Welcome back to Dr. Byrnes’ TOEFL Show!
Today’s topic is one of the most strategy-heavy question types in TOEFL Reading: sentence-insertion questions.
In older versions of the TOEFL, every reading passage included a sentence-insertion question. If you knew the strategy, this was actually a fun and fast question to answer. But without a clear method, it often became frustrating and time-consuming — especially when students guessed without understanding why an answer was correct.
In the 2026 version of the TOEFL, sentence-insertion questions don’t appear in every passage. When they do appear, they are usually the last question for that passage. The format is also a bit different: instead of four insertion points grouped together, the possible locations are spread throughout the paragraph.
The good news?
The logic of solving these questions has not changed. It’s still about logical flow, reference, and academic writing style.
These are the three sentences that need to be inserted into the given passages:
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“This is all the more remarkable considering the lack of technology at the time.”
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“But what affects birds’ sleep norms?”
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“These developments have rendered the use of film and many types of cameras obsolete.”
Step 1: Read the Target Sentence Carefully
Before you even look at the passage, read the target sentence very carefully.
This sentence contains clues that tell you:
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What must come before it
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What must come after it
If you don’t know what you’re looking for, sentence-insertion questions can feel random. If you do know what you’re looking for, they become much easier and faster.
Step 2: Look for Common Clues
There are two main types of clues you should always check.
1️⃣ Reference Clues (Pronouns & Determiners)
Look for words like:
this, that, these, such, many, they, it
These words refer back to something mentioned earlier.
When you see them, ask yourself:
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What is the word referring to?
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Has that noun already appeared in the passage?
If the reference is unclear, that location is probably wrong.
2️⃣ Transition Words
Transition words tell you how ideas connect logically. For example:
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however → contrast
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in addition → more information
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for example → illustration
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consequently → result
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in contrast → difference
When you test an insertion point, check whether the sentences around it match the logic of the transition word. If the relationship doesn’t make sense, that position is incorrect.
Why This Works
Sentence-insertion questions are not about guessing.
They are about tracking:
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Reference (what words point back to)
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Logical flow (how ideas connect in academic writing)
When you train your eye to notice these two things, this question type becomes predictable and manageable.
In upcoming examples, I’ll walk you step by step through official ETS sentence-insertion questions, showing you how to analyze the target sentence, identify the clues, and test each possible location logically.
Once you master this strategy, sentence-insertion questions become one of the easiest points to earn in TOEFL Reading.