Read for information, inference and textual effect
Reading begins with the task and the text's purpose. Identify whether the text informs, argues, narrates, reviews, instructs or combines several functions. Skim for the overall direction, then return to the relevant evidence. A matching word can distract if the sentence negates it, attributes it to another person or describes an abandoned plan. Select the answer supported by the passage, even when a different answer matches your personal knowledge or opinion.
Detail and inference
A detail question asks what the text states. An inference asks for a conclusion reasonably supported by it. Neither permits inventing an unrelated explanation. Suppose a notice says the outdoor event will move indoors if rain continues. It establishes a condition, not an unconditional cancellation. Pay attention to may, only, unless, some and most. These small words limit the claim. A proposed answer saying every participant must attend goes beyond a passage describing an optional activity.
Follow structure and reference
Connectors reveal contrast, cause, concession, addition and sequence. Identify the noun or idea to which a pronoun refers, and check that a proposed linking sentence fits both sides of a gap. Coherence concerns the overall development of ideas; cohesion includes explicit language links. A text can contain many connectors and still lack a clear argument. In cross-text comparison, identify the actual view or evidence rather than treating a shared topic as proof that two authors agree.
Analyze language and literature
Distinguish author, speaker and narrator. Tone is an attitude conveyed through choices in wording and structure, not simply the subject being discussed. Explain how a particular image, contrast, repetition or narrative choice shapes meaning. Quoting a device name without describing its effect is incomplete analysis. Consider ambiguity and perspective when the evidence supports more than one reading; avoid assuming that a fictional narrator reports the author's personal position.
Produce an evidence-based answer
State the point, give a precise reference and explain the connection. A summary selects the relevant central content without inserting unsupported opinion. An analysis explains how meaning is created; an evaluation justifies a judgment with criteria and evidence. Short multiple-choice passages practise useful components but do not replace sustained reading or the required full works. Use original source passages and prescribed texts for the intended course, and check the current official reading and task requirements separately.