TOEIC Part 7: multiple passages: learn

In this lesson you will

Understand how double and triple passage sets are organised in TOEIC Part 7
Map each text quickly: who wrote it, to whom, when and why
Find the linking details (names, dates, rooms, prices, codes) that connect two or three texts
Answer cross-reference, inference and vocabulary questions on related business texts

Before you start

Think about these questions, or answer them aloud.

→Think of an event you organised, such as a meeting or a trip. Which documents did you use: emails, schedules, receipts, notices?
→Have you ever missed a change to a plan because it was announced in a different message? What happened?

What multiple-passage sets look like

TOEIC Reading Part 7 has 54 questions: 29 on single passages and 25 on double or triple passages. In a multiple-passage set you read two or three texts that belong together, for example:

an email + a schedule
an advertisement + an order form + a customer's email
a programme + a notice about changes + an email to colleagues

Each set usually has 5 questions. Some questions are about one text only, and the instructions often tell you which one (According to the notice…). Others need information from two texts at the same time. These are called cross-reference questions, and they are where most mistakes happen.

In earlier lessons you practised scanning one text for a detail. Here the new skill is linking: a detail in one text (a room, a date, a discount code) tells you how to read a detail in another.

Common question types in multiple-passage sets
Type	Typical question	Where to look
Purpose	Why was the email written?	The subject line and first two sentences of that text
Detail	According to the schedule, when does…?	Only the text named in the question
Cross-reference	Where will Ms Lee attend her session?	Find the link: her session (email) → its room (schedule) → any change (notice)
Inference	What is suggested about…? / What is indicated about…?	Combine facts that are stated; the answer is not written in one sentence
Vocabulary	In the email, the word “X” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to…	Read the whole sentence; choose the meaning that fits there
NOT / true	What is NOT mentioned as…?	Check each option against the text and remove the ones that are stated

A four-step method

Map the texts (30 seconds). Read the headers: what type of text, who wrote it, to whom, the date and the subject. Note how the texts are connected.
Read the questions. Mark the ones that name a text (in the notice) and the ones that name a person or event that may appear in several texts.
Answer single-text questions first, then do the cross-reference questions. By then you know the texts well.
Follow the link. For each cross-reference question, find the bridge: a name, date, room, price or code that appears in both texts. Check whether a later text changes something in an earlier one, such as a new time or room.

Text 1: Email

From: Dana Whitfield, Office Manager, Corvel Design

To: Bookings Team, Harbourside Conference Centre

Date: 3 March

Subject: Booking for a client workshop

Dear Bookings Team,

I would like to reserve a room for a half-day client workshop on Thursday, 20 March, from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. We expect around 25 guests, and we will need a projector and a screen. As several of our guests will be travelling by train, a room close to the main entrance would be ideal.

Could you also arrange coffee and pastries on arrival, and a light lunch at the end of the workshop? Two of our guests are vegetarian. Please send me a quote and let me know which rooms are available. If the price is within our budget of £800 for the room and catering together, I will confirm the booking by the end of this week.

Kind regards,

Dana Whitfield

Text 2: Harbourside Conference Centre – rooms and rates
Room	Seats up to	Location	Equipment	Half-day rate
Willow	12	Ground floor, next to reception	Screen	£180
Cedar	30	Ground floor, next to the main entrance	Projector and screen	£320
Maple	40	Second floor	Projector, screen, video-conferencing	£420
Oak	60	First floor	Projector, screen, microphones	£550

Text 2 (continued): notes

Catering: coffee and pastries £6 per person; light lunch £14 per person.
Vegetarian options are always available at no extra cost.
Bookings must be confirmed at least ten days before the event.

How a strong reader answers

Map the texts. Text 1: an email from a client (Dana Whitfield) asking about a room on 20 March. Text 2: the centre's rooms, prices and rules. The link is clear: her needs (Text 1) must be matched with the rooms (Text 2).

Question: Which room is most suitable for Corvel Design's workshop?

This is a cross-reference question. From the email, list the needs: about 25 guests, a projector, near the main entrance. Now check the table. Willow is too small (12 seats). Maple and Oak are large enough and have projectors, but they are upstairs. Only Cedar has 30 seats, a projector and a location next to the main entrance. → Cedar

Question: In the first paragraph of the email, the word “ideal” is closest in meaning to
(A) perfect (B) typical (C) imaginary (D) necessary

Read the whole sentence: a room near the entrance would be best for guests arriving by train. → (A) perfect. Necessary is too strong: she says it would be ideal, not that it is required.

Practice set 1 – Text 1: Email

From: Kenji Mori, Purchasing Manager, Alderton Stores

To: Priya Shah; Tom Becker; Sofia Lund

Date: 9 May

Subject: Retail Technology Fair next week

Hi all,

As you know, the four of us will be attending the Retail Technology Fair at Eastgate Exhibition Hall on Wednesday, 14 May. I have registered everyone, and the organisers will email your entry badges to you directly.

Our main goal this year is to find a new supplier of self-checkout machines, so I would like Priya and Tom to attend the session on self-checkout systems while I meet suppliers at their stands. Sofia, since you are looking into ways of reducing waste in our stores, please go to the talk on packaging in the afternoon.

Please bring plenty of business cards, as suppliers will want our contact details. After the fair, I would like each of you to send me a short summary of the most useful things you saw or heard by Friday, 16 May, so that we can discuss them at our team meeting the following Monday.

We will meet at the main entrance at 9.15. The company will pay for your travel, but please keep your receipts and submit them by the end of the month.

Kenji

Practice set 1 – Text 2: Fair programme, Wednesday 14 May
Time	Session	Room
9.30–10.30	Opening talk: The future of the high street	Main Hall
10.45–11.45	Self-checkout systems: what customers really want	Room 2
12.00–13.00	Lunch break (exhibitor stands open)	–
13.15–14.15	Smarter stock control with data	Room 1
14.30–15.30	Less packaging, lower costs	Room 2
15.45–16.30	Panel discussion: Paying without cash	Main Hall

Practice set 2 – Text 1: Advertisement

Brightline Print Services

Business cards, flyers, posters and banners, printed on recycled paper as standard.

Standard delivery: 5 working days. Express delivery: 2 working days (add £15).

New customers: 20% off your first order with the code NEW20.

Orders over £150 (before any discount) qualify for free standard delivery.

Not happy with the print quality? Contact us within 14 days of delivery and we will reprint your order free of charge.

Order online or visit our shop on Mill Street (open Monday to Saturday, 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Practice set 2 – Text 2: Order confirmation BL-20817
Item	Price
Customer: Farah Quinlan, Quinlan Garden Design · Order date: 2 June
500 business cards	£45
200 A5 flyers	£60
10 A2 posters	£70
Subtotal	£175
Discount (code NEW20)	–£35
Delivery: Express	£15
Total paid	£155

Save words to review them later with flashcards.

quote
a written statement of how much a job or service will cost
“Could you send me a quote for the catering?”
budget
the amount of money available for something
“The total is slightly over our budget.”
catering
providing food and drinks at an event
“The price includes room hire and catering.”
supplier
a company that provides goods to another business
“We are looking for a new supplier of uniforms.”
exhibitor
a company or person that shows products at a fair or exhibition
“Over two hundred exhibitors attended the fair.”
first-come, first-served
given to people in the order in which they arrive or ask
“Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.”
inconvenience
a small problem or difficulty that causes trouble
“We apologise for any inconvenience.”
submit
to give a document to someone in authority so that they can deal with it
“Please submit your expense claims by Friday.”
qualify for
to have the right to receive something because you meet the conditions
“Orders over £50 qualify for free delivery.”
replacement
a new thing that is given instead of one that is damaged or wrong
“The shop sent a replacement the next day.”

Key points

Double and triple passage sets: two or three related texts, usually 5 questions per set.
Map the texts first: type, sender, receiver, date and subject.
Do single-text questions first, then cross-reference questions.
Find the bridge between texts: a name, date, room, price or code.
Check whether a later text changes an earlier one, and read conditions carefully.

Check your answers in the practice exercises to record a score.

Up next · Reading B2 Intermediate

Everyday texts at speed

Go to lesson

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

What multiple-passage sets look like

A four-step method

Follow the link

Text 1: Email

Text 2 (continued): notes

How a strong reader answers

Your turn: double passage

Practice set 1 – Text 1: Email

Practice set 1 – Text 3: Notice on the fair website

Practice 1: triple passage

Practice set 2 – Text 1: Advertisement

Practice set 2 – Text 3: Email

Practice 2: triple passage

Which texts did you need?

Key points

Warm-up

In this lesson you will

Before you start

What multiple-passage sets look like

A four-step method

Follow the link

Text 1: Email

Text 2 (continued): notes

How a strong reader answers

Your turn: double passage

Practice set 1 – Text 1: Email

Practice set 1 – Text 3: Notice on the fair website

Practice 1: triple passage

Practice set 2 – Text 1: Advertisement

Practice set 2 – Text 3: Email

Practice 2: triple passage

Which texts did you need?

Key points