Reading and Responding: Text Types, Purpose and Inference
What this domain tests
The Reading and Responding section assesses comprehension of authentic-style Korean texts: notices, advertisements, emails, diary entries, blog posts, letters, timetables, and short narratives. Questions target main idea, purpose, specific detail, vocabulary in context, reference (what does 이것 refer to), and inference about the writer's feelings or the outcome.
Concepts you must control
- Text-type conventions: 공지 (notice) opens with 안내 말씀드립니다 and closes with 문의 사항; ads use -(으)세요 imperatives and discounts; diaries use 반말 and emotional vocabulary.
- Connective grammar: -지만 (but), -므로 (because), -면 (if), -려고 (in order to), -는데 (background/contrast). These map the logic of the passage.
- Reference tracking: 그것, 이것, 그 사람, 거기 refer back to a specific noun. Locate the antecedent in the preceding clause.
- Nominalisation: -기, -음/ㅁ turn verbs into nouns and often carry the topic (e.g., 건강을 지키기 위해).
- Formal written style: -(ㄴ/는)다 endings, -에 따라, -에 의해, -도록 하다. Recognise these as written register, not casual speech.
- Vocabulary in context: a word may have a common meaning and a text-specific one (e.g., 예약하다 in a restaurant notice versus a hospital notice).
Traps to expect
- True-but-not-the-main-idea options: a detail is accurate but does not answer “what is the purpose of this text?”
- Reversed causality: options swap because/so. Check which clause carries -므로 or -아서/어서.
- Absolute wording: 항상, 절대, 모두, 전혀 - the passage rarely supports these.
- Wrong time or place: a date is mentioned but a different one is the deadline.
- Speaker confusion: in a dialogue, a statement belongs to the other person.
Worked example
Text: “이번 주말에 학교 운동장에서 체육 대회가 열립니다. 비가 오면 강당에서 합니다. 참가 신청은 목요일까지 선생님께 해 주세요.” Question: What should students do by Thursday? Reasoning: The text has three sentences: event, contingency (비가 오면), and instruction. The deadline 목요일까지 attaches to 참가 신청 (register to participate). The rain clause is a distractor. Answer: sign up with the teacher.
Rule of thumb
Read the question first, then scan for the sentence containing the question word's equivalent (언제/어디/무엇을). Confirm with the sentence immediately before and after, because Korean often places the condition before the result.