In a previous article, we looked at the types of questions that students can encounter in the TOEFL Reading Section 1. Today we are applying this information to a practice test on an article about the history of one of the most famous California icons: The Hollywood Sign.

This practice test contains all of the question types that were discussed in the previous article, and the questions have been labeled for you. In the real TOEFL test, these question types will not be labeled. You also might not have all of these question types in each exam.

Good luck!

TOEFL Reading Section 1 Practice: The History of the Hollywood Sign

Adapted from The Hollywood Sign organization. Read the entire story at hollywoodsign.org.

(1) Imagine a time when the only stars in Hollywood were found in the crystal-clear night skies arching over rolling hills. Before Hollywood became the world’s entertainment mecca, it resembled other west frontiers–a landscape of farmers, cowboys, prospectors, bandits, and mostly undeveloped land. All land north of Sunset Boulevard, for example, was considered useless for anything but grazing.

(2) All was quiet until 1907, when bad weather drove a small Chicago film company westward to complete a shoot. The first real studio, Nestor Film Company, soon followed from New Jersey, cranking out three pictures a week – one ‘western,’ one ‘eastern,’ and one comedy – for a grand total of $1,200. By 1912, word of Hollywood’s ideal film-shooting climate and landscape spread, and at least 15 independent studios could be found shooting around town. Old barns were turned into sound stages and Hollywood’s quiet time was over.

(3) With more and more Easterners drawn by the promise of sunny skies and mild, dry weather, the area’s bedrock industry – real estate – soon kicked into high gear. Subdivisions begat more subdivisions, and by the end of the 19th century Hollywood was taking on the contours of a recognizable town. Thanks to Daeida Wilcox, it also had a name. In 1887, Mrs. Wilcox, wife of town founder Harvey Wilcox, met a woman on a train trip who referred to her Florida summer home, “Hollywood.” She was so struck by the name that she suggested it to her husband…and the rest is history.

(4) It wasn’t just sunny skies that spurred the mass film migration to Hollywood. In 1897, famed inventor and early movie mogul Thomas Edison began suing rival producers who were utilizing filmmaking-projection devices based (he felt) on his Kinetoscope technology. Many of these movie ‘pirates’ fled from New Jersey (home of the Edison Company and the original movie capital), first to Cuba, then to California for good.

(5) By 1915, America was officially film crazed, and Hollywood was shaping into the glamorous, sometimes surreal landscape we’ve come to know and love. Hopeful actors and actresses filled the streets, dazzled by a new American dream: film stardom. Studios, meanwhile, sprung up like wildfires and engaged in a cutthroat battle for survival. As the industry matured, many of these independent companies merged, forming the big studios that would shape and control the industry moving forward.

(6) By 1920, 40 million Americans were going to the movies each week. As the industry blossomed, Hollywood strove to keep pace physically. L.A. history buffs (and fans of the movie Chinatown) know the key to the area’s explosive development during the early 20th century was the Owens Valley Aqueduct System, spearheaded by William Mulholland (who was the head engineer of the Municipal Water Department) and initially completed in 1913.

(7) The controversial and violently opposed project diverted water from the Owens River, the lifeblood of a farming community. Furious Owens Valley residents (allegedly) dynamited the L.A. Aqueduct in 1924 and, later that same year, seized control of a critical aqueduct gate, shutting off the flow of the river. These acts of sabotage continued sporadically until 1928, when the chief backer of the opposition movement, the Owens Valley Bank, collapsed.

(8) Still, the water flowed (usually), and Hollywood flourished. During the 20s, a whimsical skyline of movie set-inspired hotels and apartments rose along the big boulevards. The more prestigious addresses, including the opulent Garden Court Apartments, Chateau Elysee and Garden of Allah Villas, were imbued with the glamour of the stars that called them home.

(9) The rise of the film aristocracy also meant suave new restaurants and nightclubs up and down Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards. Extravagant movie palaces completed the iconic Hollywood landscape. Hollywood, which by now represented not just a city, but also an industry, a lifestyle and, increasingly, an aspiration, was officially crowned when the “Hollywoodland” sign was erected in 1923. Built by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler as an epic $21,000 billboard for his upscale Hollywoodland real estate development, the Sign soon took on the role of giant marquee for a city that was constantly announcing its own gala premiere.

(10) Dates and debates swirl about when the Hollywoodland Real Estate development – and the massive electric sign that advertised it – actually came into being. But a review of local newspapers from the era (i.e., The Los Angeles Times, Holly Leaves, Los Angeles Record, Los Angeles Examiner and the Hollywood Daily Citizen) clears up any confusion. For instance, a Hollywoodland ad in the Los Angeles Times (June 10, 1923) states that the real estate development launched in late March of that year and that by June, 200 men were employed, 7 miles of road had been cut and 300,000 cubic yards of dirt had been moved. And while some sources still cite that the Sign was born in 1924, the correct date is indisputably 1923. The earliest found mention of the Sign appeared on December 14, 1923 in a Holly Leaves article about the Mulholland Highway soon to be built, which would extend from “…from the western end of the (Griffith Park) road, under the electric sign of Hollywoodland, around Lake Hollywood and across the dam.” Just two weeks later another Los Angeles Times article (December 30, 1923) with the headline “Hollywood Electric Sign Reached by Car,” reported on actor Harry Neville’s epic, experimental trip to test whether a motorcar could reach the Sign on the unpaved grade, and whether the car’s brakes would work on the precipitous path down. According to the article, “A motley crowd of hillclimbers, workmen, salesmen and curiousity thrill-seekers …stood by with fear and trembling as the loose dirt began to give way but Neville stuck by the ship…” to make it safely back to the “wide smooth roads of Hollywoodland.”

(11) A) There has also been debate about whether the Sign was originally erected without lights (with the thousands of bulbs added later). B)Bruce Torrence, curator of the photo collection, notes that the shape of the light boxes indicate that these sections were probably part of the letter “A” and possibly the “L.” C) Confusion solved: by the end of 1923, the Hollywood Sign was fully erected, a high-profile beacon – lights ablaze – for the fast-growing Los Angeles metropolis. D)

(12) The “billboard” was massive. Each of the original 13 letters was 30 feet wide and approximately 43 feet tall, constructed of 3×9′ metal squares rigged together by an intricate frame of scaffolding, pipes, wires and telephone poles. All of this material had to be dragged up precipitous Mt. Lee by laborers on simple dirt paths.

(13) Few know that a giant white dot (35 feet in diameter, with 20-watt lights on the perimeter) was constructed below the Sign to catch the eye. The Sign itself featured 4,000 20-watt bulbs, spaced 8 inches apart. At night the Sign blinked into the Hollywood night: first “Holly” then “wood” and finally “land,” punctuated by a giant period. The effect was truly spectacular, particularly for pre-Vegas sensibilities.

(14) Originally intended to last just a year and a half, the Sign has endured more than eight decades – and is still going strong.

Questions

Detail/Fact Question

1. According to Paragraph 2,

a. The rise of Hollywood as we know it was quick.
b. Nestor made it a point to make an array of films because that is what the public demanded.
c. Low-cost production appealed to the East Coast production companies.
d. The California climate appealed to production company workers.

Negative Fact

2. According to the passage, which of the following is not one of the reasons that Hollywood attracted filmmakers?

a. The beautiful weather.
b. The landscape.
c. Issues over camera patents.
d. The low cost of production in California vs. the East Coast.

Inference/Implication

3. In paragraph 6, the author implies that

a. Hollywood had to physically grow in order to host the growing industry.
b. Expansion of Hollywood was not without its issues.
c. Water has always been a serious problem in California.
d. Those opposing the aqueduct were wrong.

Vocabulary 

4. The word diverted in paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to

a. used
b. moved
c. stole
d. purchased

Author purpose

5. The author mentions suave new restaurants as an example of…

The sentence is: “The rise of the film aristocracy also meant suave new restaurants and nightclubs up and down Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards. Extravagant movie palaces completed the iconic Hollywood landscape. Hollywood, which by now represented not just a city, but also an industry, a lifestyle and, increasingly, an aspiration . . .”

a. how new money in Hollywood spent their money.
b. how the financial success film industry changed the area.
c. the tastes of the rich and famous.
d. the culinary excellence of the city.

Reference questions

6. The word precipitous in paragraph 10 refers to…

a. the driver
b. the car
c. the road
d. the situation

Inserting a sentence into the reading

7. Where would the sentence fit best?

However, historic photos from the Bruce Torrence Hollywood Photograph collection, taken just as the Sign was being erected, show workers carrying parts of the Sign that include the original lights in frames or “troughs.”

A.
B.
C.
D.

Simplifying the sentence

8. Which of the following best provides the important information in the highlighted sentence from the passage?

 Confusion solved: by the end of 1923, the Hollywood Sign was fully erected, a high-profile beacon – lights ablaze – for the fast-growing Los Angeles metropolis.

a. The Hollywood Sign was completed by 1923, acting as a high-profile beacon for the growing city of Los Angeles.
b. Completed in 1923, the Hollywood Sign–which looked like a beacon above the city of Los Angeles–was erected.
c. By 1923, the sign was completed and stood as a high-profile beacon of light for the city.
d. To Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign–completed and erected by 1923–stood as a beacon for the quickly-growing city.

Summary

9. An introductory sentence for a summary of the passage is found below. Complete the summary by choosing the THREE answer choices that contain the most important ideas in the passage.

The Hollywood Sign is closely related to the history of Los Angeles’ rise to worldwide fame.

a. The area’s name came from the wife of a developer.
b. The film industry sparked a boom in jobs and real estate.
c. Hollywood quickly became a playground for the rich and famous.
d. East Coast filmmakers realized that the climate of California was perfect for movie-making.
e. High-end restaurants and hotels soon popped up.

Complete the chart

10. Complete the table in order to summarize the information about Hollywood and its famous sign.

Sentence: Several factors contributed to the population boom in Hollywood. 

a. Filmmakers recognized that the California climate was well-suited to shooting movies.
b. The beautiful weather attracted East Coast residents.
c. It rained too much on the East Coast, therefore production was more expensive.
d. People were fascinated by the magical name “Hollywood.”
e. California proved to be a haven for those escaping Edison’s camera patent allegations.

Answers

Detail/Fact Question

1. According to Paragraph 2,

a. The rise of Hollywood as we know it was quick. (From 1907 to 1912)
b. Nestor made it a point to make an array of films because that is what the public demanded. (They did make an array of films, but public demand is not mentioned.)
c. Low-cost production appealed to the East Coast production companies. (The low production cost is mentioned, but it is not stated as something that appealed to the companies. It might be that this cost is surprising only to the modern-day reader.)
d. The California climate appealed to production company workers looking to live somewhere warmer. (The climate did in fact appeal to the companies, but because it allowed for easier shooting, not because it allowed for a better environment to live.)

Negative Fact

2. According to the passage, which of the following is not one of the reasons that Hollywood attracted filmmakers?

a. The beautiful weather.
b. The landscape.
c. Issues over camera patents.
d. The low cost of production in California vs. the East Coast. (The two are not compared.)

Inference/Implication

3. In paragraph 6, the author implies that

a. Hollywood had to physically grow in order to host the growing industry. (This is stated directly, not implied.)
b. Expansion of Hollywood was not without its issues. (The aqueduct.) 
c. Water has always been a serious problem in California. (Not implied.)
d. Those opposing the aqueduct were wrong. (Not implied.)

Vocabulary 

4. The word diverted in paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to

a. used
b. moved
c. stole
d. purchased

Author purpose

5. The author mentions suave new restaurants as an example of…

The sentence is: “The rise of the film aristocracy also meant suave new restaurants and nightclubs up and down Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards. Extravagant movie palaces completed the iconic Hollywood landscape. Hollywood, which by now represented not just a city, but also an industry, a lifestyle and, increasingly, an aspiration . . .”

a. how new money in Hollywood spent their money. (This could be inferred by the author but is not why it is included in the paragraph.)
b. how the financial success film industry changed the area. (The sentence directly states the relationship between the two.) 
c. the tastes of the rich and famous. (This could be inferred by the author but is not why it is included in the paragraph.)
d. the culinary excellence of the city. (This could be inferred by the author but is not why it is included in the paragraph.)

Reference questions

6. The word precipitous in paragraph 10 refers to…

“Just two weeks later another Los Angeles Times article (December 30, 1923) with the headline “Hollywood Electric Sign Reached by Car,” reported on actor Harry Neville’s epic, experimental trip to test whether a motorcar could reach the Sign on the unpaved grade, and whether the car’s brakes would work on the precipitous path down.”

a. the driver
b. the car
c. the road
d. the situation

Inserting a sentence into the reading

7. Where would the sentence fit best?

However, historic photos from the Bruce Torrence Hollywood Photograph collection, taken just as the Sign was being erected, show workers carrying parts of the Sign that include the original lights in frames or “troughs.”

A.
B.
C.
D.

Simplifying the sentence

8. Which of the following best provides the important information in the highlighted sentence from the passage?

 Confusion solved: by the end of 1923, the Hollywood Sign was fully erected, a high-profile beacon – lights ablaze – for the fast-growing Los Angeles metropolis.

a. The Hollywood Sign was completed by 1923, acting as a high-profile beacon for the growing city of Los Angeles.
b. Completed in 1923, the Hollywood Sign–which looked like a beacon above the city of Los Angeles–was erected.
c. By 1923, the sign was completed and stood as a high-profile beacon of light for the city. 
d. To Los Angeles, the Hollywood Sign–completed and erected by 1923–stood as a beacon for the quickly-growing city.

Summary

9. An introductory sentence for a summary of the passage is found below. Complete the summary by choosing the THREE answer choices that contain the most important ideas in the passage.

The Hollywood Sign is closely related to the history of Los Angeles’ rise to worldwide fame.

a. The area’s name came from the wife of a developer.
b. The film industry sparked a boom in jobs and real estate.
c. Hollywood quickly became a playground for the rich and famous.
d. East Coast filmmakers realized that the climate of California was perfect for movie-making.
e. High-end restaurants and hotels soon popped up.

Complete the chart

10. Complete the table in order to summarize the information about Hollywood and its famous sign.

Sentence: Several factors contributed to the population boom in Hollywood. 

a. Filmmakers recognized that the California climate was well-suited to shooting movies.
b. The beautiful weather attracted East Coast residents.
c. It rained too much on the East Coast, therefore production was more expensive.
d. Movie stars helped to attract people from other parts of the country.
e. California proved to be a haven for those escaping Edison’s camera patent allegations.

Cover photo “Aerial Hollywood Sign” by Jelson25 – Own work. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.