TOEFL Read an Academic Passage Practice
About this task
Read an Academic Passage gives you a roughly 200-word text on a natural science, history, social science, business or arts topic, followed by up to five multiple-choice questions. The questions no longer name which paragraph to search, so skimming for the answer costs more time than reading the whole passage once first, and every question needs a sentence you can point to as proof rather than outside knowledge. This practice mode delivers a fresh academic passage and question set each time, and scores your answers as soon as you submit.
- Read all 200 words once before you look at question 1; the questions no longer name a paragraph, so hunting costs more time than reading.
- On inference questions, cross out any option the passage states outright: if it needed no inference, it is not the answer.
- For vocabulary items, substitute your choice back into the sentence and reread it; the dictionary's most common sense is usually the trap.
- If you cannot point at the sentence that proves your answer, you are guessing, so eliminate instead of choosing.
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Read an Academic Passage
Read academic texts and answer comprehension questions
According to the passage, why do leaves appear green during spring and summer?
NaN questions incorrect. Review the questions to see the correct answers.
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Frequently asked questions
How long is the TOEFL 2026 Read an Academic Passage?
The passage itself runs about 200 words and carries up to five multiple-choice questions. There is no separate timer for the task; it sits inside a Reading module with its own clock, and ETS lists the whole Reading section at about 30 minutes for roughly 50 items. Budget four to five minutes per academic passage.
How many questions are on a TOEFL academic passage?
Up to five, each single-answer multiple choice with four options. Every question is worth one point, there is no partial credit, and there is no penalty for a wrong guess, so never leave one blank.
What question types appear on the TOEFL 2026 academic passage?
Factual information, negative factual (NOT or EXCEPT), inference, vocabulary in context, questions about how paragraphs relate or what a paragraph does, and main idea or author's purpose. Insert Text and Prose Summary from the old TOEFL iBT are gone.
Is the TOEFL 2026 Reading section adaptive?
Yes. Reading runs as two modules with separate timers, and how accurately you handle Module 1 decides whether Module 2 is the harder version. Only the harder Module 2 carries you to the top bands, and you cannot return to Module 1 once you submit it.
Do I need background knowledge for TOEFL academic passages?
No, and using it hurts you. ETS states that all the information needed to answer the questions is included in the text. An option that is true in the real world but unsupported by the passage is one of the most common wrong answers.