TOEFL Reading Practice Test 2 (2026 Format)
TOEFL iBT Reading in the January 2026 format: Complete the Words, Read in Daily Life and Read an Academic Passage, in two modules. 40 questions.
How this practice matches real TOEFL iBT use
In the real test, Reading is adaptive: the second module gets easier or harder depending on how you do in the first. These practice tests use two fixed modules. Results show a rough 1–6 band.
How to use this practice set
1. Attempt seriously
Use realistic timing, avoid random guessing, and finish the set as one focused session.
2. Review by skill gap
Separate vocabulary gaps, concentration errors, weak task strategy, and careless mistakes instead of looking only at score.
3. Repeat with purpose
After review, move to the next related TOEFL iBT section or repeat weak-question types until your accuracy becomes stable.
Reading (2026 format)
Before you start
- Questions
- 40
- Time
- 30 minutes
- Parts
- 8
- The timer starts when you press Start. When it reaches zero, your answers are submitted automatically.
- Use the numbered navigator to move between questions, and flag any you want to come back to.
- For typed answers, keep within the word limit. Answers over the limit are marked wrong, as in the real test.
- You can submit early. Your score, the correct answers and explanations appear straight away.
TOEFL Reading Practice Test 2 (2026 Format): all 40 questions with answers
Prefer to work through the test on paper? Answer the questions, then open “Show answer” to check.
Fill in the missing letters in the paragraph.
Coffee is one of the most widely traded agricultural products in the world. The coffee pla__ gr___ best in trop____ regions with stea__ rainfall and mi__ temperatures. After the ber____ are picked, the see__ inside are dri__, roasted a__ gro___. Brazil produces more coffee than any other country.
Q1.pla__
Show answer
Answer: plant
The complete word is "plant".
Q2.gr___
Show answer
Answer: grows
The complete word is "grows".
Q3.trop____
Show answer
Answer: tropical
The complete word is "tropical".
Q4.stea__
Show answer
Answer: steady
The complete word is "steady".
Q5.mi__
Show answer
Answer: mild
The complete word is "mild".
Q6.ber____
Show answer
Answer: berries
The complete word is "berries".
Q7.see__
Show answer
Answer: seeds
The complete word is "seeds".
Q8.dri__
Show answer
Answer: dried
The complete word is "dried".
Q9.a__
Show answer
Answer: and
The complete word is "and".
Q10.gro___
Show answer
Answer: ground
The complete word is "ground".
M1 · Daily Life 1: Volunteers needed: Family Science Day
The Riverside Science Museum is looking for volunteers to help at its Family Science Day on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers will welcome visitors, guide families to activities and help at the hands-on experiment tables.
No science background is needed, but volunteers must be at least 16 years old and attend a one-hour training session on May 15. Lunch and a free museum pass are provided. To sign up, complete the form on our website by May 10.
Choose the best answer.
Q11.What is the main purpose of the announcement?
- A.To recruit volunteers for an event
- B.To advertise a paid job
- C.To announce that the museum is closing
- D.To describe a new exhibition
Show answer
Answer: A. To recruit volunteers for an event
The museum 'is looking for volunteers to help at its Family Science Day'.
Q12.What must volunteers do before the event?
- A.Study science
- B.Attend a training session
- C.Buy a museum pass
- D.Bring their own lunch
Show answer
Answer: B. Attend a training session
Volunteers 'must ... attend a one-hour training session on May 15'.
Q13.What is the deadline to sign up?
- A.May 15
- B.May 18
- C.May 10
- D.There is no deadline.
Show answer
Answer: C. May 10
'complete the form on our website by May 10'.
M1 · Daily Life 2: Email from Professor Lin
Dear students, our class on Thursday will meet in Room 204 of the Anderson Building instead of our usual room, which is being used for exams. Please also note that the deadline for the lab report has been extended by one week, to October 24. Office hours this week are cancelled, but you can email me questions at any time. Professor Lin
Choose the best answer.
Q14.Why is the class meeting in a different room?
- A.The usual room is being repaired.
- B.The usual room is needed for exams.
- C.More students have joined the class.
- D.The professor is away.
Show answer
Answer: B. The usual room is needed for exams.
The usual room 'is being used for exams'.
Q15.What has changed about the lab report?
- A.Its length
- B.Its topic
- C.Its deadline
- D.How it is submitted
Show answer
Answer: C. Its deadline
'the deadline for the lab report has been extended by one week'.
M1 · Academic Passage: How Octopuses Change Colour
Octopuses are famous for their ability to change colour in less than a second. This is possible because their skin contains thousands of special cells called chromatophores. Each chromatophore is a small sac of pigment surrounded by muscles. When the muscles contract, the sac is stretched open and the colour becomes visible; when they relax, the sac shrinks and the colour almost disappears.
Octopuses use this ability for several purposes. Most obviously, it allows them to blend in with their surroundings and hide from predators such as sharks and seals. Colour changes are also used to communicate: some species flash dark patterns when threatened, which may startle an attacker long enough for the octopus to escape.
Remarkably, octopuses appear to match their background accurately even though, according to most research, their eyes cannot distinguish colours in the way human eyes do. Scientists are still investigating how they achieve this. One hypothesis is that light-sensitive proteins in the skin itself allow octopuses to detect light directly, without relying only on their eyes.
Choose the best answer.
Q16.How does the passage describe chromatophores?
- A.As muscles
- B.As sacs of pigment surrounded by muscles
- C.As light-sensitive proteins
- D.As cells in the eyes
Show answer
Answer: B. As sacs of pigment surrounded by muscles
'Each chromatophore is a small sac of pigment surrounded by muscles.'
Q17.What happens when the muscles around a chromatophore contract?
- A.The octopus moves faster.
- B.The sac shrinks.
- C.The colour becomes visible.
- D.The colour disappears.
Show answer
Answer: C. The colour becomes visible.
'When the muscles contract, the sac is stretched open and the colour becomes visible.'
Q18.The word "startle" in the passage is closest in meaning to
- A.injure
- B.attract
- C.follow
- D.surprise
Show answer
Answer: D. surprise
A sudden dark pattern may startle, or surprise, an attacker long enough for the octopus to escape.
Q19.What is surprising about octopus camouflage?
- A.Octopuses seem unable to see colour as humans do.
- B.It takes several minutes.
- C.It is only used at night.
- D.It does not work against sharks.
Show answer
Answer: A. Octopuses seem unable to see colour as humans do.
They match backgrounds 'even though ... their eyes cannot distinguish colours in the way human eyes do'.
Q20.Which hypothesis does the passage mention?
- A.Octopuses learn colours from each other.
- B.The skin itself may detect light.
- C.Octopuses see colour better than humans.
- D.Chromatophores produce their own light.
Show answer
Answer: B. The skin itself may detect light.
'light-sensitive proteins in the skin itself allow octopuses to detect light directly'.
Fill in the missing letters in the paragraph.
The printing press changed the way information spread in Europe. Before it was inven___, books we__ copied by ha__, which was sl__ and expe_____. Johannes Gutenberg's pre__, developed aro___ 1440, used met__ letters that co___ be rear______ for each new page. Within fifty years, millions of books had been printed.
Q21.inven___
Show answer
Answer: invented
The complete word is "invented".
Q22.we__
Show answer
Answer: were
The complete word is "were".
Q23.ha__
Show answer
Answer: hand
The complete word is "hand".
Q24.sl__
Show answer
Answer: slow
The complete word is "slow".
Q25.expe_____
Show answer
Answer: expensive
The complete word is "expensive".
Q26.pre__
Show answer
Answer: press
The complete word is "press".
Q27.aro___
Show answer
Answer: around
The complete word is "around".
Q28.met__
Show answer
Answer: metal
The complete word is "metal".
Q29.co___
Show answer
Answer: could
The complete word is "could".
Q30.rear______
Show answer
Answer: rearranged
The complete word is "rearranged".
M2 · Daily Life 1: Room for rent
Room for rent in a shared apartment, 10 minutes' walk from the university. The room is furnished and available from January 1. Rent is $650 per month, including water and internet; electricity is shared between the three tenants.
Non-smokers only. Pets are not allowed because of the building's rules. Please send a short message introducing yourself to Maria at the email address below. Viewings are available on weekday evenings.
Choose the best answer.
Q31.What is included in the rent?
- A.Electricity
- B.Parking
- C.Water and internet
- D.Meals
Show answer
Answer: C. Water and internet
Rent is $650 'including water and internet'; electricity is shared separately.
Q32.Why are pets not allowed?
- A.The other tenants have allergies.
- B.The room is too small.
- C.The owner dislikes animals.
- D.The building has rules against them.
Show answer
Answer: D. The building has rules against them.
'Pets are not allowed because of the building's rules.'
Q33.How should someone interested in the room first contact Maria?
- A.By sending a short introductory message
- B.By phone
- C.By visiting on a weekday evening
- D.By completing an online form
Show answer
Answer: A. By sending a short introductory message
'send a short message introducing yourself to Maria'. Viewings come later.
M2 · Daily Life 2: Library notice: new online system
From Monday, the library's online catalogue will move to a new system. Your existing loans and reservations will transfer automatically, but saved reading lists will not, so please export any lists you want to keep before Friday. The new system will also let you renew books by text message.
Choose the best answer.
Q34.What must users do before Friday?
- A.Renew their books
- B.Cancel their reservations
- C.Create a new account
- D.Export saved reading lists
Show answer
Answer: D. Export saved reading lists
Reading lists will not transfer, 'so please export any lists you want to keep before Friday'.
Q35.What new feature will the system offer?
- A.Renewing books by text message
- B.Longer loan periods
- C.Free printing
- D.A new mobile app
Show answer
Answer: A. Renewing books by text message
'The new system will also let you renew books by text message.'
M2 · Academic Passage: The Urban Heat Island Effect
Cities are often several degrees warmer than the surrounding countryside, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. The difference is usually greatest at night. During the day, materials such as asphalt and concrete absorb large amounts of heat from the sun; after sunset, they slowly release this stored heat, keeping city air warm.
Several other factors contribute. Cities have fewer trees and less vegetation, which normally cool the air by releasing water vapour. Tall buildings can trap heat and block wind that might otherwise carry it away. In addition, cars, air conditioners and factories produce heat directly.
The effect has serious consequences. Higher temperatures increase demand for air conditioning, which raises energy use and, in turn, produces more heat outdoors. During heat waves, warmer nights prevent the human body from recovering, increasing health risks, particularly for older people.
Cities are experimenting with solutions. Planting trees and creating parks provides shade and cooling. Some cities paint roofs white or use light-coloured paving, which reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it. These measures cannot remove the effect entirely, but studies suggest they can lower local temperatures noticeably.
Choose the best answer.
Q36.When is the temperature difference usually greatest?
- A.At midday
- B.In winter
- C.At night
- D.In the early morning
Show answer
Answer: C. At night
'The difference is usually greatest at night.'
Q37.According to paragraph 2, how do trees cool the air?
- A.By blocking wind
- B.By reflecting sunlight
- C.By absorbing heat at night
- D.By releasing water vapour
Show answer
Answer: D. By releasing water vapour
Vegetation 'cool[s] the air by releasing water vapour'.
Q38.What does the passage suggest about air conditioning?
- A.It can make outdoor heat worse.
- B.It solves the problem.
- C.It is rarely used in cities.
- D.It reduces energy use.
Show answer
Answer: A. It can make outdoor heat worse.
More air conditioning 'raises energy use and, in turn, produces more heat outdoors'.
Q39.The word "noticeably" in the passage is closest in meaning to
- A.slightly
- B.clearly
- C.rarely
- D.quickly
Show answer
Answer: B. clearly
Lowering temperatures noticeably means by a clear, measurable amount.
Q40.What is the author's view of the solutions described?
- A.They remove the effect completely.
- B.They are too expensive.
- C.They help but cannot remove the effect entirely.
- D.They have never been tested.
Show answer
Answer: C. They help but cannot remove the effect entirely.
'These measures cannot remove the effect entirely, but ... can lower local temperatures noticeably.'