Reading: Locating, Inferring and Evaluating
What reading comprehension tests
Reading tasks move through three levels. Literal questions ask for information stated directly. Inferential questions ask what the text implies but does not state. Evaluative questions ask about purpose, tone, structure, or the effect of a word choice. Strong candidates know which level a question is asking for.
Concepts to master
- Main idea versus detail: the main idea covers the whole text; a detail supports it. A question asking for the main purpose will not be answered by a single striking fact.
- Inference from evidence: an inference must be traceable to a specific phrase. She checked the clock twice implies impatience or worry - but the text must support which.
- Vocabulary in context: words shift meaning. Stubborn can be admiring (persistent) or critical (unreasonable). Read the surrounding sentence before choosing a synonym.
- Text structure: sequence, comparison, cause and effect, problem and solution. Recognising the pattern helps you predict where information sits.
- Author's purpose and tone: inform, persuade, entertain, warn. Tone is carried by adjectives, verbs, and punctuation.
Traps
- True but not answering: an option that is factually correct but does not answer the question asked. Re-read the question stem and underline the key word (main, first, most likely).
- Extreme options: answers containing always, never, all, or proves are usually wrong unless the text is absolute.
- Outside knowledge: answering from what you know about the world rather than what the passage says.
- Half-right options: the first half is supported, the second half is not. Check both halves.
Rule of thumb
Answer every question by pointing to the words that justify it. If you cannot underline the evidence, the option is probably wrong. For inference questions, ask: what would a careful reader assume, and what in the text makes that assumption safe?