Test Of English As A Foreign Language - Correction Test

Reviewed by Heather Baxter
Heather Baxter, BSc (Elementary Education and Teaching) |
K-12 English Expert
Review Board Member
Heather is an educator, with four years of teaching experience. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Teaching. She is skilled in Teaching English as a Second Language and currently works as an Elementary School Teacher at Pinellas County Schools. She made a career transition one year ago to explore a new path in writing and copy editing. Heather's specialization lies in curriculum development and educational materials, but she maintains versatility to work across various industries. Known for her keen attention to detail and a deep passion for language, she possesses a sharp eye for precision.
, BSc (Elementary Education and Teaching)
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Test Of English As A Foreign Language - Correction Test - Quiz


The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is a standardized examination intended to evaluate the English language competence of non-native speakers who aim to enroll in English-speaking universities. This test holds recognition from a multitude of English-speaking academic and professional institutions globally.
TOEFL measures various language skills, including reading, listening, speaking, and writing, to ascertain the test-taker's aptitude for academic communication in an English-speaking environment. This assessment aids universities in determining applicants' language proficiency levels, enhancing their chances of academic success.
As a reputable evaluation tool, TOEFL plays a pivotal role in facilitating higher education opportunities Read morefor individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds. By providing an objective measure of language proficiency, TOEFL serves as a bridge to academic pursuits and professional endeavors on an international scale.


Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Questions and Answers

  • 1. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "In 1732, coach travelers could got from New York to Philadelphia in about two days."

    • A.

      Travelers

    • B.

      Got

    • C.

      To

    • D.

      Days

    Correct Answer
    B. Got
    Explanation
    "Got" should be "get." The modal verb "could" is followed by a base form verb, which in this case should be "get." "Could get" indicates the ability or possibility of making the journey within the specified time frame historically.

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  • 2. 

    Choose the word that needs to be corrected in this sentence: "Some of the District of Columbia are on low-lying, marshy ground."

    • A.

      Are

    • B.

      Of the

    • C.

      On

    • D.

      Marshy

    Correct Answer
    A. Are
    Explanation
    The word "are" should be changed to "is" because the subject "District of Columbia" is a singular noun referring to a specific place. In English, the verb should agree in number with its subject, and since "District of Columbia" is singular, the correct verb form is "is.

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  • 3. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "Georgia’s economy is based main on agriculture."

    • A.

      Georgia’s

    • B.

      Based

    • C.

      Main

    • D.

      Agriculture

    Correct Answer
    C. Main
    Explanation
    The adjective "main" should be the adverb "mainly" to correctly modify the verb "based." In English, adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, providing more information about how actions are performed. "Mainly" indicates that agriculture is primarily, but not exclusively, the foundation of Georgia's economy, providing clarity and accuracy in describing the economic focus.

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  • 4. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "The Paul Revere House was built in 1676, and today its the oldest wooden building in Boston."

    • A.

      Its

    • B.

      Built

    • C.

      Wooden

    • D.

      Oldest

    Correct Answer
    A. Its
    Explanation
    "Its" should be corrected to "it is" or the contraction "it’s," which accurately reflects the state of being of the Paul Revere House. "Its" is a possessive pronoun, implying ownership, which is not the intended meaning here. Instead, "it is" (or "it’s") clearly communicates that the house currently holds the status of being the oldest wooden building in Boston.

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  • 5. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "Conifers such as cedars, firs, and pines bear its seeds in cones."

    • A.

      Such as

    • B.

      Bear

    • C.

      Its

    • D.

      Cones.

    Correct Answer
    C. Its
    Explanation
    "Its" should be "their" to match the plural subject "conifers." In English, possessive pronouns must agree in number with the nouns they modify. "Its" is singular and does not correctly refer to the plural noun "conifers." The correction to "their" ensures the sentence correctly communicates that these types of trees collectively bear seeds in cones.

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  • 6. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "A dome is a semispherical structures on top of a building."

    • A.

      Semispherical

    • B.

      Structures

    • C.

      On top of

    • D.

      Building

    Correct Answer
    B. Structures
    Explanation
    "Structures" should be corrected to "structure" to maintain subject-verb agreement. The subject "a dome" is singular, and therefore, the noun describing it must also be singular. By correcting "structures" to "structure," the sentence correctly states that the dome is a single semispherical structure.

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  • 7. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "Succulents suck up water in just a few hour, but they can store it in their stems for months."

    • A.

      Suck up

    • B.

      Hour

    • C.

      Store

    • D.

      Their stems

    Correct Answer
    B. Hour
    Explanation
    "Hour" should be "hours" to correctly reflect the plural form needed after "a few." In English, when quantifying time, space, or counts with phrases like "a few," the following noun must be plural if applicable, hence "a few hours." This indicates the brief duration it takes for succulents to absorb water.

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  • 8. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "Flying buttresses enabled builders to put up tall but thinnest stone walls."

    • A.

      Enabled

    • B.

      To put

    • C.

      Thinnest

    • D.

      Walls

    Correct Answer
    C. Thinnest
    Explanation
    "Thinnest" should be corrected to "thin." The word "thinnest" implies a comparison with other objects, which is not the context here. The correction to "thin" appropriately describes the stone walls, indicating they are less thick than might be expected, without implying a comparison.

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  • 9. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "In many languages the forms of a word varies to express contrasts such as number, gender, and tense."

    • A.

      ​ In many languages

    • B.

      Varies

    • C.

      Such

    • D.

      Tense

    Correct Answer
    B. Varies
    Explanation
    "Varies" should be "vary" to agree with the plural subject "forms." In English, the verb must match the subject in number. Since "forms" is plural, the correct verb form is "vary," indicating that the forms of words change across different languages to express grammatical contrasts.

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  • 10. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "A Milky Way object that erupted in the constellation Scorpius has provides information to astronomers since July."

    • A.

      That

    • B.

      Provides

    • C.

      ​astronomers

    • D.

      Since July

    Correct Answer
    B. Provides
    Explanation
    "Provides" should be "provided" to correctly use the past tense in the context of ongoing information provision that began in the past. The past participle "provided" fits with the auxiliary verb "has," forming the present perfect tense, which indicates that the action started in the past and continues to the present.

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  • 11. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "Much fossils are found in coal-bearing rocks."

    • A.

      Much

    • B.

      Found

    • C.

      Coal-bearing

    • D.

      Rocks

    Correct Answer
    A. Much
    Explanation
    "Much" should be corrected to "many." "Much" is used with uncountable nouns, whereas "many" is used with countable nouns. Since "fossils" is countable, "many" is the appropriate word to quantify how numerous the fossils are in coal-bearing rocks.

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  • 12. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "When salt is added to ice, this mixture becomes coldly enough to freeze ice cream."

    • A.

      Added

    • B.

      This

    • C.

      Coldly

    • D.

      To freeze

    Correct Answer
    C. Coldly
    Explanation
    "Coldly" should be "cold." The word "coldly" is an adverb, which does not fit this context because it modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. "Cold," an adjective, is needed to describe the state of the mixture adequately. The correct expression is "cold enough," meaning sufficiently low in temperature.

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  • 13. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Long Island was chiefly an agricultural region with fishing, whaling, and build ships as the important industries."

    • A.

      Centuries

    • B.

      Chiefly

    • C.

      Agricultural

    • D.

      Build ships

    Correct Answer
    D. Build ships
    Explanation
    "Build ships" should be "building ships." The noun phrase "building ships" uses the gerund form "building" to describe one of the industries as an ongoing or habitual activity during the historical period mentioned, aligning grammatically with "fishing" and "whaling."

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  • 14. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "No one who has studied the Battle of Little Bighorn know the exact route that Custer and his detachment took."

    • A.

      Who

    • B.

      Know

    • C.

      His

    • D.

      Took.

    Correct Answer
    B. Know
    Explanation
    "Know" should be "knows" to agree with the singular subject "no one." In English, the verb must conform to the singularity of the pronoun "no one," which is always treated as singular, thus requiring the singular verb form "knows."

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  • 15. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "The folktales which the brothers Grimm had collecting were translated into English in 1823."

    • A.

      Which

    • B.

      Collecting

    • C.

      Translated

    • D.

      In

    Correct Answer
    B. Collecting
    Explanation
    "Collecting" should be "collected." The past participle "collected" is needed to complete the past perfect tense with "had," indicating that the action of collecting the folktales was completed before another past action (their translation).

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  • 16. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "In our solar system, nine planets, fifty-seven moons, several dozen comets, several million asteroids, and billions of meteorites have so far been discover."

    • A.

      Our

    • B.

      Several dozen

    • C.

      So far

    • D.

      Discover

    Correct Answer
    D. Discover
    Explanation
     The correct form of the word in the sentence should be "discovered" instead of "discover." This is because the sentence is describing actions that have already happened, so the past participle "discovered" is needed to match the past tense context of the sentence. The word "discover" is in its base form, which is typically used for simple present tense or imperative forms, neither of which fit this past tense sentence. Therefore, "discover" should be changed to "discovered" to correctly indicate that these celestial bodies have already been found or identified.

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  • 17. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "From the 1850s until after the turn of the century, many of America’s super-rich families made Newport his favorite summer resort."

    • A.

      Many

    • B.

      Families

    • C.

      Made

    • D.

      His

    Correct Answer
    D. His
    Explanation
    "His" should be "their." The possessive pronoun "their" correctly refers back to the plural noun "families," aligning the possessive pronoun in number with its antecedent, thus accurately indicating that Newport was a favored resort for multiple families, not just one.

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  • 18. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "Mars may looks red because it is covered with a layer of soft red iron oxide."

    • A.

      Looks

    • B.

      It is

    • C.

      Covered

    • D.

      Layer

    Correct Answer
    A. Looks
    Explanation
    "Looks" should be "look." The modal "may" requires the base form of the verb that follows. "Look" without the 's' is the base form and is grammatically correct in this modal construction, describing the potential appearance of Mars.

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  • 19. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "The radioactive substances that pose the greatest harm to humanity have neither very short or very long half-lives."

    • A.

      That pose

    • B.

      Very short

    • C.

      Or

    • D.

      Half-lives

    Correct Answer
    C. Or
    Explanation
    "Or" should be "nor." The correct conjunction in the correlative pair "neither... nor" is "nor," not "or." This conjunction is used to link items in a negative construction, properly indicating that the substances do not have either very short or very long half-lives.

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  • 20. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "A robin cocks its head to peer at a worm with one eyes and not to hear it, as was once thought."

    • A.

      Its

    • B.

      A worm

    • C.

      Eyes

    • D.

      Once

    Correct Answer
    C. Eyes
    Explanation
    "Eyes" should be "eye." The phrase "with one eye" is the correct expression, indicating that the robin uses a single eye to focus on the worm. This correction is necessary for grammatical correctness and to convey the specific behavior of the bird accurately.

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  • 21. 

    Identify the incorrect word in the following sentence: "Film sound is often record by an analog system which like the compact disc, uses light."

    • A.

      Sound

    • B.

      Record

    • C.

      Which

    • D.

      Uses

    Correct Answer
    B. Record
    Explanation
    The verb "record" should be changed to "recorded" because the sentence describes an action being done by the system. "Recorded" is needed to maintain passive voice consistency, indicating that the sound is captured using an analog system. This correction ensures that the verb properly reflects the action performed by the subject in the sentence.

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  • 22. 

    Which word should be changed to make this sentence grammatically correct? "The scribes of the Middle Ages used quill pens to produce their high decorated manuscripts."

    • A.

      Used

    • B.

      To produce

    • C.

      Their

    • D.

      High

    Correct Answer
    D. High
    Explanation
    The adjective "high" should be replaced with the adverb "highly" to correctly modify the adjective "decorated." "Highly" is used to indicate the degree to which the manuscripts were decorated, providing clarity and detail about how extensively the scribes embellished their works.

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  • 23. 

    Identify the grammatically incorrect word in the sentence: "The principles of physics described by Christian Doppler in 1842 for the movement of stars has been adapted to evaluate the movement of blood within the heart."

    • A.

      Blood

    • B.

      Described

    • C.

      Has

    • D.

      Adapted

    Correct Answer
    C. Has
    Explanation
    The word "has" should be changed to "have" to correctly match the plural subject "principles." The verb "have" aligns with the plural noun, maintaining proper subject-verb agreement. This correction is crucial to accurately convey that multiple principles have been adapted for use in medical evaluations.

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  • 24. 

    What is the incorrect word in the following sentence? "The Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft were the first vehicles of humankind to venture beyond the limits of ours solar system."

    • A.

      Ours

    • B.

      Were

    • C.

      First

    • D.

      Limits

    Correct Answer
    A. Ours
    Explanation
    The possessive adjective "ours" is incorrectly used and should be "our" to correctly modify "solar system." "Our" indicates possession related to a group that includes the speaker, without adding an unnecessary 's' which is grammatically incorrect in this context.

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Heather Baxter |BSc (Elementary Education and Teaching) |
K-12 English Expert
Heather is an educator, with four years of teaching experience. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Teaching. She is skilled in Teaching English as a Second Language and currently works as an Elementary School Teacher at Pinellas County Schools. She made a career transition one year ago to explore a new path in writing and copy editing. Heather's specialization lies in curriculum development and educational materials, but she maintains versatility to work across various industries. Known for her keen attention to detail and a deep passion for language, she possesses a sharp eye for precision.

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  • Jun 18, 2024
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team

    Expert Reviewed by
    Heather Baxter
  • Jun 17, 2016
    Quiz Created by
    Giorgia Basilashvili

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