TOEFL Reading Practice Test #54

Explanation:
Paragraph 1 emphasizes that Thales’ approach to the question “What is the world made of?” was based strictly on observation and reasoning, rather than on imaginative stories about gods or the supernatural.

A. is correct; the discussion illustrates Thales’ more objective and rational approach, distinguishing him from earlier Greek thinkers.
B. is incorrect; the passage does not trace the question’s origin, only Thales’ approach to it.
C. is incorrect; the passage does not claim Thales’ answer was correct, only that it was based on observation.
D. is incorrect; the focus is on Thales’ method, not on why the question remained unanswered.

Explanation:
Paragraph 2 notes that Anaximander “ambitiously attempted to write a comprehensive history of the universe,” indicating he aimed to include all relevant aspects of the universe in his work.

A. is correct; “comprehensive” means thorough or complete, covering all parts.
B. is incorrect; “true” refers to accuracy, not scope or completeness.
C. is incorrect; “short” is the opposite of comprehensive.
D. is incorrect; “academic” relates to scholarly work, not the breadth of content.

Explanation:
Paragraph 2 explains that while Thales influenced others, “much more is known about Anaximander than about Anaximenes, probably because Anaximander… ambitiously attempted to write a comprehensive history of the universe,” implying that Thales had other followers whose ideas are largely unknown.

C. is correct; the passage indicates that most of Thales’ followers attained less renown, so little is known about them.
A. is incorrect; the passage notes that followers like Anaximander and Anaximenes sometimes disagreed with him.
B. is incorrect; Thales’ approximate birth year is given in paragraph 1 (circa 624 BCE), not 600 BCE.
D. is incorrect; Thales influenced students beyond Miletus, as suggested by the broader impact of his philosophical approach.

Explanation:
Paragraph 3 details Anaximander’s beliefs, including that all life originated in the sea, the sky surrounded Earth like a sphere, and Earth was cylindrical. Later Greek philosophers, while building on Anaximander’s ideas, often rejected certain details, such as the cylindrical shape of Earth, in favor of other models like the sphere.

D. is correct; later Greek philosophers did not adopt Anaximander’s view of Earth as a cylinder, favoring other shapes instead.
A. is incorrect; Anaximander’s idea that the world was made of apeiron was not specifically disputed in the passage by later philosophers.
B. is incorrect; the passage does not indicate that later philosophers rejected the idea that life originated in the sea.
C. is incorrect; the spherical model of the sky was built upon by later thinkers and generally accepted.

Explanation:
Paragraph 3 mentions that Anaximander’s idea of the sky as a sphere surrounding Earth “elaborated upon” previous ideas. In context, this means that later thinkers expanded or developed his idea further, refining it and incorporating it into more detailed models.

D. is correct; “elaborated upon” means that later philosophers further developed Anaximander’s concept.
A. is incorrect; the passage does not suggest that the idea was proven wrong.
B. is incorrect; there is no indication that the idea was misunderstood.
C. is incorrect; “repeated” does not capture the notion of building on and expanding the original idea.

Explanation:
The highlighted sentence emphasizes that the main point about Anaximenes is his disagreement with his mentor, following Anaximander’s tradition. His probable birth date is secondary information and not essential to the core idea.

A. is correct; it clearly and concisely expresses the essential information: Anaximenes, like Anaximander, disagreed with his teacher.
B. is incorrect; it incorrectly generalizes the disagreement to all philosophers born after Anaximenes, which is not stated.
C. is incorrect; it overemphasizes historical details like the birth date, which are not part of the essential meaning.
D. is incorrect; the phrase "even though" implies a contradiction that is not present in the highlighted sentence, making it a misleading paraphrase.

Explanation:
Paragraph 5 explains that early Greek thinkers like the Milesians were philosophers, not scientists, and their work involved creative speculation. They combined observations and analogies into internally consistent systems but did not engage in experimentation or critical testing.

A. is correct; the passage notes that their ideas were elaborately structured and logically consistent, showing careful reasoning.
B. is incorrect; they did not perform scientific studies in the modern sense.
C. is incorrect; they did not test their theories objectively.
D. is incorrect; the passage emphasizes that their systems of reasoning were often elaborate rather than simple.

Explanation:
In paragraph 5, the passage states that the Milesians’ speculative reasoning “would eventually culminate in Aristotle’s model of the world and the universe.” Here, “culminate” refers to the process leading to a final, complete result.

C. is correct; it conveys the idea of reaching a final stage or completion.
A. is incorrect; “be included” does not capture the idea of reaching a final result.
B. is incorrect; “combine” implies mixing but not completion.
D. is incorrect; “be rejected” is the opposite of the intended meaning.

Explanation:
The sentence fits at [■][1] because it clarifies the author’s point that the creative speculation of early Greek philosophers resembled artistic or literary thinking rather than scientific inquiry. It provides context for why the intellectual activity was considered “purely creative” and emphasizes the distinction between philosophical speculation and modern scientific methodology.

[■][1] is correct; it immediately follows the description of the burst of creative thinking and reinforces the comparison to non-scientific approaches.
[■][2], [■][3], and [■][4] are incorrect; these later positions either introduce different ideas or provide further explanation of scientific theory requirements rather than illustrating the artistic-like nature of early speculation.

Explanation:

A. is incorrect; while Thales and his followers did teach and discuss ideas, the passage does not mention that teachers actively encouraged correction of errors in reasoning as a defining feature of the Milesian School. This overstates what the passage provides.

B. is correct; the passage repeatedly notes that Anaximander and Anaximenes, both students of Thales, disagreed with their mentors on fundamental questions, such as the essential substance of the universe. This highlights that sharp disagreement existed even between teacher and student.

C. is incorrect; although it is true that much of the written work of Anaximander and Anaximenes is lost, this is a minor detail. The summary should focus on their contributions and ideas rather than the survival of their writings.

D. is correct; the passage emphasizes that Anaximander made contributions in multiple areas, including the origin of life, mapping the world, and understanding the shape of Earth and the sky. These contributions influenced later Greek thinkers, making this a central point for the summary.

E. is incorrect; the passage mentions that some ideas, such as the spherical view of the sky, influenced later thinking, but it does not claim that the Milesian School’s astronomical ideas were widely accepted by scientists after the Scientific Revolution. This extrapolates beyond the text.

F. is correct; the passage explains that while the early Greek philosophers rejected supernatural explanations, their methods were speculative and lacked experimentation. Their work was rational but not scientific in the modern sense, making this a major idea to include in the summary.