TOEFL Reading Practice Online | Q&A 014

This is an original TOEFL-style academic reading passage with practice comprehension questions, not reproduced from any official test. A useful self-practice pace is about 1.5 minutes per question; see the reading practice hub and more reading practice articles for further sets.

Passage

The Roman Road Network and Its Economic Reach

[1] Beginning in the fourth century BCE and continuing for hundreds of years afterward, the Roman state built and maintained a paved road network that eventually stretched across most of its territory, from Britain in the northwest to the eastern Mediterranean. The original motivation was primarily military: a well-built road allowed legions, supplies, and official messengers to move between distant provinces far more quickly and reliably than unpaved tracks would allow, which mattered enormously for holding together an empire spread across three continents.

[2] Roman engineers built these roads in layers rather than simply flattening the ground. Workers typically dug a trench and filled it with a base of large stones, followed by a layer of smaller gravel, and finally a fitted surface of paving stones or compacted material on top. Roads were built with a slight curve, called a camber, and drainage ditches along the sides so that rainwater would run off rather than collect and weaken the surface. This layered construction allowed many roads to withstand centuries of heavy use, and some modern roads still follow routes that Roman engineers first laid out.

[3] Beyond their military purpose, these roads reshaped how information, goods, and people moved through the empire. Milestones placed at regular intervals recorded distances along the route, giving travelers a standardized way to measure their progress. An official courier system used the network to relay government correspondence between provinces and the capital far faster than would otherwise have been possible. Merchants used the same roads to move agricultural products, pottery, and other goods between regions, and towns that grew up at intersections or rest points along major routes often developed into lasting markets, benefiting from the steady traffic passing through.

[4] The road network's influence extended past its practical uses in transport and administration. By making travel between provinces faster and more predictable, the roads helped spread the Latin language, Roman legal practices, and other aspects of Roman culture into regions that had previously had little sustained contact with the capital. Even after the central administration that built and maintained the network weakened, many of its routes continued to be used for centuries, and their layout still shapes the position of some roads and settlements in Europe today.

Questions

1. What does the passage mainly discuss?

• (A) The decline of the Roman army after the third century
• (B) A comparison of Roman and modern paving techniques
• (C) The daily lives of Roman merchants
• (D) How the Roman road network was built and how it affected military, administrative, economic, and cultural life

2. The word "reliably" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to

• (A) dependably
• (B) quickly
• (C) cheaply
• (D) secretly

3. According to paragraph 1, what was the original purpose of the Roman road network?

• (A) To encourage trade between distant provinces
• (B) To provide work for unskilled laborers
• (C) To let troops, supplies, and official messengers move quickly and reliably between provinces
• (D) To connect religious sites

4. According to paragraph 2, why were Roman roads built with a camber and drainage ditches?

• (A) To make walking more comfortable
• (B) To let rainwater run off instead of collecting and weakening the surface
• (C) To mark the boundaries between provinces
• (D) To slow down enemy chariots

5. Why does the author describe the layered method of construction in paragraph 2?

• (A) To argue that Roman engineers were better paid than modern engineers
• (B) To criticize the cost of building Roman roads
• (C) To describe how milestones were carved
• (D) To help explain why many roads lasted for centuries

6. According to paragraph 3, the road network is associated with all of the following EXCEPT

• (A) a standard way of measuring distance
• (B) faster government communication
• (C) the introduction of a new currency
• (D) the movement of goods by merchants

7. According to paragraph 3, why did some towns at intersections or rest points become lasting markets?

• (A) They benefited from the steady traffic passing through.
• (B) The government ordered markets to be built there.
• (C) They were all located close to Rome.
• (D) Merchants there paid no taxes.

8. The word "sustained" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to

• (A) brief
• (B) ongoing
• (C) hostile
• (D) profitable

9. According to paragraph 4, what happened to the roads after the central administration weakened?

• (A) They were quickly destroyed.
• (B) Travel along them stopped completely.
• (C) They were replaced by river transport.
• (D) Many routes stayed in use for centuries, and some still shape the location of roads and settlements.

Answers and explanations

1. (D) The passage describes the roads' military origin (paragraph 1), their construction (paragraph 2), their administrative and economic uses (paragraph 3), and their cultural and lasting influence (paragraph 4).
2. (A) Moving "reliably" means moving in a dependable way. "Quickly" (B) is already expressed separately in the same sentence.
3. (C) Paragraph 1 states that "the original motivation was primarily military" and names legions, supplies, and official messengers. Trade (A) is discussed later as an additional effect.
4. (B) The camber and ditches were there "so that rainwater would run off rather than collect and weaken the surface."
5. (D) The paragraph states that "this layered construction allowed many roads to withstand centuries of heavy use."
6. (C) Paragraph 3 mentions milestones, the courier system, and merchants' goods. Currency is never mentioned.
7. (A) Such towns developed into markets "benefiting from the steady traffic passing through."
8. (B) Regions without "sustained contact" had not had ongoing, continuing contact with the capital.
9. (D) Paragraph 4 says many routes "continued to be used for centuries" and that their layout "still shapes the position of some roads and settlements in Europe today."