TOEFL Factual Information Question Practices with Explanation

TOEFL Factual Information Question Practices with Explanation

PASSAGE EXCERPT: " ... Sculptures must, for example, be stable, which requires an understanding of the properties of mass, weight distribution, and stress. Paintings must have rigid stretchers so that the canvas will be taut, and the paint must not deteriorate, crack, or discolor. These are problems that must be overcome by the artist because they tend to intrude upon his or her conception of the work. For example, in the early Italian Renaissance, bronze statues of horses with a raised foreleg usually had a cannonball under that hoof. This was done because the cannonball was needed to support the weight of the leg. In other words, the demands of the laws of physics, not the sculptors aesthetic intentions, placed the ball there. That this device was a necessary structural compromise is clear from the fact that the cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure of a statue with iron braces (iron being much stronger than bronze) ... "

According to paragraph 2, sculptors in the Italian Renaissance stopped using cannonballs in bronze statues of horses because

A. they began using a material that made the statues weigh less

B. they found a way to strengthen the statues internally

C. the aesthetic tastes of the public had changed over time

D. the cannonballs added too much weight to the statues

How to solve it

1. First you should find out the keywords in the questions statement. In this factual information question, the main keywords are Italian Renaissance, cannonballs and stopped.
2. After find out the keywords, your task would be skim the passage and find out the keywords.
3. Focuses on the question words in the question statement for example why, when, what, because, to etc. to understand the main motive of the question. 
4. Focuses on the synonym to find out the exact meaning.
5. Focus on the pronoun words to accurate your answer.
6. Process of Elimination.

In this question, first, we have to find out all keywords in the end of the paragraph. We found that in the paragraph the word "disappeared" uses instead of word "stopped" in the question statement. In addition, the sentence " cannonball quickly disappeared when sculptors learned how to strengthen the internal structure" indicated the reasons of stopping using cannonballs.  

Correct Answer: Option B

Some Vocabulary

Stable: Firmly fixed; not likely to fall or collapse.

Properties: Qualities or characteristics of something.

Mass: A measure of the amount of matter in an object.

Weight distribution: The way in which the weight of an object is spread out.

Stress: A force that tends to pull or push an object out of shape.

Rigid: Stiff; not flexible.

Taut: Stretched tightly.

Deteriorate: Become worse in quality or condition.

Intrude upon: Enter or cause to enter a place or situation uninvited.

Aesthetic: Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.