TOEFL Reading Practice Test #57

Answer: C

Explanation:

A. is correct; the passage states that Roman pottery was made with “carefully selected and purified clay,” confirming the use of high-quality materials.

B. is correct; the pottery is described as “light and smooth to the touch,” showing that it generally did not weigh much.

D. is correct; the author mentions “minor blemishes” and “slight differences,” indicating imperfections were present.

C. is incorrect; the passage says Roman pottery “shatters if dropped,” so it was not unusually resistant to breaking compared with other ancient pottery.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

A. is correct; in the phrase “production from particular sites,” the word means *specific* or *certain* sites.

B. is incorrect; “common” means ordinary or widespread, which does not fit the context.

C. is incorrect; “ancient” refers to age, not the selection or distinctiveness implied here.

D. is incorrect; “superior” refers to quality, not precision or distinctness.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

A. is correct; the passage notes that Roman vessels “held liquids well,” confirming this characteristic.

B. is correct; the text explains that “their regular and standardized shapes made them simple to stack and store.”

C. is correct; it mentions “hard and sometimes glossy surfaces,” meaning some were shiny.

D. is incorrect; the paragraph explicitly says people “need to be convinced of their true age,” showing that their age is *not* immediately apparent.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

A. is correct; the author describes how archaeologists spend extensive time washing and sorting pottery fragments, demonstrating the vast quantities produced by the Romans.

B. is incorrect; the paragraph does not emphasize the difficulty of finding complete pieces, only the sheer number of fragments.

C. is incorrect; there is no comparison between different regional sites.

D. is incorrect; the passage never discusses differences in quantity between sites, only the overall abundance.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

A. is incorrect; there is no suggestion that “substantial” refers to protection.

B. is incorrect; the passage does not imply that the hill is artificial in meaning of “substantial.”

C. is correct; Monte Testaccio is described as “some 50 meters high,” which emphasizes its *large* size, making this the best match.

D. is incorrect; “famous” relates to reputation, not physical size, so it does not fit the context.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

A. is incorrect; the passage mentions Monte Testaccio mainly contains amphorae from the second and third centuries but does not date the construction of the port.

B. is incorrect; there is no information about the proximity to oil production regions.

C. is incorrect; the text does not suggest the port was in use for only a short time.

D. is correct; the description of 53 million amphorae and 6,000 million liters of imported oil highlights the *high level of commercial activity* at the port.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

A. is incorrect; the passage does not suggest carelessness on the part of traders.

B. is incorrect; earlier paragraphs emphasize the *high quality* of Roman pottery, so the discarded amphorae were not poor in quality.

C. is correct; the passage notes that even high-quality amphorae were discarded, reflecting the *large scale* of production and trade.

D. is incorrect; there is no mention of a decline in oil imports affecting pottery use.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

A. is incorrect; the author does not discuss the origin of the pottery styles.

B. is correct; the passage explicitly states that *access to high-quality pottery by different social levels* is more significant than geographic spread, meaning maps show location but not societal access.

C. is incorrect; while the text mentions remotest regions, the statement does not say maps fail to show them.

D. is incorrect; using multiple techniques is not addressed in this sentence.

Correct Answer: [■][2]

Explanation:

[■][1] is incorrect; inserting the sentence here would separate the general statement about rare real quantities from the explanation and the upcoming example, making the flow awkward.

[■][2] is correct; the sentence logically explains why typical deposits cannot yield real quantities and smoothly leads into the example of the exceptional dump at Monte Testaccio.

[■][3] is incorrect; this excerpt introduces the location, so adding the sentence here would interrupt the narrative sequence.

[■][4] is incorrect; this section describes the scale and details of Monte Testaccio, and inserting the sentence here would be out of context.

Correct Answers: A, C, E

Explanation:

A. is correct; the passage repeatedly emphasizes that Roman pottery was of consistently high quality and practical in use, being light, smooth, tough, and easy to handle, store, and clean.

B. is incorrect; the passage does not focus on unfamiliarity with the full range of Roman pottery or limitations of styles as a main point.

C. is correct; the passage stresses the massive quantity of Roman pottery produced, even if exact numbers are difficult to determine.

D. is incorrect; while urban sites are mentioned in relation to archaeological work, the passage does not claim that archaeologists focus there because of the oldest pieces, making this a minor detail, not a central idea.

E. is correct; the passage notes that Roman pottery was transported over long distances and accessible to various social levels, highlighting its widespread distribution and social significance.

F. is incorrect; the role of the Roman state in commercial success is not discussed in the passage, so it is not relevant to a summary.