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TOEFL Reading 2026 Task 1

TOEFL Reading 2026 Task 1 - Complete the Words

Hello dear test-takers! Nutty the Squirrel here, ready to guide you through the TOEFL Reading section, Task 1.

The first task of the new TOEFL Reading tasks is called Complete the Words. In this task, you will read a short academic paragraph, but some words will be missing their final letters. Your job is to complete those words correctly.

Sounds new and confusing? Don’t worry! We’ll explain everything detailed later in this article. Grab a comfy branch, and I’ll walk you through everything clearly and smoothly.

Ready to stash away some knowledge?

 Let’s go!

The Structure of Reading Task 1

What Does It Look Like?

🐿️ Imagine you see something like this:

Urban gardens are becoming more popular in many cities. They provide fresh food and help residents develop stronger community relations. In addition, these spaces can encour_ _ _ people to spend more time outdoors and improve their overall well-being _  _ _.

You would need to complete:

  • encourage
  • well-being

Notice that the beginning of each word is already provided. You only need to figure out the missing ending.

Let’s see another example together:

RT 1
Reading | Question 1 of 1

Fill in the missing letters in the paragraph.

(Questions 1-10)

The history of the South Pacific is marked by diverse cultures and significant events. Indigenous popul developed com societies wi rich tradit and soc structures. T region’s polit and econ landscapes exper profound chan following colonization by Europeans. Studying this history allows for a greater understanding of cultural interactions and the ongoing effects of historical events on contemporary South Pacific societies. Traditional navigation techniques using stars and ocean swells enabled remarkable voyaging achievements, while contemporary movements focus on cultural preservation, language revitalization, and addressing climate change impacts on island nations.

Analysis

Correct Answer: ations The letters "ations" complete the word to form "populations." This is because: Grammar: "Populations" is a plural noun that acts as the subject of the verb "developed." Meaning: "Indigenous populations" refers to the groups of people who originally inhabited the South Pacific, which makes perfect sense in the context of them developing complex societies. Correct Answer: plex The letters "plex" complete the word "complex." Context: The phrase "com____ societies with rich traditions and social structures" indicates that these societies were intricate and highly developed. Meaning: "Complex" means having many interconnected parts, not simple, and often involving a high degree of organization, which aligns perfectly with "rich traditions and social structures." Correct Answer: th Here's why "th" should be inserted: wi__: The letters "th" complete the word "with," which is a preposition indicating accompaniment or possession. "Complex societies with rich traditions" makes logical sense in the context. __is: The letters "th" complete the word "this," which is a demonstrative pronoun referring back to the "history" previously mentioned in the passage. "Studying this history" correctly refers to the subject. Correct Answer: ions The letters "ions" should be inserted to form the word "traditions." Explanation: Grammar: "Traditions" is a plural noun, fitting the context of "rich ____ and social structures" where "social structures" is also a plural noun. Meaning: "Traditions" refers to the long-established customs and beliefs of a society, which makes perfect sense in the context of indigenous populations and their complex societies. Correct Answer: ial The letters "ial" should be inserted to form the word "social." Explanation: "Social structures" is a common and appropriate phrase that refers to the organized patterns of relationships and institutions that make up a society. This fits perfectly with the context of "complex societies" and "rich traditions" developed by indigenous populations. Correct Answer: he The letters "he" complete the definite article "The." Grammar: "The" is required as a definite article to introduce the specific noun phrase "region's political and economic landscapes." Context: It refers back to the specific "South Pacific" region mentioned earlier in the passage. Correct Answer: ical The letters "ical" should be inserted to form the word "political". Explanation: The word "political" is an adjective that creates a parallel structure with "economic" (also an adjective) in the phrase "political and economic landscapes," which describes the types of landscapes that experienced changes. Correct Answer: omic The letters "omic" should be inserted to form the word "economic." Paired Adjective: "Economic" functions as an adjective, naturally pairing with "political" ("political and economic landscapes") to describe the systems that underwent changes. Contextual Fit: The phrase "economic landscapes" refers to the region's financial and resource systems, which profoundly changed after colonization. Subsequent Use: "Economic history" in the following sentence reinforces the need for the adjective form "economic." Correct Answer: ienced The letters "ienced" complete the word "experienced." Grammar: "Experienced" is the past tense form of the verb "to experience." Context: The sentence describes historical events ("following colonization") that caused "profound changes" to the landscapes, indicating a past action. The landscapes underwent or experienced these changes. Correct Answer: ges The letters "nges" complete the word "changes." Meaning: "Changes" means significant alterations or transformations, which perfectly fits the context of "political and economic landscapes experienced profound..." following colonization. Grammar: It functions as a plural noun, describing the multiple shifts and developments that would occur in "landscapes." Collocation: "Profound changes" is a common and natural collocation, meaning very significant or intense alterations.

Answer

The history of the South Pacific is marked by diverse cultures and significant events. Indigenous populations developed complex societies with rich traditions and social structures. The region’s political and economic landscapes experienced profound changes following colonization by Europeans. Studying this history allows for a greater understanding of cultural interactions and the ongoing effects of historical events on contemporary South Pacific societies. Traditional navigation techniques using stars and ocean swells enabled remarkable voyaging achievements, while contemporary movements focus on cultural preservation, language revitalization, and addressing climate change impacts on island nations.

Format

  • Paragraph Length: ~70 - 100 words
  • Missing Letters: ~10 words have blanks within them
  • Task: Type the missing letters to complete each word
Attention

Each text contains 10 incomplete words.

Tip

This task tests both your understanding of the text and your knowledge of English vocabulary and spelling. You need to use the meaning of the sentence to figure out the missing letters.

Here’s what you can expect on test day:

  • The paragraph is usually about 70–100 words long.
  • It often explains an academic idea, term, or concept, similar to something you might find in a textbook or article.
  • The first sentence is complete.
  • In the next sentence (and sometimes the third sentence), parts of some words are missing.
  • There are 10 incomplete words, so this task is worth 10 questions.
  • The missing letters are always in the second half of the word, not the beginning.
  • You will see exactly how many letters are missing, which gives you an important clue.
  • The difficulty of this task stays the same in all modules, so it does not become harder or easier.


Tips for Solving This Task

🐾 Read the Whole Paragraph First

Before filling in any missing letters, quickly read the entire paragraph.

The topic often gives you useful clues about what the missing words might be. The more you understand the general meaning, the easier it becomes to guess the correct words.

For example, if the paragraph is about education, words like learning, students, knowledge, or academic become more likely.


🐾 Look for Common Word Endings

Since the missing part is always at the end of the word, think about common endings.

For example:

BeginningPossible Word
investiga___investigate
carefu___carefully
educat___education

Many TOEFL words belong to academic word families, so recognizing common endings can help you solve questions faster.


🐾 Identify the Word Type

Ask yourself:

  • Is this a noun?
  • Is this a verb?
  • Is this an adjective?
  • Is this an adverb?

The words around the blank usually tell you what type of word is needed.

🐿️ For example:

Students must work cooperati_ _ _ _ _ _ to complete the project.

After the verb work, we usually need an adverb.

The answer is:

cooperatively


🐾 Use Grammar Clues

Grammar can often help even when you do not know the exact word.

For example:

The scientist carefully observ______ the results.

After scientist, we need a verb.

The sentence is in the past tense, so the answer is likely:

observed

Looking at grammar is like finding tiny acorn clues hidden in the paragraph!


🐾 Build Your Academic Vocabulary

The paragraphs come from academic-style texts, so you will often see words commonly used in education, science, history, business, and social sciences.

The vocabulary is not usually extremely difficult, but it is more formal than everyday English.

Studying the Academic Word List (AWL) can help you become familiar with many words that often appear in this task.

🐾Type in letters to check ideas

You can just type in the letters to see if they fit or not. Using your visual memory helps you guess the letters. 

Tip

You can always delete what you typed, so don’t worry to try!

🐾Think of different subjects for answers

Repeating the same subject (the “who/what” of a sentence) makes the text boring. So in a lot of times, different subjects are used instead of the same word.

Example:

  • Dogs are friendly.

  • They are loyal. (pronoun)

  • These playful animals need daily exercise. (demonstrative + adjective + noun)

Why is this important? 

In Reading Task 1, you need to guess the blank words, and a lot of times, the missing words are the subject of the sentence. So by looking at the previous sentences, you can guess the missing letters easier. 

Example:

More practice:

  • movies → they → these entertaining stories

  • Sofia → she → that talented singer

  • driving → it → that stressful activity

  • mountains → they → those majestic peaks

  • history → it → that fascinating subject

🐾 Don't Get Stuck

Sometimes you may not know a word.

If that happens:

  1. Make your best guess.
  2. Move on.
  3. Come back later if you have time.

Many students lose too much time trying to solve one difficult word. Remember, you do not need every answer to be correct to earn a high score.

Attention

Sometimes the smartest squirrel knows when to stop searching for one acorn and move on to the next tree!

A Nutty Farewell

Well done, little squirrels! 🐿️

We went through everything you need to know about the Reading section Task 1.

But we’re not finished yet. Go through the next articles to learn about each task, and practice practice practice!

Let me know in the comment sections if you have any further questions!



TOEFL Reading 2026 Task 1 | nuttyenglish