still matters" shows that these scientists build on the traditional explanation rather than discarding it.
Evidence: "Many climate scientists now regard this picture as incomplete." / "The land-sea heating contrast still matters, since it helps determine how far the belt travels."
Why the other options are wrong
A. They doubt that land warms faster than water. — Nothing suggests they reject this; the heating contrast is said to help determine how far the belt travels.
B. They consider the sea-breeze model simply wrong. — They call the older picture "incomplete," not wrong, and say the land-sea contrast "still matters."
D. They think the monsoon is unique to South Asia. — They describe the monsoon as part of "a planetary pattern" that "circles the globe."
Q5Why does the author mention the Arabic word mawsim?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. To stress the winds' yearly timing
The origin of the word, meaning "season," highlights what defines a monsoon: winds that change with the time of year.
Evidence: "from the Arabic mawsim, meaning "season," and it refers to winds that reverse direction with the time of year."
Why the other options are wrong
A. To explain why the summer winds are wet — The moisture of summer winds comes from the Indian Ocean (paragraph 1), not from the meaning of the word.
B. To show who first explained the winds — The passage traces the word, not the history of explanations; no early explainer is named.
D. To note that the term reached English late — The passage says the word came "by way of Portuguese," but says nothing about when it entered English.