Reading Directions & Tips & Tricks – Starter TOEIC – Third Edition – Building TOEIC Test-taking Skills – Anne Taylor – Casey Malarcher
Part V: Incomplete Sentences
📘Directions: Each sentence below has a missing word or phrase. Four answer choices are provided under each sentence. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence, then mark (A), (B), (C), or (D) on your answer sheet.
Example:
Because the equipment is very delicate, it must be handled with ——-.
(A) caring
(B) careful
(C) care
(D) carefully
The sentence should read, “Because the equipment is very delicate, it must be handled with care.” Therefore, you should choose answer (C).
💡 TIPS
🔤 Ignore spelling concerns. Incorrect spelling will never appear as a correct answer in the TOEIC test.
🔍 Examine the words around the blank. They can give you hints about the right answer.
🧩 Read the entire sentence carefully to understand its full meaning before selecting an answer.
🧩 TRICKS
⚠️ Be cautious of answers with incorrect word forms.
e.g., drove, drives, driving
🔄 Look out for words with similar beginnings or endings.
e.g., return, retire, reuse
📌 Beware of commonly confused words.
e.g., affect/effect, lend/borrow
Part VI: Incomplete Texts
📘Directions: Read the passages on the next pages. In some sentences, a word or phrase is missing. Each of these sentences has four answer choices listed below. Choose the answer that best completes the sentence, and mark (A), (B), (C), or (D) on your answer sheet.
Example:
As of June 15ᵗʰ, employees will be (1) ——- to wear full company uniform whenever they are on company premises. This (2) ——- to all employees who work in areas of the building accessible by members of the public. The full uniform consists of a white shirt, green pants, and the company tie for men.
(1) (A) requiring
(B) requirement
(C) required
(D) require
(2) (A) considers
(B) applies
(C) works
(D) implements
The sentences should read “As of June 15ᵗʰ, employees will be required to wear full company uniform when they are on company premises. This applies to all employees who work in areas of the building accessible by members of the public.” Therefore you should choose answers (C) and (B).
💡 TIPS
📝 Keep in mind that you are searching for the most suitable word to fill in the blank.
📖 Make sure to read the entire passage, not just the words near the blank. Aim to understand the overall meaning of the text.
🧩 TRICKS
⚠️ Be mindful of unnecessary repetition.
e.g., keep on continuing, finally at last
🚫 Look out for extra words that don’t fit in the sentence.
e.g., The apples they are fresh.
📌 Pay close attention to correct word forms and verb tenses.
e.g., nice/nicely, had gone/has gone
Part VII: Reading Comprehension
📘Directions: In this section, you will read various types of texts, including magazine and newspaper articles, letters, and advertisements. After each text, you will find several questions. Choose the best answer for each question and mark the corresponding letter (A), (B), (C), or (D) on your answer sheet.
Read the following example.
The Grenville Museum Of Technology is a “hands-on” museum, designed for people to experience science at work. Although this kind of museum may be fairly common nowadays, Grenville was the first of its kind in the U.S. Visitors are encouraged to use, test, and handle the various objects on display. Special demonstrations are scheduled for the first and second Wednesday of each month at 13:30. The museum is open Tuesday–Friday 12:00–16:30, Saturday 10:00–17:30, and Sunday 11:00–16:30. Admission is $2 for children and $3 for adults.
At what times during the month can visitors see special demonstrations?
(A) Every weekend
(B) The first two Wednesdays
(C) One afternoon a week
(D) Every other Wednesday
The reading selection says that the demonstrations are scheduled for the first and second Wednesdays of the month. Therefore, you should choose answer (B).
💡 TIPS
📘 Just like in Part IV, focus on the introduction. It will indicate the number of questions and give you clues about the kind of information covered in the text.
🧩 While reading, consider the purpose and audience of the passage. Ask yourself, “Who is this for? Why was it written?”
👀 Start by skimming the passage and reading the questions. Then, go back to the passage and try to find the answers based on the questions.
🧩 TRICKS
📖 Many answer choices may contain information found in the passage, but they do not always directly address the question being asked.
🔄 In all TOEIC sections, watch out for words that sound similar, numbers that may be confusing, incorrect word forms, and words with nearly the same meaning.
❗ Don’t be thrown off by question formats such as:
e.g., “Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the reading?” or “The text refers to all of the following EXCEPT…”
✅ Carefully review each answer choice and pick the one that seems unfamiliar or incorrect in the context of the passage.
