Reading comprehension (Skaitymo supratimas)
What the section tests
Reading tasks assess literal and inferential understanding of public notices, press articles, letters and short literary extracts. You may match headings, choose true/false/not stated, complete gaps, or answer multiple-choice questions about purpose and tone.
Core rules and concepts
- Lithuanian is a synthetic language: case endings, prefixes and participial phrases carry information that English often spreads across separate words. Find the head noun and trace its modifiers.
- Case government is predictable but must be read precisely: į + accusative (direction), iš + genitive (source), su + instrumental (accompaniment), dėl + genitive (reason), per + accusative (duration).
- Connectors signal contrast and cause: nors (although), tačiau/vis dėlto (however), kadangi (because), todėl (therefore), tuo tarpu (meanwhile).
- Reference chains use jis/ji/jie, šis/tas, pastarasis (the latter). Decide what each pronoun points to before answering.
- Prefixes change meaning: rašyti write → parašyti finish writing; priklausomas dependent → nepriklausomas independent. A single ne- can reverse the answer.
Worked example
Text: „Derybos, kurios tęsėsi ilgiau nei tikėtasi, baigėsi susitarimu.“ Question: What is true? A Talks ended without agreement. B Talks were shorter than expected. C An agreement was reached after long talks. Reasoning: The relative clause kurios tęsėsi ilgiau nei tikėtasi describes derybos; the main predicate is baigėsi susitarimu (ended with an agreement). The prefix su- and instrumental susitarimu confirm a result. C is correct; A reverses the result, B reverses ilgiau.
Traps that cost marks
- Matching a familiar word instead of identifying the grammatical subject.
- Ignoring ne- in words such as nepakanka, neįmanoma, nepriklausomas.
- Confusing look-alikes: liga (disease) vs lyga (league); akcija (campaign/share).
- Reading a participial phrase as a main clause.
- Choosing 'true' when the text only implies the idea; 'not stated' is a real option.