Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension tests literal understanding, inference, text organization, and lexical control. The paper includes passages of different lengths and purposes, so the same skill set must work for a notice, an article, and an argumentative text. Treat each passage as a structure, not a list of sentences.
Question types and what they require
- Main idea: identify the writer’s overall claim or purpose, not the most repeated detail.
- Detail: locate a specific fact; the answer may use a synonym or a different grammatical form.
- Inference: combine two or more statements to reach a conclusion that is not stated word for word.
- Reference: decide what a pronoun or phrase such as this trend or the former refers to.
- Vocabulary in context: choose the meaning that fits the sentence, not the most common dictionary meaning.
A passage routine
Skim the first and last sentences of each paragraph to build a map. Read the questions and mark keywords. Scan for the relevant paragraph, then read that paragraph closely. For matching headings, state the paragraph’s function in one phrase before looking at the options.
Worked example
Sentence: “Although the council had promised to widen the road, the scheme was shelved after residents argued that it would merely shift congestion to quieter streets.” Question: What happened to the road-widening scheme? Options: A It was approved. B It was postponed. C It was expanded. D It was completed. Reasoning: “Although” introduces a contrast: a promise existed, but the outcome was different. “Shelved” means postponed or set aside, not approved. Residents’ objection explains the postponement but does not mean the scheme was rejected forever. The correct answer is B. If the question asked why it was shelved, the answer would be that residents believed congestion would move elsewhere, not that they opposed all road building.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing False with Not Given: if the passage neither confirms nor contradicts a statement, it is Not Given.
- Choosing an answer because it is true in real life but unsupported by the text.
- Ignoring scope words: some, most, all, only, always, and never change truth value.
- Matching a heading to a paragraph because of one repeated word rather than the paragraph’s function.
- Misreading reference chains across sentences, especially with this, they, and the former.
Always return to the line that supports your choice and check that the option does not overstate it.