Reading comprehension
Reading comprehension (Section B) presents three authentic-style Italian texts - often a news item, an interview or personal account, and a cultural or environmental piece. Questions test literal detail, vocabulary in context, pronoun reference, inference and the writer's purpose. Answers should be in the language the rubric demands, usually English; give the idea in your own words and support it with the relevant line.
Reading method
- Skim first for topic and layout: headline, lead paragraph, subheadings, captions.
- Read the questions, then scan for the paragraph containing the answer; underlining the exact phrase prevents guessing.
- Track reference words: ne (of it/them), ci (there/about it), quello/ciò, il quale, costui.
- Watch connectives that carry the argument: tuttavia, benché + congiuntivo, quindi, pertanto, invece, nonostante.
Worked example
Text: «Benché mia madre preferisse che restassi a Dublino, mi sono iscritto a Bologna perché il corso di conservazione dei beni culturali gode di ottima reputazione.» Question: Why did he choose Bologna? Reasoning: Benché introduces a concession (the mother's preference) and is not the reason; perché introduces the cause; gode di ottima reputazione = enjoys an excellent reputation. Answer: because the course has an excellent reputation, not because his mother wanted him in Dublin.
Traps
- False friends: libreria = bookshop, fattoria = farm, parente = relative, magazzino = warehouse, morbido = soft.
- Answering with a distractor that repeats a word from the text but not the meaning.
- Ignoring non or senza and inverting the sense.
- Lifting a whole sentence: examiners want comprehension, and lifted text often mismatches the question.
- Mishandling da (since/for) and per (for/in order to) in time expressions.