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Latihan TOEFL Reading 19: Plate Tectonics and Continental Drift

Baca passage berikut dengan teliti, lalu kerjakan 15 soalnya. Jawaban dan pembahasan bisa dibuka setelah kamu mencoba sendiri.

In 1912, meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents had once been joined together in a single landmass, which he called Pangaea, before gradually drifting apart to their current positions. Wegener supported this hypothesis with evidence including matching fossil distributions and complementary coastline shapes across widely separated continents, but he could not adequately explain what force might drive such movement.

Wegener's continental drift hypothesis was largely dismissed by the scientific community for decades, partly because the geophysical mechanism remained unexplained and partly due to resistance from established geologists. It was not until the 1960s, with the discovery of seafloor spreading at mid-ocean ridges, that a viable mechanism finally emerged, giving rise to the modern theory of plate tectonics.

Plate tectonics explains that Earth's outer shell is divided into large rigid plates that float atop a partially molten layer beneath, driven by convection currents within the mantle. This framework not only vindicated Wegener's original insight about continental movement but also provided a unifying explanation for earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain formation, phenomena that occur predominantly along plate boundaries.

Soal

1. What is the passage primarily about?

  1. Comparing earthquakes in different countries
  2. Describing the complete geological history of Earth
  3. Arguing that Wegener's theory was completely wrong
  4. Tracing the history of continental drift theory from Wegener's proposal to modern plate tectonics
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: D. Tracing the history of continental drift theory from Wegener's proposal to modern plate tectonics

Passage menelusuri sejarah teori continental drift dari usulan Wegener hingga teori lempeng tektonik modern.

2. The word 'complementary' in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

  1. Entirely unrelated
  2. Fitting together or matching in a corresponding way
  3. Artificially created
  4. Completely identical in every detail
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: B. Fitting together or matching in a corresponding way

'Complementary coastline shapes' berarti bentuk garis pantai yang saling cocok jika disatukan.

3. According to paragraph 1, what did Wegener call the single ancient landmass?

  1. Laurasia alone
  2. Atlantis
  3. Gondwana alone
  4. Pangaea
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: D. Pangaea

Disebutkan eksplisit ia menyebutnya 'Pangaea'.

4. According to paragraph 1, what evidence did Wegener use to support his hypothesis?

  1. Matching fossil distributions and complementary coastline shapes
  2. Seafloor spreading data
  3. Direct satellite measurements
  4. Modern GPS tracking
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: A. Matching fossil distributions and complementary coastline shapes

Disebutkan eksplisit kedua bukti ini digunakan Wegener.

5. It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that Wegener's hypothesis had a significant weakness because

  1. He had no supporting evidence whatsoever
  2. He claimed continents had always been separate
  3. He could not explain what force drove continental movement
  4. He never published his ideas
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. He could not explain what force drove continental movement

Disebutkan eksplisit ia 'could not adequately explain what force might drive such movement'.

6. Why does the author mention the discovery of seafloor spreading in paragraph 2?

  1. To argue that Wegener's theory was proven false
  2. To describe ocean currents unrelated to geology
  3. To compare different types of ocean floor sediment
  4. To identify the discovery that finally provided a mechanism explaining continental movement
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: D. To identify the discovery that finally provided a mechanism explaining continental movement

Penemuan ini disebut sebagai yang akhirnya memberikan mekanisme penjelas pergerakan benua.

7. The word 'dismissed' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

  1. Enthusiastically accepted
  2. Financially rewarded
  3. Rejected or refused to consider seriously
  4. Scientifically proven
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. Rejected or refused to consider seriously

'Largely dismissed by the scientific community' berarti sebagian besar ditolak/tidak dianggap serius.

8. According to paragraph 2, in what decade did a viable mechanism for continental drift finally emerge?

  1. The 1800s
  2. The 1910s
  3. The 1960s
  4. The 2000s
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. The 1960s

Disebutkan eksplisit 'it was not until the 1960s... that a viable mechanism finally emerged'.

9. It can be inferred from paragraph 2 that scientific communities can sometimes

  1. Immediately accept any new hypothesis without question
  2. Never change their views under any circumstances
  3. Only accept ideas proposed by geologists
  4. Resist new ideas even when some supporting evidence exists
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: D. Resist new ideas even when some supporting evidence exists

Disebutkan penolakan itu terjadi 'partly due to resistance from established geologists' meski ada bukti pendukung.

10. What is the relationship between paragraph 1 and paragraph 3?

  1. Paragraph 3 is unrelated to paragraph 1
  2. Paragraph 3 completely contradicts paragraph 1
  3. Paragraph 3 only repeats paragraph 1's content
  4. Paragraph 3 shows how the framework eventually validated the insight introduced in paragraph 1
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: D. Paragraph 3 shows how the framework eventually validated the insight introduced in paragraph 1

Paragraf 3 menunjukkan bagaimana wawasan awal Wegener akhirnya divalidasi oleh kerangka lempeng tektonik.

11. The word 'vindicated' in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to

  1. Financially compensated
  2. Proved to be completely false
  3. Proved to be correct or justified
  4. Physically relocated
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. Proved to be correct or justified

'Vindicated Wegener's original insight' berarti membuktikan wawasannya benar.

12. According to paragraph 3, what drives the movement of Earth's rigid plates?

  1. Solar radiation
  2. Convection currents within the mantle
  3. Ocean tides alone
  4. Gravitational pull from the moon alone
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: B. Convection currents within the mantle

Disebutkan eksplisit pergerakan ini 'driven by convection currents within the mantle'.

13. According to paragraph 3, what phenomena does plate tectonics help explain?

  1. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain formation
  2. Only fossil distribution
  3. Only ocean currents
  4. Only weather patterns
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: A. Earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain formation

Disebutkan eksplisit ketiga fenomena ini dijelaskan oleh teori lempeng tektonik.

14. It can be inferred that these phenomena mentioned in paragraph 3 occur

  1. Predominantly along plate boundaries rather than randomly across Earth's surface
  2. Only in the ocean, never on land
  3. With completely even distribution across Earth's surface
  4. Only in areas with no geological activity
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: A. Predominantly along plate boundaries rather than randomly across Earth's surface

Disebutkan eksplisit fenomena ini 'occur predominantly along plate boundaries'.

15. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

  1. Comparing different fossil types found on separate continents
  2. Explaining why continental drift was initially rejected and how a mechanism was eventually found
  3. Detailing the exact composition of Earth's mantle
  4. Describing Wegener's early career as a meteorologist
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: B. Explaining why continental drift was initially rejected and how a mechanism was eventually found

Paragraf 2 fokus pada penolakan awal teori dan penemuan mekanisme yang akhirnya menjelaskannya.

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