Preserving Torreya - TOEFL Writing Integrated Practice Test with Answers

The TOEFL exam assesses one’s communication among other skills and the Writing section is a crucial component that puts various skills to use. In particular, the Integrated Writing Task tests your ability to comprehend the given information effectively.

This practice test paper is specially designed to help you sharpen your writing skills in the Writing Integrated task of the TOEFL exam and guide you in navigating the task, structuring your responses and improving your overall performance in the TOEFL Writing section. Let's begin preparing to help you achieve your target TOEFL score!

Writing Instructions

• You'll read a passage on an academic topic and listen to a corresponding lecture.
• You may take notes while reading and listening to aid comprehension.
• Then you will write a response to a question that asks you about the relationship between the lecture you heard and the reading passage. 
• Answer the question comprehensively using information from both the reading and the lecture. Avoid expressing personal opinions in the response.
• You may refer to the reading passage again or may use your notes to help you answer the question.
• There is no strict word limit. However, an effective response is considered to be within 150 to 225 words.
• Your response will be assessed based on writing quality, content accuracy, and completeness.

During the 1950s, Torreya taxifolia, an evergreen tree that was once abundant in Florida, began to decline. The exact cause of this decline is uncertain, but there is a significant risk of Torreya becoming extinct if no action is taken. Experts are exploring three strategies to address Torreya's decline.

One approach is to reintroduce Torreya to its original habitat where it flourished for thousands of years. In the past, Torreya was plentiful in the northern part of Florida, characterized by a unique microclimate. A microclimate occurs when weather conditions within a small area differ from the surrounding region. Northern Florida's microclimate, with its cooler and wetter conditions compared to the warm and dry climate nearby, is highly conducive to Torreya's growth. Scientists are endeavoring to plant Torreya seeds in the coolest and most damp areas within this microclimate.

Another option is to relocate Torreya to a completely different environment, far from its native Florida microclimate. Torreya seeds and young plants have been successfully cultivated in forests further north, where temperatures are notably cooler. Some experts speculate that Torreya might have thrived in much more northern regions in the distant past, making relocation, termed assisted migration, a method of assisting Torreya's adaptation to a more suitable habitat for its survival.

The third option involves conserving Torreya in research facilities. By transferring seeds and young plants from the wild into a closely monitored environment, scientists can better protect the species and conduct essential research on Torreya. This research, in turn, can contribute significantly to ensuring the ongoing survival of Torreya.

Now play the Audio below. 

Question

Provide a summary of the arguments presented in the lecture, elucidating how they cast doubt about the particular solutions proposed in the reading passage.

Points to Remember

The lecturer critiques each proposed solution for saving the Torreya tree mentioned in the passage- restoring it to its original habitat, introducing it to new locations, and maintaining it in research facilities. A high-level response will encompass the lecturer's arguments that counter the suggestions outlined in the reading material.

Responses with scores of 4 and 5 generally clearly discuss all three main points in the table.

Sample Responses for the Integrated Writing Task on Preserving Torreya

High-Level Response 

The Torreya taxifolia, an evergreen tree once abundant in Florida, has been facing the threat of extinction since the 1950s, prompting scientists to explore various preservation methods.

The lecturer dismisses the idea of reintroducing Torreya to Florida due to the worsening climate caused by global warming, making it unsuitable for the tree's growth and survival. Additionally, the drying of wetlands in the region has further hindered the tree's ability to thrive in its original habitat.

The alternative of relocating Torreya to a new area is deemed risky by the professor, who references the negative impact of introducing the black locust tree to a different environment. This resulted in the proliferation of the black locust at the expense of native flora, leading to endangerment. So, it’s not wise to grow one species by eliminating others.

Lastly, the proposal to preserve Torreya in research centers is deemed inadequate as successful population restoration requires a large and genetically diverse population to withstand diseases. Research centers lack the necessary space to support such a population revival effectively.

Rater’s Comment 

This response is rated highly because it effectively conveys most of the key information from the lecture and the reading passage. It begins by introducing the topic of saving an endangered tree species in the first paragraph, followed by a discussion of the drawbacks of each proposed solution. While the focus is on the weaknesses mentioned by the lecturer, the solutions outlined in the reading passage remain clear. The organization of the response is generally good. The unfinished sentence in the third paragraph does not significantly detract from the quality of the response, as first drafts are not heavily penalized for minor issues. Some minor errors are present and certain ideas could be expressed more effectively, such as changing "it’s not wise to grow one species by eliminating others" to "it’s not wise to prioritize the growth of one species at the expense of others." However, the Scoring Guide allows for some minor flaws in advanced responses.

Mid-Level Response

Given that Torreya began to decline in its natural habitat, three solutions were proposed, but none proved successful.

The initial proposal involved reintroducing the tree to Florida, its native environment, where historically it thrived due to the unique microclimate of the state. However, this plan failed due to climate change in the region. Benefits of the microclimate, which is specific climate of an area, do not exist yet, leading to Torreya losing its natural habitat.

Another suggestion was to relocate the tree to a completely different climate, such as the northern regions. However, as the professor elucidated, this approach had failed historically with the black locust tree. This historical example highlights the challenges of altering ecosystems, as inducing migration can be provoc a migration.

Lastly, preserving Torreya in research centers was proposed. Yet again, this idea proved flawed, as past experiences with capted population revealed a loss of disease resistance to external threats. Then even if humans try to recreat a reel diversity, it is not possible, because the recreat area can not be enough to be large and diverse as the nature is.

Rater’s Comment

This response receives an intermediate score. The writer seems to have grasped most of the key points from the passage and the lecturer's arguments, but there are noticeable errors in grammar and usage throughout the response. These errors lead to some ambiguity and obscure the intended meanings of ideas and connections. Additionally, important information such as the specific changes in the microclimate (such as becoming drier or warmer) is missing. The statement "Benefits of the microclimate... do not exist yet" is unclear, likely due to using "yet" instead of "anymore." While the black locust is mentioned as a historical example, the writer is unclear in explaining the rest of the argument, especially regarding the difficulty in changing ecosystems and what "provoc a migration" means. Clarifying erroneous expressions like "capted population" helps shed light on important parts of the third argument; however, it's important to note that it's not the "area" but rather the captive tree population that cannot be large and diverse enough.

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