Reading Comprehension
What the section tests
Reading Comprehension checks whether you can extract meaning from short texts - stories, notices, emails, articles - and answer questions about main idea, detail, inference, vocabulary in context, and the writer's purpose. Grade 7 texts are short but may contain unfamiliar words, so strategy matters as much as vocabulary.
Concepts you must know
- Skimming for the gist and scanning for a specific fact.
- Main idea usually sits in the first or last sentence of a paragraph.
- Inference: a conclusion the text supports but does not state directly.
- Reference words: it, this, they - you must trace what they point to.
- Context clues: definition, example, contrast (but, unlike), and general sense.
Traps in questions
Beware of true but irrelevant options: a statement may be accurate yet not answer the question. Watch for absolute words (always, never, all) that make an option too strong. Questions asking "The writer suggests..." need an inference, not a copied sentence. Vocabulary questions often offer a word that is related but wrong in this context - always test the option by putting it back into the sentence.
Worked example
Text: "Although the museum is free on Sundays, visitors still need to book a timed ticket online." Question: What must visitors do on Sundays? The word although signals contrast, so free is not the whole story; the key fact is book a timed ticket online. Rule of thumb: underline the question's key word, then find the one sentence that answers it and ignore everything else.
Preparation
Read short texts daily, summarise each in one sentence, and practise explaining why three wrong options are wrong.