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Latihan TOEFL Reading 9: The Domestication of Rice

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

Wild rice originally grew as a scattered grass along the marshes and riverbanks of East Asia, its seeds falling and scattering naturally once ripe. Around ten thousand years ago, communities in the Yangtze River region began selectively harvesting and replanting rice plants whose seeds remained attached to the stalk longer, a trait that made harvesting easier and, over many generations, became more common in cultivated populations.

This gradual selection produced domesticated rice varieties that looked and behaved differently from their wild ancestors: shorter stalks, larger seeds, and a growing cycle that could be more precisely timed to seasonal flooding. As farming communities refined irrigation techniques, rice cultivation spread along river valleys and eventually across much of Asia, becoming the primary calorie source for a large share of the world's population.

Genetic studies of modern rice varieties have allowed researchers to trace this domestication process in detail, identifying the specific genes responsible for traits such as non-shattering seed heads. This research has also revealed that rice was likely domesticated independently in more than one region, complicating earlier assumptions of a single point of origin.

Soal

1. What is the passage primarily about?

  1. How rice became a domesticated crop and how researchers study this history
  2. Modern irrigation techniques used in Asia
  3. A comparison of rice and wheat cultivation
  4. An argument that rice farming should be reduced
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: A. How rice became a domesticated crop and how researchers study this history

Passage mengikuti alur: asal rice liar → proses domestikasi → bagaimana riset genetik melacak sejarahnya.

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

  1. quickly
  2. carefully choosing certain traits
  3. secretly
  4. randomly
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: B. carefully choosing certain traits

'Selectively harvesting' berarti memilih dengan sengaja tanaman bersifat tertentu, bukan sembarangan.

3. According to paragraph 1, why did early farmers favor plants whose seeds remained attached to the stalk longer?

  1. It made the plant taller
  2. It required less water
  3. It made harvesting easier
  4. It improved the taste
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. It made harvesting easier

Disebutkan eksplisit: sifat ini 'made harvesting easier', sehingga menjadi lebih umum lewat seleksi generasi demi generasi.

4. It can be inferred that domesticated rice differs from wild rice in that domesticated rice

  1. Has shorter stalks and larger seeds
  2. Cannot be eaten
  3. Grows scattered seeds naturally
  4. Has smaller seeds
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: A. Has shorter stalks and larger seeds

Paragraf 2 menyebut varietas domestikasi punya 'shorter stalks, larger seeds' dibanding leluhur liarnya.

5. Why does the author mention genetic studies in paragraph 3?

  1. To show how researchers trace domestication history and discovered multiple origins
  2. To explain how rice is cooked
  3. To argue genetics has no role in agriculture
  4. To compare rice genes with human genes
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: A. To show how researchers trace domestication history and discovered multiple origins

Paragraf ini menjelaskan bagaimana studi genetik melacak proses domestikasi dan menemukan bahwa asal-usulnya tidak tunggal.

6. The word 'scattered' in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

  1. spread out loosely over an area
  2. completely absent
  3. artificially planted in rows
  4. tightly clustered together
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: A. spread out loosely over an area

'A scattered grass' menggambarkan padi liar yang tumbuh menyebar tidak beraturan.

7. According to paragraph 1, where did rice domestication reportedly begin?

  1. The Nile River region
  2. The Amazon rainforest
  3. The Indus River region
  4. The Yangtze River region
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: D. The Yangtze River region

Disebutkan eksplisit 'communities in the Yangtze River region began selectively harvesting'.

8. According to paragraph 2, what allowed rice cultivation to spread along river valleys?

  1. Refined irrigation techniques
  2. Mechanized harvesting
  3. Ocean currents
  4. Air travel
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: A. Refined irrigation techniques

Disebutkan 'as farming communities refined irrigation techniques, rice cultivation spread'.

9. It can be inferred that non-shattering seed heads were valuable to early farmers because

  1. They improved the taste of rice
  2. They eliminated the need for water
  3. They made seeds easier to collect at harvest time
  4. They made rice grow faster
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. They made seeds easier to collect at harvest time

Sifat biji yang tidak mudah rontok memudahkan proses pemanenan, seperti disebutkan di paragraf 1.

10. Why does the author mention genetic studies in paragraph 3?

  1. To criticize current rice farming methods
  2. To argue ancient farmers used modern technology
  3. To show how modern science has revealed detailed information about rice's domestication history
  4. To compare rice with other unrelated crops
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. To show how modern science has revealed detailed information about rice's domestication history

Studi genetik disebut sebagai cara peneliti melacak sejarah domestikasi secara rinci.

11. The word 'precisely' in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to

  1. rarely and occasionally
  2. expensively
  3. exactly and accurately
  4. roughly and loosely
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. exactly and accurately

'Timed more precisely' berarti pengaturan waktu yang lebih akurat/tepat.

12. According to paragraph 2, what became the primary calorie source for a large share of the world's population?

  1. Corn
  2. Potatoes
  3. Wheat
  4. Rice
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: D. Rice

Disebutkan eksplisit padi menjadi 'the primary calorie source for a large share of the world's population'.

13. What specific trait mentioned in paragraph 3 have researchers identified the genes for?

  1. Plant height alone
  2. Resistance to drought
  3. Flower color
  4. Non-shattering seed heads
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: D. Non-shattering seed heads

Disebutkan peneliti mengidentifikasi 'the specific genes responsible for traits such as non-shattering seed heads'.

14. It can be inferred that the assumption of a single point of origin for rice domestication was

  1. Never seriously considered by scientists
  2. Fully confirmed by genetic research
  3. Challenged by genetic research showing multiple independent origins
  4. Unrelated to genetic research
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: C. Challenged by genetic research showing multiple independent origins

Disebutkan riset genetik 'complicating earlier assumptions of a single point of origin'.

15. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?

  1. The modern rice trade
  2. How early farmers began selectively cultivating rice with favorable traits
  3. Rice's role in religious ceremonies
  4. The taste differences between rice varieties
Lihat jawaban dan pembahasan

Jawaban: B. How early farmers began selectively cultivating rice with favorable traits

Paragraf 1 menjelaskan awal mula seleksi tanaman padi oleh petani kuno, bukan perdagangan atau ritual.

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