Despite being a reading test, TOEFL Reading requires more than just reading comprehension. Correct answers often reflect academic writing conventions, like using qualifying words instead of absolutes. Questions also emphasize main points, not minor details. Understanding this can enhance your problem-solving skills. You can even use the passage title and clue words to eliminate incorrect answers, sometimes without fully reading the text. This post demonstrates how.
The passage titled "Conditions on Earth When Life Began." this is the question
Question
According to paragraph 1, why was Miller's experiment that created amino acids in a "supposedly" natural environment significant?
They explained the composition of Earth's surface during the early Archean.
They provided evidence of the importance of electrical charges on early Earth.
They showed how a key step in the evolution of life on Earth might have occurred.
They demonstrated that amino acids could be created only in the presence of methane gas.
Problem Solving Technique
They explained the composition of Earth's surface during the early Archean.
Miller’s experiment was about creating amino acids, which relates more to chemistry or biology, whereas this choice focuses on the composition of Earth's surface, which is a topic in geology. So, this doesn’t seem like a good choice. ❌
B. They provided evidence of the importance of electrical charges on early Earth.
The experiment did involve electrical charges, but its main focus was the creation of amino acids, not proving the role of electrical charges in general.
So, we can eliminate this choice. ❌
C. They showed how a key step in the evolution of life on Earth might have occurred.
This choice is very attractive because of the word “might”—it talks about possibility, not certainty.
Remember the distinction we made between facts and possibilities when composing the TOEFL integrated essay in an earlier video? When you summarize theories, you need to use modal auxiliary verbs because nobody knows for sure which theory is correct.
The same principle applies here—no one knows exactly how life began.
There’s the meteor theory that says life came from stardust, and then there’s creationism. Since the truth isn’t 100% known, this choice passes my smell test—the fact-versus-possibility distinction. Smells good. ✅
In fact, you should always do the smell check first when solving TOEFL listening and reading questions. That means looking for words that indicate possibility, like modal verbs (might, could, may) or words like probably, likely, possibly, and so on.
💡 Important Rule:
Sentences that state facts can be true or false because we can verify them.
Sentences that express possibilities are always true.
Example:
I went to the movies last night. → This statement is either true or false.
I might have gone to the movies last night. → This is always true as a possibility, even if I actually didn’t go.
Since this choice passed the smell check, we now check if it relates to the title: "Conditions on Earth When Life Began."
Miller’s experiment was about creating amino acids in a natural environment, and amino acids are the building blocks of life—the first step for life to begin.
So, this choice expresses the main idea in the title. We’ll keep it. ✅
What about D?
D. They demonstrated that amino acids could be created only in the presence of methane gas.
🚨 Smell check first. The word “only” stinks! “Only” indicates absoluteness, which is the opposite of possibility. This answer is saying X is impossible without Y—meaning that amino acids must have methane gas to form.
❌ But hold on! Scientists have since found that amino acids can be created with carbon dioxide too. So, “only” makes this answer too extreme.
If you've watched Breaking Bad, you know what Walter White is famous for—blue meth. As a chemist, he knew how to make meth using different chemical elements. While most meth is white, his was blue because he used different ingredients.
Same logic here—just because Miller’s experiment used methane doesn’t mean amino acids can only form that way.
So, the correct answer is C. 🎯