English TOEFL iBT practice

Practice questions for the TOEFL iBT, taken from the sets of the English course that need no account: a few questions from each part with the answer and the reason, and a quiz on those sets.

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Show a question's answer to check yours. These are practice questions in the exam's format, not the provider's own papers; the quiz runs without an account.

at a glance

exams: TOEFL iBT
questions: 632 questions
without an account: all 4 sets
parts: 4 parts
sample questions: 12 sample questions

TOEFL iBT

4 sets · 632 questions, no account needed, in 4 parts. The page shows 12 sample questions with the answers, a few from each part.

Practise TOEFL iBT questions →

Reading

1 set · 181 questions

Practise Reading

from the set Reading
```
Sleep researchers have long puzzled over why organisms devote so many hours to a state that leaves them vulnerable. Recent studies suggest that during deep sleep the brain flushes out metabolic waste products that accumulate during waking hours, a process that appears far less efficient when the animal is awake. This cleansing function may help explain why prolonged sleep deprivation impairs memory and concentration.

What does the passage identify as a possible benefit of deep sleep?
```
1. An increase in the brain's vulnerability to predators
2. The removal of metabolic waste that builds up while awake
3. The strengthening of muscles used during the day
4. A reduction in the body's overall energy consumption
show the answer
answer B. The removal of metabolic waste that builds up while awake
The passage attributes to deep sleep the flushing of metabolic waste, linking it to memory and concentration. The other options name benefits the text never claims (muscle strengthening, energy reduction) or misread vulnerability as a benefit rather than a puzzle.
from the set Reading
```
The way a question is worded can shape the answer it receives, a phenomenon known as framing. Asked whether a policy that "saves 200 of 600 lives" should be adopted, people respond more favorably than when told the same policy means "400 of 600 will die," although the outcomes are identical. Our judgments, it seems, respond as much to presentation as to substance.

What can be inferred from the passage about human judgment?
```
1. It can be swayed by how information is presented, not only by the facts themselves.
2. It becomes more accurate when negative outcomes are emphasized.
3. It reliably sets wording aside and focuses on the outcomes being described.
4. It is affected by framing when the numbers differ but not when they are identical.
show the answer
answer A. It can be swayed by how information is presented, not only by the facts themselves.
Because identical outcomes produce different responses depending on wording, judgment is influenced by presentation. The other options contradict the example: they claim wording is ignored, require the numbers to differ (they are identical), or assert an improvement the passage does not describe.
from the set Reading
```
Loneliness, researchers increasingly argue, is not merely an unpleasant feeling but a genuine threat to physical health. Chronic social isolation has been linked to elevated stress hormones, weakened immune response, and higher rates of illness. Some studies even suggest its impact on longevity rivals that of well-known risks such as smoking.

What is the author's main point?
```
1. Loneliness is an unpleasant feeling whose effects fade once company is found.
2. Prolonged loneliness can seriously harm the body, not just the emotions.
3. Smoking is far more dangerous to health than any social factor.
4. Stress hormones are the main cause of the physical illnesses linked to isolation.
show the answer
answer B. Prolonged loneliness can seriously harm the body, not just the emotions.
The passage presents loneliness as a physical health threat comparable to smoking. The correct option restates this. The second denies consequences the passage documents, the third reverses the comparison, and the fourth turns one listed correlate, stress hormones, into the main cause of illness, which the passage does not claim.

Listening

1 set · 145 questions

Practise Listening

from the set Listening

Transcript:
Professor: Volcanoes come in very different shapes, and the shape tells you about the lava. Take a shield volcano, like those in Hawaii. Its lava is low in silica, so it's runny — it flows for great distances before cooling, building a broad, gently sloping dome. Contrast that with a stratovolcano: its lava is thick and sticky with silica, so it piles up near the vent, creating those steep, classic cone shapes. The very same eruption process yields wildly different mountains, purely because of how the lava flows.

Why does a shield volcano have gentle slopes rather than a steep cone?

Its thick, sticky lava piles up quickly near the vent.
Its eruptions are far more violent, flattening the surrounding rock.
Its low-silica lava flows easily over long distances before cooling.
It erupts only underwater, where slopes cannot form steeply.

show the answer

answer C. Its low-silica lava flows easily over long distances before cooling.

The professor attributes the shield's broad, gentle dome to low-silica, runny lava that flows far before cooling. Thick, sticky lava is what builds a steep stratovolcano, and eruption violence and underwater location are not the stated cause.

from the set Listening
```
Transcript: "Now, when we talk about the water cycle, most people remember evaporation and precipitation. But there's a third process we tend to overlook: transpiration. That's the release of water vapor from plants, mostly through tiny pores in their leaves called stomata. In a dense forest, transpiration can actually account for more atmospheric moisture than evaporation from nearby lakes."

Question: What point does the professor emphasize about transpiration?
```
1. It occurs mainly in lakes and rivers rather than in forested areas.
2. It is the process most people already understand well.
3. It has replaced evaporation as the main driver of the water cycle in most regions of the world.
4. It can contribute more atmospheric moisture than evaporation from nearby bodies of water.
show the answer
answer D. It can contribute more atmospheric moisture than evaporation from nearby bodies of water.
The professor calls transpiration the overlooked third process and notes that in a dense forest it can account for more atmospheric moisture than evaporation from nearby lakes. The other options contradict the transcript.
from the set Listening
```
Transcript:
Professor: Let's examine a subtle idea in evolutionary biology: the difference between an adaptation and an exaptation. An adaptation is a trait shaped by natural selection for its current function — a bird's wing selected for flight. An exaptation is a trait that evolved for one purpose but was later co-opted for another. Feathers are the classic case: they likely first evolved for insulation, keeping small dinosaurs warm, and only much later were repurposed for flight. The feature existed before the use we now associate with it.

What is an exaptation, according to the professor?
```
1. A trait that natural selection shaped for its present function.
2. A trait that first evolved for one purpose and was later used for another.
3. A trait that has lost the function it originally evolved to serve.
4. A trait that appears in a single generation rather than evolving gradually.
show the answer
answer B. A trait that first evolved for one purpose and was later used for another.
The professor defines an exaptation as a trait that evolved for one purpose and was later co-opted for another, using feathers as the example. A trait shaped for its current function is an adaptation, and the other options misstate the concept.

Grammar

1 set · 154 questions

Practise Grammar

from the set Grammar
```
She asked me ____ finished the assignment before the deadline.
```
1. did I have
2. had I
3. whether I had
4. if had I
show the answer
answer C. whether I had
A reported question uses statement word order (subject before verb) and no auxiliary inversion: 'whether I had finished'. The inverted forms belong to direct questions.
from the set Grammar
```
The board recommended that the new policy ____ effective immediately.
```
1. be made
2. is made
3. was made
4. will be made
show the answer
answer A. be made
Verbs of demand and recommendation ('recommend that...') trigger the mandative subjunctive, which uses the bare base form, here the passive 'be made'.
from the set Grammar
```
Heavy snow prevented the rescue team ____ reaching the stranded climbers.
```
1. against
2. to
3. of
4. from
show the answer
answer D. from
the pattern is 'prevent someone from (doing) something'.

Vocabulary

1 set · 152 questions

Practise Vocabulary

from the set Vocabulary
```
The laboratory will ___ out a thorough analysis of the water samples next week.
```
1. put
2. carry
3. bring
4. take
show the answer
answer B. carry
The phrasal verb 'carry out' means to perform or complete a task. 'Bring out,' 'take out,' and 'put out' do not combine with 'analysis' in this sense.
from the set Vocabulary
```
The professor is known for her 'rigorous' grading, which most nearly means:
```
1. fast and careless
2. generous and lenient
3. vague and inconsistent
4. strict and thorough
show the answer
answer D. strict and thorough
'Rigorous' means extremely careful, demanding, and thorough. The other options describe the opposite qualities.
from the set Vocabulary
```
Farming methods that can continue indefinitely without exhausting the soil are described as ___.
```
1. replaceable
2. disposable
3. sustainable
4. expendable
show the answer
answer C. sustainable
'Sustainable' means able to be maintained over the long term without depleting resources. 'Disposable' and 'expendable' mean meant to be used up or discarded, and 'replaceable' means able to be substituted.

how it works

Each part shows a few of its questions, picked in a fixed order, so the page reads the same on every visit. Show an answer to see the correct option and why.

Practising a part runs a quiz on the sets made of that part alone, up to 12 of them; practising the whole exam draws a quiz at random from up to 12 of the exam's sets, the ones that mix parts included, and every start draws again. No set of this exam needs an account. Each answer is marked on the spot and what you miss comes back. A free account keeps your progress and lets you sit the mock exam.

frequently asked questions

Are these the real TOEFL iBT questions?

No. The 12 sample questions on this page, and the 632 questions behind them, are practice questions in the format of the exam, written for wspell. The exam's own papers belong to its provider; the exam's page on wspell links to the official sources.

Do I need an account to practise for the TOEFL iBT?

No. The quiz on the TOEFL iBT runs without one (all 4 sets), and a practise link starts the course for you in the same tap. A free account keeps your progress and lets you sit the mock exam.

Exam names and trade marks on this page belong to the organisations that own and run those exams. wspell is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.

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