brought shame to his country. c. deserved to be removed from power. made the wrong choice.

Chapter 3 Structure W hen you communicate in writing, you make a per- manent impression. When you talk, you may abbre- viate words, leave sentences unfinished, or use informal words and phrases, but when you write, you must fol- low the grammatical constructions of formal English. Admis- sions officers will want to know if you have the ability to express yourself clearly and correctly in written English—an essential skill in college. The structure section of the TOEFL exam measures your knowledge of English grammar and style. It presents you with sentences that you need to correct by filling in a blank or by identifying a grammatical error. The sentences will cover top- ics similar to those in college courses like history, biology, soci- ology, and art. However, you do not need to have specific knowledge of these topics to answer the questions in the struc- ture test. 49 50 TOEFL EXAM ESSENTIALS QUESTION TYPES IN THE STRUCTURE SECTION There are two basic kinds of questions on the structure section of both the computer-based and paper-based exams: ■ Sentence completion. This question type presents a sentence with a blank. From four possible answer choices, you will select the one word or phrase that correctly completes the sentence. Here are some examples:

1. The company had dumped waste into the river for years

and it ________ to continue doing so. a. plans

b. planning c. planned

d. had planned

2. After the female emperor penguin lays a single egg, she

gives them to her mate, ________ holds it in a fold of skin near his feet for a two-month incubation period.

a. he b. who

c. which d. while

Answers: 1. c 2. b ■ Recognizing grammatical mistakes. In this question type, sentences will have four underlined words or phrases. You will choose the underlined word or phrase that is incorrect. Here are some examples: STRUCTURE 51

3. Frank Lloyd Wright, by designing the low-cost “Usonian”

A B house in the 1930s, wanting to make American architec- C D ture more “democratic” and affordable to everyone.

a. A b. B

c. C d. D

4. A lack in vitamin D, which comes from fortified milk or

A B sunshine, can decrease the body’s ability to absorb calcium. C D

a. A b. B

c. C d. D

Answers: 3. c 4. a COMPUTER TEST VS. PAPER TEST You will find some key differences between the computer-based test CBT and the paper-and-pencil exam. Although the ques- tions will cover the same type of material, you will answer fewer questions about each on the CBT. The structure section of the CBT is also computer adaptive, meaning that the computer selects questions based on your ability level. Your first question will be of average difficulty. If you answer it correctly, your next