Berbagai Jenis Soal Structure TOEFL dan ELPT (Part 2)

Berbagai Jenis Soal Structure TOEFL dan ELPT
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Structure and Written Expression adalah sub tes TOEFL dan ELPT yang menguji kemampuan anda memahami aturan grammar Bahasa Inggris. Beberapa orang menganggap sub tes ini sebagai bagian yang paling sulit dari tes TOEFL dan ELPT. Hal ini dikarenakan banyaknya aturan grammar dalam Bahasa Inggris, sehingga ada banyak hal yang harus dipelajari.


 Meski demikian, sebenarnya Structure dan Written Expression adalah sub tes termudah, dan ini dibuktikan oleh alokasi waktu Structure and Written Expression yang sangat sedikit. Bisa anda bayangkan, anda hanya memiliki waktu 25 menit untuk mengerjakan 40 soal, yang berarti anda hanya memiliki waktu sekitar 1.6 menit untuk mengerjakan satu soal. Mungkin anda bertanya-tanya, mengapa soal Structure and Written Expression justru dianggap paling mudah. Berikut adalah beberapa alasannya:

Soal Structure and Written Expression umumnya sangat tipikal (mirip)


Aturan grammar dalam Bahasa Inggris tidak pernah dan tidak akan pernah berubah. Jika anda sudah menguasai aturan ini, anda pasti bisa mengerjakan soal Structure and Written Expression


Pada postingan sebelumnya, saya sudah memberikan beberapa contoh soal yang umum muncul di Structure and Written Expression TOEFL dan ELPT. Pada postingan kali ini, saya akan memberikan contoh soal yang paling sulit dan paling menjebak. Jenis soal ini bisa dikatakan cukup sulit dan sering muncul di TOEFL maupun ELPT, jadi silahkan sobat perhatikan benar-benar.




Mari kita mulai pembahasan kita dengan mencoba mengerjakan soal berikut ini!




It is difficult to _____________ special children

(A) rise

(B) raise
(C) rising
(D) raised


Contoh soal di atas berkaitan dengan transitive-intransive pairs. Kata kerja raise masuk ke dalam kategori transitive Verb yang membtuhkan direct Object, tidak seperti kata kerja rise yang tidak membutuhkan Object. Karena terdapat Object "special children" pada kalimat tersebut, sudah pasti jawaban yang paling tepat untuk soal di atas adalah (A). Ada tiga transitive-intransitive pairs yang sering muncul di soal Structure and Written Expression TOEFL dan ELPT, yaitu:


Kelompok transitive Verb


Lay, misal pada kalimat birds are laying eggs

Raise, misal pada kalimat it is hard to raise a child with special needs
Set, misal pada I set my book on the table and turned off the light



Kelompok Intransitive Verb

Lie, misal pada kalimat the man was lying on the street

Rise, misal pada kalimat hat sun rises from the East is a fact
Sit, I sit here for hours waiting for the next bus

Sekarang, perhatikan contoh soal Written Expression berikut ini!




Many people (A) raise (B) to power after joining (C) a (D) political party



Pada contoh soal di atas, kalimat tidak memiliki Object, sehingga bisa dipastikan kita akan menggunakan intransitive Verb. Dengan demikian, kita bisa langsung memastikan bahwa (B) adalah opsi yang mengandung kesalahan gramatikal.



Itu adalah salah satu contoh soal yang cukup sulit dalam sub tes Structure and Written Expression. Sekarang, coba kerjakan soal Written Expression berikut ini!



People prefer buying (A) cars made (B) in German (C) because they are more  good (D) and durable


Soal di atas berkaitan dengan Degree of Comparison. Anda mungkin sudah tahu bahwa Comparative akan menggunakan akhiran -er jika sebuah kata sifat memiliki jumlah syllable kurang dari tiga, dan akan menggunakan bentuk more...than jika kata sifat memiliki setidaknya tiga syllable. 

Aturan ini tidak berlaku untuk bentuk irregular Adjective seperti good. Bentuk Comparative good adalah better, sedangkan bentuk Superlativenya adalah best. Hal ini juga berlaku untuk kata sifat bad yang memiliki bentuk Comparative worse dan Superlative worst. Dengan demikian, bisa kita simpulkan bahwa opsi (D) mengandung kesalahan gramatikal.


Sekarang, perhatikan contoh soal Written Expression berikut ini!



For (A) a reason of safety, some (B) of the harmfulest (C) substances are strictly  regulated (D) in many countries 


Soal di atas berkaitan dengan penggunaan Superlative. Mungkin anda juga sudah tahu bahwa dalam kasus Superlative, akhiran -est akan dibubuhkan pada sebuah Adjective yang memiliki syllable kurang dari tiga, sedangkan bentuk the most + Adj... digunakan untuk Adjective yang jumlah syllable nya lebih dari tiga. 

Meski demikian, ada beberapa pengecualian untuk aturan ini, dan kata berakhiran -ful adalah salah satunya. Kata yang berakhiran -ful seperti harmful, awful dan dreadful biasanya memiliki bentuk Superlative the most + Adj... Dengan demikian, kita tahu bahwa opsi (C) pada contoh soal di atas mengandung kesalahan gramatikal. Kalimat di atas harusnya ditulis sebagai berikut:


"For a reason of safety, some of the most harmful substances are strictly regulated in many countries "

Sekarang, perhatikan contoh soal berikut ini!


A number of people ____________ allergies to peanut

(A) is having

(B) having
(C) are having
(D) they are having


Pada contoh soal di atas, terdapat frasa a number yang menunjukkan bahwa benda yang mengikutinya berjumlah lebih dari satu. Dengan demikian, kita tahu bahwa jawaban yang paling tepat bagi soal di atas adalah (C) are having. Jawaban (A) pasti salah karena to be is menandakan bahwa Subject berjumlah satu. Jawaban (B) salah karena kalimat di atas membutuhkan sebuah Verb, sedangkan having bukanlah sebuah Verb. Jawaban (D) juga salah karena kalimat tersebut sudah memiliki Subject a number of people dan tidak membutuhkan Subject "they" lagi. 

Mungkin anda terkecoh dengan article "a" pada frasa a number. Bukankah article a digunakan untuk benda berjumlah satu? Memang benar bahwa article a digunakan untuk benda berjumlah satu, namun ada aturan pengecualian dalam Bahasa Inggris, yang umum disebut sebagai notional concord, (disebut juga constructio ad sensum). Karena a number memiliki arti beberapa, maka kata benda yang mengikutinya juga harus dalam bentuk plural. Untuk mempelajari notinal concord lebih jauh, anda bisa membaca buku Randolph Quirk atau Paul Roberts.

Sekarang, perhatikan contoh soal Written Expression berikut ini!



The number (A) of gold found (B) by miners has (C) plummeted in recent  decades (D)


Pada contoh soal di atas, terdapat kesalahan gramatikal pada opsi (A). Number tidak seharusnya digunakan untuk uncountable Noun seperti gold. Untuk menjelaskan uncountable Noun, kata yang dipakai adalah amount, sehingga kalimat di atas harusnya ditulis sebagai:

"The amount of gold found by miners has plummeted in recent decades"

Sekarang, perhatikan contoh soal Written Expression berikut ini!


Many people now (A) use Liquified Petroleum Gas for cooking (B) because it is less costly (C) and more efficiently (D)


Soal di atas berkaitan dengan penggunaan Adjective dan Adverb. Sebelumnya sudah saya jelaskan bahwa regular Adverb biasanya memiliki akhiran -ly, seperti carefully, gracefully, dan lain sebagainya. Meski demikian, ada juga Adjective yang memiliki akhiran -ly. Pada contoh soal di atas, terdapat kesalahan gramatikal pada opsi (D). 

Klausa terikat pada kalimat di atas memiliki Copular Verb "is" yang harusnya diikuti oleh Predicate Noun atau Predicate Adjective. Terdapat Predicate Adjective "costly" yang harusnya juga diikuti dengan Predicate Adjective yang lain. Kata "efficiently" bukanlah sebuah Adjective, melainkan Adverb. Kata costly pada kalimat di atas adalah salah satu Adjective yang memiliki akhiran -ly.


Perhatikan contoh soal Structure berikut ini!


____________ boils at a hundred degree Celsius is an undeniable fact

(A) That water

(B) That is water
(C) Water
(D) Water that


Pada contoh di atas, kita butuh sebuah Noun Clause sebagai Subject. Perlu anda ingat bahwa Noun Clause dengan Connector that dapat berada di posisi Subject. Karena kita butuh Subordinating Conjunction that, maka bisa dipastikan bahwa opsi (C) dan (D) salah. Kita sudah memiliki Verb boils dan tidak butuh Verb is lagi, sehingga opsi (B) juga pasti salah. Jawaban yang paling tepat bagi contoh soal di atas adalah (A), dimana kalimat di atas akan menjadi:


That water boils at a hundred degree Celsius is an undeniable fact


atau


It is an undeniable fact that water boils at a hundred degree Celsius


Demikian, pembahasan tentang beberapa contoh soal Structure and Written Expression TOEFL dan ELPT. Jika ada yang ditanyakan, langsung saja post di comment section. Postingan ini akan selalu di update, sampai materi Structure dan Written Expression ter-cover secara utuh. Akan ada beberapa case soal yang membantu sobat menerapkan rumus-rumus dan materi Structure TOEFL dan ELPT yang sobat pelajari.


Untuk membaca postingan mengenai soal Structure TOEFL dan ELPT yang sebelumnya, silahkan klik di sini

IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips - Problems and Solutions

IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips - Problems and Solutions
source: freepik.com


There are so many types of questions for IELTS Writing Task 2. Sometimes, you have to agree or disagree with certain topic. Sometimes, you have to explain advantage and disadvantage, or benefits and harm, or positive and negative impacts of something. Sometimes, you have to agree or disagree at certain extent. Sometimes, you are asked to identify a problem and the causes, as well as giving some solutions. We normally do Writing Task 2 differently, depending on what question is being given. Today, we are going to try to write an essay by identifying a problem and giving some solutions. Take a look at the topic and questions below!




Overweight is a common problem in many countries. It causes health problems and reduces the fitness level. What are the causes of this problem and what needs to be done to overcome it?

Give reasons for you answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience


It is good to think about the arrangement of ideas before you start writing you essay. Because we are asked to identify a problem and provide some solutions, our essay will probably look like this:



Paragraph 1 - Overview
Paragraph 2 - What the problem is and what causes that problem
Paragraph 3 - Solutions for the problem
Paragraph 4 - Conclusion



Sample Writing

Obesity has become a global phenomenon, causing health problems and hampering the quality of life of many citizens. This essay will examine the main causes of obesity and formulate some solutions for the problems.

The main reasons why people become obese are the lack of physical exercise and the consumption of unhealthy food. When people are reluctant to do physical activities at least two or three times a week, they become less fit and end up storing a lot of body fat. The excessive fat can cause serious illness like diabetes and heart attack. People should work out regularly so that they can be more healthy and have lower risk of getting ill. In the case of many office workers, there is not much time for hitting the gym or at least jogging in the morning. They have to go to work early and when they get home from work, they are already too tired to do exercise. This becomes even worse when people have to spend considerable time sitting in their chair, doing mundane work, and end up being stressed out. This poses them to even greater risk of serious illness like kidney and depression. Moreover, the consumption of fast food also becomes the main reason why people become obese. Fast food does not contain nutrients needed by our body and instead, contains a lot of sugar, saturated fat and preservatives. When there is an imbalance in the consumption of carbohydrate, fat, protein and fiber, the body will not function normally. For instance, the lack of dietary fiber may cause problems with digestive system.


There are some possible solutions that will help people become more fit and healthy. Firstly, they will have to start living a healthy life style. This can be done by having a healthy diet, doing regular exercise and stopping bad habits like late night snacking, sleep over, smoking, alcohol consumption and some other habits that will most likely be bad for health. Intermittent fasting is believed to be a good way of maintaining a healthy body. If intermittent fasting sounds too extreme, people can eat more vegetable and fruit and drink a lot of water. Since obesity is often caused by the lack of physical activities, people can find some alternative to daily exercise like yoga or pilates. These exercise can be done at home. Playing basketball during the weekend is also a good way of keeping fir, and it can be done with family and friends so it is more like a healthy leisure activity rather excruciating physical exercise. All the people need is the commitment to work out regularly.


To conclude, there are many factors why people become obese. We can reduce the risk of being less fit and unhealthy by avoiding unhealthy habit and start a healthy lifestyle. Unhealthy diet and lack of exercise are the main cause of obesity, so it is important for the people to have healthy diet and work out regularly.





Take a look at the underlined sentences. The last sentence of paragraph 1 determines what we will explain the in next two paragraphs, which are the causes of the problems and the solutions. Since it is not possible to provide solution without understanding the causes of the problems, the causes have to explained first. In paragraph two, the main idea is in the first sentence. This sentence is then elaborated by some relevant explanation. It is the same case with paragraph three. I put the main idea in the first sentence, and then I give some additional explanation.

IELTS Cue Card - Describing the Best Gift or Present You Ever Received

IELTS Cue Card - Describing the Best Gift or Present You Ever Received
source: freepik.com


IELTS Speaking is divided into three parts, and the second part is where you have to do some sort presentation based on several questions written in a cue card. Today, we are going to try another IELTS Speaking cue card, and talk about a special gift you ever received. This is one of the most common questions given to test takers. Take a look at a sample cue card below!


Describe the best gift/ present you have ever received.

You should say:
  • What the gift was
  • Who gave it to you
  • When you have received it

and explain why it is the best gift you have ever received




Follow-up Questions:


Do you think that gift giving will play an important role in daily life in the future? Why?


Compare the gifts which people have received 10 years ago to the gifts that people now are receiving? What's the difference between them?


Do you think that the brand name is very important when it comes to giving a present?



Sample Answer


I have received a lot of gifts, and one of the most special and memorable gift I have received is a bouquet. My girlfriend gave it to me back in 2016. I was a senior student back then, and had to do a thesis defense in front of the board of examiners. All students have to do a thesis defense, so it was not the kind of thing my friends were worried about. I was different, though, as I didn't feel the same ease. I went to college with a full academic scholarship, and I had a lot of pressure when it comes to academic excellence. Besides, I knew that the thesis defense would determine my final GPA, and the GPA will be a clear indication my future success.


I was very nervous as I waited for my turn to give a presentation. I became tense and felt nauseous. My girlfriend was already there, trying to calm me down and telling me that everything was gonna be alright. I was not as tense as I would have been as she sat beside me. I've always had a good sense of humour and would naturally tell her some jokes. Apparently, it really helped me overcome my fear and anxiety. It was my turn to do a presentation, as one of the examiners told me to prepare. I glanced at my girlfriend as I entered the room. She just smiled. I noticed that she was not bringing anything, just her purse. I was not bothered with her giving a gift or anything after I finished my thesis defense. Her presence there means everything to me, and that is the best gift in my entire life.


The thesis defense went pretty smoothly, though I knew that the examiners didn't go easy on me. I went out of the room, relieved. And right after I closed the door, I saw my girlfriend standing there, in the hallway. She brought a bouquet of flowers and was waiting there with some of my best friends. I almost teared up, trying not to be overwhelmed by my own feeling. Some might say that a bouquet was not the best gift a man can receive, but it was not about the bouquet. No. I was having some serious struggles with life, college, and my own insecurity, and having someone who was always there for me was the best gift a man can have. In the end, she was right. Everything is gonna be alright, because she is the one who makes it right.


Sample Answers for Follow Up Questions


Do you think that gift giving will play an important role in daily life in the future? Why?


I'm not sure if gift will be important in the daily life, because gifts have always been meant for social events like birthday or wedding. What makes them special is that you don't get those everyday. But in general, I can say that giving gifts is a very important part of our social interaction. For example, when our neighbors are inviting us for a dinner, we will normally being something for them, like a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates. It is a way of giving an appreciation for their kind invitation. Some people say that it's just a common decency, but these small things are highly regarded by the civilized society.


Compare the gifts which people have received 10 years ago to the gifts that people now are receiving? What's the difference between them?


I think, people used to give something meaningful to their loved ones. This doesn't to be something fancy, luxuorious or expensive. For example, in the past, a father would buy a karaoke machine because he knew that his daughter loved singing and wanted to be a singer someday. He gave that sort of gifts because he knew his children very well. In contrary, people tend to give something useful these days. What I mean by useful here is like, something which has a utility, but not necessarily special. For example, my friend's dad bought her a car for her sweet seventeen birthday. This was not because she liked automotive or racing or anything like that. Her daddy realized that she would soon be ready to get her driving license, and a brandnew car is a logical choice for a gift.


Do you think that the brand name is very important when it comes to giving a present?


It depends. If you are the kind of crazy rich person who wants to give a present for your someone's birthday, a person who happens to be your business partner's daughter, then you will most likely buy branded gifts. Businessman buying a branded leather bag worth thousands of dollars for a birthday is not something peculiar. They don't bother looking at the price tag, because they do it to maintain a good relationship with his business partners. But if you are just an ordinary person like me, buying gift won't be that costly, I guess. Sometimes my close friends invite me for dinner and treated me some drink to celebrate my birthday. I always think that their presence and prayers are more than enough for me, but they know I'd never refuse a gift, especially when it s given by a special person.



Tips for IELTS Speaking part 2



  • Some questions previously mentioned require you to give real examples. Practice telling your own story! Be a good story teller!

  • Do not make up stories. Some people find it hard to elaborate their answers by giving examples, so they end up making up stories. Well, making up stories is much harder than telling your own experience. You need a good imagination. You need a good skill to arrange your ideas so that your stories will sound natural. You need extra effort to talk about something that wasn't there in the first place. It is difficult to talk about things you never did. So, be honest and tell your own stories!

  • Be careful with Tenses. When telling personal experience, we naturally talk about something that happen in the past, so you must use the past Tense most of the time. It's often confusing if we have to use simple past tense or simple present tense. Just remember that simple preset tense is explaining something habitual, something that you regularly do. Simple past tense is more specific, since it is used to explain something happening in a specific time in the past.


  • Often do we have to resist the temptation to digress. Make sure you give comprehensive and relevant answers, always.

IELTS Writing Task 1 - Tips for Combined Graph

IELTS Writing Task 1 can be quite challenging since you are expected to understand graphs, charts, or the combination of the two. Combined graph has its own level of difficulty. Take a look at a combined graph below.

IELTS Writing Task 1 - Tips for Combined Graph




In many cases of Writing Task 1, we might have different ways of arranging ideas. As I have explained in the previous material, the organization of ideas for body paragraph 1 and 2 is determined by the major trend. Sometimes, there is not much information presented in one part of the graph, and this eventually results in the paragraph being not proportional. Take a look at the first sample writing below. I divided the writing based on the graph, so that it becomes like this:


Arrangement of Ideas (1) - Pie Charts and Bar Graphs

Paragraph 1: Overview
Paragraph 2: Body paragraph 1 (Pie charts)
Paragraph 3: Body paragraph 2 (Bar graphs)



The length of the second and the third paragraph end up being not proportional. There is too much information in paragraph 3. The third paragraph is way too long and the second paragraph is too short, and this is ugly.


The pie charts present the proportion of male and female people seized by the legal authority in a five year period starting from 1990. The bar graphs describe several reasons why people were arrested. In general, there were more male persons getting arrested than female persons. The most common reason of arrest of both male and female persons was public drinking.

The two pie charts explain the number of recent arrest based on gender, and indicates that there were more men being involved in illegal activities, making up nearly a third of the whole male population. In contrary, the proportion of women being taken into custody was a little 10%.

Drink driving was the main reason why females were apprehended, representing around 37%. Assault and jaywalking were the second most common reasons why females were arrested, making up nearly one fifth of the whole female population. The percentage of other violations of law like breaking and entering, petty theft and speeding were all below 15%. Around 7% of the female population did not give any answer. Similar to female's case, a significant number of male citizens were detained because of drink driving, making up around 31%. The number of men being arrested because of speeding was considerably high, representing more than a quarter of male population. The proportion of men being detained for petty theft, jay walking and breaking and entering were higher than female's. However, there were fewer men not answering the questions.




So, I was trying to find another way of explaining the graphs. I tried to arrange the idea based on the gender instead. Below is the result of the re-arrangement of ideas:



The pie charts present the proportion of male and female people seized by the legal authority in a five year period starting from 1990. The bar graphs describe several reasons why people were arrested. In general, there were more male persons getting arrested than female persons. The most common reason of arrest of both male and female persons was public drinking.

The two pie charts explain the number of recent arrest based on gender, and indicates that there were more men being involved in illegal activities, making up nearly a third of the whole male population. The bar graph shows that a significant number of male citizens were detained because of drink driving, making up around 31%. The number of men being arrested because of speeding was considerably high, representing more than a quarter of male population. The proportion of men being detained for breaking and entering, petty theft, and jaywalking were higher than female's. However, there were fewer men not answering the questions.


Unlike men's case, the proportion of women being taken into custody was very small, just a little below 10%. Drink driving was the main reason why females were apprehended, representing around 37%. Assault and jaywalking were the second most common reasons why females were arrested, making up nearly one fifth of the whole female population. The percentage of other violations of law like petty theft, speeding and breaking and entering were all below 15%. Around 7% of the female population did not give any answer. 






The ideas of the sample writing above are arranged this way:


Arrangement of Ideas (1) - Male and Female

Paragraph 1: Overview
Paragraph 2: Body paragraph 1 (male case)
Paragraph 3: Body paragraph 2 (female case)


As we can see, the paragraphs in the second writing sample are more proportional. The body paragraph 1 and 2 are neither too long nor too short. The ideas are well-organized. It is okay to use both the first and the second arrangement, just make sure that you meet all the four grading criteria in IELTS Writing Task 1.