Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension tests how well you understand written Italian: notices, advertisements, emails, articles, and short extracts. Questions may ask for true/false, multiple-choice answers, matching, or short answers in English or Italian.
Core rules
- Identify the text type first: a notice is direct, an email has a sender/receiver, an article has a headline and topic sentences.
- Skim for gist before scanning for detail; do not translate every word.
- Follow pronouns and connectors: che, cui, ne, ci, però, quindi, invece.
- Distinguish fact from opinion: secondo me, forse, sembra che.
- Watch false friends: attualmente = currently, not actually; parente = relative, not parent; morbido = soft, not morbid.
Worked example
Text: “A causa dello sciopero dei mezzi, gli studenti sono pregati di avvisare il docente se non possono raggiungere l’aula.” Question: What should students do if transport problems stop them reaching class? Reasoning: sono pregati di avvisare il docente = they are asked to inform the teacher; se non possono raggiungere l’aula gives the condition. Answer: tell the teacher.
Traps
Matching a visible word to an option without checking meaning; missing non; treating a related word as a synonym (sciopero is a strike, not a closure); answering from general knowledge instead of the text.