SOAL READING TOEFL

Bacaan untuk soal nomor 1-9

Although its purpose and techniques were often magical, alchemy was, in many ways,
the predecessor of the modern science of chemistry. The fundamental premise of alchemy
derived from the best philosophical dogma and scientific practice of the time, and the majority
of educated persons between 1400 and 1600 believed that alchemy had great merit.
The earliest authentic works on European alchemy are those of the English monk Roger
Bacon and the German philosopher St. Albertus Magnus. In
their treatises they maintained that gold was the perfect metal and that inferior metals such
as lead and mercury were removed by various degrees of imperfection from gold. They
further asserted that these base metals could be transmuted to gold by blending them with a
substance more perfect than gold. This elusive substance was referred to as the “philosopher’s
stone.” The process was called transmutation.
Most of the early alchemists were artisans who were accustomed to keeping trade secrets
and often resorted to cryptic terminology to record the progress of their work. The term sun
was used for gold, moon for silver, and the five known planets for base metals. This convention
of substituting symbolic language attracted some mystical philosophers who compared the
search for the perfect metal with the struggle of humankind for the perfection of the soul. The
philosophers began to use the artisan’s terms in the mystical literature that they produced. Thus,
by the fourteenth century, alchemy had developed two distinct groups of practitioners-the
laboratory alchemist and the literary alchemist. Both groups of alchemists continued to work
throughout the history of alchemy; but, of course, it was the literary alchemist who was more
likely to produce a written record; therefore, much of what is known about the science of
alchemy is derived from philosophers rather than from the alchemists who labored in
laboratories.
Despite centuries of experimentation, laboratory alchemists failed to produce gold from
other materials. However, they gained wide knowledge of chemical substances, discovered
chemical properties, and invented many of the tools and techniques that are used by chemist
today. Many laboratory alchemists earnestly devoted themselves to the scientific discovery of
new compounds and reactions and, therefore, must be considered the legitimate forefathers of
modern chemistry. They continued to call themselves alchemists, but they were becoming true
chemists.

1. Which of the following is the main point of the passage?

a. They were both laboratory and literary alchemists.
b. Base metals can be transmuted to gold by blending them with a substance more perfect
than gold.
c. Roger Bacon and St. Albertus Magnus wrote about alchemy
d. Alchemy was the predecessor of modern chemistry.
2. The word authentic in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by?
a. Valuable
b. Genuine
c. Complete
d. Comprehensible
3. According to the alchemists, what is the difference between base metals and gold?
a. Perfection
 b. Chemical content
c. Temperature
d. Weight
4. According to the passage, what is the “philosopher’s stone”?
a. Lead that was mixed with gold
b. An element that was never found
c. Another name for alchemy
d. A base metal
5. The word cryptic in paragraph 3 could best be replaced by which of the following?
a. Scholarly
b. Secret
c. Foreign
d. Precise
6. Why did the early alchemists use the terns sun and moon?
a. To keep the work secret
b. To make the work more literary
c. To attract philosophers
d. To produce a written record
7. Who were the first alchemists?
a. Chemists
b. Writer
c. Artisans
d. Linguists
8. In paragraph 3, the author suggests that we know about the history of alchemy because?
a. The laboratory alchemists kept secret notes
b. The literary alchemists recorded it in writing
c. The mystical philosophers were not able to hide the secret of alchemy
d. The historians were able to interpret the secret writings of the alchemists
9. Which of the following statements would the author most probably agree?
a. Alchemy must be considered a complete failure.
b. Some very important scientific discoveries were made by alchemists.
c. Most educated people dismissed alchemy during the time that it was practiced.
d. The literary alchemists were more important than the laboratory alchemists.
Bacaan untuk nomor 10 – 18
Although stage plays has been set to music since the era of the ancient Greeks, when the
dramas of Sophocles and Aeschylus were accompanied by lyres and flutes, the usual accepted
date for the beginning of opera as we know it is 1600. As a part of the celebration of the marriage
of King Henry IV of France to the Italian aristocrat Maria De Medici, the Florentine composer
Jacopo Peri produced his famous Euridice, generally considered to be the first opera. Following
his example, a group of Italian musicians, poets, and noblemen called the Camerata began
to revive the style of musical story that had been used in Greek tragedy. The Camerata took
most of the plots for their operas from Greek and Roman history and mythology, beginning the
process of creating an opera by writing a libretto or drama that could be used to establish the
framework to the music. They called their compositions opera in musical or musical works. It
is from this phrase that the word “opera” was borrowed and abbreviated.
 For several years, the center of opera was Florence in Northern Italy, but gradually,
during the Baroque period, it spread throughout Italy. By the late 1600s, operas were being
written and performed in many places throughout
Europe, especially in England, France, and Germany.
However, for many years, the Italian opera was considered the ideal, and many non-
Italian composers continued to use Italian librettos. The European form deemphasized the
dramatic aspect of the Italian model. New orchestral effects and even ballet were introduced
under the guise of opera. Composers gave in to the demands of singers, writing many operas
that were little more than a succession of brilliant tricks for the voice, designed to showcase the
splendid voices of the singer who had requested them. It was thus that complicated arias,
recitative, and duets evolved. The aria, which is a long solo, may be compared to a song in
which the characters express their thoughts and feelings. The recitative, which is also a solo of
sorts, is a recitation set to music, the purpose of which is to continue the story line. The duet is
a musical piece written for two voices, a musical device than may serve the function of either
an aria or a recitative within the opera.
10. This passage is a summary of?
a. Opera in Italy
b. The Camerata
c. The development of opera
d. Euridice
11. According to this passage, when did modern opera begin?
a. In the time of the ancient Greeks
b. In the fifteenth century
c. At the beginning of the sixteenth century
d. At the beginning of the seventeenth century
12. The word it in paragraph 1 refers to?
a. Opera
b. Date
c. Era
d. Music
13. According to the author, what did Jacopo Peri write?
a. Greek tragedy
b. The first opera
c. The opera Maria de Medici
d. The opera The Camerata
14. The author suggests that Euridice was produced?
a. In France
b. Originally by Sopocles and Aeschylus
c. Without much success
d. For the wedding of King Henry IV
15. What was The Camerata?
a. A group of Greek musicians
b. Musicians who developed a new musical drama based upon Greek drama
c. A style of music not known in Italy
d. The name given to the court of King Henry IV
16. The word revive in paragraph 1 could best be replaced by?
a. Appreciate
b. Resume
c. Modify
d. Investigate
17. The word plot in paragraph 1 is closet in meaning to?
a. Locations
b. Instruments
c. Stories
d. Inspiration
18. From what did the term “opera” derive?
a. Greek and Roman history and mythology
b. NonItalian composers
c. The Italian phrase that means “musical works”
d. The ideas of composer Jacopo Peri

Bacaan untuk soal nomor 19 – 31

Seventeenth-century houses in colonial North America were simple structures that were
primarily functional carrying over traditional designs that went back to the Middle Ages.During
the first half of the eighteenth century, however,house began to show a new elegance.As
wealth increased,more and more colonists built fine houses. Since architecture was not yet a
specialized profession in the colonies, the design of buildings was left either to amateur
designers or to carpenters who undertook to interpret architectural manuals imported from
England. Inventories of colonial libraries show an astonishing number of these handbooks for
builders, and the houses erected during the eighteenth century show their influence.
Nevertheless,most domestic architecture of the first three-quarters of the eighteenth century
displays a wide divergence of taste and freedom of application of the rules laid down in these
books.Increasing wealth ad growing sophistication throughout the colonies resulted in houses
of improved design,whether the material was wood,stone,or brick.New Englad still favored
wood,though brick houses became common in Boston and other towns,where the danger of fire
gave an impetus to the use of more durable material.A few houses in New England were build
of stone,but only in pennsylvania and adjacent areas was stone widely used in dwellings.
An increased use of brick in houses and outbuildings is noticeable in Virginia and Maryland,but
wood remained that most popular material even in houses built by wealthy landowners.In the
Carolinas,even in closely packed Charleston,wooden houses were much more common than
brick houses.
Eighteenth-century houses showed great interior improvements over their
predecessors.Windows were made larger and shutters removed large, clear panes replace the
small leaded glass of the seventeenth century.Doorways were larger and more
decorative.Fireplaces became decorative features of rooms.Walls were made of plaster or wood,
sometimes elaborately paneled.White paint began to take the place of blues, yellows, greens,
and lead colors, which had been popular for walls in the earlier years. After about 1730,
advertisements for wallpaper styles in scenic patterns began to appear in colonial newspapers.
19. What does the passage mainly discuss?
a. The improved design of eighteenth century colonial houses
b. A comparison of eighteenth-century houses and modern houses
 c. The decorations used in eighteenth-century houses
d. The role of carpenters in building eighteenth-century houses
20. What was one of the main reasons for the change in architectural styte in eighteenth-century
North America?
a. More architects arrived in the colonies
b. The colonists developed an interest in classical architecture
c. Bricks were more readily available
d. The colonists had more money to spend on housing
21. According to the passage, who was responsible for designing houses in eighteenth-century
North America?
a. Professional architects
b. Customers
c. Interior decorators
d. Carpenters
22. The passage implies that the rules outlined in architectural manuals were
a. generally ignored
b. legally binding
c. not strictly adhered to
d. only followed by older builders
23. The word"divergence"in line 12 is closest in meaning to
a. description
b. development
c. difference
d. disply
24. The word"durable"in line 16 is closest in meaning to
a. attractive
b. bexpensive
c. refined
d. long – lasting
25. Where was stone commonly used to build houses?
a. Virginia
b. Pennsylvania
c. Boston
d. Charleston
26. The word"dwellings"in line 18 is closest in meaning to
a.houses
b.towns
c.outbuildings
d.rural areas
27. The word"predecessors"in line 24 refers to
a. colonist who arrived in North America in the seventeenth century
b. houses constructed before the eighteenth century
c. interior improvements
d. wooden houses in charleston
28. The author mentions elaborately paneled walls in line 26 as an example of
a. how the interior design of colonial houses was improved
 b.Why walls were made of wood or plaster
c. How walls were made stronger in the eighteenth century
d.What kind of wood was used for walls after 1730
29. The word"elaborately"in line 27 is closest in meaning to
a.done in great detail
b.put together carefully
c.using many colors
d.reinforced structurally
30. What does the author imply about the use of wallpaper before 1730?
a. Wallpaper samples appeared in the architectural manuals.
b. Walpaper was the some color as the wall paints used
c. Patterned wallpaper was not widely used
d. Wallpaper was not used in stone house
31. Where in the passage does the author give a reason why brick was the preferred material
for houses in some urban areas?
a. Lines 9-11
b. Lines 15-16
c. Lines 18-20
d. Lines 21-23
Bacaan untuk soal nomor 32 –

Galaxies are not evenly distributed throughout the universe. A few are found alone, but
almost all are grouped in formations termed as galactic clusters. These formations should not
be confused with stellar clusters, globular clusters of stars that exist within a galaxy. The size of
galactic clusters varies enormously, with some clusters containing only a dozen or so members
and others containing as many as 10,000. Moreover, galactic clusters themselves are part of
larger clusters, termedsuperclusters. It is surmised that even clusters of superclusters are
possible.
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is part of galactic cluster called the Local Group, which has
twenty members and is typical in terms of the types of galaxies it contains. There are three large
spiral galaxies: Andromeda, the largest galaxy in the group; the Milky Way, the second-largest
galaxy; and the Triangulum Spiral, the third largest. There are also four medium-sized spiral
galaxies, including the Large Cloud of Magellan and the Small Cloud of Magellan. There are
four regular elliptical galaxies; the reminder are dwarf ellipticals. Other than our own galaxy,
only Andromeda and the Clouds of Magellan can be seen with the naked eye, and the Clouds
are visible only from the Southern Hemisphere.
In the vicinity of the Local Group are several are several clusters, each containing around
twelve members. The nearest cluster rich in members is the Virgo Cluster, which contains
thousands of galaxies of all types. Like most large clusters, it emits X rays. The local group, the
small neighbouring clusters, and the Virgo Cluster form part of a much larger cluster of clusters
– the Local Supercluster.
The existence of galactic clusters presented a riddle to scientists for many years – the
“missing mass” problem. Clusters are presumably held together by the gravity generated by their
members. However, measurements showed that the galaxies did not have enough mass to
explain their apparent stability. Why didn’t these clusters disintegrate? It is now thought that
galaxies contain great amounts of “dark matter”, which cannot be directly observed but which
generated gravitational pull. This matter includes gas, dust, burn-out stars, and even black holes.
Bacaan untuk soal nomor 1-8

Organic architecture – that is, natural architecture – may vary in concept and form, but it
is always faithful to natural principles. The architect dedicated to the promulgation of organic
architecture rejects outright all rules imposed by individual preference or mere aesthetics in
order to remain true to the nature of the site, the materials, the purpose of the structure, and the
people who will ultimately use it. If these natural principles are upheld, then a bank cannot be
built to look like a Greek temple. Form does not follow function; rather, form and function are
inseparably two aspects of the same phenomenon. In other words, a building should be inspired
by nature’s form and constructed with materials that retain and respect the natural characteristics
of the setting to create harmony between the structure and its natural environment. It should
maximize people’s contact with and utilization of the outdoors. Furthermore, the rule of
functionalism is upheld; that is, the principle of excluding everything that serves no practical
purpose.
Natural principles, the are principles of design, not style, expressed by means and modes
of construction that reflect unity, balance, proportion, rhythm, and scale. Like a sculptor, the
organic architect views the site and materials as an innate form that develops organically from
within. Truth in architecture results in a natural, spontaneous structure in total harmony with the
setting. For the most part, these structures find their geometric shapes in the contours of the land
and their colors in the surrounding palette of nature.
From the outside, an organic structure is so much a part of nature that is often obscured
by it. In other words, it may be not easy, or maybe not even possible, for the human eye to
separate the artificial structure from the natural terrain. Natural light, air, and view permeate the
whole structure, providing a sense of communication with the outdoors. From the inside, living
spaces open into one another. The number of walls for separate rooms is reduced to a minimum,
allowing the functional spaces to flow together. Moreover, the interiors are sparse. Organic
architecture incorporates built-in architectural features such as benches and storage areas to take
the place of furniture.

1. According to this passage, what is another name for organic architecture?

A. Natural architecture
2. The word ultimate in paragraph 1 could best be replaced by?
B. Eventually
3. The word upheld paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to?
D. Perceived
4. The following examples are all representative of natural architecture EXCEPT?
A. A bank that is built to look like a Greek temple
5. Why does the author compare an organic architect to a sculptor?
D.To demonstrate the importance of style
6. The word obscured paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to?
A.Difficult to see
7. With which of the following statements would the author most probably agree?
D. Form and function are one
8. Which of the following statements best describes the architect’s view of nature?
D.Nature should be improved.