## **Learning Outcomes**

After studying this article, you will be able to identify Sentence Simplification questions in TOEFL Reading. You will learn how to recognize the main point of a sentence, distinguish essential details from examples or nonessential information, and select the best paraphrase even when wording differs significantly from the original. You will also be prepared to avoid typical errors when encountering paraphrased sentences.

## **TOEFL iBT Syllabus**

For TOEFL, you are required to answer questions that ask you to select the answer choice that best expresses the essential information in a highlighted sentence from a reading passage. For review, the main syllabus points are:

- Recognize Sentence Simplification (Essential Information) question formats in TOEFL Reading.
- Determine when a sentence contains both core ideas and nonessential details or examples.
- Identify the main point or claim within a complex or compound sentence.
- Discriminate between correct and incorrect paraphrases, focusing on preservation of meaning and omission of nonessential material.
- Recognize distractors such as partial quotes, reworded minor details, or meanings that do not match the original sentence.

## **Test Your Knowledge**

_Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision._

1. What is usually the main task of a Sentence Simplification question on TOEFL Reading?
2. A sentence in the passage contains a list of facts, an example, and a result. Which part is most likely to be considered essential information on TOEFL?
3. True or false: When choosing the simplification, you should pick the answer that includes all names, examples, and statistics from the original, even if it makes the sentence much longer.
4. Which is a better simplification: (A) an answer that restates the core message in new words, or (B) an answer that repeats the original wording but excludes the main claim?

## **Introduction**

Sentence Simplification questions appear frequently in the TOEFL Reading section. They require you to select the answer choice that most accurately and concisely restates the essential meaning of a highlighted sentence. These questions test your ability to identify the fundamental point of a complex statement—even if the correct answer is paraphrased and omits minor facts or examples.

> **Key Term: Sentence Simplification**
> A TOEFL Reading question type that presents a highlighted sentence and asks which answer choice best expresses the essential information, omitting unimportant details.

When presented with these questions, your goal is not to match vocabulary or repeat every example, but to find an answer that preserves the central idea. This skill is valuable, since academic writing often uses complicated structures, and the TOEFL tests your comprehension—not your memory for exact words.

## Recognizing Sentence Simplification Questions

These questions are clearly marked. The prompt will say:

_Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information._

The highlighted sentence may be lengthy, contain examples, or be phrased in complex grammar.

> **Key Term: Essential Information**
> The central claim or primary point in a sentence, without minor details, examples, or supporting evidence.

## Approach to Sentence Simplification

To choose the best answer:

1. **Read the highlighted sentence carefully.** Identify the core idea or claim the author is making.
2. **Ignore minor details.** Disregard names, dates, examples, or explanations that clarify but do not change the main point.
3. **Consider the structure.** Break compound or complex sentences into subject, verb, and main complement.
4. **Read all answer choices.** The correct answer will state the main point in different words, and may omit examples or nonessential supporting facts.
5. **Avoid answer choices that:**
   - Only repeat examples or minor points
   - Omit the main claim
   - Add information not present in the original
   - Combine unrelated ideas incorrectly

> **Key Term: Paraphrase**
> Expressing the same idea using different words and sentence structure, keeping the meaning intact.

## Types of Essential and Nonessential Information

- **Essential:** The main claim, argument, or result.
- **Nonessential:** Examples, lists of specifics, supporting data, anecdotes, explanations, or statistical details.
- **Watch for words like:** “for example,” “such as,” “like,” and subordinate clauses—they often introduce information you do not need to include in a simplification.

## How Paraphrasing Affects Simplification

The correct answer often uses completely new phrasing, different grammar, and synonyms for critical words. It is not important for the simplification to use the same vocabulary as the original. In fact, close copying is usually incorrect.

> **Key Term: Distractor**
> A wrong answer choice that looks attractive but either omits part of the main meaning or changes the original intent of the sentence.

## Eliminating Incorrect Answer Choices

- **Wrong because they are too specific:** Include only supporting examples, not the claim itself.
- **Wrong because they are too broad or vague:** Omit the controlling idea or change its scope.
- **Wrong because they alter the meaning:** Reverse cause/effect, add data, or make a weak statement stronger (or weaker) than the original.

### **Worked Example 1.1**

A reading passage contains the highlighted sentence:

> Because greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, increased carbon dioxide emissions are believed to cause global temperatures to rise, leading to shifts in weather patterns and more frequent extreme events.

Which of the following best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.

A) The burning of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, which is one of many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.  
B) Experts believe that increasing greenhouse gases leads to climate change and more extreme weather by raising global temperatures.  
C) Greenhouse gases are the only factor responsible for recent shifts in weather patterns.  
D) The atmosphere sometimes traps heat, resulting in more frequent storms around the globe.

> **Answer:** B  
> **Explanation:** Answer B paraphrases the claim that rising greenhouse gases cause global warming and changes in weather, which is the core message. Answer A only provides background and misses the main claim. Answer C incorrectly says greenhouse gases are the only cause. Answer D is too narrow and omits important detail about temperature and climate.

### **Worked Example 1.2**

Here is another TOEFL-style item:

> Present-day elephants and extinct mammoths share several anatomical adaptations for cold environments, including thick fur, a low surface-area-to-volume ratio, and a layer of insulating fat. For example, the woolly mammoth had extremely long hair and short ears compared to modern elephants.

Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence?

A) The woolly mammoth had short ears and long hair, unlike present-day elephants.  
B) Both mammoths and elephants are adapted to cold, with features like thick fur and body fat, though mammoths had even more extreme characteristics.  
C) Unlike modern elephants, mammoths are now extinct, yet both lived in cold climates.  
D) Both species had adaptations, but only mammoths had long hair.

> **Answer:** B  
> **Explanation:** The main idea is that both animals had features for cold, but mammoths' adaptations were especially pronounced. Answer B summarizes this claim. Answer A includes only the example, not the general point. Answer C adds information about extinction that is not in the highlighted sentence. Answer D is too limited in scope.

### **Worked Example 1.3**

Here is a final example:

> Certain marine animals migrate thousands of miles annually to feed and reproduce, relying on Earth's magnetic field for navigation, which scientists believe is detected through tiny magnetic crystals in their bodies.

Which of these sentences best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence?

A) Some marine species are believed to sense Earth’s magnetic field, which may help explain long-distance migration.  
B) Long-distance migrants among marine animals feed and reproduce in different areas.  
C) Magnetic crystals in the bodies of animals affect their feeding and reproduction.  
D) Earth's magnetic field changes annually, affecting marine animals.

> **Answer:** A  
> **Explanation:** The main point is that marine animals rely on Earth's magnetic field for migration, with scientists attributing this ability to magnetic crystals in their bodies. Choice A captures this well. The other choices are too narrow, omit key facts, or misstate the science.

### **Exam Warning**

> Many test-takers select answers that repeat familiar phrases or specific details from the highlighted sentence, ignoring the main idea. Always focus on the core message, not the most colorful detail.

### **Revision Tip**

> When practicing simplification questions, underline the subject, verb, and main complement of the highlighted sentence. Then check which answer matches that message, using new wording.

## **Summary**

- Sentence Simplification questions test your ability to find the main point of a complex sentence and match it to a paraphrased answer without unnecessary data.
- The correct answer will restate the main claim or idea and may omit statistics, examples, or names.
- Nonessential information is rarely tested directly and often appears as distractors.

## **Key Point Checklist**

_This article has covered the following key knowledge points:_

- Identify Sentence Simplification questions in TOEFL Reading.
- Isolate the essential information in a complex sentence.
- Recognize and ignore nonessential examples or explanations.
- Select paraphrased answers that preserve the main meaning even with different words.
- Avoid choices that copy vocabulary but change the main claim or omit key information.
- Practice with realistic examples to develop conciseness and accuracy.

## **Key Terms and Concepts**

- Sentence Simplification
- Essential Information
- Paraphrase
- Distractor


Reading question types - Sentence simplification (essential information)